RFQ for Hiring of Consultant for Capacity Building Of Identified Leaders on Leadership Skills And Awareness Across Gender-Responsive Health and WASH (Including MHM) And Women’s Health Voice at Community and Subnational Levels

 Procurement Reference No. PMU/WA/2026/09/24

1. Indus Hospital & Health Network (IHHN) is a Non-Profit organization, which is growing rapidly and expanding its Health Programs all over Pakistan. It has supported health programs in Pakistan since 2007. IHHN provides quality healthcare absolutely free of cost to millions of deserving patients through its countrywide network of hospitals in Pakistan. IHHN is now managing multiple tertiary and secondary care Hospitals, Physical Rehabilitation Centre’s, Regional Blood Centre’s, Community Health Centers, and various Public Health Programs spread across Pakistan. IHHN is also a recipient of grants funded by international organizations.

2. IHHN invites your quotation for the services as described in Part 1.

3. The procurement shall be conducted in line with the Request for Quotation (RFQ) procurement method contained in the IHHN Procurement Manual and procedures stated in Part 2.

4. Any resulting contract shall be subject to the terms and conditions detailed in Part 3.

5. The planned procurement schedule for this procurement (subject to changes) is as follows:

6. Any queries should be addressed to the attention of Mr. Aamir Aslam through the email address [email protected] prior to the request for quotation closing date.

7. Please prepare and submit your quotation in accordance with the instructions in Part 1: Request for Quotation Procedures or inform the undersigned if you will not be submitting a quotation.

T: +92 51 8312595-6www.indushospital.org.pk

RFQ for Hiring of a Consultant, Procurement Reference No. PMU/WA/2026/09/24

CONCEPT NOTE FOR CONSULTENCY SERVICES

Consultancy Title:Capacity building of identified leaders on leadership skills and awareness across gender-responsive health and WASH (including MHM) and women’s health voice at community and subnational levels

1. Background and Context

Indus Hospital & Health Network (IHHN), in partnership with WaterAid Pakistan, is implementing the Strengthening Wholistic and Inclusive Systems for Health (SWISH)project through Integration, Prevention, and Women's Empowerment in 10 selected healthcare facilities of District Lodhran, Punjab, Pakistan. 

The SWISH project seeks to institutionalize climate-resilient, inclusive, and sustainable WASH services alongside improved Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health (RMNCH) services, ultimately driving better quality of care, infection prevention and control (IPC), and health outcomes.

While health facility infrastructure and institutional systems are vital, long-term sustainability depends heavily on empowering local stakeholders and amplifying community-level leadership. To ensure health and WASH initiatives are truly gender-responsive and inclusive, women leaders, including those with disabilities, must be equipped with the skills, tools, and networks needed to advocate for their health rights and participate meaningfully in subnational decision-making processes. In line with the project design and requirements of this activity, IHHN has identified a cadre of women leaders from the local communities surrounding each of the 10 healthcare facilities, including women with disabilities, who will be engaged through this consultancy. Under this framework, the consultancy assignment focuses on strengthening leadership capabilities of the identified women leadership and raising awareness around gender-responsive health, WASH, Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM), and women’s health advocacy.

2. Purpose of the Consultancy

The purpose of this consultancy is to engage a qualified consultant or firm to design, deliver, and evaluate a tailored leadership development programme for identified women leaders, including women with disabilities, at community and subnational levels in District Lodhran. The consultancy will focus on strengthening leadership, communication, advocacy, decision-making, and influencing skills, while enhancing participants’ awareness of gender-responsive health and WASH, including menstrual health and management, women’s health, rights, and meaningful participation. 

The assignment will use participatory and practical approaches to enable women leaders to effectively voice community health and WASH priorities, engage with relevant stakeholders, and contribute to more inclusive, equitable, and responsive health and WASH decision-making and services. 

1. Specific Objectives

1. Design and conduct training need assessment (assess current leadership skills and knowledge gaps related to gender-responsive health, WASH, Menstrual Health and Hygiene (MHH), women’s participation in health-related decision making and advocacy skills among identified women leaders.

2. Design inclusive, high-impact leadership training module focusing on advocacy, effective communication, negotiation, awareness on health issues, and inclusive health governance.

3. Deliver Training through participatory approaches and inclusive training sessions using interactive workshops tailored to identified women leaders, ensuring full accessibility for persons with disabilities.

4. Identify potential leaders among participants for IHHN to set up mentoring network and peer-support groups to reinforce continuous learning, peer exchange, and sustained skill development.

2. Expected Outcomes

1. Enhanced leadership, communication, negotiation, advocacy, and decision-making capacities among identified women leaders, including women with disabilities, enabling them to more effectively represent and articulate women’s health and WASH priorities. 

2. Increased knowledge and awareness of gender-responsive health and WASH, MHM, women’s health rights, and inclusive health governance, with women leaders better equipped to advocate for improved and equitable health and WASH services within their communities. 

