Independent Contractor Solicitation
Position: Consultant (2)
Functions: External Validator (Malaria MTR) × 1 and Specialist HIV Prevention, Care and Treatment Specialist – Mid-Term Review (MTR) × 1
Location: Ministry of Health (MoH), NMP, ENAP & NTP
Contract Type: Independent Contractor
Reports To: Associate Director, Infectious Diseases
Funded By: Clinton Health Access Initiative
Date Issued: 28 April 2026
Ethical Conduct and Conflicts of Interest
In accordance with the Global Code of Conduct and Conflict of Interest Policy of Clinton Health Access Initiative, CHAI is committed to conducting business with integrity and objectively selecting independent contractors. CHAI maintains a zero-tolerance policy for acts including, but not limited to, collusion among individuals, submission of falsified bids, bribery, and other forms of fraud. Offerors engaging in such conduct will be disqualified from current and future opportunities. CHAI employees and individuals acting on CHAI’s behalf are prohibited from accepting or soliciting bribes, gifts, fees, or any other object of value or compensation related to doing business.
For any questions, concerns, or to report violations, please contact:
ethics@clintonhealthaccess.org
Summary of Terms
A. Background
The Clinton Health Access Initiative, Inc. (CHAI) is a global health organization committed to saving lives and improving health outcomes in low- and middle-income countries by enabling the government and private sector to strengthen and sustain quality health systems. For more information, please visit: www.clintonhealthaccess.org.
In Eswatini, CHAI partners with the Ministry of Health (MoH) to support priority health programmes, including the National Malaria Programme (NMP), the Eswatini National AIDS Programme (ENAP), and the National Tuberculosis Programme (NTP). As part of its technical assistance mandate, CHAI is supporting the Government of Eswatini to conduct a Mid-Term Review (MTR) of its Malaria, HIV, and TB programmes to assess progress, validate achievements, and provide strategic recommendations for the remaining programme period.
CHAI invites qualified individuals with expertise in malaria, HIV, or TB programme management and evaluation to submit applications for one of two consultant positions supporting the Malaria/HIV/TB MTR:
- External Validator, responsible for independent, cross-cutting validation of all review findings; and
- Senior HIV Prevention, Care and Treatment Specialist, responsible for leading the HIV-specific component of the review.
Full Terms of Reference for each position are provided in Annex B and Annex C. Individuals are invited to submit applications in response to this INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR SOLICITATION in accordance with Section D below.
This solicitation does not obligate CHAI to make an award or reimburse any costs incurred in the preparation of applications. All application preparation costs must be borne by the applicant.
B. Application Dates and Requirements
The table below summarizes key dates in the INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR SOLICITATION process. Applicants are expected to comply with these dates and deadlines. CHAI reserves the right to modify the dates at its discretion.
| Milestone | Date and Time |
|---|---|
| INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR SOLICITATION Released | 28th April 2026 |
| Applications due | 10th May 2026 – 17:00 Eswatini Time |
| Estimated Award of Agreement | Mid-May 2026 |
CHAI in collaboration with MoH reserves the right to modify these dates at its discretion.
1. Application Submission and Validity
All responses to this INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR SOLICITATION must be submitted by the date and time above and must comply with the instructions below in Section D: Instructions and Preparation of Application and Submission to CHAI.
Offers must be submitted electronically only, by the deadline above to:
eswatinichaihr@clintonhealthaccess.org
By submitting this application, the applicant confirms that the application is valid for a period of sixty (60) days.
2. Award
CHAI, in collaboration with MoH, WHO, and NERCHA, anticipates making up to two (02) awards under this solicitation, at least one consultant per position. CHAI, in collaboration with MoH, WHO, and NERCHA, reserves the right to make fewer or no awards depending on application quality and operational needs.
Applicants must clearly indicate in their application which position they are applying for.
C. Eligibility Requirements
- Applicants must be eligible to work in Eswatini.
- CHAI does not sponsor work authorization for Independent Contractors.
- Applicants may apply as individuals (no LLC required).
- Applicants must hold a minimum of a Master’s degree in public health, epidemiology, medicine, or a closely related field, with at least 10 years of professional experience in infectious disease programme management or evaluation.
- Individuals currently employed by the Government of Eswatini (including MoH, NMP, ENAP, or NTP) are not eligible and will not be considered, given the independence requirements of the validation role.
