Project Title

Comprehensive Assessment and Optimization of Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (EmONC – Basic and Comprehensive) and Integrated HIV-SRHR Services in Bangladesh.

Assignment Focus: EmONC functionality and readiness; equitable access and referral pathways; service quality; integration of HIV prevention, testing, linkage and SRHR services; and practical optimization recommendations.

Introduction and Rationale

Bangladesh has increased access to facility-based maternity services, yet life-saving emergency obstetric and newborn interventions are not consistently functional in every facility. Facilities must be assessed for actual performance of relevant EmONC signal functions, round-the-clock readiness, skilled staff, safe referral, commodities and clinical quality.

Maternal and newborn services also provide opportunities to link eligible women and adolescents to appropriate HIV prevention information, consent-based testing and counselling, prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT), STI-related care and other SRHR services in line with applicable national guidance.

This rapid assessment will identify actionable system bottlenecks and develop a prioritized EmONC/HIV-SRHR optimization roadmap. The assignment is an assessment and planning exercise, not an intervention trial or a full-scale national census.

Educational Qualifications

1. Essential: A postgraduate qualification (MPH, MSc, MD/MS, or equivalent) in Public Health, Epidemiology, Maternal and Newborn Health, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Health Systems, Health Policy, SRHR, or a closely related field.
2. Desirable: PhD or equivalent advanced research training, or specialized qualifications/training in EmONC, maternal/perinatal health, HIV service integration, health-facility assessments or quality improvement.

Professional Skills

1. Strong competence in mixed-methods health-system assessment, facility-readiness reviews, EmONC signal-function measurement, clinical/service quality indicators, data triangulation and action-oriented research reporting.
2. Ability to conduct stakeholder consultations, referral-network analysis, gap prioritization, cost/resource estimation, technical validation and accessible policy communication.
3. Understanding of human rights, informed consent, HIV-related confidentiality, stigma reduction, gender sensitivity and protection of vulnerable participants.

Computer Skills

Proficiency in Microsoft Office and an analytical package such as R, Stata, SPSS or equivalent. Experience with electronic data capture tools (KoboToolbox/ODK/REDCap), qualitative analysis tools (NVivo/ATLAS.ti or equivalent), and basic GIS/referral mapping is desirable.

Expertise and Experience

1. At least 10 years of relevant experience in maternal/newborn health, public health research, health-facility assessment, programme evaluation or health-systems strengthening. Substantial experience in Bangladesh is preferred.
2. Demonstrated knowledge of Bangladesh's DGHS/DGFP service structure, EmONC service organization, referral systems and maternal/perinatal death surveillance or quality-improvement activities.
3. Proven ability to manage field teams, work with public-sector managers and clinical staff, undertake ethics and permission processes, and deliver high-quality reports in English. Working proficiency in Bangla is required.
4. For a consulting firm, the nominated team lead must meet the essential qualifications and experience. The proposed team should include appropriate EmONC, HIV-SRHR and research/data-analysis expertise.

Assignment Objectives

1. Determine the actual functional status of selected Basic and Comprehensive EmONC facilities, including performance of applicable signal functions in the preceding three months and 24/7 service readiness.
2. Assess human resources, clinical competencies, medicines, equipment, blood transfusion and surgical support where applicable, infection prevention, emergency response, and respectful maternity/newborn care.
3. Map referral pathways, communication and transport arrangements, geographic or seasonal barriers, delays and links between lower-level maternity facilities and CEmONC referral centres.
4. Assess the availability and quality of integrated HIV-SRHR services, including counselling/testing and informed referral where nationally applicable, PMTCT linkages, STI services, confidentiality, non-discrimination and programme coordination.
5. Identify inequities affecting adolescents, people with disabilities, remote populations and other underserved groups, subject to ethical and feasible data collection arrangements.
6. Develop an evidence-based, cost-aware and prioritized facility/network optimization plan with clear actions, responsible actors, feasible timelines and monitoring indicators.

Scope of Work and Responsibilities

I. Desk Review, Inception and Assessment Design

1. Review relevant national strategies, standards, EmONC and HIV-SRHR guidelines, Bangladesh Health Facility Survey evidence, facility registers, authorized HMIS/DHIS2 data, referral protocols and previous assessments.
2. Agree assessment questions, selection criteria, sampling and facility categories/locations with CIPRB and technical stakeholders. Define the limits of national representativeness.
3. Submit a detailed inception report, indicator matrix, operational definitions, work plan, staffing plan, field-supervision plan, data-quality checks and risk/mitigation register.

II. Research Protocol, Ethics and Data Collection Tools

1. Prepare a mixed-methods protocol, sampling framework, facility assessment checklists, signal-function verification forms, KII/FGD guides, consent materials, and data-protection and safeguarding procedures.
2. Pretest and refine tools and train field staff. Coordinate and secure applicable institutional ethics approval and government/facility permissions before relevant primary data collection begins.
3. Minimize collection of personally identifying HIV status or other sensitive patient information. Collect such information only when necessary, approved, consented and securely managed. Prioritize aggregate and de-identified records.

