PROPOSAL FOR BASELINE STUDY

Job Description

PROPOSAL FOR BASELINE STUDY

Introduction: The German Doctors eV. (GD) is a charitable non-profit organization with legal
capacity registered in Bonn/Germany, focusing on the provision of medical services for the
poor and underprivileged people in regions with only limited access to medical treatment.

Since 2010, GD has been working in Sierra Leone and cooperates with various partners in
order to implement projects on child protection, WASH, as well as perform training in
pediatrics.
German Doctors e.V. and Rehabilitation and Development Agency (RADA) applied for co-
funding from the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) to
implement the KUSH project titled “Improving the health situation in the area of substance
abuse through a community-based support system for the prevention and support of
substance users in Bo, Sierra Leone”. The objective of the project is to reduce the
prevalence of Kush use and the associated health consequences. The following outcomes
are associated with the planned activities:
 Reduced Substance Abuse (Kush use) in target Communities
 Improved Access to Community-Based Support and Rehabilitation Services
 Reduced Stigmatization and Discrimination Against Substance Users
 Strengthened Community Capacity to Prevent and Response to Substance Abuse
 Enhanced Policy Advocacy and Evidence-Based Programming
The main project components consist of awareness-raising and capacity-building activities
for community members, religious leaders, teachers and student peer educators in Kush and
other substance abuse, addiction, stigmatization, mitigating factors and advocacy activities;
involving multiple stakeholders in the project activities.
Therefore, German Doctors is looking for a consultant team/tandem that will carry out a
Baseline Survey. The consultant(s) will carry out the following duties.

Purpose/Main Duties: German Doctors e.V. seeks to implement a Kush project to be co-
funded by the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), for
which a baseline survey will be conducted. The baseline study is intended not only to
establish baseline indicators but also to provide a broader understanding of the Kush
problem on the ground. The results of the baseline study should thus provide statistical data
on drug abuse and addiction in the project communities, including:
 Prevalence of drug use (including data from government agencies) and drugs
consumed,
 Demographic trends of drug users: breakdown by age group, gender and social
category,
 Drug-related health problems and diseases, including communicable diseases
 Social consequences of drug use such as crime, sexual and gender-based violence, or
effects on (family) relationships
 Treatment gap: The proportion of people who seek addiction treatment but do not
receive it.
Secondly, the study will qualitatively examine the consumption patterns of Kush users, the
reasons for their use, and the social impact, for example, on their families. The results of the
study will be made available to other organizations and government agencies working in the
field of drug abuse, prevention, and treatment. Furthermore, it is conceivable that the study
could be published jointly with RADA in an open-access scientific journal.
Moreover, the following objectives are associated with the baseline survey:

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 To establish baseline data on Kush addiction and stigmatization in 10 selected
communities in Bo District.
 Specific Objectives
 Determine the prevalence of Kush use among different population groups
 Identify socio-economic and environmental drivers of Kush addiction
 Assess knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) regarding substance abuse
 Examine stigma and discrimination faced by users and recovering individuals
 Map existing prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation services
 Provide recommendations for programming and advocacy
To achieve these objectives, the consultant team will conduct the following exercises and
provide recommendations based on the findings of these exercises:

1. Context and problem analysis: The baseline survey will bring out data on the present
state of Kush users, drivers, available health care services for users etc. Since Kush
contributes significantly to the increasing strain on public health systems, which are already
operating at their limit, Kush use often leads to erratic, violent behavior in users and
increases the risk of female users becoming victims of sexualized, gender-based violence. In
the long term, Kush use often results in acquisitive crime and prostitution. Users must rapidly
increase their consumption to achieve a similar high, which means that despite the low price,
the costs quickly become a matter of survival. The Kush epidemic also has significant social
repercussions for social life: it can be assumed that almost every family is now affected and
has at least one infected family member.

2. Stakeholder identification: In addition to the Rapid Needs Assessments in urban and
suburban communities and the focus group discussions with affected young people (see
problem description above), RADA met with various stakeholders in preparation for the
project to discuss their perspectives on the Kush problem, needs, and potential synergies.
Meetings with the District Medical Health Team (DHMT), the Ministries of Social Affairs,
Gender Equality, and Education, the Family Support Units (FSU) of the police, an interfaith
network, and NGOs currently working on Kush revealed a persistent lack of awareness of
substance abuse and addiction within the communities. At the same time, there is a lack of
community-based engagement to address the root causes of substance abuse and to
coordinate referral pathways, thereby improving care for substance users. The consultant(s)
will carry out a thorough stakeholder analysis as described in the Project document, the main
stakeholders that should be involved in the project to achieve the project objective.
Therefore, the consultant(s) engage government representatives, private sectors, CSOs,
NGOs, medical experts, and community members to map out the relevant stakeholders.

3. Detailed analysis of the target group: Already, the analysis of the target groups is
specified in the project document, the consultant(s) will evaluate the selection process and
composition of the target group and describe in detail the target group composition. Where
possible, the consultants should disaggregate data by sex, age, and people with disability –
their social, economic, and cultural background, analysis of the most vulnerable persons-
widows, the aged, single parents, orphans, etc.

4. Assessment of the planned project approach: In project appraisal, the consultants
should find out to what extent the project approach addresses the underlying, identified
problem, and to what extent the project focus matches the identified target group and
considers the needs of the target group. In this regard, the underlying Theory of Change, as
well as activities, objectives, and indicators of the project, will be critically analyzed.
Furthermore, the analysis should appraise the timeframe of the project, considering
circumstances that might cause delays. The project approach is to be assessed in regard to
its feasibility on the basis of the DAC criteria (coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, impact,
sustainability).

