SCOPE OF WORK
Service Being Provided: Consultancy
Activity Name: Finalize the development of the industrial food fortification reference manuals and job aides for trainers and food processors for wheat flour, maize flour, edible oils & fats, and edible salt.
Date of Request: August 12, 2022
Place of Performance: Uganda
Provider(s): Individual Consultant/Firm (TBD)
Period of Performance: August 25, 2022 – September 15, 2022 (15 LOE days)
Activity Code: 2.1.4
Activity Internal Project #: 37462.1912.0002
SERVICES/SCOPE OF WORK[1]: The Contractor shall use all reasonable efforts to perform the following services in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth in this agreement:
Introduction
USAID Advancing Nutrition (USAID AN) is USAID’s flagship multi-sectoral nutrition project implemented by John Snow Research and Training Institute Inc. The project aims to support the Government of Uganda (GOU) to reduce micronutrient deficiencies by improving the quality of diet through strengthening compliance to industrial food fortification standards, enforcement and monitoring. Specifically, the USAID Advancing Nutrition project focuses on the following objectives: 1) increase the capacity of the public sector to enforce food fortification standards and regulations; 2) strengthen the capacity of the private sector to comply with food fortification regulations and standards and increase coverage; 3) strengthen partnerships and stakeholder coordination in food fortification; and 4) raise awareness on the benefits of fortified foods.
USAID Advancing Nutrition works with the Nutrition Division, Ministry of Health (MOH) as the coordinating body and the Secretariat of the National Working Group on Food Fortification (NWGFF), and also works with the public sector (ministries, departments and agencies, regulatory bodies), the private sector (private sector institutions, food processing industries, associations), civil society organizations, partners, and academia and research institutions, to implement and support actions to strengthen industrial food fortification program in Uganda, as guided by the Food And Drug (Food Fortification) Regulation of 1997, 2005 and 2011, the National Food Fortification Strategy, and food fortification standards.
Background
Food fortification is the addition of essential vitamins and minerals (micronutrients) to foods during the manufacturing process to enhance the nutritional content of the end product for consumers. When fortified staple foods and condiments are appropriately produced, widely available, and regularly consumed by the population, a public health benefit is expected.
Food fortification in Uganda has been a priority since the early 1990s. In 1997, the Ministry of Health (MOH) issued the Food and Drugs (control of quality) (Iodized Salt) Regulations, 1997, mandating universal salt iodization in Uganda. The fortification program was expanded to additional food vehicles with the Food and Drugs (Food Fortification) Regulations, 2005, which called for industries producing wheat flour, maize flour, and edible oil and fat to voluntarily fortify their products. To increase production and distribution of fortified foods in the country, the MOH issued the Food and Drugs (Food Fortification) (Amendment) Regulations, 2011, which made fortification mandatory for multiple food vehicles, including edible oils & fats, maize and wheat flour (MOH 2011). The regulation requires food processors in specified categories[2] to add vitamin and mineral premixes of verified quality to their products as per the national standards.[3]
In a bid to maximize capacity building efforts, USAID Advancing Nutrition is collaborating with Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives (MTIC) and Ministry of Health to finalize the development of training manuals (reference guides and job aides) for trainers providing routine technical support (training and mentorships) to fortifying food industries or those with intention to fortify the four food vehicles. The food processors will also be given reference manuals as guides in the application of food fortification. This is intended to increase knowledge on the theoretical and practical application of food fortification among the food processors of wheat flour, maize flour, edible oils & fats and edible salt, which will contribute to strengthen compliance to the food fortification standards and the regulation.
The food fortification trainer’s and food processor’s manuals for the four food vehicles will be aligned to East, South and Central Africa and National standards, regulatory frameworks and training materials on food fortification.
Objective of the Assignment.
- To Finalize the development of industrial food fortification reference manuals and job aides for trainers and food processors for Wheat Flour, Maize flour, Edible Oils & Fats, and Edible Salt.
