Request for Proposal (RFP) for a Situational Assessment on sexualized drug use among HIV key populations in Nepal

Blue Diamond Society

Request for Proposal (RFP)

for

a Situational Assessment on sexualized drug use among HIV key populations in Nepal

Date of issuance of RFP: 11 April  2024

1. Introduction: Blue Diamond Society (BDS) 

BDS has been working on HIV prevention and the empowerment of sexual gender minorities (SGM) in Nepal since 2001, with support from a multitude of resources, including FHI360/PEPFAR, The Global Fund, USAID, and the Government of Nepal. BDS has focused its efforts on policy advocacy for the empowerment of SGM and has achieved several major successes, notably: a) the provision of a third gender marker in citizenship, and b) a ruling from the Supreme Court ordering the government to draft laws to legally recognize same-sex marriage. BDS has been building human capacity for: a) the national HIV response; b) social, legal, and economic empowerment of sexual gender minorities; c) the fight against stigma and discrimination; and d) the prevention of and response to gender violence, partnering with Panned Parenthood and other organizations.

2. The use of drugs in sexual context

The use of drugs in sexual context has a strong relation with sexual risk behaviors that contributes to the increased risk of HIV transmission and HCV in particular, among MSM. The risk behaviors associated with use of drugs in sexual context generally include inconsistent condom use, lower expectation of sex partners to use condom, less concern on sex partners HIV and Sexual transmitted infection (STI) status, and less negotiating power.

Anecdotal evidence from some clinical psychologists who attend several harm reduction sites across Nepal suggest that the use of drugs in sexual contexts has been increasingly visible in the last few years. This increasing visibility of drug use in sexual contexts, along with the population sizes of Men Who have MSM/MSW/TG as well as drug users is further abetted by the absence of studies done on the situation of sexualized drug use among these two key populations in Nepal. This highlights a significant information gap regarding the prevalence, current culture, and behaviors related to sexualized drug use practices among these key populations. Moreover, current harm reduction programs and HIV programs have thus far not included any steps toward addressing the issue of sexualized drug use among key populations. It is in this context that BDS intends to conduct a Situational Assessment on sexualized drug use among these two key populations in Nepal.  A harm reduction pilot project on sexualized drug use will be implemented based on the findings of this Situational Assessment.

3. Objective 

In this context, BDS issues the Request for Proposal (RFP) to interested firms with the following objective:

• To conduct a situation assessment on sexualized drug uses among a) MSM/MSW/TG, and; b) People who use drugs (PWUD)

This situation assessment mainly covers prevalent practices of sexualized use of drugs, risk behaviors associated, access to HIV services, treatment, care and support services in addition to socio-demographic characteristics.

4. Survey Methodology 

This study is a cross-sectional descriptive and scoping assessment in design to inform the formulation of a harm reduction programme focused on key populations (KP) that engage in sexualized use of drugs. The assessment will use both qualitative and quantitative methods. For this situation assessment, a total of two surveys are planned to be conducted across all seven provinces among a) MSM/MSW/TG, and; b) People who use drugs (PWUD).

5. Services the research organization will provide

The following are the major services that research organization/ bidders will provide:

• Preparation of assessment (study) protocol and training materials for the data collection team. 
• Develop assessment (study) tools including questionnaire (both in English and Nepali), consent form (both in English and Nepali) and other required materials. 
• Develop an assessment monitoring plan and a checklist and share them with survey stakeholders.  
• Use an electronic version - Computer Assisted Personal Interviews (CAPI) through tablets or mobile phones equipped with Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinator for the collection of quantitative data. 
• Pre-test the developed tools in a real setting among both study populations.  
• Coordinate with local affiliates to ensure the smooth execution of field-related activities 
• Organize training for the data collection team to orient them about methodology, tools, ethical considerations, data protection and privacy etc.
• Conduct monitoring visits using standard checklist 
• Maintain a mechanism to monitor real-time data status
• Ensure that the assessment is conducted adhering to the highest ethical and research standards, including but not limited to the protection of human participants and data, confidentiality, and privacy
• Prepare a draft report and finalize it by incorporating valid comments received from assessment stakeholders.

6. Deliverables 

1. Ethical approval for this assessment from Nepal Health Research Council
2. Assessment protocol 
3. Data collection tools 
4. Field plan and monitoring checklist  
5. Real-time data collection status 
6. Codebook and Dataset in standard readable software
7. Final assessment Report

7. Estimated Commencement Date: 15 May 2024

Estimated End Date: 15 October, 2024

Implementation of this situational assessment is subject to availability of funding.

8. Submission of RFP

Interested organizations are requested to apply with a technical proposal and a financial proposal along with essential documents (VAT Clarence etc.) in three different files. Preference will be given to organizations with experience in researching key populations and utilizing mixed methodologies. The technical proposal should encompass, among other things, an understanding of the terms of reference (TOR), proposed assessment contents, methodology, time line, data protection and quality control measures, and adherence to research ethics and standards. Please include the CV of the team leader along with the technical proposal, as well as examples of the team leader's previous similar work, if possible.

Submit Your Proposal with Sealed within Submission Deadline of: 1 May 2024, 5:00 PM Nepal Time. Blue Diamond Society Dhumbarahi Height, Opposite side of Institute of Crises Management College

9. Evaluation and comparison of proposals

The evaluation team will evaluate and compare the proposals that have been determined to be substantially responsive according to the evaluation criteria. A two-stage procedure is utilized in evaluating the proposals. In the first stage, the evaluation of the technical proposals will be completed before opening and comparing any financial proposal. The technical proposal is evaluated based on its responsiveness to the RFP.

Financial Proposal will be opened only if they meet the following criterion: 

• The submission that passed the minimum technical score of 70% of the obtainable score of 100 points in the evaluation of the technical proposals. 

In the second stage, the financial proposal of all Offerors, who have attained minimum 70% score in the technical evaluation, will be evaluated. The financial proposal carries a total score of 30%.