Tender for preparation of EMT Guidelines/SOPs

ASB Georgia is seeking for qualified international expert, group of experts or organization to prepare Guidelines for Georgian and Armenian Emergency Medical Teams (EMTs) within “Stronger Together – Cooperative Action to Respond to Cross-border Emergencies” project funded by Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO).

Background information

Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund (ASB) is one of the biggest and oldest German aid and welfare organization with more than one million members. Since its foundation in 1888, ASB has acted as a politically and denominationally independent association. With its first international mission in 1921, the area of foreign aid became an integral part of the organization. Currently ASB has 11 foreign offices and implementing programs in more than 20 countries. ASB, through its officially registered country office in Georgia implemented several EU, German and US government funded projects related to: inclusive disaster risk reduction, provision of social services, improvement of economic and livelihood conditions, resocialization of persons in conflict with law, confidence building, as well as humanitarian assistance to IDPs, conflict affected population and other vulnerable groups, etc.

Starting from February 1, 2021 ASB is implementing the project “Stronger Together – Cooperative Action to Respond to Cross-border Emergencies” funded by Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO). Overall objective of the action is to enhance disaster risk management system with special focus on health emergencies in Armenia and Georgia through capacity building and establishing cross border cooperation mechanisms. As a result of the project, Emergency Medical Teams (EMTs) should be established and prepared for WHO accreditation process in Georgia and Armenia. The duration of the project is 24 months (February 2021 – January 2023).

Purpose of the consultancy work

The guidelines describing the list of EMT equipment, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and staff development of EMTs in Georgia and Armenia should be developed based on the findings and recommendations of the needs assessment conducted in May-August 2021 by ASB Georgia office. The guidelines will be prepared with active involvement of EMT representatives from both countries and field experts. Final Guidelines should include information on EMT infrastructure and the necessary equipment/materials, EMT workforce and HRM issues, SOPs on EMT operation such as operational readiness, EMT activation, EMT mobilization and coordination, Clinical Care, Logistical Support, Monitoring and Reporting, Communication and other relevant procedures identified during the elaboration of the document. Final guidelines will be presented to the stakeholders during the round table meetings in each country and serve as a major source for EMT operation in Georgia and Armenia. In total, 2 round table meeting should be conducted (1 meeting in Georgia, another in Armenia).

The guidelines should be prepared in strict accordance with WHO certification standards and serve as foundation for development of internal EMT action plans for Armenia and Georgia including detailed timeline as well as responsible agencies/personnel for action plan implementation. The action plan will form the basis for upgrading EMTs and serve as a guiding plan for their effective functioning.

Required skills and experience

· Education at the Masters level or equivalent in Healthcare, Organizational Development or other relevant field;

· At least 3 years of relevant working experience on EMT related issues, that may represent but not limited to: EMT infrastructure development, elaboration of internal working procedures (SOPs) and the related documentation for EMTs, EMT staff selection and development etc.

· Profound understanding of WHO certification standards, EMTs work and emergency healthcare, including field work;

· Strong analytical skills;

· The ability to work independently as well as in teams;

· Ability to travel to Georgia and Armenia.

Roles and Responsibilities

The expert will have the overall responsibility for all stages of guidelines elaboration in ongoing consultation with Georgian and Armenian EMT representatives and the ASB Georgia Staff. The elaboration of the guideline documents will be coordinated and carried out by the hired expert in accordance with the initially prepared and agreed timeline. The hired expert shall provide needs based consultancy service for Georgian and Armenian EMTs throughout entire duration of the project.

More specifically, the selected candidate will:

· Conduct review of the project documentation;

· Together with the project team, develop detailed timeline and work plan of the assignment;

· Develop separate Guideline documents for Georgia and Armenia according to the local context specifics;

· Prepare final draft version of guile documents in English;

· Present the final draft versions of the document to Georgian and Armenian counterparts at round-table meetings conducted in each country;

· Based on the feedback received as a result of the round-table meetings, finalize the documents for Georgian and Armenian EMTs.

· Provide needs based consultancy service to Georgian and Armenian EMTs regarding further updates of EMT guidelines document throughout the project period.

ASB team will be responsible to provide individual expert with all the necessary information and relevant documentation.

Deliverables and Timeline

The expected duration of the assessment is 4 months (November 2021- January 2022). The following deliverables should be provided by the selected candidate:**

· Work plan and time line for the assignment;

· First draft of the guidelines documents;

· Final guidelines documents for Georgia and Armenia.

These deliverables should be completed within the deadlines mentioned in the work plan to be provided by the contractor.

The Guidelines document will be the sole property of Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund, which will retain the right to use it for internal and external purposes.

Selection Criteria

The received applications will be evaluated by using the following criteria:

Criteria

1. Application Complete

2. Education

3. Professional Experience related to EMT establishment/functioning

4. Profound understanding of WHO certification standards, EMTs work and emergency healthcare, including field work

5. Availability

6. Ability to travel to Georgia and Armenia

7. Proposed budget