5. Identification of risks: Some communities and their leaders may be inclined to ignore the
problem of kush in their communities, as it is not a popular topic for community
representatives or political decision-makers to use for self-promotion. These risk factors, lack
of willingness to cooperate on the part of the municipalities, restigmatization of Kush users,
exposure to drug dealers and/or drug networks, overburdened healthcare system
In light of the above, the consultants are expected to conduct a comprehensive risk analysis,
identifying the basis of the risks that could affect the project and, concurrently, identifying
mitigation strategies to address those risks, taking into consideration and examine to what
extent the "Do-No-Harm-Principle and the GESI-sensitive approach will add value to the
project.
6. Analysis of the local partners’ internal capacities and opportunities: The consultants
should also analyze the local project partner regarding capacities and strength to deliver
effectively and efficiently on the project – policies, systems, technical capability, ability to
implement the project on time, external support, networks, partners, relationship with
communities, government, financial management, monitoring systems, etc.

7. Data on initial situation: The baseline study should provide data on the initial situation of
project-relevant aspects, which can be used to build on or improve/ finalize the project impact
matrix.

Methodology:
The baseline study will be conducted using a mixed-methodology including review of
secondary data, qualitative data collection (e.g., focus group discussion, interviews), and
quantitative data collection (e.g., survey). Relevant stakeholders (e.g., councils, community
members, government stakeholders, NGO representatives) need to be involved in the
primary data collection. The data collection should be implemented in all 10 target
communities in the Bo District.

Timeline 1 and Deliverables:
To conduct the baseline study, the timeline below is proposed for the consultant to complete
earlier if possible.
Activity  ExpectedTimelin
Recruitment of consultants
Kick-off meeting
Inception phase (including development and agreement on
tools and feedback loops)
Field work
Validation workshop
Submission of the report draft
Commenting phase
Submission of final report

The consultant will deliver the following:
1. An inception report that demonstrates adequate understanding of the scope and content
of the assignment and explains the methodology
2. A baseline study report with not more than 30 pages, including:
 Introduction (background and context) – up to 2 pages
 Methodology (tools used, sample, limitations) – up to 1 page
 Findings – up to 23 pages
o Findings should be presented per theme, in order of priority, and include
graphs and tables
o Findings should be disaggregated by respondent category, and for each
question, the number of respondents should be noted

 Conclusion – up to 2 pages
 Recommendations for implementation and for future investment– up to 2 pages
 Annexes, including at least tools for data collection
 The entire set of raw data for the structured interviews and surveys will be provided to
German Doctors in an Excel format.
3. A two-page summary with the most important core findings on the subjects listed above.

Stakeholder & Roles and responsibilities

German           Review and approve the proposal for the baseline study
Doctors in        Approve budget
Bonn and         Provide internal documents that will be useful for the baseline study
Sierra Leone     Provide internal documents that will be useful for the baseline study

 Review reports and share feedback

 Support the development of the tool

RADA  Provides background information/internal documents on the
1 The timeframe given above can be subject to change, dependent on the publication of the prioritization by the
BMZ.

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(project
executing
agency)

organization, the planned project, and monitoring data on the ongoing
pilot project
 Review and comments on the different documents and deliverables
produced
 Support the development of the tool
 Facilitate the field work

Research
consultants

 Draft inception report
 Develop the tools for data collection
 Ensure quality data collection/ research
 Data analysis
 Draft and finalize the feasibility study report

Requirements qualifications
For the implementation of the baseline study, it is preferred to hire a consultant tandem/team
(preferred 2 persons). The team can also be international. The aim is that the two
consultants complement each other well in their expertise (e.g., methodological focus and
country-specific/ regional expertise). The team should submit a joint bid in response to the
advert. The following requirements should be met:
 Education: Master's degree in Monitoring and Evaluation, Development Studies,
Social Sciences, or its equivalent
 Experience: Up to 5 years of professional experience in consultancies for NGOs in
data collection/analysis (e.g., evaluations, feasibility studies, etc.)
o Proven knowledge of the study theme “KUSH.”
o Proven knowledge of the Sierra Leone context
o Proven experience and knowledge of various methods of data collection
o Preferred: Experience with BMZ-funded projects
 Language Requirements: English
Application
The technical proposal, no longer than five pages, should include:
 A description of how the work will be done and the methodology proposed
 Involvement of the different stakeholders
 Timeframe proposed
 A short description of the team members' characteristics/expertise and functions
within the study
 Names and contacts of 3 professional references for whom similar work had been
conducted
The financial proposal should include:
 Detailed itemized fees
 All costs related to the work, including transport, translation (if required), printing, and
communication and accommodation costs.
Annex:
 The applicants’ CVs outlining relevant qualifications and experience
 An example of a report of a similar consultancy recently conducted

Final Evaluation

For a combined evaluation, the technical proposal of a tenderer will be weighted 70%, while
the financial proposal will be 30%.
The tenderers who submitted the proposal with the highest total score will be invited for an
interview and contract negotiations. The interview/negotiations will clarify the work and
methods to be used and any necessary staffing schedule adjustments. If the negotiations
with the tenderers having the highest score are not successful, negotiations with the
tenderers placed next will be undertaken until an agreement is reached.
Interested candidates should email their expression of interest, including the technical and
financial proposal, to fanta.daboh@german-doctors.de no later than Friday 24 th April, 2026
at 12 midnight. Any questions, communications, or requests for additional information
concerning this call for tenders are permitted in writing (email). The subject for the application