Exploration Mission Al Qaa and Akkar, Lebanon.

1. Background information:

Since 2012, in cooperation with civil society organizations as well as national and local authorities, Médecins du Monde- France ’s (MdM) intervention aimed at increasing access to quality primary healthcare and strengthening the national primary healthcare system in Lebanon. Moreover, MdM has been actively engaged in providing access to mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) services and in reducing the impact of the wide range of crisis on the mental and physical health of the Syrian and Palestinian refugees, vulnerable Lebanese and migrant workers.

The improvement in access to primary healthcare (PHC) services aims at ensuring that host communities and refugees are able to receive critical preventive and curative services including health and mental health services, while enhancing the meaningful exercise of their rights and promoting their resilience and well-being through the services provided at PHC centers and community levels.

Médecins du Monde supports four partners’ PHC centers , which are part of the Ministry of Public Health’s National Network. The support is through the subsidization of services that include medical consultations by general and specialized physicians, acute essential medication, laboratory & imaging, physiotherapy, and Sexual and Reproductive health including family planning. MdM Team also builds the capacity of partner staff to improve the quality of services following the national accreditation standards provided by the Ministry of Public Health.

Furthermore, we are working on supporting the development of a multidisciplinary response to identify GBV survivors based on the principles of protection, gender and inclusion mainstreaming. The latter is achieved through the provisions of sensitization sessions to all healthcare workers as well as safe identification and referral to specialized case management agencies.

Médecins du Monde contributed to the development of community-based mental healthcare services, opening and running community mental health centers (CMHCs) in Beirut and Tripoli. 

Multidisciplinary teams composed of case managers, psychotherapists, psychiatrists and nurses provide individualized and recovery-oriented services and consultations to people with mental health and substance use issues, based on personalized care and recovery plans.

MdM is also working on integrating mental health in the primary healthcare system. This involves strengthening the capacity of healthcare staff by providing training in techniques which will help them to identify mental health conditions and provide adequate care to patients. We are currently working closely with eight PHC centers in order to improve access to care through awareness sessions, trainings and shadowing of health care professionals.

The Médecins du Monde team is supported by community outreach volunteers who are raising awareness on health and mental health topics and provide support by directing people to the appropriate facilities within their communities.

Medecins du Monde (MdM) conducted exploration missions in the regions of Al Qaa and Akkar in Lebanon to assess the needs of the local population. These assessments included key informant interviews (KIIs) and group discussions (GGDs) to gather detailed information about the health, social, and economic conditions in these areas. The data from these assessments has been collected, and MdM now requires a consultant to compile this data into two comprehensive exploration mission reports using the MdM report template.

This Terms of Reference (ToR) outlines the scope, objectives, and deliverables for a consultant responsible for analyzing the KII’s and FGDs conducted by the MdM staff.

2.  Purpose of the consultancy

The objective of this consultancy is to develop two detailed exploration mission reports based on the collected data from Al Qaa and Akkar. The reports will provide an analysis of the findings from the KIIs and FGDs in aim to highlight key needs and challenges, and propose recommendations for MdM’s future interventions

3. Expected methodology:

The consultant will undertake the following steps in conducting the analysis:

a) Data Review:

• To do a literature review on health need in Akkar and Al Qaa
• To analyze the data collected through 11 KIIs, 18 FGDs and 2 Primary Health Care Centers (PHCC) assessments
• To Identify key themes, needs, and challenges in the collected data.

The data will be share with the consultant by email, in English version and the report must be in English.  

b) Coding and Categorization:

Employ qualitative analysis techniques to code and categorize the data based on recurring themes and topics.

c) Interpretation:

Interpret the coded data to understand the nuances, underlying issues, and sentiments expressed by participants.

d) Report Preparation:

• Draft two exploration mission reports, one for Al Qaa and one for Akkar, using the MdM exploration mission report template.
• Ensure that each report includes:
  • An executive summary.
  • A detailed analysis of the findings from the KIIs, FGDs and PHCC assessment.
  • Identification of key needs and challenges in each region.
  • Recommendations for future interventions by MdM.

• Incorporate feedback from MdM into the reports and finalize them.

The consultant must engage with MdM team to clarify any aspects of the data or reporting template as needed. The consultant must participate in regular update meetings with MdM.

4. Deliverables:

The consultant will provide the following deliverables:

• A draft exploration mission report for Al Qaa.
• A draft exploration mission report for Akkar.
• Finalized versions of both reports, incorporating feedback from MdM.