D. Instructions for Preparation of Application
Applicants are required to use the form in Annex A, below, to reply to this INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR SOLICITATION. Failure to provide all the information required by the INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR SOLICITATION or submitting an offer that does not respond to the INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR SOLICITATION in all respects may result in the rejection or disqualification of the offer. The information that the respondent considers proprietary must be clearly marked as such. All such information will be treated confidentially and used by CHAI for evaluation purposes only.
1. Technical Application
Applicants are required to write a technical response to the scope of work for the specific position they are applying for, as detailed in Section G and the corresponding full Terms of Reference in Annex B or Annex C below.
Applicants should briefly describe:
- Relevant education or training
- Demonstrated experience in malaria, HIV, and/or TB programme management, evaluation, or review – including familiarity with WHO programme review methodologies and Global Fund processes
- Experience conducting or supporting mid-term reviews, programme evaluations, or similar assessments in a low- or middle-income country context, preferably in the southern African region
2. References
Applicants must complete the table in Annex A with references.
3. Rate
The agreement will be a short-term independent contractor agreement with daily or task-based compensation, payable upon verification of work performed.
Rates will be agreed upon with successful applicants prior to contract signing.
All rates must be quoted in Emalangeni (SZL).
No additional fees, taxes, or costs may be added after award.
4. Curriculum Vitae (CV)
Applicants must submit a complete CV outlining education and any relevant experience as an attachment to the application.
F. Terms and Conditions of Independent Contractor Agreement
Any agreement that results from this solicitation will be subject to CHAI’s standard agreement terms and conditions. A copy is available upon request. For the purpose of this solicitation, please note that the following terms apply:
I. Confidentiality
Information which the applicant considers to be confidential or proprietary must be clearly marked as such. All such information is treated as confidential by CHAI for assessment purposes only. Should the applicant anticipate submitting confidential or propriety information to CHAI, please contact the POC for this solicitations to request a copy of CHAI’s standard NDA.
II. Ethical Conduct and Conflicts of Interest
In accordance with CHAI’s Global Code of Conduct and Conflict of Interest policy, CHAI is committed to conducting IC solicitations with integrity and objectively selecting suppliers and vendors. CHAI maintains a zero-tolerance policy for acts including but not limited to collusion among vendors, submitting falsified bids, bribery, and/or other forms of fraud. Applicants engaging in such conduct will be disqualified from current and future opportunities. CHAI employees and others acting on CHAI’s behalf are prohibited from accepting or asking for bribes, gifts, fees, or any other object of value or compensation related to doing business. Contact ethics@clintonhealthaccess.org with any questions or concerns or to report any violations, or the CHAI Whistleblower Hotline at chai@integritycounts.ca (+1 866-921-6714 [Toll-Free U.S.] or +1 604-922-5953 [International]).
G. Scope of Work and Deliverables
1. Scope of Work
This solicitation covers (2) consultant positions for the Malaria/HIV/TB Mid-Term Review (MTR). Applicants must apply for one specific position. Full Terms of Reference for each position are attached as Annex B and Annex C. A summary of each role is provided below.
- POSITION 1: External Validator – Malaria/HIV/TB MTR (see full ToR at Annex B). The External Validator will provide independent, cross-cutting technical validation of all review findings. Key responsibilities span three phases:
(i) Pre-Review – review all strategic and programme documents, refine review methodology and tools;
(ii) Review Phase – participate in stakeholder consultations, KIIs, FGDs, and field visits; independently assess evidence; validate quantitative findings through data triangulation; identify risks to elimination goals; and
(iii) Reporting Phase – lead drafting of the Aide Memoire, preliminary findings presentation, and final MTR report; facilitate the stakeholder validation workshop. - POSITION 2: Senior HIV Prevention, Care and Treatment Specialist (14 days) (see full ToR at Annex C). This specialist will provide high-level technical leadership for the HIV prevention, care and treatment component of the MTR. Key responsibilities include reviewing programme performance across the HIV cascade; examining prevention services (HTS, PrEP, VMMC, key populations); assessing adult, adolescent and paediatric HIV care and treatment; reviewing PMTCT and eMTCT interfaces; and assessing programme support systems (laboratory, supply chain, data quality, community linkage). The specialist will contribute HIV-specific written sections to the final MTR report.
