Consultancy Services
Terms of Reference

Assignment title:          

“Field Survey on Measuring Urban Sanitation and Empowerment (MUSE)”.

Description:

The MUSE study aims to develop and validate a scale to measure women’s empowerment related to urban sanitation. It intends to operationalize the conceptual model and definition of empowerment used by the BMGF and developed by Van Eerdewijk et. Al: “The expansion of choice and strengthening of voice through the transformation of power relations, so women and girls have more control over their lives and futures.” Assessing sanitation-related empowerment broadly, and/or by the domains and sub-domains specifically, will enable stakeholders to understand women’s empowerment related to sanitation, and what programs, initiatives, and policies may be needed to make change.

Location:

Meherpur Municipality

Duration and timing:

10 December’21 10 February’22

Number of Working Days: 

60 days

Fee Rate and Total Fees:

The consulting firm has to provide the rate and fees with a detailed Budget Breakdown.

1. Background and Purpose of the assignment:

Within the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) sector, the role of women and girls in household WASH provision is well documented. However, there are limited data on how and to what extent WASH conditions, interventions, and policies impact women’s empowerment, or the extent that women’s empowerment impacts WASH conditions. Further, no WASH-specific measures exist to assess empowerment.

The Rollins School of Public Health at the Emory University is leading the ‘Measuring Urban Sanitation and Empowerment (MUSE)’ project funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation globally. The goal of the MUSE study is to measure domains and sub-domains of women’s empowerment in relation to sanitation in urban areas of different cities. The Emory team is working in different countries including Bangladesh. The International Training Network Center of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (ITN-BUET) is the focal organization for conducting the study in Bangladesh. Practical Action is working with Emory University and ITN-BUET to conduct the field survey in a municipality for the MUSE study.

The MUSE study aims to develop and validate a scale to measure women’s empowerment related to urban sanitation. It intends to operationalize the conceptual model and definition of empowerment used by the BMGF and developed by Van Eerdewijk et. Al: “The expansion of choice and strengthening of voice through the transformation of power relations, so women and girls have more control over their lives and futures.” Assessing sanitation-related empowerment broadly, and/or by the domains and sub-domains specifically, will enable stakeholders to understand women’s empowerment related to sanitation, and what programs, initiatives, and policies may be needed to make change. Data collected under this study will provide the government, development and implementing partners and city authorities with a baseline assessment of empowerment for their programs and enable identification of areas where programs should target attention.
Given the above context, Practical Action is seeking proposal from a potential consultant/firm to conduct “Field Survey on Measuring Urban Sanitation and Empowerment”.

Objectives

Conduct field survey among women (18 years and above) in Meherpur municipality for measuring urban sanitation and empowerment.

Scope of work:
The consultant/firm will be responsible for the following:

  • Hire 12 data collectors for conducting the field survey and one supervisor for supervising the data collection process including quality checking and technical supports.
  • Ensure questionnaire pre-testing before initiating for formal survey by all the data collectors and supervisor.
  • Arrange a venue for the training on questionnaire and survey process which needs to be equipped with online facilities and related logistics.
  • Provide personal protective equipment (PPE) and thermometers, if COVID situation prevails, for temperature checks as required by Emory University or any other standards required by in-country regulations.
  • Data collectors will follow the safety measures during data collection at the field.
  • Provide work place for meetings with research team members when necessary.
  • Provide support/accompany/guide Practical Action, ITN-BUET (and Emory Research) team members in the field.
  • Regularly review of the data collection process and make sure the complete surveyed data with quality.
  • Share 15 days’ interval row dataset and at the end, complete and cleaned dataset with ITN-BUET/Practical Action.
  • Participate in debriefing sessions as needed during and provide feedback regarding data collection activities.

2. Deliverables:

  • Conduct Cognitive Interview of 12-15 women in the target area and share findings in report to fine tuning of the questionnaire
  • Conduct pilot-testing of 30-36 women in the study area and share findings in report to finalize the questionnaire.
  • Organize 3-day enumerators training including debriefing for cognitive interviews and survey by December 15, 2021.
  • Conduct field survey of 700 women from the target area and share on a daily basis. Note: Interviewees of Cognitive Interview and pilot-testing will not be included in the field survey.
  • Ensure availability of complete and cleaned datasets.
  • A report based on overall process considering from planning to end of the data collection process.
  •  A detail day wise team and plan for the study and enumerator training plan and training report

3. Role of Practical Action:

The main responsibilities of Practical Action are to:

  • Provide coordination support to the consulting firm in field planning as well as data collection process, monitoring, quality assurance, preparing the programme in detail, field in Meherpur, making respondent available;
  • Provide technical feedback and support throughout the process.

