Value
for Money (defined as maximizing the impact of each dollar spent on the Fund’s
pursued goals, on shaping key health sector actors’ behavior, and on the health
sector’s cost-efficiency, to prepare the country for Universal Health Coverage)
is an important consideration both in the Fund’s operations and in the
implementation of Access-supported health activities.
The Access
to Health Fund’s predecessor (the 3MDG Fund) undertook a number of Value for
Money assessments and special studies; Value for Money was also integrated into
3MDG Fund’s operations from the grant management and procurement
perspectives. What was lacking was a consistently operationalized Value
for Money Framework at all levels, executive responsibility for Value for
Money, and sufficient technical capacities in this area within the Fund
Management Office. Review of 3MDG Value for Money implementation will
provide useful lessons learnt for ACCESS.
In
developing the Value for Money Framework for Access to Health it will be
important to take into account the Fund’s more complex scope and a more
resource-constrained situation, both in terms of human and financial resources,
as well as all of the following:
- The
focus of the Fund’s Strategy on vulnerable populations in
conflict-affected areas
- Extensive
geographic coverage of the Fund and greater coverage of EHO-served areas
(i.e non-Government-controlled and mixed-controlled areas)
- Limitations
in availability and quality of routinely-collected program data on health
services, particularly in non-Government controlled and mixed-controlled
areas
- Limitations
of Implementing Partners in financial reporting capacities
- Challenges
of conducting surveys and special studies, particularly in
conflict-affected areas.
2. Aims of the Consultation
The consultation will be looking into three
areas:
2.1.
Analyse the Access to Health Fund’s current decision-making approach
(including a high-level review of the current portfolio, interventions, and
delivery modalities) to determine whether it sufficiently takes into account
Value for Money considerations, identify gaps in the approach, and make
recommendations on how the Fund could use its resources to maximises health
outcomes for target populations;
2.2.
Define a Value for Money framework for the Fund which
will:
a)
Ensure that key Value for Money considerations
are integrated into the Fund’s management of grants and programmes
b)
Formalizes the Fund’s approach to promoting
Value for Money in its decisions
c)
Improve the Fund’s identification of and action
towards weak Value for Money performance in supported programmes
d)
Ensure Value for Money in programmes is improved
over time
e)
Be aligned and integrated with the Fund’s
M&E Strategy
The Value for Money Framework for the Fund, aligned with DFID’s 4E framework, will be developed in close
collaboration with the M&E and Strategy Units of the Fund Management Office
and in consultation with Fund donors. The Framework should clearly set out how
Value for Money principles will be operationalised by different actors (FMO,
IPs) and how Value for Money will be assessed (indicators and data
requirements). It will be specific,
useful and implementable over the lifetime of the Fund. The Framework
should clearly identify the prerequisites for its implementation, such as
required capacities of the FMO and IP staff, and data requirements.
The Framework will cover the Fund’s 2020-2023 operations. The
Consultancy will need to make recommendations on the Framework’s ownership
within the Fund, VFM oversight, as well as the frequency of data collection and
reporting.
2.3.
Identify ways for the Access to Health Fund to continuously learn
(including from failure) and improve its Value for Money proposition.
3. Tasks and Duties
Under the
overall supervision of the ACCESS Fund Director, the Consultant will carry out
the following key duties and responsibilities:
- Document review (some of the key documents
include the Description of Action, Strategy of Access to Health Fund,
Monitoring & Evaluation Strategy, DFID’s Approach to Value for Money,
3MDG Value for Money assessments, 3MDG Final Evaluation Report, 3MDG
Project Completion Review by DFID, latest 3MDG Annual Report)
- Internal
consultations - with the Fund Director, Programme, Strategy, Monitoring &
Evaluation, Procurement, Program Management Office unit members
- External
consultations – with Donor representatives on the Fund Board, the MOHS, and
relevant partners implementing Access programmes
- Develop a
Value for Money Framework, in close collaboration with FMO Units
- Participate
in addressing stakeholder feedback on the draft Value for Money Framework
- Finalise
the Value for Money Framework based on inputs of internal and external
stakeholders;
- Review the
Fund’s approaches, interventions, and delivery modalities, in particular given
the focus on vulnerable populations in conflict-affected areas, and provide
advice to the FMO as to whether they are likely to result in strong Value for
Money during the Fund’s lifetime
- Provide
recommendations on areas in which the Fund could improve its Value for Money
proposition (Note: at this early point in the life of the Fund, there can be no
meaningful assessment of results; the advice sought under this point will be
structural in nature).
4.
Deliverables
The consultation will be expected to deliver on
the three points under section B, namely:
- An
Analysis of the Access to Health Fund’s current decision-making approach
- A
Value for Money Framework
- Guidance/advice on the Fund’s learning
in the area of VFM.