Background and General Objectives

This scope of work developed based on the recommendation of PEPFAR prevention Technical Working Group to undertake outcome evaluation by CDC-E independently through consultants.

The Modeling and Reinforcement to Combat HIV/AIDS (MARCH) program is a HIV/AIDS-related behavior change strategy. It is currently being implemented by Addis Ababa University (FPFPFP) among its students. Therefore, the target population for FP MARCH program is police personnel in the University.

The primary components of MARCH are two-fold: a print serial drama (PSD) and reinforcement activities (RAs). The PSD consists of a set of ongoing storylines presented in comic book format. In the PSD, fictional Federal Police personnel model HIV/AIDS-related behavior changes through a set of positive, negative, and transitional characters. There are four main transitional characters in the PSD which address the following behavior change objectives: counseling and testing for HIV, faithfulness, and correct and consistent condom use, adherence to anti-retroviral therapy, positive living with HIV/AIDS. The reinforcement activities- as implemented by FP - comprise training of Peer leaders. Peer leaders are responsible to undertake small group discussions, peer-led group discussions and organizing big events and sporting activities that focus on behavior change around the same objectives for about 1 to 2 hours, using the PSD episodes as the springboard for their discussions and activities. Through the combination of the PSD and the RAs, MARCH promotes positive changes in skills, self-efficacy, risk perceptions, social norms, and other constructs known from the literature to be good predictors of behavior.

FP has implemented the MARCH program among its members in Ethiopia since 2004, although the implementation of the full program was done in 2006 with the distribution and linked reinforcement activity based on the first PSD episode. Initial project activities included the training of peer leaders. Though MARCH is evidenced based successful HIV/AIDS behavior change intervention, the success of the program is not yet evidenced by independent scientific research about the practical successful MARCH project outcomes. Recently there is a need to conduct scientific research to witness about the results of MARCH project interventions. The study will try to answer the outcome of MARCH program to help police personnel in the federal police forces build self efficacy, adopt HIV/AIDS preventive sexual behaviors, create social norms supportive of accessing HIV/AIDS related services in the Addis Ababa University. The final evaluation report is very important for CDC-E PEPFAR HIV/AIDS prevention program to make strengthen the existing program or looks for alternatives to make strategic shift.

Objectives of the outcome evaluation

This program outcome evaluation will answer the following two questions 1) How the MARCH program is being implemented and 2) Behavioral outcomes by FP personnel to tackle HIV/AIDS as a result of MARCH HIV/AIDS intervention implementation. This helps PEPFAR prevention technical working group to make evidence based decisions in the implementation and management of prevention programs budget, and strategic interventions.

Scope of work

The consultancy firm will conduct a wide range of methodologies that can be appropriate to have a valid data in the outcome of MARCH program in the lives of the FP police forces police forces participated in the program, working closely with, and using background information and materials provided by, the Contracting Officer Representative (COR).

Specific Tasks

The consultancy firm will undertake the following activities to accomplish the task of the March program outcome evaluation.

A. Attend a briefing organized by the COR. The COR will provide all relevant document to be used as background information for the contractor.

B. The contractor will produce and submit draft and final work plan detailing activities and period of performance

C. The contractor will review MARCH documents including bible of the comic books, published PSDs, initial documents' of MARCH, concepts and principles of MARCH, various data's concerning MARCH to better understand behavioral outcomes of MARCH program in close collaboration with Contracting Officer Representative

D. The contractor shall develop the first draft of study design/study protocol, submit to the COR for comment

E. Finalize the first draft study protocol and submit to the COR

F. Develop final version of the study protocol after incorporating the feedbacks of the COR

G. Manage and coordinate all data collection and processing activities

Required Qualifications

• Organization with proven experience in public health research;
• A diverse range of professionals including but not limited to the fields of social science, public health, statistician and others related to the research;
• Experience and familiarity with the bureaucratic procedure and structure of host government institutions; local institutions are highly recommended to perform this project for the main reasons:
• Since the research is will be conducted on military of the nation, that includes FP which are security sensitive, the institutions' sensitivity towards the local vendor is very minimal
• Print serial drama (PSD) is used as modeling technique for MARCH projects only in Ethiopia and all the PSDs are produced in Amharic. A local vendor can easily understand the contents of the PSDs easily communicate with the stakeholders and come up with scientifically acceptable methodological tools. It is also advantageous to easily accessing and communicating local vendors, this helps to follow up the process and control the quality of deliverables
• Local vendor has a country presence and this helps in the routine monitoring and follow up of the contract deliverables

Deliverables and Period of Performance

The contracted firm shall provide a minimum of one draft study protocol and final protocol: After approval of the study design/study protocol by CDC Atlanta after methodical review, the firm proceeds to conduct the study and expected to deliver one draft report on the results of the outcome evaluation to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Ethiopia. After getting comments from the COR, the contracted firm shall proceed to produce the final report of the outcome evaluation results. All drafts shall be delivered as hard copy and in an electronic format via email

All the specific tasks and deliverables shall be submitted to the COR according to the following schedule:

Deliverable and Period of Performance 

Attend a briefing organized by the COR. The COR will provide all relevant document to be used as background information for the contractor.
Within one week after the signing of the contract

The contractor will produce and submit draft and final work plan detailing activities and period of performance.  Within one week After briefing and obtaining documents and materials as background

The contractor will review MARCH documents including bible of the comic books, published PSDs, initial documents' of MARCH, concepts and principles of MARCH, various data's concerning MARCH to better understand behavioral outcomes of MARCH program in close collaboration with Contracting Officer Representative.   Three weeks from the date of final work plan

The contractor shall develop the first draft of study design/study protocol, submit to the COR for comment.  Two weeks after reviewing all documents necessary to design the study protocol.

Finalize the first draft study protocol and submit to the COR.
After two weeks of document review completed

Develop final version of the study protocol after incorporating the feedbacks of the COR.  After one week since comments received from the COR about first draft.

Manage and coordinate all data collection & processing activities. After two weeks of the final study protocol draft submitted.
 
Draft report of the outcome evaluation. After three months of data collection

Final draft report of the outcome evaluation both in hard and soft copy.  After two weeks of since comments collected from the COR.