- Both positions will participate in the planning, fieldwork, synthesis, debriefing and report finalization phases. Applicants must clearly indicate in their application form which position they are applying for and tailor their technical response accordingly.
- Reporting requirements are position-specific and are detailed in the respective ToR (Annex B or Annex C). Both consultants are expected to submit an inception note, participate in the stakeholder validation workshop, and produce finalized written deliverables incorporating reviewer comments.
- Thematic Coverage – External Validator (Position 1): Programme Management and Governance; Surveillance, Monitoring and Evaluation; Prevention and Vector Control; Case Management; SBC and Community Engagement; Cross-Border Collaboration.
- Thematic Coverage – HIV Specialist (Position 2): HIV cascade performance; combination prevention; ART programme management; viral load monitoring; treatment failure management; advanced HIV disease; TB/HIV integration; adolescent and paediatric HIV; PMTCT/eMTCT; differentiated service delivery; supply chain and commodity security; data quality and use; community systems.
- External Validator Profile (Position 1): Advanced degree in public health, epidemiology, or related field; minimum 10 years of experience in infectious disease programme management or evaluation; proven experience in WHO/Global Fund-aligned programme reviews.
- HIV Specialist Profile (Position 2): Medical degree (MBChB/MD or equivalent) plus Master’s in Public Health or related field; minimum 10 years of HIV prevention, care and treatment programming experience in sub-Saharan Africa; demonstrated experience leading HIV programme reviews and strong analytical capacity.
3. Period of Performance
Expected Period: May 2026 – June 2026 (Position 1 – External Validator) | 14 working days within May – June 2026 (Position 2 – HIV Specialist)
(Exact start and end dates subject to operational requirements and contract issuance).
Annex A: Independent Contractor Application Form
(Please indicate the position you are applying for: □ Position 1 – External Validator □ Position 2 – HIV Specialist)
To: [CHAI Eswatini – Human Resources]
Reference: [ESW/IC/MTR/2026 – indicate Position 1 or Position 2]
Your Name: [ ]
General
I, the undersigned, hereby provide this offer to perform the work described in the referenced INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR SOLICITATION. I acknowledge and agree to all terms and conditions. I certify that I/my business entity is eligible to participate in this solicitation and that I am not debarred, nor on any watchlist or sanctions list. I further certify that, to the best of my knowledge, I have no close, familial, or financial relationships with CHAI staff or individuals representing CHAI; and that I have no close, familial, or financial relationships with any other individuals replying to this INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR SOLICITATION. I meet all eligibility requirements. I am not currently employed by the Government of Eswatini. I have no conflict of interest with CHAI staff or applicants. If I become aware of a potential conflict I will immediately notify ethics@clintonhealthaccess.org.
My application remains valid for 60 days from the date of submission.
General Information
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Name | |
| Address | |
| Phone Number |
Past Performance
I hereby provide three references for similar work that I acknowledge may be contacted at any time by CHAI.
| Past Performance | |
|---|---|
| Reference 1 | |
| • Company, Entity, or Individual Name | |
| • Contact Information | |
| • Brief description of work | |
| Reference 2 | |
| • Company, Entity, or Individual Name | |
| • Contact Information | |
| • Brief description of work | |
| Reference 3 | |
| • Company, Entity, or Individual Name | |
| • Contact Information | |
| • Brief description of work |
Technical Application
Rate
Signature
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Name (Printed) | |
| Title | |
| Signature | |
| Date |
Attachment: CV
Annex B: Terms of Reference – External Validator for the Malaria Mid-Term Review (MTR), Kingdom of Eswatini
Terms of Reference (ToR) for External Validator for the Malaria Mid-Term Review (MTR): Kingdom of Eswatini
Objectives of the External Validation
The External Validator will provide independent, objective, and technical validation of the findings, conclusions, and recommendations emerging from the Malaria Mid-Term Review (MTR) process in the Kingdom of Eswatini. The validation process is intended to ensure the credibility, accuracy, and quality of the review in alignment with WHO programme review methodologies and Global Fund expectations for malaria programme assessments.
Objectives of the External Validation
The External Validator will support the MTR process to:
- Assess progress against MSP targets, milestones, and key performance indicators.
- Validate achievements, constraints, and implementation bottlenecks across programme pillars.
- Review relevance of current strategies considering epidemiological trends and operational realities.
- Assess programme efficiency, governance, financing, and sustainability.
