To establish and conduct Data Quality Assessments (DQAs) at DoD/WRAIR-supported facilities through funding from the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) in Tanzania. The DQA process will include preparation, methodology review, desk review, field review, documentation, and a mitigation plan to address data limitations as needed at 80 locations that will be selected from a list of 107 priority locations within Tanzania. This requirement is based on DoD/WRAIR’s current mission needs in Tanzania, as the mission changes, the needs may increase or decrease.
Job duties and responsibilities
The consultant shall provide experienced, technical support for assessing the quality of data for PEPFAR-funded HIV/AIDS programs in the Southern Highlands regions of Mbeya, Rukwa, Katavi, Songwe, and Ruvuma as well as all the Tanzania Peoples Defense Forces (TPDF) facilities countrywide. After developing a comprehensive plan in conjunction with DoD/WRAIR-Tanzania staff will be able to work with other staff/contractors (Data Demand and information Use (DDIU) Officer, Health Management Information Systems (HMIS) Officer, HIV/AIDS Monitoring and Evaluation Officer) to:
- Introduce a component of triangulation between program data and other data sources (surveys, research, National routine data systems, Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS UNAIDS Estimates etc.)
- Introduce SWOT analyses to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats at all levels of data collection, management, reporting and use within the DoD/WRAIR-Tanzania programs.
- Produce comprehensive technical DQA reports that have recommendations on technical steps to be taken to improve data quality, reporting, and use.
- Improve the accuracy and reliability of future data submissions to the DoD/WRAIR, PEPFAR and the Ministry of Health (MOH).
- Use and integrate CQI and QA (Quality Assurance) methodology at the site level to address barriers; identify and remediate bottlenecks and improve quality of data and eventually services and the client experience.
Specific tasks:
· Conduct DQA site visits to review clinic charts, patient cards, registers, reports, databases and logs to assess if recording, storing, processing and reporting of data meets all dimensions of quality as defined in the PEPFAR Monitoring and Evaluation (MER) Guidance and MoH Tanzania HIV/AIDS Data Quality Guideline, while following strategies approved in the annual work plan and quarterly work plan updates.
- Conduct quarterly DQA visits to sites for the DoD/WRAIR Civilian Program and all sites for the DoD/WRAIR Military Program as well as conducting follow up visits for sites that score poorly. The results of follow up visits will be used to measure the changes in data quality.
- Provide recommendations and work with DoD/WRAIR-Tanzania Implementing Partner program staff to address gaps and develop improvement plans for M&E system and Data Quality at Program, Regional, District, community and site levels.
Deliverables:
- Submit a completed Data Quality Review Tool (softcopy) with findings of the DQAs to the COR and DoD/WRAIR Activity Manager immediately following each program/site visit.
- Generate a site visit report immediately following each visit, which will be shared with the COR, DoD/WRAIR Activity Manager and the facility being visited.
- Submit a comprehensive feedback on the status of visited sites via email to the COR and the WRAIR Activity Manager on a monthly basis.
- Analyze findings of DQA and review preliminary findings:
- Implement capacity building plans through trainings, on-site and off-site mentoring, and provision of tools and resources and making follow up on capacity building plans;
- Facilitate updating of capacity-building plans as needed; together with the implementing partner staff, review and update the capacity-building plans;
- Continue on- and off-site mentoring, including working with the implementing partner leadership on institutionalizing the DQA process and providing assistance on selecting additional sites for a DQA;
- Work planning as per agreement; and
- Implementation of remediation/mitigation activities
Required qualifications:
Degree in Statistics or Degree in Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E)
Place of Performance: Tanzania
