Sightsavers implements projects in over 30 countries in Africa and South Asia working to eliminate avoidable blindness and promote the rights of people with disabilities.

Title: Consultancy for mid-term review of INSPIRE refractive error project

Location: Pakistan / Global

Contract: Approximately 30-45 workdays over six months

Overview

In Pakistan, eye health services are an integral part of the government health system, led by the National Committee for Eye Health (NCEH). The NCEH, which includes government and civil society stakeholders such as Sightsavers, has developed the ambitious IPEC plan 2020-2030. This plan highlights the need for strategies targeting disadvantaged communities, including women, the elderly, and people with disabilities. It also recognises the necessity for a comprehensive national refractive error (RE) strategy and a national training programme for opticians.

The INSPIRE (Improving National Systems in Pakistan for Integrated action on Refractive Error) project runs from January 2022 to December 2026 in Multan and Sheikhupura districts. The project is addressing the unavailability of high quality refractive and optical services at the community level. There is a focus on increasing skills among existing frontline health care workers to provide refractive and optical services close to communities. Another priority is ensuring that people with disabilities, women, children, the elderly, and the poorest have equitable access to services.  The project is testing a new approach using the public-private partnership model to contribute to the sustainable provision of good quality eyeglasses in remote rural areas. The development of a national RE strategy endorsed by NCEH will support the replication of this approach in other provinces of the country. As part of the project workplan and budget, a mid-term review (MTR) is planned for this project. Sightsavers are looking for a consultant or small consultancy team to conduct the MTR.

Responsibilities

• Conduct a Mid-Term Review to assess the project’s progress, successes, and challenges.
• Conduct primary data collection in the project areas (initial sampling suggests that around 116 individuals should be consulted across the stakeholder groups, although final details can be agreed between Sightsavers and the consultant during inception).
• Evaluate the effectiveness of implementation approaches, including equity strategies, social and behaviour change (SBC) activities, and public-private partnership models.
• Validate initial findings through a workshop with implementing partners.
• Provide recommendations for adjustments to the project and future similar projects.
• Contribute evidence towards answering Sightsavers’ thematic learning questions for refractive error.
• Coordinate with various stakeholders to ensure timely delivery of activities and high-quality outputs.

Skills and Experience

• Extensive experience in monitoring and evaluation for international development projects/programmes, with strong skills in both qualitative and quantitative approaches.
• Thematic expertise in eye health evaluations, preferably with experience in refractive error, inclusive health, and primary eye care.
• Comprehensive understanding of preferred practices and policy issues at global and national levels.
• Strong understanding of equitable access to inclusive healthcare for women, people with disabilities, and other marginalised groups.
• Prior experience working in Pakistan, preferably within the project regions, including data collection experience.
• Ability to travel within Pakistan, mainly within the project districts (Multan and Sheikhupura).
• Proven ability to produce concise, readable, and analytical reports.
• Excellent communication skills in written and spoken English. Fluency in local languages in Pakistan is highly desirable.

• Proven ability to work independently, manage resources, and deliver work within agreed timeframes.

Timeline

We anticipate the work will require approximately 30-45 person days’ input, depending on the methodology and approach proposed. The work should be conducted between August and December 2024. The budget ceiling for this work is around PKR 3,000,000 inclusive of all expenses. For full details about the consultancy, please refer to the Terms of Reference.

Next Steps

To express your interest to undertake this assignment, please read the complete ToR, and complete our Expression of Interest (EoI) which can be found via the application link.

The EoI response should include roles and responsibilities of the consultant/s and number of days input, as well as a proposed workplan and indicative budget, including team members’ daily rates for the assignment and any other anticipated expenses.

Interested bidders are also requested to include a couple of examples of previous similar work.

The deadline for consultants/consultancies to submit their bid is 21^st July 2024

Interviews are likely to be held end of July 2024.

Please note due to the high volume of applications we reserve the right to close this advert early.