Technical writing and editing services

Purpose of the APW

Under the supervision of the Maternal Child Health and Quality Safety (MCQ) Unit in the WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific (WPRO), and in collaboration with the WHO WPRO Division of Health Systems and Services and WHO Health Emergencies/Division of Health Security and Emergency (WHE/DSE), WHO Country Offices in the Region, and national stakeholders, the contractual partner will perform the following tasks:

a) Provide technical editing and polishing support for technical reports across infection prevention and control, MCH, and safe and affordable surgery.

b) Provide technical writing support to IPC meeting report, and well-child care report.

Background

For Infection Prevention and Control

In the Western Pacific Region (WPR), the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the systemic weaknesses in our preparedness to minimize infectious disease transmission within and beyond the health sector.  Lapses in IPC in the COVID-19 pandemic have resulted in hundreds of thousands of preventable infections and 8.8 trillion dollars of economic loss, based on latest estimate.  The pandemic has raised the profile of health across virtually every sector and presents a fleeting once in a public health lifetime opportunity to sustainably elevate IPC to its deserved position within and beyond the health system.  Guided by APSED III (Asia Pacific Strategy for Emerging Diseases and Public Health Emergencies), WHO aims to support countries in the WPR to use pandemic preparedness as a driver for strengthening countries’ planning and readiness for responding to health emergencies and outbreaks through health systems strengthening, and IPC has been endorsed as a critical lever in achieving this goal.

During 2020 and 2021, a cursory examination of Western Pacific Region's six countries’ system components for IPC has revealed critical gaps in knowledge of legal foundation, national strategies, technical guidelines for health facilities and establishments beyond health sectors (e.g. points-of-entry, public facilities, nursing homes, emergency shelters), health facility and healthcare workers’ accreditation and licensing, as well as surveillance system and programme quality and evaluation. In 2022, WPRO continues this endeavor by including at least two new countries in the Pacific, to explore system barriers and enablers of IPC, and the findings will be contributing to the regional report, and subsequent stakeholder discussions.

This aligns with WPR For the Future thematic priorities for long-term systems strengthening. 

For Well-child Care

Over the past quarter century, child mortality has more than halved.  However, in 2016 an estimated 5.6 million children still died before reaching their fifth birthday, most from conditions that are readily preventable or treatable with proven, cost-effective interventions.  Primary Health Care (PHC) facility child care quality was assessed by WHO in Cambodia, China, Laos People's Democratic Republic, Mongolia, Philippines and Viet Nam.  The findings showed that routine and high quality screening, counselling and management for early childhood development, injury, violence and neglect, and exposure to smoke from burning solid fuels and second-hand smoking were not done.  Growth monitoring and nutrition counselling were also poorly done. A substantial round of editing and review was performed during 2021 on reports for Mongolia, LAO, China, Viet Nam, and Japan. In 2022, WPRO is planning to further support to Cambodia well-child care report development and editing, through collaboration with country office and regional office.

Planned timelines (subject to confirmation)

• Start date: 16 July 2022
• End date: 31 December 2022

Work to be performed

Output 1: Provide editing support for:

• • Two IPC country system scoping reports for Mongolia and Fiji;
• • One IPC regional scoping report;
• • Six fine-tuning editing service for IPC country scoping reports for KHM, LAO, PHL, SLB, VNM, PNG to meet WPRO publishing standards. (Note: these six reports have been edited in 2021).
• • One Mongolia safe and affordable surgery assessment report
• • One Mongolia Action Plan on Quality and Patient Safety

Output 2: Provide technical writing and editing support of:

Cambodia Well-child care scoping report

Technical Supervision

The selected APW contractual partner will work on the supervision of:

• Responsible Officer: Dr Zhao Li, acting Coordinator, MCQ
• Director: Mr Martin Taylor, Director, DHS

Specific requirements

Education

Essential:  University degree in human development, health science, and related fields from a recognized university

Desirable:  Postgraduate degree in journalism

Experience

Required: Minimum 7 years of national and international experience in public health or health-related fields

Desirable:  At least 3 years relevant work experience in editing, report writing, and polishing with a focus on public health

Skills / Technical skills and knowledge

• • Expertise in gathering, analysis and use of qualitative and quantitative data – particularly in the areas of infection prevention control and health systems analysis
• • Excellent academic review skills, including literature review, synthesis, analysis, conceptualization, and reference management
• • Excellent English language skills in writing and speaking
• • Ability to coordinate with external partners, as well as work harmoniously as a member of a team, adapt to diverse education and cultural background and maintain a high standard of personal conduct
• • Computer literacy (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.)

Competencies

• • Communicating in a credible and effective way
• • Producing results
• • Ensuring the effective use of resources
• • Building and promoting partnerships across the organization and beyond
• • Moving forward in a changing world

Additional Information

Place of assignment

The contractual partner will provide remote (off-site) support

Medical clearance

The contractual partner is not expected to provide a medical certificate of fitness for work

Travel

The contractual partner is not expected to travel.

SUBMISSIONS

Qualified and interested specialists should submit the following documents to the Supply Officer through WP RO UNGM at < wproungm@who.int > by 30 June 2022

• • Company Profile {for institutional applications} 
• • Technical proposal indicating solution, methodology and timelines, in addition to the below annexes: 
  • o   Annex 2: Confidentiality Undertaking
  • o   Annex 3: Vendor Information Form
• • Financial proposal

Please use Tender Notice No. WPRO/2022-06/DHS_MCQ/176521 as subject to all submission. Only successful candidates will be contacted.

Last day of receiving queries for this tender is on 24 June 2022