RFP for Field Research Partner for Quantitative Formative Research Assessment – The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN)

Consultancy and Training, Research and Development

The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN)

Each day, 795 million people — one in nine — go hungry. Close to 2 billion people survive on diets that lack the vital vitamins and nutrients needed to grow properly, live healthy lives, and raise a healthy family. About 1.4 billion people worldwide struggle with overweight and obesity. That’s more than the number of people who are hungry worldwide.

In total, around 3.5 billion people — half the people on the planet today — are malnourished.

The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) is an international organization that was launched at the UN in 2002 to tackle the human suffering caused by malnutrition.

GAIN is driven by the vision of a world without malnutrition. We act as a catalyst — building alliances between governments, business and civil society — to find and deliver solutions to the complex problem of malnutrition. Today we are on track to reach over a billion people with improved nutrition – a goal for 2015.

We focus our efforts on children, girls and women because we know that helping them have sustainable, nutritious diets is crucial to ending the cycle of malnutrition and poverty. By building alliances that deliver impact at scale, we believe that we can eliminate malnutrition within our lifetimes.

ABOUT GAIN

 The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) is a Swiss-based foundation launched at the UN in 2002 to tackle the human suffering caused by malnutrition. Working with both governments and businesses, we aim to transform food systems so that they deliver more nutritious food for all people. GAIN has been re-registered and accorded legal personality with re-registered and accorded legal personality with registry Number 2896 by Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia Agency for Civil Society Organization. GAIN in Ethiopia is working on different project on nutrition At GAIN, we believe that everyone in the world should have access to nutritious and safe food. We work to understand and deliver specific solutions to the daily challenge of food insecurity faced by poor people. By understanding that there is no “one-size-fits-all” model, we develop alliances and build tailored programs, using a variety of flexible models and approaches.

BACKGROUND

The EatSafe (Evidence and Action Towards Safe, Nutritious Food) program aims to generate evidence and knowledge of the potential of increased consumer demand for safe food to substantially improve the safety of nutritious foods in informal market settings in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The five-year program is funded by United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and will be undertaken by a consortium led by GAIN and including the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Pierce Mill Education and Media, and the Busara Center for Behavioral Economics. 4 The overarching EatSafe project is divided into two main phases: a formative research phase, and an intervention testing phase. The formative research phase is meant to provide contextual information that will be used to design a customized behavior change intervention for the participating study market. The intervention testing phase will involve implementing an intervention in the market, and tracking changes in consumer and vendor KAPs along the impact pathways of the intervention, primarily by comparing baseline and endline. As part of this work, GAIN seeks to undertake a quantitative formative research study in Hawassa, Sidama Region. The overarching goal of this study, which is a core component of the EatSafe formative research phase, is to gather evidence on knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAPs) related to food choices and the role of food safety among consumers and vendors in traditional markets in the city of Hawassa. GAIN seeks a local research firm to undertake field data collection and data management for this quantitative formative research study. The study will take place in one large food market in Hawassa. The quantitative formative research study will serve as a self-standing cross-sectional survey with the objective of providing a description of food safety in the markets with respect to purchasing habits, attitudes, and choice drivers, which will help inform the detailed design of a food safety intervention.

SCOPE OF WORK AND DELIVERABLES

The main objectives of the work included in this RFP are to:

•  Conduct preliminary market observations to document selected market features, verify the number of vendors selling selected commodities, and develop the enrollment strategy;
• Conduct an in-depth interview with the market management;
• Manage the planning, piloting, training, and implementation of two cross-sectional structured surveys to collect formative data on consumer and vendor attitudes, perceptions, motivators, and behaviors related to purchasing foods at the market and the role of food safety in food choices. These activities will involve surveying approximately 150 consumers and 150 vendors. The overall design of the research methodology and tools will be led by GAIN, with input from the local fieldwork firm. The detailed protocol will be finalized upon discussion with the fieldwork firm. The firm will then take the lead on logistical planning for data collection, training of data collectors, data collection, and data cleaning and management— with regular input and participation from GAIN. The firm, in coordination with GAIN staff in Ethiopia and elsewhere and with other project partners as needed, 5 shall provide the following services:
• Work closely with GAIN to prepare a detailed workplan for the fieldwork, including deliverables, timeline, and key responsible individuals.
• Provide expert input into the refinement of data collection methodology and tools, and customize them to local contexts, including translation of questionnaires into local language(s).
• Provide expertise on the local language, culture, and customs, as it pertains to the study activities and objectives. • Travel to study sites as needed to prepare for data collection activities.
• Prepare and submit necessary documents for ethical review with a relevant institutional review board (IRB) or research ethics committee: follow-up with the IRB to ensure review and approval, as needed.
• Translate tools into agreed-upon local languages (Amharic, Sidamic, and Welayta language), and translate results back into English.
• Code survey tools into computer-assisted personal interview (CAPI) software and run associated Quality Assurance and Quality Control (QA/QC) protocols.
• Pilot data collection tools and protocols, and recommend improvements as needed.
• Recruit field data collection teams.
• In coordination with GAIN, train field data collection teams through an in-depth and interactive training, including coverage of research ethics
• Organize all logistics for field data collection, including teams, transport, and necessary allowances. • Recruit study participants.
• Implement data collection, with attention to both adherence to study protocols and resource efficiency.
• Undertake active and ongoing supervision of data collection, including tracking data collection QA/QC data.
• Carry out field data management: safely and confidentially collect, store, annotate, and back-up the collected data and metadata using appropriate hardware and software as directed by GAIN; safely store and transmit collected raw data to GAIN.
• Maintain communications with GAIN, local study site representatives, or other key stakeholders, to ensure smooth and timely field work operations; during and beyond site visits, maintain good relations with groups and individuals involved in the study directly or indirectly.
• In coordination with GAIN, coordinate with and provide occasional support to other study partners or contractors conducting field work, in order to harmonize activities.
• Manage communications with study participants, e.g., to timely answer questions through a dedicated call number and/or email address.
• Create and implement data management plans for each activity; conduct QA/QC procedures on all collected data and metadata.
• Securely transfer QA/QC-ed data to GAIN at agreed-upon intervals throughout the study.
• Prepare data sets and associated data dictionaries and metadata for archival, according to formats specified by GAIN (e.g. using Nesstar or similar protocols).
• Produce working reports to document individual key sub-activities, namely: preliminary visit and market observation findings, enumerator training guides, training and piloting plans, training report, field pilot report, data collection progress report, and data QA/QC reports for each study component.
• Contribute to preliminary data summaries and visualizations, as requested.
• Support and contribute to the production of knowledge products such as report sections and briefs originating from study activities.
• Participate in regular project meetings with GAIN and study partners.
• Be available for ad-hoc communications with GAIN or study partners, e.g., via email or Skype, zoom as needed to advance study objectives.
• Produce interim and final deliverables according to the workplan.
• As needed, participate in in-person in-country meetings or functions with study partners, stakeholders, or other actors as requested by GAIN

Deliverables: 

For further details please see the TOR below. 

EXPECTED EXPERTISE

The consultant, possibly comprising multiple teams within a single organization, must show evidence of significant prior experience with:

•  Organizing and managing research projects that include rigorous field data collection of human behavioral data in scientific disciplines such as public health, social and behavioral sciences, applied economics, anthropology, sociology, food safety and nutrition, human dimensions of water and sanitation, consumer science, human or veterinary medicine, or community development.
•  Developing and implementing population-based surveys, such as in-depth semi-structured or structured interviews, with knowledge of the techniques needed to ask context-appropriate scripted questions, classify answers into nuanced pre-coded categories, as well as record verbatim answers.
•  Experience programming, managing, and using computer-assisted personal interviewing (CAPI) software and associated data management operations.
• Track record of collaboration with national, regional, and international research organizations.
• Experience in rigorous data management, such as properly recording data and metadata in the field using appropriate technology, transcribing, annotating, cleaning, storing and backing up, formatting, de-identifying, and safely transferring.
•  Must be familiar with protocols for ethical clearance (IRB) at institutional, state, and national levels.
• Experience performing exploratory data analyses, synthesis, and visualization is a strong asset.
•  Experience working in Hawassa city and being familiar with government and institutional structures governing food markets in Ethiopia and Hawassa city is a strong advantage.
• Knowledgeable and motivated to understand study participants and their context in a respectful and nuanced way, and to be well received by study participants, the market population, and residents of the surrounding areas as respected organization and individuals.
•  Experienced in recruiting field data collectors, and/or must have a network of experienced data collectors to draw from.
•  Team leaders must possess excellent project management, organizational, and time management skills, excellent writing and communication skills, and be able to communicate across diverse audiences. A track record of results published in journals with an impact factor is an asset
•  Experience with studies to qualitatively and/or quantitatively record behavioral observations, knowledge of the techniques needed to approach observed human subjects, observe without 8 interference, rapidly classify behaviors into categories is an asset.

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