III. EmONC Service-Functionality and Quality Assessment

1. Verify the seven BEmONC signal functions through registers and provider interviews: parenteral antibiotics, uterotonics, parenteral anticonvulsants, manual removal of placenta, removal of retained products, assisted vaginal delivery, and neonatal resuscitation with bag and mask.
2. At CEmONC sites, additionally verify caesarean-section capability and blood transfusion. Document actual performance during the previous three months and reasons for functions not performed.
3. Review 24/7 staffing and duty rosters, labour-room/surgery and anaesthesia readiness as applicable, medicines and supplies, blood availability, emergency newborn care, WASH/IPC, infrastructure, case-recording systems, stock-outs and quality-improvement practices.
4. Document maternal/perinatal case-review or MPDSR feedback loops where relevant, without collecting identifiable case details outside agreed permissions.

IV. Integrated HIV-SRHR Service Assessment

1. Assess the availability, accessibility and quality of HIV prevention information, voluntary and consent-based testing/counselling or referral, PMTCT/ART linkage, STI-related services and SRHR counselling in accordance with facility mandates and national protocols.
2. Examine integration into ANC, childbirth, postnatal and family-planning pathways, including referral completion, privacy, recordkeeping, commodity supply, staff capacity, stigma and non-discrimination safeguards.
3. Interview relevant service managers/providers and, where ethically appropriate, service users about service continuity, satisfaction, respectful care, barriers and coordination with HIV programme focal points.

V. Fieldwork, Referral Mapping and Stakeholder Engagement

1. Conduct selected facility visits, record reviews, structured observations, key-informant interviews and targeted group discussions as approved in the protocol. Maintain daily completeness and consistency checks.
2. Review referral documentation, transport, 24/7 communication, counter-referral, financial/access barriers and facility-to-facility coordination. Map network gaps where data permit.
3. Consult DGHS, DGFP, district managers, relevant HIV programme officials, clinicians, midwives, emergency/newborn care personnel and partners as appropriate, while minimizing disruption to care.

VI. Analysis, Validation and Optimization Planning

1. Produce descriptive facility-level and network-level gap analyses, stratified by facility category and location where sample size permits. Clearly distinguish assessment findings from causal conclusions.
2. Rank recommended actions by life-saving relevance, feasibility, cost/resource implications, equity and implementation readiness. Propose quick wins and medium-term system improvements.
3. Convene a technical findings-validation session with CIPRB and relevant stakeholders, document feedback, and deliver a prioritized roadmap with responsible actors and measurable indicators.

Expected Deliverables and Tentative Timeline

The assignment runs from 01 November to 31 December 2026. All documents must be submitted in editable and final formats as agreed with CIPRB.

1. D1 | 01–14 November: Inception report, refined questions and indicators, sampling/site plan, detailed work plan and risk matrix. Scope, methods, sites, schedule and quality safeguards must be reviewed and accepted by CIPRB.
2. D2 | 15–30 November: Final protocol, data-collection instruments, translated and pretested tools, consent materials, ethics/permission documents and team-orientation materials. Required approvals must be obtained before fieldwork.
3. D3 | 01–15 December: Completed fieldwork and supervision report, data-quality log, preliminary-results slide deck and cleaned, de-identified interim dataset.
4. D4 | 16–31 December: Draft report and response matrix, final comprehensive report, executive summary, policy brief, prioritized optimization roadmap, dissemination presentation, finalized tools, cleaned datasets and codebooks.

Institutional Arrangement and Quality Assurance

The consultant/team will report to the designated CIPRB focal person and work closely with the CIPRB research/programme team. CIPRB will facilitate appropriate coordination with DGHS, DGFP, facility authorities and other technical stakeholders.

Any UNFPA or other partner support, review or clearance role will be specified by CIPRB in writing rather than assumed. The consultant/team remains responsible for protocol quality, sampling implementation, field supervision, transparent analysis, safe data management, timely submission and incorporation of justified review comments.

Site numbers, final sampling, geographic coverage, travel, fees and reimbursable items will be agreed in the contract and inception report. Material changes require prior written approval.

Application Requirements

1. Technical proposal covering assignment understanding, proposed team, study design, sampling/indicators, EmONC/HIV-SRHR assessment approach, risk mitigation and an achievable two-month schedule.
2. Itemized financial proposal in Bangladesh Taka, clearly separating professional fees, fieldwork, travel, data management, validation/dissemination and applicable VAT/tax assumptions.
3. Updated CV(s), relevant academic credentials, two similar work examples/reports, referees, availability declaration and evidence of ethical-research experience.
4. If firms are eligible under the final solicitation: legal/registration details, firm profile, designated team lead and named technical personnel with clear responsibilities.

Ethics, Confidentiality and Ownership

The consultant/team must comply with applicable ethical approvals, administrative authorizations, informed consent, safeguarding standards and confidentiality requirements, particularly concerning HIV-related information. Sensitive records must be minimized, securely held and transferred only through CIPRB-approved channels.

Any incident affecting data security or participant welfare must be promptly reported through the agreed protocol.

Final tools, reports, anonymized datasets, codebooks and other paid-for consultancy outputs must be supplied to CIPRB in agreed formats, subject to consent, ethics conditions and contractual intellectual-property provisions. External publication or release of identifiable or confidential material requires written approval.