6. Academic Background and Experience

The consultant should possess:

• Proficiency in qualitative data analysis methodologies.
• Experience in analyzing focus group discussions or similar qualitative data.
• Strong interpretive and synthesis skills to distill key insights from complex data.
• Familiarity with health, Sexual Reproductive Health Rights, mental health and substance use issues and relevant terminology.
• Strong report writing skills.
• Fluent in Arabic and English; very good English writing skills

INSTRUCTIONS FOR BIDDERS

In order to be authorized to apply, bidders must be able to establish, at the discretion of MdM-F, that they meet the legal, technical and financial conditions applicable and that they have the necessary capacity and sufficient resources to carry out the mission. The following rules are aimed at helping the bidder prepare a complete document that meets the requirements of MdM-F.

Content of the offer of services

The bidder must provide all necessary and sufficient information to enable the technical and budgetary proposal to be correctly evaluated. The information provided must be succinct and cover all aspects. The bidder must be able to show how it holds the required qualifications to carry out the mission. The bidder may add any information considered relevant.

Exclusion criteria

MdM-F will exclude from the contract procedure any bidders to which any of the following applies:

- Bankrupt or the subject of bankruptcy or liquidation proceedings, court-ordered restructuring or preventive arrangements, having ceased trading or in a comparable situation as a result of proceedings of the same kind under domestic legislation or regulations;

- Convicted via a judgment having res judicata (i.e. no longer subject to appeal in any manner) of any offence impacting their professional morality;

- Guilty of serious professional misconduct established via any means by MdM-F;

- Having failed to comply with their obligations regarding the payment of social security contributions or their tax obligations under the relevant provisions of law;

- Convicted via a judgment having res judicata on charges relating to fraud, corruption, participation in organized crime or any other unlawful activity;

- Which, following the signature of another contract, was declared to have committed a serious breach of contract due to failure to comply with their contractual obligations.

Bidders must be able to certify via any appropriate means that they are not currently in any of the situations described above.

Ineligibility clauses

Contracts are not awarded to bidders who, during the bidding phase:

- Find themselves in a conflict of interest with or have a specific link to any other bidders or parties to the project; any attempt made by a bidder to obtain confidential information, to enter into unlawful arrangements with its competitors or the influence the Steering Committee for the

mission or MdM-F during the course of the examination, clarification, evaluation and comparison of the bids will lead to the rejection of the bid;

- Make inaccurate declarations when submitting the information required by MdM-F in order to take part in the contract or fail to provide such information.

Grounds for rejection

MdM-F and the bidders shall comply with the highest possible ethical standards when negotiating and performing contracts.

MdM-F will reject any proposal submitted by a bidder and terminate the relevant contract if it is established that this bidder has engaged in acts of corruption, fraud, collusion or coercion. The administrative or financial sanctions applied must be in proportion to the size of the contract and the seriousness of the misconduct established.

MdM-F has a duty to ensure that all bidders and applicants have no involvement whatsoever in child labor and respect all basic employment rights and rules on working conditions. They must themselves make a commitment not to purchase goods from suppliers involved in child labor or violating basic employment rights and/or rules on working conditions.

11. Amendment:

This ToR may be subject to modification based on internal or external feedback.

12. Approval:

This ToR is approved by Médecins du Monde.

HOW TO SUBMIT AN APPLICATION

 The consultant(s) is invited to submit a file of not more than 10 to 15 pages (excluding CVs), including the following documents, to [email protected] with the following title in the email subject “24 LB BEY 114 - Exploration Mission”

1. Technical proposal including:

• An understanding of the terms of reference;
• The technical approach developed and the detailed methodology;
• Details regarding team members, how responsibilities are shared between them, the CVs proposed and the availability of the team members as well as the legal status of the members of the consultancy team and/or evaluation firm to which the consultant(s) belongs;
• References from 1 similar project previously completed.

2. Financial proposal including:

• A detailed itemized breakdown (including MOF tax 7,5% consultancy tax & VAT if applicable) incorporating the budget allocation
• The offer could also include extra services not mentioned above with the detail’s fees
• MOF number and or VAT registration if applicable. 
• Terms of payment and payment modality.
• Proposal validity.
• All contractual conditions should be also clearly explained in the offer.
• All relevant information or deemed of value to MdM.

Type of contract: Consultancy Contract.

Duration: One month, expecting starting date 23/09/2024

Deadline to submit the file: 05/09/2024

Applications with missing documents will not be considered.