International Consultancy on vaccine supply Financing and capacity building of health personnel on vaccine forecasting Sao Tome & Principe (3 months) Home Based At United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)


The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)

Job Description

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, Hope

Purpose of Activity/Assignment:

Since 2006, vaccination coverage in São Tomé and Príncipe has been among the highest in the West and Central African region, reaching 99.8% coverage for BCG in 2011. However, from 2020, vaccination coverage has decreased to almost 80 percent, which has been associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite this reality, the country was notified to enter the accelerated transition phase from 2018 onwards for the total self-financing of its vaccination program, considering its Gross National Income (GNI) per capita and in accordance with the Eligibility, Transition and Co-financing Policy of Gavi. This phase was scheduled to be completed in 2023 but was extended until 2026. In 2018, the UNICEF SD supported the Country Office in hiring an expert to review the Vaccines Forecast Plan and in training key health personnel in estimating the quantity of vaccines and financing needs for the period 2018- 2021, including the identification of existing vaccines and possible sources of financing and the budgetary financing gap. After this period, the country still faces the need to update this exercise and consider new possibilities for financing immunization. UNICEF provides immunization supply financing technical assistance to countries to address the underlying causes of insufficient budget allocation and low and/or delayed budget execution to improve a country’s long-term self-financing capacity. These activities consist of supporting the strengthening of countries’ capabilities in forecasting, budgeting, spending, and in using evidence-based advocacy to influence domestic/national budget allocations for immunization supplies procurement and timeliness of funds release during procurement execution. This technical assistance fulfils one of UNICEF’s objectives aiming to support the government in the transition plan by the capacity building of health personnel to forecast their vaccine needs. This activity has been included in the 2023 – 2024 TCA.

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Scope of Work:

The consultant will be expected to implement the following activities:

• Map the Immunization Supplies Procurement Budgeting Process to identify challenges in forecasting, quantification and costing of procurement needs (as well as develop budgeting templates, standard operating procedures (SOPs) and methodology if necessary), and cash flow timing issues.

• Review, and as appropriate, support revision of the immunization supplies forecast and consequent funding needs for the multi-year procurement of supplies and other vaccine-related commodities, including identification of the existing and possible sources of funding and the budget funding gap.

• Develop recommendations and a roadmap with short, medium, and long-term actions to enhance the immunization supplies’ procurement budgeting process.

• Train the national EPI programme staff (and, as needed, relevant Ministry of Finance officials and the members of the Committee for Sustainable Financing for Primary Health Care, recently established under the Multisectoral Coordination Council – CCM) on vaccine forecasting, budget preparation, cash flow planning, budget execution process and monitoring of expenditures.

• Support advocacy efforts for leveraging sufficient budget to fund supplies procurement needs through development of key advocacy materials / messages. The above activities are conducted at the initial assessment stage. Based on the mapping / assessment outcomes (and as stipulated in the roadmap developed from mapping process), further, tailored support may be necessary. The details of such support are identified at the roadmap development stage, and may include, but are not limited to the following: support in tools / SoPs / methodologies development / revisions, and in capacity building activities.

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  1. Work Assignments

Develop an inception report that contains the proposed methodology, report outline, workshop/ training plan, data and information needs, and a detailed work plan for the in – country mission.

Overview Deliverables/Outputs

Inception report

 Delivery deadline

At least two weeks before the in-country

  1. Work Assignments

Mapping of the supplies’ procurement budgeting process;

Overview Deliverables/Outputs

Mapping report

Delivery deadline

TBD

3. Work Assignments

Review and revision of the supplies forecast and budgeting needs;

Overview Deliverables/Outputs

Updated immunization supplies forecast and budget

Delivery deadline

4.Work Assignments

Development of recommendation and a roadmap.

Overview Deliverables/Outputs

Short-, medium- and long-term recommendations

Delivery deadline

TBD

5.Work Assignments

Capacity building/knowledge exchange activities and supporting materials and a roadmap.

Overview Deliverables/Outputs

Training/capacity building report

Delivery deadline

TBD

6.Work Assignments

Development of advocacy messages to help increase domestic allocation and timeliness in budget release for supplies procurement

Delivery deadline

Advocacy framework, including messages, for targeted audience

Delivery deadline

TBD

Provide technical support to UNICEF STP and partners, with the follow-up of recommendations and roadmap implementation in the short run

7.Work Assignments

Brief stock-take report on progress with roadmap and recommendation implementation

Delivery deadline

3 and 6 months after completion of the roadmap

8.Work Assignments

Prepare and disseminate the final consultancy report

Delivery deadline

Final consultancy report signed off and disseminated to stakeholders.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

  • Master’s degree in business, Public Health, Development or Public Finance, (Health) Economics / or in another relevant discipline for health / supply financing.
  • University degree with two additional relevant years of experience can be considered in lieu of the master’s degree.

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required

• Minimum seven years professional relevant work experience in health fiscal space analysis, health/immunization financing.

• Setting up financial solutions for health (including trust funds, etc.).

• Work experience with UNICEF, WHO, or other agencies in the United Nations system would be an asset.

• UNICEF’s values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA).

• Working knowledge of French is required. Knowledge of Portuguese would be an asset.

Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS).

To view our competency framework, please visit  here.

Evaluation Criteria (This will be used for the Selection Report (for clarification see Guidance) A) Technical Evaluation (e.g. maximum 75 Points) B) Financial Proposal (e.g. maximum of 25 Points) – Educational background (30 points) – Relevant work experience (40 points) – Other, if applicable (5 points)

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Remarks: 

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.

Below is the full TOR for reference

TOR_Training on Vaccine Forecast Financing.docx

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