1.    Background

The African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) is a leading Africa-based, African-led, international research institution headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya. Its mission is to generate evidence, strengthen research and related capacity in the Africa R&D ecosystem, and engage with decision makers to inform action on health and development. The Center is in its second year of a five-year Strategic Plan. One of the four strategic objectives in this plan is to develop capacities to strengthen the research ecosystem in Africa and contribute to the development and implementation of a blueprint for Africa’s self-sufficiency in R&D. This objective is being achieved through implementation of a number of flagship programs including Consortium for Advanced Research Training In Africa (CARTA); Behavioral and Economic Research Collaborative (IDEA-BERC); African Doctoral Dissertation Research Fellowship (ADDRF); and Capacity Development of Applied Epidemiologists in Eastern Africa region (CDAE), just to mention a few. Despite the existence of these programs, a gap analysis of our capacity strengthening initiatives suggests the need to shift from singular focus on RESEARCH capacity strengthening to strengthening capacity across all Center’s programmatic and operations areas.  In addition, there is need to emphasize strengthening the capacity of both internal staff and external individuals.

2.    Objectives of this Consultancy

APHRC seeks to engage consultant(s) to undertake curriculum development, preparation of training materials, and facilitation of the following short courses for its internal staff:

1. Leadership Skills for different cadres of staff
2. Communication Skills
3. Presentation and Active Listening
4. Project Management
5. Emotional Intelligence

These courses aim to equip APHRC staff with essential knowledge and skills that are relevant for successful delivery of work and personal professional development.

3.    Scope of Consultancy

The goal is to ensure training is conducted for all the five courses before the end of 2023 and a consultant may propose to undertake one or more of the courses. The training targets APHRC staff including interns and visiting scholars. The delivery method will be agreed upon with the consultant, and may be in-person, online via Zoom (provided through APHRC), or blended. The training should be delivered in English.

4.    Training Approach

APHRC recommends a highly interactive and hands-on approach characterized by substantial individual and group exercises. The consultant should employ andragogical principles that are appropriate for adult learners. Consultants are free to suggest alternative, relevant and appropriate methodology they deem fit for the assignment. The expected number of participants in each course will be 30-40. Based on experience, the consultant should specify appropriate expected duration of the course. Where possible, the consultant should ensure participants prepare a final product at the end of the training that demonstrates change in knowledge and skills in content covered.

5.    Roles and Responsibilities

APHRC will:

• Provide the consultant with background documents, reports, and available secondary data for review (e.g., 2022-2026 Strategic Plan, Policies and Guidelines, etc.)
• Sensitize and mobilize APHRC staff about the short course training
• Review and provide inputs in the consultant’s deliverables (e.g., curriculum PowerPoint slides, agenda, etc.)
• Provide a list of potential participants for each course including their email addresses
• Review the consultant’s draft report and provide feedback
• Ensure a smooth flow of the engagement processes including contractual obligations

The consultant will:

• Conduct desk‐review of relevant documents and other secondary sources
• Conduct a pre-training needs assessment and provide a report that informs the breadth and depth of course content deemed most beneficial to APHRC staff
• Prepare training materials – curriculum or guide, agenda, PowerPoint slide presentations, handouts, and other relevant course materials
• Deliver an interactive and participatory training whose content is informed by findings from trainee needs assessment (specify the final product expected from trainees)
• Conduct training evaluation and prepare draft report for validation
• Incorporate feedback from APHRC and submit final evaluation report on outcomes of the training

6.    Reporting and Supervision

The successful consultant (or team of consultants) will work under the supervision of the Training Coordinator, but with close consultations with the Director of Research and Related Capacity Strengthening Division and Head of Human Resources.

7.    Qualifications and Experience

The prospective consultant (individual or firm) is expected to demonstrate a fulfillment of the following minimum qualifications:

• Demonstrable knowledge of the role of capacity strengthening in performance improvement
• Good mastery and over five years’ experience in delivering similar short course training to individuals working in international development sector or high level corporate clientele (e.g., research institute and higher education institution)
• Excellent team management capacity, including appropriately qualified staff to undertake the assignment (e.g., an advanced university degree, especially for the lead trainer, in the relevant discipline)
• Experience in conducting short course training, delivering agreed outputs on time and on within budget
• Legally registered, fully incorporated, and up to date certificate of tax compliance
• Excellent verbal and written communication in English is required

8.    Submission of Proposals

8.1 Technical Proposal

The technical proposal (maximum of 15 pages) should include:

• Specific experience relevant to the assignment, providing details of similar assignments undertaken (reference letter may be included)
• Technical capacity of the team in terms of qualifications and competencies for the assignment (attach detailed CV of technical team – not more than 5 pages each)
• Proposed training methodology including training plan clearly describing important modules or sessions to be covered and duration
• Work plan clearly indicating the maximum duration required to complete the assignment

8.2 Financial Proposal

The financial proposal should include a detailed breakdown of budget lines and costs (in USD) for conducting the assignment, including:

• Itemized consultancy fees/costs based on level of effort of proposed team members
• Itemized field related and overhead costs
• Chargeable taxes

Interested consultants should submit their bids not later than June 09, 2023 via email to consultancies@aphrc.org and cc procurement@aphrc.org, with subject line entitled, “SHORT COURSE TRAINING CONSULTANCY-2023.” Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.  The application should be addressed to:

The Human Resources Officer

African Population and Health Research Center, Inc.

APHRC Campus, Manga Close, off Kirawa Road, Kitisuru

P.O. Box 10787-GPO, Nairobi, Kenya. Website: www.aphrc.org

APHRC is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to the protection of vulnerable persons.