- Evaluate readiness to achieve malaria elimination goals by 2028.
- Provide prioritized recommendations and corrective actions for 2026–2028 implementation.
- Ensure alignment of the review with WHO malaria programme review guidance and Global Fund expectations.
Scope of Work
The External Validator shall review and validate findings across the following thematic areas:
a. Programme Management and Governance
- Leadership, coordination, accountability, planning, partner alignment
- Human resources and technical capacity
- Financial management and resource mobilization
b. Surveillance, Monitoring & Evaluation
- Case surveillance systems
- Case classification and response timeliness
- Data quality, use of data for action
- Entomological surveillance
- Epidemic preparedness and response
c. Prevention / Vector Control
- IRS planning, targeting, quality and coverage
- LLIN distribution and use
- Larval source management / larviciding where applicable
- Stratification and targeted interventions
d. Case Management
- Diagnosis, treatment adherence, severe malaria management
- Commodity availability and stock management
- Provider competencies and quality of care
e. SBC / Community Engagement
- Risk communication
- Community mobilization
- High-risk and mobile populations outreach
- Community acceptance of interventions
f. Cross-Border Collaboration
- Bilateral and regional coordination mechanisms
- Importation management strategies
- Data sharing and joint interventions
Key Responsibilities
The external validator will:
Pre-Review Phase
- Review all relevant background documents, including:
- MSP 2024–2028
- Annual reports
- Surveillance data
- Funding proposals and grants
- Previous reviews and assessments
- Participate in inception meetings and refine review tools/methodology.
- Provide technical input into sampling framework, field visit plan, interview guides, and validation methods.
Review Phase
- Participate in stakeholder consultations, KIIs, FGDs, and field visits.
- Independently assess evidence presented by thematic teams.
- Validate quantitative findings through triangulation of routine data and qualitative evidence.
- Identify critical risks to elimination goals.
- Provide real-time feedback to the Steering Committee.
Reporting Phase
- Lead or co-lead drafting of:
- Aide Memoire
- Preliminary findings presentation
- Final MTR report
- Facilitate stakeholder validation workshop.
- Incorporate comments and finalize the report.
Annex C: Terms of Reference – Senior HIV Prevention, Care and Treatment Specialist
Terms of Reference
HIV Prevention, Care and Treatment Specialist
for the Mid-Term Review of the National HIV Programme in Eswatini
The HIV Prevention, Care and Treatment Specialist will provide high-level technical expertise and leadership to support the Mid-Term Review (MTR) of the National HIV Programme in Eswatini. The specialist will contribute to assessing programme performance, identifying implementation gaps, and developing evidence-based recommendations to strengthen HIV prevention, care, and treatment interventions in line with national strategic priorities and global HIV response frameworks.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Type of Contract | Short-term technical assistance/consultancy |
| Expertise Required | Senior HIV Prevention, Care and Treatment Specialist |
| Duty Station | National, with travel to selected regions and facilities in Eswatini |
| Duration | 14 days |
| Dates | |
| Language | English |
1. Background
Eswatini has made major gains in the HIV response and remains one of the countries closest to sustained epidemic control. The 2021 SHIMS3 found that among adults aged 15 years and older, Eswatini had reached 94-97-96 across the HIV cascade, while adult HIV incidence declined to 0.62% and prevalence to 24.8%. More recent UNAIDS estimates indicate roughly 220,000 people are living with HIV in Eswatini. Programmatic gains in vertical transmission have also continued, with a reported 18–24 month transmission rate of 1.34% in 2024. Laboratory data from the Ministry of Health Annual Report 2024/25 further show strong treatment performance, with 154,393 viral load tests processed and 97% demonstrating viral suppression.
Despite these achievements, important programme gaps remain. New infections continue to concentrate in adolescent girls and young women (1.11% incidence), some men remain unreached across the testing and treatment cascade, and paediatric, adolescent, advanced HIV disease, retention, prevention integration and community linkage gaps persist. Recent programme analyses have also highlighted vulnerabilities in commodity security, data quality and use, laboratory systems, and community-facility linkage mechanisms.
The Ministry of Health is undertaking a mid-term review of the national HIV programme to assess progress against strategic objectives, identify implementation bottlenecks, document good practices, and generate actionable recommendations for programme acceleration and sustainability. In view of limited funding, the review will consolidate technical expertise that was previously distributed across separate prevention, HIV care and treatment, paediatric HIV, PMTCT/STI and quality review roles into a single senior consultant position.
