Background
Swisscontact, the Swiss Foundation for Technical Cooperation, headquartered in Zurich, was established in 1959 by the Swiss private sector and academia to promote sustainable development cooperation. Swisscontact advances economic, social, and ecological progress by enabling people to successfully integrate into local commercial life. It creates opportunities for individuals to improve their living conditions through their own efforts. With a focus on systemic interventions in the private sector, Swisscontact strengthens local and global value chains. Across its projects, the organisation expands access to professional training, fosters local entrepreneurship, connects people to financial service providers, and promotes efficient resource use—all to generate employment and income opportunities.
As part of its efforts in Bangladesh, Swisscontact implements the ASTHA (Achieving Sustainability Towards Healthcare Access) project, which supports the country’s goal of ensuring quality healthcare services in rural communities. ASTHA completed its Phase II (2019–2022), which demonstrated the business viability of Community Paramedic Training Institutes (CPTIs) and Community Paramedics (CPs). Building on this success, the project launched Phase III (2023–2026), now operating in 12 districts, with a focus on consolidating and scaling the initiative to bring systemic change and strengthen institutionalisation of the CP program.
The Community Paramedic (CP) program is a two-year training course approved by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) and regulated by the Bangladesh Nursing and Midwifery Council (BNMC). CPs are trained to deliver essential healthcare in underserved communities, focusing on maternal and child health, reproductive health, family planning, and primary healthcare. Currently, 46 CPTIs affiliated with BNMC deliver this training across 26 districts of Bangladesh. Graduates who complete the program receive certificates and licenses, enabling them to serve at the community level.
To meet the project’s evolving research needs—including annual performance reviews, evaluation of project outcomes, and perception studies—Swisscontact seeks to engage a qualified research or consultancy firm under a framework agreement. This will ensure methodological consistency, cost-effectiveness, and continuity across multiple studies, while retaining flexibility to adapt to the project’s evolving priorities. The framework will encompass three major research assignments between 2025 and 2026.
Objective of the Assignment
The overall objective of this framework contract is to engage a qualified research firm that will provide professional services to design, implement, and deliver studies and evaluations for the ASTHA project in a timely and high-quality manner. The framework contract will cover three key research tasks: |
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Annual Project Result Measurement 2025 – to assess results and outcomes of ASTHA in 2025
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Project Closing Study 2026 – to assess the overall outcome and impact of ASTHA Phase III (2023–2026).
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Effectiveness of Social Media Marketing and Promotion of Community Paramedics – to evaluate the effectiveness of targeted social media campaigns on the business outcomes of selected CPs, including income, patient reach, and digital presence.
Click here to download the detailed ToR to check the scope of the work, specific tasks, deliverables, submission process, etc.
Submission Details
Technical Proposal:
- Interested research firms should submit their technical proposals, both in hard copy and soft copy.
- Please email the soft copies to the Senior Officer - Procurement at bd.procurement@swisscontact.org, mentioning "Framework Contract for Research and Evaluation Services under the ASTHA Project (2025–2026)" in the subject line.
Financial Proposal:
- Interested research firms or consultants are required to submit a sealed envelope containing a hard copy of the financial proposal. Research firms are requested NOT to submit any soft copy of the financial proposal through email or digital means.
- Hard copies should be submitted to the address below:
Senior Officer - Procurement
Swisscontact Bangladesh
House 28, Road 43, Gulshan 2,
Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh
The subject line: "Framework Contract for Research and Evaluation Services under the ASTHA Project (2025–2026)" must be mentioned on the envelope and email.
The deadline for submission is 18 September 2025 before 5:00 PM. If anyone has any queries, please contact bd.procurement@swisscontact.org by 09 September 2025 with all the questions. Swisscontact will clarify the queries via email on 11 September 2025.
N.B.: Swisscontact reserves the right to accept or reject any or all proposals without assigning any reason. Also, reserves the right to select more than one service provider for the assignment. |
