Consultant to review criteria and indicators for assessing environmental quality in medical facilities

Request for Consultant Services Proposal (RFP)

Background

FHI 360, a nonprofit human development organization dedicated to improving lives in lasting ways by advancing integrated, locally driven solutions, is supporting VIHEMA in its effort to green health facilities. As one of the world’s largest nongovernmental organizations, FHI 360 has been a catalyst for change for over 50 years. Shaped by local communities in more than 60 countries, our work tackles local, national, and international challenges, and has paved the way for large-scale responses to some of the most complex global issues. Driven by the recognition that public, economic, and planetary health are inextricably linked, we co-create innovative solutions with government agencies, civil society organizations, and private sector entities that share our vision for a world powered by climate-smart systems.

In recognition of the growing health impact of climate change and environmental crisis, in 2018, the Ministry of Health of the Government of Vietnam promulgated the Climate Change Response Action Plan of the Health Sector in the 2019-2030 period with a vision to 2050. A key approach to environmental protection in the health sector is climate-smart healthcare, which guides national health systems to mitigate and adapt to the climate crisis. In recent years, the Ministry of Health and line ministries have developed quality standards related to environment management applicable to many settings, including health facilities. Within the Vietnam Ministry of Health, the Vietnam Health Environment Management Agency (VIHEMA), which is tasked with environmental health protection and environmental protection in health activities, is the focal agency for progressing this effort.

As part of an effort to optimize environmental protection interventions at health facilities, VIHEMA is developing a set of quality standards for the hospital environment. The indicators must be developed and used on a routine basis for hospital assessments and progress monitoring as an initial step toward evidence-based hospital environment management at the hospital, provincial health department, and Ministry of Health levels. Indicators will primarily focus on hospital waste, air pollution, and WASH elements, which are under current regulations as well as support the screening of potential hazards of healthcare activities. This effort to develop and apply indicators is planned in parallel to the Ministry of Health’s continued collaboration with line ministries and agencies to assess health care emissions, microbes, and anti-microbial residuals of hospital waste for disease control, etc. Combined, these efforts aim to support Vietnam’s healthcare service quality, and resilience and to mitigate its impact on the environment.”

Scope of Work

FHI 360 is seeking a qualified International Consultant to review documents, guidelines, and regulations related to criteria and indicators for assessing environmental quality in medical facilities, including sustainable development and green-grown criteria in health facilities of countries around the world and in the region.

Under this scope of work, the consultant is expected to achieve the following objectives:

• Review documents, guidelines, and regulations related to criteria and indicators for assessing environmental quality in medical facilities, including sustainable development and green-grown criteria in health facilities of countries around the world and the region.
• Summarise and present a review report and the lessons learned for application in Vietnam.

Location of Work:  Work will be performed in Vietnam. The consultant will work remotely.

Travel: The consultant is not expected to travel.

Timetable and Address for Submission

Proposals are due no later than 5:00 PM Vietnam time (GMT +7) on Monday, February  5th, 2024. Required documentation listed below must be e-mailed to [email protected] [1] with the subject line “ECC- Application for Consultant to review criteria and indicators for assessing environmental quality in medical facilities.”

Qualifications

• At a minimum, a master’s degree in climate/environmental sciences, public health, political science, or related fields. 
• Demonstrated experience with analyzing data and creating specifications for reports based on needs/requests. 
• A minimum of seven years of professional experience in conducting analyses and writing reports, journals, articles, or other types of written materials on the climate-health nexus or relevant topics. 
• Must be able to read, write and speak fluent English.
• Excellent analytical and organizational skills and attention to detail. 

Evaluation Criteria: Proposals will be evaluated in accordance with the following criteria:

• Candidates will be shortlisted based on how well they meet the minimum requirements for the position, as demonstrated via the cover letter and CV/resume. 
• Evaluation will be based on best value, through a combination of qualifications including education (20%), relevant experience (60%), and proposed daily rate (20%). 
• Only shortlisted candidates will be interviewed by the Technical Monitor(s) and references may be consulted. Award will be presented to the candidate who passes the interview. 

Required Documentation: Proposals must include the following components:

• Applicant’s CV/Resume 
• Cover letter outlining relevant experience, and 2 references, with the contact information. 
• One or two written samples on environmental and/or climate change-related policy and assessments, the climate-health nexus, or other relevant topics. 
• Proposed daily rate in USD
• FHI 360 Biodata form [3]

FHI 360 Disclaimers

• FHI 360 may perform a background check on any selected Consultant candidates.
• FHI 360 may cancel the solicitation and not award
• FHI 360 may reject any or all responses received
• Issuance of the solicitation does not constitute an award commitment by FHI 360
• FHI 360 reserves the right to disqualify any offer based on failure of the offeror to follow solicitation instructions
• FHI 360 will not compensate any offeror for responding to solicitation
• FHI 360 reserves the right to issue award based on initial evaluation of offers without further discussion
• FHI 360 may choose to award only part of the activities in the solicitation, or issue multiple awards based on the solicitation activities
• FHI 360 reserves the right to waive minor proposal deficiencies that can be corrected prior to award determination to promote competition

FHI 360’s supplier terms and conditions can be found here [4] while our consultant terms and conditions can be found here [4]