2. Purpose of the Assignment
To provide high-level technical leadership for the HIV prevention, care and treatment component of the mid-term review, including clinical, public health and programmatic assessment across the continuum of HIV services and the major cross-cutting systems that affect programme performance.
3. Objectives of the Assignment
- Assess progress towards implementation of the national HIV strategic priorities, annual operational plans and previous review recommendations across prevention, care and treatment.
- Review programme performance across the HIV cascade, with attention to geographic, age, sex and population disparities.
- Examine the quality, coverage, integration and effectiveness of core HIV prevention services, including HTS linkage to prevention, PrEP, PEP, condom programming, STI integration, VMMC linkages, key and priority population services, and social/behavioural approaches.
- Assess adult, adolescent and paediatric HIV care and treatment services, including same-day ART initiation, retention, viral load coverage and suppression, management of unsuppressed viral load, advanced HIV disease, TB/HIV integration, HIV drug resistance response, differentiated service delivery and transition of adolescents to adult care.
- Review service integration and continuity across maternal, neonatal, child and adolescent platforms, including PMTCT/eMTCT interfaces, early infant diagnosis linkages, family-centred care and partner/family testing and prevention.
- Assess the functionality of programme support systems that influence HIV outcomes, including clinical governance, quality improvement, laboratory-clinical interface, supply chain and commodity security, data systems, supportive supervision, community systems and referral/linkage mechanisms.
- Identify best practices, bottlenecks, risks and opportunities for efficiency, sustainability and impact, and propose prioritized, practical recommendations.
4. Scope of Work
Working closely with the Ministry of Health, Eswatini National AIDS Programme, regional teams, facilities and partners, the consultant will:
- Review relevant policies, strategies, guidelines, annual reports, dashboards, survey findings, partner reports, quality improvement documentation and prior review reports.
- Lead the design or refinement of data collection tools, interview guides, observation checklists and synthesis templates for the HIV prevention, care and treatment stream.
- Conduct a desk review and analyse available epidemiologic, service delivery, laboratory and programme performance data.
- Participate in national, regional, facility and community-level consultations, including key informant interviews and site visits.
- Assess prevention-to-treatment continuity across the client pathway, including testing, linkage, ART initiation, retention, viral load monitoring, management of treatment interruption and re-engagement in care.
- Review performance and quality of services for key sub-populations, including adolescent girls and young women, men, pregnant and breastfeeding women, children, adolescents, key populations and clients with advanced HIV disease.
- Review programmatic management of HIV clinical complexity, including regimen optimization, management of virologic failure, presumptive and confirmed HIV drug resistance pathways, TB/HIV co-management and adherence/psychosocial support systems.
- Assess whether differentiated service delivery models are aligned to population needs, service access patterns and programme efficiency goals.
- Review the quality and use of routine data for decision-making, including triangulation of programme, laboratory and community data.
- Contribute to the consolidation of findings across other technical streams in the overall mid-term review and support consensus-building around recommendations.
5. Methodology
- Desk review of relevant strategic, policy, guideline, survey and programme documents.
- Quantitative review of epidemiologic and service delivery data, trends and cascade performance.
- Key informant interviews and focus discussions with national, regional, facility, community and partner stakeholders.
- Structured site visits to selected service delivery points and community platforms.
- Rapid synthesis of findings using a bottleneck and root-cause lens, with attention to systems constraints, equity and sustainability.
- Debriefing and validation of preliminary findings with the review secretariat and stakeholders.
6. Key Deliverables
| Deliverable | Indicative Content | Timing |
|---|---|---|
| Inception note and review tools | Refined methodology, workplan, data needs, interview guides and assessment tools. | Within 3–5 working days of contract start |
| Field mission debrief | PowerPoint or aide memoire summarising preliminary findings, emerging bottlenecks and immediate actions. | At end of field work |
| Technical input to draft mid-term review report | Written section on HIV prevention, care and treatment findings, with analysis of achievements, challenges, lessons, good practices and prioritized recommendations. | Within 5 working days after field work |
| Final consultant report / final inputs | Revised and finalized technical narrative and recommendation matrix incorporating stakeholder feedback. | Within 10 working days after receipt of comments |
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