3. Strengthened participation and voice of women leaders in community-level and district dialogue, planning, coordination, and decision-making processes by orienting them to relevant existing health, WASH, and community decision-making platforms and mechanisms in District Lodhran, and providing practical guidance on how to effectively participate in, engage with, and influence these structures on issues related to health, WASH, MHM, and women’s health and rights. 

4. Strengthened and institutionalized capacity-building resources through the development, testing, and refinement of inclusive leadership training modules, with pre- and post-training assessments used to validate learning outcomes and improve the modules for continued use and integration within IHHN’s programme interventions.

5. Functional peer-support and mentoring networks established among emerging women leaders, providing mechanisms for continued learning, experience sharing, mutual support, and sustained leadership beyond the consultancy. 

3. Scope of Work

The consultant shall undertake the following major tasks:

1. Training Need Assessment (TNA)

• Formulate TNA methodology and data-collection tools for community women leaders.

• Map and evaluate existing capacity gaps regarding leadership skills, gender-responsive health, WASH, MHM, and health advocacy.

• Synthesize findings into a TNA report to update curriculum customization.

2. Module Design and Content Preparation

• Develop inclusive training manuals and interactive workshop modules covering key themes:

• Inclusive leadership and decision-making strategies.

• Practical advocacy and negotiation techniques for community and subnational forums.

• Gender-responsive health, WASH, MHM, and rights awareness.

• Inclusive strategies ensuring participation of women with disabilities.

• Finalize training toolkits, presentation decks, and participant handbooks in coordination with IHHN and WaterAid technical guidelines.

3. Training Execution and Capacity Development

• Plan and deliver interactive, participatory training workshops across target locations.

• Ensure training environments, methodologies, and materials are fully accessible and inclusive (specifically catering to leaders with disabilities).

• Facilitate practical exercises& simulations sessions, and developing action-plan focused on Health Facility based actions.

4. Network Building and Mentorship Setup

• Framework design and operationalization of peer-support networks and mentoring circles.

• Propose mechanisms for routine peer interaction, experience sharing, and collaborative problem-solving.

5. Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL)

• Administer pre- and post-training evaluations to measure knowledge gain.

• Guide IHHN project team in conducting post-training participant feedback surveys and tracking their engagement in advocacy/health promotion activities.

• Compile a comprehensive Final Consultancy Report documenting outcomes, participants feedback, and future recommendations.

4. Key Deliverables

5. Duration of Assignment & Implementation Matrix

The consultancy assignment will be implemented over a period of 06 months starting from Oct. 2026. An indicative work plan is given below: 

6. Key Milestones

Milestone 1:Inception report and TNA tools approved – End of Month 1

Milestone 2:TNA report and finalized training modules submitted – End of Month 2

Milestone 3:Capacity building training sessions completed across target sites and network building– End of Month 4

Milestone 4:Mentoring networks operationalized & final consultancy report approved – End of Month 6

7. Supervision and Reporting Arrangements

The consultant will work under the direct technical supervision of the IHHN SWISH Project Lead and in close technical coordination with IHHN-SWISH Provincial Advocacy Manager based in Lahore as well as WaterAid Pakistan. The consultant will submit bi-weekly progress updates, present intermediate drafts for technical review, and adapt outputs to align with IHHN/WaterAid quality frameworks. 

8. Required Qualifications and Experience

The ideal individual consultant or firm should possess:

• Advanced degree (Master's or Ph.D.) in Gender Studies, Social Work, Public Health, Development Studies, Policy, or related disciplines.

• Minimum of 7–10 years of experience in community leadership development, gender mainstreaming, WASH advocacy, and health promotion in Pakistan.

• Proven experience in designing training curricula and conducting participatory workshops focused on inclusive leadership (specifically including disability inclusion and MHM).

• Demonstrated expertise in setting up community peer networks, mentorship circles, and monitoring framework tools.

• Strong facilitation, communication, analytical writing, and stakeholder engagement skills.

9. Financial Proposal and Payment Schedule

Payments will be made in installments against the satisfactory completion and acceptance of the respective deliverables/milestones by IHHN, in accordance with the following schedule:

Evaluation Criteria:

1. The technical responsiveness shall be evaluated by award of marks based on the criteria indicated below, and the pass mark shall be 49 (70%)

2. In case only one or two bidders pass technical evaluation, the purchasing entity shall proceed to evaluate financial quotation(s) of the single bidder or the two bidders.

3. However, as a last resort, in case no bidder scores 49 (70%) and above, the purchasing entity shall select three

(03) firms with the highest scores and proceed to evaluate their financial bids

Price Schedule/Financial Bid:

The price quotation needs to be sealed in a separate envelope marked as “Financial Proposal.” 30% weightage shall be assigned to the financial proposal.

Costs to be included in the bid price shall be:

• The unit and total rates in PKR including all applicable taxes.

Note: To be filled, signed, stamped/sealed by the vendor and returned together with other required documents.

Price Schedule Authorized by:

Part 2: Request for Quotation Procedure

1. Preparation of Bids: You are requested to prepare the proposal as per above mentioned TORs.

2. Validity of Bids:The quotation should remain valid for preferably thirty (30) days from the closing date for quotation submission. In case of shorter validity period, IHHN at its discretion may reject/accept the quotation.