4. Financial Arrangement:

In consideration of the key deliverables and timeline, the selected consulting firm will submit the invoices. The funds will be released in two instalments consulting with ITN-BUET and Practical Action following the recent MoU. In this regard, a “Tripartite Agreement” is to be signed by each party before starting the assignment.

Sl. No.
Key Deliverables
Timeline
(Tentative)
Payment Modality
1.
Signing of the contract  with Inception report and completing the work plan 15th December  2021 40% of the total contract amount
2.
Submission and acceptance of a complete set of deliverables. 3rd  March 2022 60% of the total contract amount

5. Required competencies and experience:

  • All data collectors must be female with relevant experience.
  • Education qualification of the data collectors should be at least graduated from the reputed institution.
  • Should have technical skills and knowledge on digital data collection and its management
  • Should have mental preparation to work evening and early morning, if necessary.
  • Should have required communication skills with respective community people.

6. Submission process

All bidding consulting firm is required to submit the following: 

  • A technical proposal (Maximum 5 pages) showing understanding of the assignment, proposed methodology, timeline with activity plan and deliverables, key staff/data enumerators/supervisor/consultant profiles, roles, and individual time to be spent in the assignment. 
  • A financial proposal.
  •  A summary of relevant services provided during the last 3 years. 
  • Submission of an organizational profile (if applicable), with the CVs of key personnel who will be involved in the assignment. 
  • The documentary evidence demonstrating the legal, taxation, and financial status of the consultant/firm.
  • Please send your technical and financial proposal to Procurement.BD@practicalaction.org.bd by 11th December 2021;
  • Cover Letter with copies of organisational legal papers – TIN, last audit report, others;

7. Resignation and Cancellation/Termination of contract

  • Penalty Clause – in case of delays in the submission of the document, a 2% penalty will be deducted from the total payment for each day delayed. The selected consulting firm must pay back the total amount of the advance money if it fails to submit all deliverables and/or withdraws from the contract. The selected vendor must notice Practical Action and ITN-BUET, in writing, if it needs to extend the submission date;
  • Practical Action Bangladesh and ITN-BUET reserves the right to cancel, amend, defer the contract agreement.

8. Intellectual Property Rights

All deliverables will be considered as Practical Action’s and ITN-BUET’s property. However, any of them can be used by media and/or by the selected radio/TV Channel for people’s good with prior written approval from Practical Action and ITN-BUET but cannot sell to/reproduce for other entity.

9. COVID-19 Requirements

  • Data collectors must complete and document a temperature check and symptom screening every day that in-person contact is planned with a study participant.
    • Data collectors with symptoms of COVID-19 or with temperatures above 37.7°C may not interact with participants.
    • Data collectors who have lived with, visited, cared for, or been in a room for a prolonged period with someone who is under investigation or has been confirmed for COVID-19 in the 14 days prior may not interact with participants.
  • Data collectors must complete and document a temperature check and symptom screening for potential participants on the day of interaction, before entering the participant’s home.
    • Participants with symptoms of COVID-19 or with temperatures above 37.7°C will be excluded from participation.
    • Participants who have lived with, visited, cared for, or been in a room for a prolonged period with someone who is under investigation or has been confirmed for COVID-19 in the 14 days prior will be excluded from participation.
  • Data collection teams must take steps to protect participants from COVID-19 transmission.
    • Data collectors will wear masks for all in-person contact with participants
    • Each participant must also be provided with a mask.
    • Data collectors must bring disinfecting wipes with them and disinfect any surface they touch in each participant’s home.

    Appropriate distancing should be observed.

10. Important notes:

  • The consulting firm will take all the safety measures of the field team (i.e. data collectors) to protect them from Covid-19 pandemic;
  • Practical Action and ITN-BUET will not take any responsibility if any of the members of the selected firm get affected by Covid-19 during / after the field trip/data collection/assignment period;
  • All required equipment (smart phone, tab) should be provided by the consulting firm;
  • Practical Action and ITN-BUET will not compensate for any damages/loss of any equipment; and
  • Practical Action and ITN-BUET will not provide vehicle, accommodation, food cost or any other incurred cost during this assignment except the agreed amount by tri parties to the selected consulting firm.

  
Shawkat A. Begum,                        
Country Director
Practical Action in Bangladesh