National Individual Consultant for Cost Analysis of the Family and Community Health Strategy Vacancy-Job Ref: BJHNUNICEF/1905/2025804

National Individual Consultant for Cost Analysis of the Family and Community Health Strategy Vacancy-Job Ref: BJHNUNICEF/1905/2025804

Tegucigalpa (Honduras)

JOB DESCRIPTION
UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives, defend their rights, and help them reach their potential.

In 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never gave up.

For every childhood, health

HOW YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE

1. Purpose of the Consultancy

To comprehensively and thoroughly define the total cost of implementing and operationalizing the Family and Community Health Strategy (ESFAM) at the national level, broken down by health region (20 regions in total), within the framework of the Strategy for the Institutional Strengthening of Integrated Health Service Networks Based on Primary Health Care. This analysis will serve as the basis for requests for a larger budget from national authorities and international partners, as well as improve the financial and operational planning of the health services network in Honduras. For specific objectives, see the attached Terms of Reference   (TORs) ESFAM Cost Analysis Consulting.pdf

2. Scope of the Consultancy

The National Health Refoundation Plan 2024-2030 states that over the last decade, the National Health System has experienced a weakening of the SESAL’s governing capacity as the national health authority. The lack of sustained investment and prioritization of financing, with the resulting growth in out-of-pocket spending by the affected population, maintains very low indicators compared to the Latin American region. This leads to persistent limitations in coverage and the persistence of significant barriers to health access, generating a direct impact on vulnerable populations in Honduras. Coverage and access to health services is insufficient and inequitable.

The high segmentation of the system, which addresses population groups according to their ability to pay, coupled with high out-of-pocket spending, and low coverage of services provided by SESAL, IHSS, and social protection programs and projects that impact the determinants of health. The limited capacity of the SESAL service network, primarily at the primary care level, as well as significant infrastructure gaps in the service network, the low percentage of health human resources per capita and their concentration in large urban cities, and the limited procurement mechanisms to ensure the sustainability of services and the provision of medicines, equipment, and health supplies, result in a deterioration in the quality of life of the Honduran population, which affects their productive capacity and negatively impacts the country’s economy and development.

Challenges addressed in the Plan: Ensure a primary health care approach that addresses the community’s main health problems and provides the necessary promotion, prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation services to resolve these problems.

Develop, through primary health care within communities, education on the main health problems and prevention methods, promotion of food supply and proper nutrition, an adequate supply of safe drinking water and basic sanitation; maternal and child health care, including family planning; immunization against major infectious diseases; prevention and control of local endemic diseases; appropriate treatment of common diseases and injuries; and the provision of essential medicines.

Promote well-being and health for all people throughout the life course through prevention, health promotion, and healthy lifestyles. Expand access to comprehensive, efficient, and high-quality service networks by improving the response capacity of primary care providers, with a focus on Primary Health Care. This includes the remodeling of all health facilities nationwide, including water, electricity, safety, and sanitation. Promote the reduction of health inequities through comprehensive childhood health actions, ensuring regular vaccination schedules and preventive care.

Contribute to the reduction of premature and preventable mortality through comprehensive public health actions, with cultural and gender relevance, aimed at prevention and health promotion. Progressively increase the public health budget and improve the efficiency and equity of the National Health System through transformations in the organization, management, and financing model, as well as the elimination of point-of-care payments in health facilities and hospitals, to avoid out-of-pocket expenses for households. Create citizen health committees to oversee the proper management of health resources in each municipality.

The General Directorate of Integrated Health Service Networks, through the Department of Primary Care Services and with the support of UNICEF, is leading the costing process for interventions implemented through the Family and Community Health Strategy (ESFAM). This is intended to guide evidence-based decision-making and improve the administrative and operational management of the service network.

Establishing adequate costing for the interventions implemented through the Family and Community Health Strategy (ESFAM) is essential to ensure their effective and sustainable implementation at the national level. This process is necessary to accurately identify the direct and indirect costs associated with the various interventions contemplated within the strategy, thus providing the basis for funding requests to the Honduran government and international donors.

