Terms of Reference for Development and Implementation of an M&E Information System for LifeNet International

1.0 Background

LifeNet is an International Christian organization working towards transforming African healthcare facilities to provide high-quality, sustainable, and compassionate healthcare. Since 2012, LifeNet has transformed healthcare in 380+ health facilities, providing care to more than 25 million healthcare visits for vulnerable patients in Burundi, Uganda, Malawi, Ghana, Kenya, and the DR Congo. Consequently, participating health facilities have doubled the quality of care they provide to patients and improved their financial and administrative management. As an evidence-based organization, LifeNet has considered enhancement of its data collection, analysis, reporting, and use processes through the development and implementation of a new M&E information system. This Terms of Reference (TOR) provides a description of the desired M&E Information System and guidance to prospective firms on submission of proposals.

2.0 General Scope

The main outcome is improved timely data-based decision making through development and implementation of a user-friendly interoperable M&E Information System to facilitate systematic data collection, analysis, reporting, and use. This shall generally involve;

1. A detailed review of LifeNet’s current M&E system (includes; processes, data, users, technology, and documentation) to gain an understanding of functionality and existing gaps
2. Use existing requirements and findings from (a) above to develop a clear plan and roadmap for customization of an M&E Information System suitable for LifeNet programming context
3. Design, Develop, test, and deploy a mobile and web-based M&E Information System for both the anglophone and francophone programming contexts
4. Training of users and technical backstopping to ensure system adoption, acceptance, routinization, and infusion in LifeNet programs
5. Develop an easy-to-use instruction manual and fully handover the M&E system

3.0 Functionalities of the M&E System

The system is expected to deliver the following functional and non-functional requirements

• The mobile application should allow the collection of data from health facilities during monitoring, including; stock-outs, patient visits, financial data, diagnosis, key indicators, pre/post-lesson assessments as well as baseline/end line Quality Scorecard modular performance. The web-based end of the system should as well allow a provision to import such data from external data sources such as DHIS2, Moodle, Clinic Management System, etc
• The mobile application should have an offline capability and allow synchronization upon access to an internet signal. The web-based end should also be suitable for access and utilization even with limited internet / slow internet speeds.
• Registration/coding of current and prospective partner health facilities, each with their summary profiles such as; location/address, contact information, average monthly patient volume, etc. In the monitoring process, the system should as such allow the selection of a health facility from a drop-down list as opposed to manually typing in facilities. These should be arranged in line with country-specific administrative structures such as Country, District, County, sub-county e.t.c
• Registration of staff and their roles, including attaching them to respective cohort facilities
• Allow geo-location tracking and reporting for all partner facilities
• Aggregation of all data collection and analysis to generate meaningful reports (in .xls, .csv, doc or pdf formats) in user-friendly forms such as tables, charts, graphs, and maps. Analysis of data should be by country, region, district, health facilities, date range, reporting period (monthly, quarterly, annually), staff, etc
• Monitor the progress of the project activities and collect all indicators of the results M&E framework
• Multi-staff data input, real time tracking of indicators, data processing, analytics, and standardized reporting leveraging tools like powerBi
• Reports and Dashboard that allows for easy tracking of key indicators against targets (baseline, target, milestones)
• Have an integration of a business intelligence component to generate specific recommendations based on performance of key indicators but also capacity to trigger email messages for key system events such as non/under-reporting by country, facility, data quality checks, etc
• The mobile application should run on android platforms, the web-based end should be compatible with a number of browsers such as Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, etc
• The System should have other critical functionalities such as; security at all levels ensuring the integrity of data and reliability to deliver expected/accurate data/results over time.
• Run a secure backup mechanism for all data and have clear recovery/restoration protocols
• User-friendly with very intuitive user interfaces to allow acceptance and use by all users including the non-techies

4.0 Deliverables and Timelines

1. Signing of Contract – Signed Contract – 1 day
2. Entry meeting and clarification of the Terms of Reference – Clear understanding of the Terms of Reference and Deliverables – 1/2 a day
3. Review of LifeNet’s current M&E system after an inception meeting – An inception report with comprehensive M&E system requirements and an implementation plan – 10 days
4. Design, Development, Testing and Deployment – A functional M&E Information System – 73 days
5. Training of users – User Training Manual – 5.5 days
6. Ongoing Technical Support – TBD in the contract

5.0 Required Documentation

• Technical – not more than 15 pages excluding annexes
• Financial proposal (in USD)
• CV the lead consultant and summary bios/profiles of team members
• Examples of previous work done in designing and deploying similar systems
• Minimum of 3 Written references from previous clients
• Administrative papers: Legal registration, Income tax clearance, VAT/TIN, Registration with NITA, Prequalified with PPDA (For Ugandan Firms);

6.0 Skills/Competencies

• The team leader should have solid expertise in development and implementation of results-based M&E systems
• The Team leader/Consultant should have a minimum of a Masters Degree in Computer Science, software engineering, IT, Monitoring and Evaluation or Statistics, and any relevant qualification from a reputable university.
• Minimum experience of 10 years in designing, developing, and supporting implementation of M&E information systems preferably for humanitarian organizations. At least 5 years of experience working for any international donor-funded program
• Experience in development of M&E/MIS systems for health-related programs
• Excellent understanding and skill sets in Monitoring and Evaluation and Project Management
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and relationship management skills, Demonstrated problem-solving and analytical skills, Experience, and skills in training and transfer of knowledge.
• An excellent command of the English language is a requirement
• Proficient knowledge of French by the team leader or company staff is a plus

7.0 Scoring Criteria

• Understanding of the Assignment
• Proposed development Methodology
• Value proposition for Proposed technologies
• Experience of the Team
• Team Composition
• Proposed Budget