Request for Proposal: Digital Consultant to support the development of an e-learning platform and course launch in 2023.

Date: 5 December 2022

Background:

Tobacco consumption remains the world’s leading cause of preventable diseases that kills up to two-thirds of its regular users. 14% of all deaths globally (over 8 million deaths annually) are due to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) directly caused by tobacco consumption and exposure to secondhand smoke. An estimated annual loss of USD 1.4 trillion in global health costs and lost productivity, amounting to 1.8% of the world’s GDP.

However, the share of total health spending is relatively small and remains scarce in many low- and middle-income countries. The government health spending was evenly split between infectious and non-communicable diseases, leaving precious little funds for health promotion programmes. In low-income countries, health expenditures as a share of government spending fell to 6.8% in 2016 from 7.9% in 2000.

A health promotion fund is an investment for any country towards safeguarding the health and well-being of its population. With non-communicable diseases (NCDs) escalating globally, resulting in human productivity losses due to illnesses, early deaths, and disability, countries are shouldering ever-increasing healthcare costs. Health promotion and disease prevention programmes help reduce the burden of NCDs and mitigate the corresponding economic and social burdens. These programmes require long-term and sustainable funding allocated via dedicated or surcharge taxes for a health promotion fund.

Sustainable financing is critical for accelerating the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control implementation to address NCDs and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for improving global health.

Recognizing the need for innovative sustainable financing for health promotion, the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA) in collaboration with the Thai Health Promotion Foundation (ThaiHealth) launched a ‘Health Promotion Fund Resource Hub’ (HPF Hub) in April 2022. The HPF Hub serves as a one-stop resource for innovative approaches to securing long-term sustainable financing for health promotion and tobacco control. It is a comprehensive guide for establishing a health promotion fund. For more information, please see https://hpfhub.info/

In strengthening the use of knowledge, resources, and expertise available for setting up a health promotion fund, the HPF hub will be extended to offer a self-paced and interactive e-learning course for anyone interested in understanding the use of fiscal measures to develop a tax-based health promotion funding mechanism that generate innovative and sustainable financing for health promotion and tobacco control.

Objectives:

The e-learning aims to achieve the following:

  • Raise awareness of the need for creating fiscal space using dedicated or surcharge taxes on health-harming products to increase domestic revenues for health spending promoting and improving population health and development
  • Promoting fiscal measures by raising health taxes on tobacco, alcohol, and sugar-sweetened beverages is the most cost-effective way to generate a reliable long-term sustainable funding stream for promotion and disease preventionprogrammes
  • Build and contribute knowledge and resource sharing to generate interest and discussion toward establishing a tax-based health promotion funding mechanism, a sustainable financing policy

Target Audience:

  1. Policymakers (national level) in health and non-health departments/ministries
  2. Health advocates working in tobacco control, alcohol, sugar-sweetened beverages, environmental, and other health promotion programmes
  3. General public in health-related institutions or civil society organizations

Deliverables Needed:

Activity/Topic Description
Database design (Learning Management System) and

branding identity

 Developing a customized design and structure for e-learning platforms and the course covers the following:

·   four main modules and several sub-modules

·   each module and sub-module is to be presented through a combination of easy-to-understand short, interactive videos, practice exercises (quizzes), self-paced reading assignments, and pre-/post-self-assessment

·   all the digital course materials and transcript are presented in English

·   a course-completion certificate or e-certificate

Developing the visual branding for promoting the e-learning platform and serving as a guide in developing digital communications materials
Content structure, layout, and template design for digital communication materials Developing creative and interactive multimedia materials (customized template) for each module and sub-module

·      video recording with experts (approximate 3-5 MPEG file in full HD)

·      interactive powerpoints/ animation video (approximate 14 – 16 x PPT, PDF, MPEG file)

·      transcript for each digital material produced (approximate 14 – 16 x PDF)
Digital marketing strategy and planning for the E-learning platform launch Developing marketing collaterals including

·     animation video x 1 (MPEG file in full HD)

·     social media art cards x (approximate 3-5) (JPEG)

·     press release (design layout) x 1 (PDF)

·     announcement on website (banner) x1 (PDF, JPEG)

·     leaflet/brochures (PDF, AI)

Developing digital marketing plan and materials promoting the e-learning platform through

·    Facebook search advertisement x1

·    Google display network banner advertisement x1

·    Google display network (video hosted on YouTube) x1

Timeline:

The project will commence as early as the consultant has been onboarded (target: Mid-January 2023). The e-learning platform and course are expected to be launched in September 2023.

Evaluation Criteria:

The submitted proposals for this project will be assessed through the following criteria:

  • Demonstrated experience in supporting the planning, execution, and launching of the e-learning platform and course using alearning management system (LMS)
  • Experience in developing creative and customized digital communication materials for the e-learning course
  • A realistic timeline to execute the deliverables
  • A cost estimate that is reasonable vis a vis the deliverables and support needed

Submission process:

Step 1: Letter of intent

Step 2: Conflict of Interest (COI) Disclosure Form

  • SEATCA will send out a COI form after receiving the letter of intent
  • Sign and submit the COI form to SEATCA

Step 3: Proposal submission

  • SEATCA will share the contents plan of the e-learning module after receiving the complete COI form
  • Please send a proposal outlining the deliverables above, a cost estimate, and a timeline to info@seacta.org and yenlian@seatca.org by 6 January 2023, 5:00 pm Bangkok time. Please kindly include CVs of team members (for vendors who will apply as a group).
  • Please include your work samples of previous digital projects related to health and e-learning platform.