The lack of information on the total cost of implementing the ESFAM strategy in the country has limited planning and budget management efforts. To date, there is no comprehensive methodological framework that allows for rigorous and substantiated calculations of these costs. This is due, in part, to the lack of an automated data management system at the Ministry of Health (SESAL), which has impeded the efficient collection of key information for financial analysis.

Therefore, this consultancy is justified by the need to generate evidence that will allow us to identify, analyze, and project the costs necessary for the national implementation of the ESFAM strategy, as well as to develop strategic recommendations aimed at obtaining a larger budget. This exercise will also allow us to evaluate the financial sustainability of the strategy in the medium and long term, as well as its adaptation to the specific needs of the Honduran health system.

The consultancy will be carried out in the city of Tegucigalpa, MDC, and will be under the responsibility of the Department of Primary Care Services of the Ministry of Health. It will be coordinated with the team comprised of the General Directorate of Integrated Health Services Networks, the General Directorate of Human Resource Development, the Logistics and Medicines Unit, as well as the Health and Nutrition area of ​​UNICEF. The consultancy includes specific visits to complete the required information in a sample of health regions and health facilities, including 4-day/3-night transfers in Gracias a Dios (Brus Laguna) and 3-day/2-night transfers in Santa Barbara, Lempira, and the Bay Islands (Roatan), which must be included in the consultancy costs.

Methodological diagnosis and preliminary proposal
3 weeks after signing the contract.
15%
PRODUCT 2

Development and validation of costing tools that allow for cost calculations, with the ability to generate output reports and export data, using the corresponding methodology for internal and external activities. (2.5 months after the start of the consultancy)
8 weeks after signing the contract.
20%
PRODUCT 3

Preliminary costing report that includes evidence of the application of the methodology developed through a pilot exercise in a representative sample of health regions. For the evaluation of the methodology, include one-day trips (round trip and return trip on the same day) to a health facility in the metropolitan region of the central district (MDC) and a health facility in Reitoca, Francisco Morazán.

The report will include a preliminary costing of the Family and Community Health Strategy (ESFAM), the Cost Allocation Manual for Intramural and Extramural Activities (inside and outside the health facility), including the algorithms, process, method and calculation technique, and cost allocation criteria.
11 weeks after signing the contract
20%
PRODUCT 4

Final Costing Report of the Family and Community Health Strategy with disaggregated analysis by health region
18 weeks after signing the contract
30%
PRODUCT 5

Socialization* of the final consultancy report with the investment case

*Costs related to the logistics of the socialization event will be covered directly by UNICEF.
20 weeks after signing the contract.
15%

TO QUALIFY YOU MUST HAVE

Education:

University professional in economics, public finance, health economics, health administration or related areas, preferably with a postgraduate or master’s degree in health economics, health services management, public health, public policy or strategic planning.

Professional Experience :

Minimum of 3 years’ experience in the design and execution of cost analyses, preferably in primary care health systems, OR having led (demonstrable) the development of at least 4 costing exercises in public management or in cost estimation processes for health strategies or programs at the national or subnational level.

Preferably with experience in the subject, i) Verbal and written communication skills, ii) Leadership of interdisciplinary teams, iii) Preparation of technical and economic reports iv) Responsible for compliance with the times stipulated in the work plan
Practical knowledge of the Honduran health system and the Family and Community Health Strategy (ESFAM), as well as the National Health Model, which includes Integrated Health Service Networks Based on Primary Health Care.

Proven experience in preparing investment cases, cost-benefit analyses, and financial projections for budget justification.
Knowledge of financial data analysis software such as advanced Excel, R, or STATA. Experience using open source software or accessible tools for data systematization is preferred.
Ability to design and implement practical costing tools that are replicable and adaptable to different geographic contexts (by health region).
Ability to prepare detailed technical reports and support strategic recommendations with solid quantitative and qualitative data.

Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to present results in a clear and understandable manner to different audiences (national authorities, international cooperation partners, local stakeholders).

EVALUATION CRITERIA

Technical Proposal 60%
Economic Proposal 30%
Interview 10%
Both documents must be attached separately .

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