Activities
The contractor will undertake the following activities:
- Meet with the USAID Advancing Nutrition team to understand the team’s composition and roles/responsibilities; and receive an orientation to the Program documents, SOW and priorities areas for consideration while undertaking the assignment.
- Review the current draft manuals for the four food vehicles (Wheat Flour, Maize flour, Edible Oils & Fats and Edible Salt)
- Align draft training manuals on food fortification with:
- Recommended job aides based on adult learning principles
- Technical materials on the process flow and or processing food value chain to review content
- National and East, South and Central Africa (ECSCA) standards, regulatory frameworks and training materials on food fortification
- Submit revised manuals and job aides to USAID Advancing Nutrition and MTIC for review
- Participate and facilitate a validation meeting with key stakeholders to share the draft manuals and job aides for trainers and food processors
- Finalize the manuals and job aides based on input from key stakeholders
- Submit the final four manuals and job aides on food fortification
Deliverables and Schedule
The contractor is responsible for the timely submission of the following deliverables, as part of the SOW:
| Del. No. | Deliverable Name | Deliverable Description | Due Date | LOE Days |
| 1 | Inception meeting |
Develop an inception report detailing the execution plan, schedules, relevant resources
The inception report should also provide a clear methodology and tools considering the key issues highlighted in section C above, and will be presented to key USAID Advancing Nutrition, MTIC, MOH for approval before commencement of the activity. |
August 25, 2022 | 3 |
| 2 | Draft Manuals and job aides for trainers and food processors | Submit first draft copies of the manuals to USAID Advancing Nutrition Technical team for comments/input, and present it to key stakeholders for validation. | September 8, 2022 | 7 |
| 3 | Submission of final manual for trainers and food processors | Submit final manuals for the four food vehicles with inputs from the validation meeting by key stakeholders including USAID Advancing Nutrition, MTIC and MOH.
Submit relevant reports and documents for the activity to USAID Advancing Nutrition. |
September 15, 2022
|
5 |
| Total LOE Days | 15 |
*To be completed by the Contracts Manager.
The total LOE is equivalent to approximately 15 days. All required deliverables and reports shall be submitted to the JSI Activity Manager listed on Page 1.
Consultant Qualifications
Education: A master degree in Food Science and Technology, Nutrition, Public Health, Food Processing Technology, and or other relevant discipline with experience in developing training manuals and job aides.
Years of experience: 4 years’ in the field of in Food Science and Technology, Nutrition programing focusing on micronutrient reduction, and or related discipline with essential experience in developing training manuals and job aides.
Experience:
- **Required: Advance experience developing high quality training manuals and job aides
- Knowledge of Ugandan government and non-government systems and stakeholders in food fortification programming
- Experience navigating ESCA Ugandan national-level policy documents related to food fortification
- Knowledge of food fortification programming and relevant national and sub-national coordination entities including the national working group on food fortification
Skills:
- Excellent interpersonal skills
- Excellent writing skills
- Excellent communication skills
- Excellent programming skills
Contact and Submission
The interested candidates should submit:
- A technical proposal explaining comprehension of the Request for Proposal, Implementation approach to the assignment, the methodologies, tools to be used including schedule for the assignment
- Availability period
- A financial proposal outlining expected fees.
- *Samples of similar or previous assignments.
How to Apply:
All interested applicants should submit the above documents to hr_uganda@advancingnutrition.org by August 22, 2022. Please include the consultancy title in the subject line of the e-mail.
[1] USAID approval is required prior to any travel and payments associated with travel, travel-related tasks/responsibilities/deliverables or payments are contingent upon receiving USAID approval. The consultant will also need to provide documentation of medical clearance.
[2] (Twenty metric tons of maize meal and flour, ten metric tons of edible oils and fats, and All white and brown wheat flours), in twenty-four continuous hours in a single or multiple mill owned by the same producer or which is imported into Uganda
[3] MOH 2011. The Food and Drugs (Food Fortification) (Amendment) Regulations, 2011
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