Request for Proposals: Adaptation of Splash WASH in Schools Behavior Change Program for a Mexican Context

Issue Date: October 28, 2024

Proposal Due: November 18, 2024

Bidders Notified of Decision: November 29, 2024

Proposal Submission:

• Please remit proposals to Megan Williams, Director, Behavior Change at the following email: megan@splash.org
• See further details on submission below

Please note that Splash reserves the right to modify this schedule as needed. All bidders will be notified simultaneously by email of any changes.

BACKGROUND

Splash, an international non-profit organization, is one of the foremost leaders in providing urban water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) at scale. It has a distinct and clear intervention goal: to improve the lives and health of children living in urban cities. Splash’s WASH in Schools program has been delivered at over 900+ government schools in Kolkata, India and Bahir Dar and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia over the last 5 years with its holistic WASH-in-Schools model consisting of quality WASH infrastructure, innovative menstrual health solutions, and health and hygiene behaviour change programming.

OVERVIEW

Splash’s behaviour change program uses Behaviour Centered Design (BCD) as a guiding framework and aims to build the capacities of teachers and students, enabling them to orient and influence parents, school staff and peers within school-based settings. Currently, Splash delivers a hygiene program through a Training of Trainers model, leveraging curriculum with engaging activities and child-focused materials. Splash’s curriculum focuses on five key areas, however for the sake of this engagement, will not include menstrual health:

Splash is looking to hire an experienced consultant or agency with extensive background in youth-focused pedagogy, human/behavior-centered design, and international development to assess the WASH in Schools context in Mexico to modify Splash curriculum and behavior change programming and integrate with the local implementing partner materials and program design. With the final deliverable of a program which can be delivered within the school to shift the behaviors of students and staff in Mexican schools.

SCOPE OF WORK

Contextualization

To level-set, the consultant will be asked to orient themselves on Splash’s behavior change research and materials, as well as the local implementing partners program design and materials. Specifically, the consultant will:

• Review Splash’s behavior change program model and BCD approach
• Review all existing Splash hygiene materials and previous research
• Review all existing materials of the local implementing partner

Research

• Literature review: The consultant will be expected to conduct a thorough literature review to understand the full context of WASH in Schools within Mexico, existing WASH programs or research in Mexico, best practices, and how that compares with Splash’s model. The report should also include areas in which the Splash program might be able transpose, and areas that should be investigated through formative research.
• Formative research: This will be a modified formative research process, taking place hand in hand with the design process considering the timeline of this consultancy. It will be expected that the consultant will leverage the blended material design from Splash and the local partner to strength test its effectiveness within a Mexican context through user feedback. The consultant will also conduct interviews and focus groups for the areas of investigation as identified within the literature review. This will include meeting with government officials, school administration, teachers, janitors, primary students and secondary students. This will take place in-person in Mexico City.

Upon completion of the literature review and formation research, the consultant will be expected to answer these key questions:

• What are existing WASH behaviors of students as it relates to Splash’s four key behaviors?
• Who are the key stakeholders for a successful WinS program in Mexico?
• Which components of the Splash program are effective within a Mexican context and which need modification?
• What curriculum approach and visual design would be appropriate for the Mexican context by age group?
• Deliverable: Literature review report of Mexican WinS programming
• Deliverable: Formative research report including a behavior map (example and template to be shared)
• Deliverable: Early stage creative concepts for the curriculum and program

Curriculum and Material Development

• Draft of Curriculum and Materials -The consultant will submit drafts of the materials: one lesson plan per topic for each age group (primary and secondary), janitor training program, and school administration engagement. These lessons can be transposed from the existing Splash curriculum, leveraging the local materials, or a blending of both, depending on the formative research and user feedback.
  • Deliverable: Draft of lessons and modifications for each topic
• User Feedback Session – Meet with key stakeholders to gain insight into the lessons and activities, and making adjustments as necessary. Assess the engagement of the lessons for the students and clarity of the lessons plans for teachers.
  • Deliverable: Conduct user feedback sessions for each target group:
    • Primary students
    • Secondary students
    • Teachers and School Administration
• Materials packaged for pilot – The consultant will provide a virtual training on the drafted program design for the local implementing partner to pilot. The consultant will need to package all materials for the implementing partner to delivery in schools.
• Deliverable: Draft facilitation guide and packaged curriculum, including participant workbooks and lesson plans designed for a Mexican context

Final Material Delivery

• Final facilitation guide and packaged curriculum - The consultant will submit final versions of all lessons, activities and materials following integrating feedback from the pilot. The consultant will need to provide editable versions of all materials for future iterations. In addition to any curriculum and creative assets, the consultant will also develop a facilitation guide (graphically designed) as reference for a school to deliver the program in their school.
  • Deliverable: Final facilitation guide and packaged curriculum, with fully designed participant workbooks, materials, and lesson plans

KEY DELIVERABLES

# Milestone & Tentative completion date

1

Consultant onboarding - December 1

2

Literature review reports - January 15

3

Formative research report - March 1

4

Draft of curriculum and activities - March 30

5

Final packaged curriculum and facilitation guide - June 1

Budget

The budget ceiling for this scope of work is no more than $50,000 US Dollars.

SKILLS, ATTRIBUTES, AND EXPERIENCE

• The firm should have extensive experience in pedagogy, understanding appropriate curriculum design by age group
• The firm should have experience in using HCD/BCD thinking for program development
• Understanding of Mexican context, preferred
• Experience with international development/NGO clients required
• WASH in schools experience preferred
• The firm or consultant must be responsible for the quality of the work of any sub-contractors that they employ for this project
• One to two members of the working group from the hired firm for this project must be maintained throughout the engagement to promote consistency and efficiency

PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS

Splash would like bidders to submit a proposal that includes a technical narrative and budget for the full scope of work (no more than 5 pages, please). Please include details on the following:

• Detailed timeline and proposed methodology
• Profile of relevant qualifications, experience and related work, countries served
• Biographies of proposed team members and any relevant subcontractors
• Detailed budget, including daily rates
• Submission of a relevant work sample (ie. Lesson plan)

RESPONSE GUIDELINES

The consultant will report to Megan Williams, Director of Behavior Change for Splash International

Instructions and Deadlines for Responding

A. Contacts

Megan Williams, megan@splash.org

B. Proposals

Completed proposals should be no longer than 5 pages and submitted by email to the contact listed above no later than November 15,2024. The subject line of the email should read: Mexico Contextualization RFP - (your company name). We advise that you send files in commonly recognized MS or Adobe PDF formats. We will not accept responsibility for resolving technical transmission problems with proposals. A hard copy of the proposal should not be sent. Your proposal should only include information specific to accomplishing the scope of work. Additional information submitted outside of the proposal requirements will be reviewed at Splash’s discretion only and should be placed in an appendix. Elaborate materials, artwork or other information not directly related to the scope of work are not suggested.

C. Conclusion of process

Applicants will be notified of Splash’s decision by November 29, 2024. Final award is subject to the terms and conditions included in this solicitation, as well as successful final negotiations of all applicable terms and conditions affecting this work.