3. Amendment of request for quotation: At any time prior to the deadline for submission of quotation, IHHN may modify the request for quotation document and changes shall be binding on all vendors.

4. Currency of the quotation: Quotation shall be priced in Pakistan Rupees (PKR).

5. Sealing and marking of quotations:Quotation should be sealed in a single envelope, clearly marked with the subject of procurement, procurement reference number and supplier’s name.

6. Address of quotation submission:Bids should be submitted by hand or courier at the below address:

Indus Hospital & Health Network, Project Management Unit,

Plot No. 32, Street No. 36, First Floor, I&T Centre, G-10/4, Islamabad.

7. Password Protected Quotes via Email:Quotations may also be submitted via email as per the below instructions:

1. Password Protected Quote should only be emailed to [email protected]

2. While the password of the same should be shared only to [email protected]

3. No one should be in CC for password email.

8. Deadline for quotation submission: Quotation must reach at the mentioned address by/before the date & time mentioned in cover note, late submission after the given date and time shall not be acceptable.

9. Opening of quotations:Quotation shall be opened internally by IHHN management. Supplier’s representatives are not permitted to attend the opening.

10. Correction of arithmetic errors: IHHN shall correct any non-material arithmetic errors in the bid price provided that such corrections do not constitute amendment of quoted unit prices.

11. Negotiation of prices and delivery schedule: IHHN may negotiate with the selected vendor(s) to bring the prices within the market range, align prices with the previous IHHN contract prices, accommodate offer of discounts and donations and/or finalize the delivery schedule.

12. Award Decision:After identifying the market competitive rates in compliance with scope, IHHN reserves the right to issue the contract to single or multiple bidders. The selection of bidder shall not be made on the basis of lowest prices only; quality of services shall be the decisive factor as well.

13. Formation of contract:Formation of a contract shall be by either issuing a Purchase Order/Work Order or by signing a contract.

14. Right to Reject: The purchaser reserves the right to accept or reject any quotation or to cancel the bidding process and reject all bids at any time prior to contract signing.
    

Part 3: Contract Terms and Conditions

1. Payment terms:Payment shall be as per the above given schedule. All payments shall be made upon delivery/submission of satisfactory services/milestones, through Account Payee Cheque, less any statutory taxes as per the Income Tax Ordinance 2001 (as amended).

2. Liquidated damages:Liquidated damages shall not apply unless otherwise specified. When specified, liquidated damages shall be 5% of the Word Order/contract price per day of delayed delivery of services, counted from the delivery date stated in the WO or agreed by the parties. The maximum liquidated damages shall be 10% of the contract price, followed with termination of the contract. IHHN reserves the right to cancel part or all liquidated damages on mutual agreement with the vendor.

3. Compliance to specifications:Bidders shall comply with the minimum specifications and requirements/TORs in Part 1 during quotation submission and contract implementation.

4. Price variations:Within the bid validity period, any request for change in prices shall not be accepted.

5. Use of contract prices by other IHHN partner programmes and organisations:Within the contract validity period, the purchaser and its partner programmes and organisation may utilize the contract resulting from this procurement process to order additional quantities of supplies/services, without a retendering process.

6. Performance security or bond:Unless otherwise specified, performance bond shall not be required. Where required, the performance security shall be 10% of the original contract price in a form specified by the purchaser.

7. Blacklisting of suppliers:Suppliers submitting forged documents, supplying counterfeit, defective and poor-quality products and services shall be blacklisted from participating in any IHHN and donor procurements in Pakistan. A notice of supplier blacklisting shall be filed with the PPRA Pakistan.

8. Force Majeure:Force majeure clause shall apply, but shall not include any event which is caused by the negligence or intentional action of the parties; nor any event which a diligent Party could reasonably have been expected to take into account from the effective date of the contract; and avoid or overcome in the carrying out of its obligations; nor insufficiency of funds or failure to make any payment required hereunder. A Party affected by an event of Force Majeure shall take all reasonable measures to remove such Party’s inability to fulfil its obligations hereunder with a minimum of delay; and minimize the consequences of any event of Force Majeure. A Party affected by an event of Force Majeure shall notify the other party, within twenty-four (24) hours, of establishing or knowing the occurrence of a force majeure event.

9. Dispute settlement:A dispute shall be settled as per provisions of Arbitration Act 1940 (Act No. X of 1940) and Rules made thereunder and any statutory modifications thereto, and held at the purchaser’s address.

10. Whistleblowing: Indus Hospital & Health Network (IHHN) is committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and accountability in all procurement activities. Vendors are encouraged to report, in good faith, any suspected fraud, corruption, conflict of interest, or unethical conduct related to this RFQ process. All disclosures will be treated with strict confidentiality, and no retaliatory action shall be taken against any party for raising a concern in good faith. Any vendor found to have engaged in unethical practices or to have attempted to improperly influence the procurement process may be subject to disqualification, contract termination, and blacklisting. Any concerns or complaints may be reported through the designated channel at [email protected]

.Participation in this RFQ constitutes acknowledgment of and compliance with this clause.