Zambia Non-Communicable Diseases Programme: call for proposals

Annex A: Eligibility and Assessment Criteria

1. Legal Personality

Applicant Organisations must have a legal personality.

Applications submitted by a consortium must include a lead organisation. There must be a named Project Manager who will liaise with the Scottish Government, as and when required.

2. Target Countries

The support provided by Scotland is also expected to reflect the health development priorities identified by Zambia, and to complement the work of the Scottish Government and other international development programmes.

3. Knowledge & Experience

Applicants will propose a team containing an appropriate level of subject knowledge and expertise in NCDs, International Development, gender mainstreaming and participatory grant models.

Applicants will require at least broad familiarity with wider Scottish International Development Strategy.

Applicants will be able to support and advise on technical elements/methods of delivering development outcomes and interventions in Zambia.

Applicants must have experience of operating in Zambia and relevant networks to enable successful delivery. Applicants must be able to demonstrate clear safeguarding polices.

Appropriately skilled staff with dedicated time to manage the evidence/ policy interface and capacity to project-manage all meetings and other interactions with SG (virtually) and with stakeholders (in person or virtually) as required.

Applicants will be able to demonstrate their own expertise in the following areas:

• proven project design and grant management expertise, and ability to manage the programme, including an inward secondment to the Zambian MoH.
• proven experience in gender mainstreaming and participatory grant making and MEL methods
• ability to produce accessible and effective communications, in all formats and to a range of technical and non-technical audiences.
• financial controls and budget management.
• Safeguarding and working with and engaging marginalised communities - Local partners and any sub-grant holders must have required safeguarding credentials to work within communities and with marginalised groups. The grant holder will have overarching responsibility to ensure safeguarding throughout the programme.

4. Exit strategy for the NCD Health Programme in Zambia

We expect the outcomes of the programme to be sustainable, and therefore expect applicants to outline an exit strategy, which may include how elements of the programme will be sustainable outwith the SG programme funding cycle where applicable.

5. Delivery & Harmonisation

We encourage the grant holder to consider good practice in delivery and expenditure of development funding, as set out in both the Paris Declaration (OECD, 2005)^[21] and SG's ID Principles (specifically on supporting partner country-led and inclusive development, to equality, to amplifying Global South voices, and to inclusion and diversity. This includes creating new and innovative ways to break down barriers, to harness a diverse range of new voices and new ideas to drive change).

6. Development Impact

The programme is expected to support attainment of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), this should be considered when completing the application form.

7. Performance Measures and Reporting

The below outlines broad KPIs for monitoring delivery during the programme. These will be finalised as part of the inception meeting.

• The proposed set of interventions to be delivered by the programme will build capacity for health workers in district hospitals to deliver services as per the PEN Plus strategy,
• The secondment of a public health specialist into the NCD department of the Ministry of Health will enable delivery of agreed NCD health services and outcomes as per the Government of Zambia NCD strategy.
• Supporting scale up of PEN Plus services will lead to increased capacity to deliver NCD care and follow up at both district hospital and primary care level,
• Learning will be recorded and shared.

These broad KPIs for the programme as a whole will be supplemented by proposals from the grant holder following consideration and (if appropriate) revision of the Theory of Change and programme outline.

Performance will be measured against the agreed deliverables.

Reporting will align with the indicative schedule. A detailed schedule will be agreed with the successful grant holder, which will form part of the discussion at the inception meeting.

8. Milestones and Timetable

An indicative timetable is provided below of key updates and milestones. A detailed programme schedule will be agreed with the successful grant holder, which will form part of the discussion at the inception meeting.

Meetings (virtual or in person as applicable).

Frequency:

• Inception meeting at the start of the programme- agreement of overarching KPIs;
• Inception report/methodology;
• Monthly check-in call with SG;
• Quarterly progress review meeting with SG to discuss details of reporting;
• MEL meeting (every 6 months) with grant holder;
• Yearly Programme review and evaluation meeting with SG

Progress updates between the grant manager and SG (usually by e-mail or video call)

Frequency:

• Check-in meetings, as and when required, between the grant holder with key SG staff in order to monitor progress, obtain feedback and agree priorities and actions required.

Reporting (Financial and Narrative)

Frequency:

• Bi-annual. Providing high-quality narrative / quantitative / qualitative (as appropriate) reporting on success and impact against agreed KPIs.
• Financial reporting against agreed budget

Indicative Timetable

August 2024:

• Grant Start Date
• Inception meeting
• Inception Report including how the programme will be delivered including procurement plan and recruitment strategy for trainers and trainees (including plan for any incentives or salaries) for training centres and oversight and review of secondee work.

November 2024:

• Establishment of governance group including relevant stakeholders. Identify necessary skills of secondee and scope of work.

December 2024

• Identify suitable sites for the training college.
• Recruitment process for secondee.

January 2025

• Downstream procurement for setting up the training centre.
• Development of training curricula.

March 2025

• Training of trainers to deliver the curricula.

May 2025

• Recruitment of trainees

August 2025

• 1^st Annual programme review and evaluation meeting

May 2026

• Running of first year of training. Follow up and monitoring of skills in respective district hospitals.

August 2026

• 2^nd Annual programme review and evaluation meeting

February 2027

• External evaluation 2

August 2027

• Final programme review and evaluation meeting. P
• Project close/extension meeting

The end of the Grant will be marked through an end of delivery of the health development programme in Zambia and between SG and the grant holder.