Evidence Action seeks to collaborate with a lab partner to conduct a survey to measure the prevalence and intensity of soil-transmitted helminths (STH) in school-age children in Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, and Gilgit Baltistan.
The survey will assess the prevalence and intensity of STH infections across all four provinces between August and November 2026. The objective of the survey is to understand STH burden in school-age children in the survey regions after several years of mass drug administration (MDA), and to provide information to the Government of Pakistan and provincial governments on deworming treatment strategy.
Evidence Action:
Evidence Action is a global nonprofit scaling proven health and development solutions to reduce the burden of poverty for hundreds of millions of people. From fighting parasitic worms and providing millions with safe water access to enabling treatments to prevent anemia and congenital health issues, our evidence-based interventions provide the greatest impact for communities per dollar spent.
Our cost-effective programming, continuous improvement, and commitment to results has allowed us to reach more than half a billion people with our programs over the past decade. Our over 1,000 staff members work alongside values-aligned partners across nine countries to deliver transformative outcomes.
Scope:
The survey is expected to run from June 2026 through March 2027. The prevalence and intensity survey will use double-slide Kato-Katz methodology to examine fresh stool samples from individuals for eggs of the three major forms of STH (Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura, and hookworm). Approximately 88 schools will be sampled across the four provinces, with up to 60 children per school, 10 of whom will be out-of-school children (pending confirmation) from neighborhoods of each selected school, and 10 additional children above the minimum of 60 as a non-response buffer, leading to a total sample of 6,125 children across the four provinces.
The districts from which the schools will be selected can be found in the annex. The survey design and data analysis will be performed by internationally and nationally recognised experts in the field of Model-Based Geostatistics (MBG). In conjunction with Evidence Action, sampling designs using MBG will determine STH prevalence at different sub-national units (such as provinces and districts), including the location of schools, which will form the primary sampling unit of the survey. Evidence Action will arrange the necessary government authorisations for the surveys in all four provinces.
Proposal Requirements:
To respond to this RFP, the following documents are required.
- Overview: Brief overview of the individual/firm and experience with performing similar assignments with international organizations, particularly not-for-profit organizations. Not to exceed 2 pages.
- Team: Staff who will work on this project (include brief bios/CVs that are max 1 page for each staff member)
- Implementation Methodology: The lab partners must provide a detailed proposal on the Methodology for implementing this survey; this includes:
- Details on experience conducting similar surveys, including parasitological expertise
- Team structure and number of people involved, including roles and responsibilities
- The lab setup, including the number of labs and locations
- Training plan/overview of topics to be covered
- Analysis of stool samples and how the Kato Katz will be performed
- Storage and management of stool samples
- Coordination mechanisms with the Field Partner
- Quality assurance plan
- Data collation and management
- Detailed Budget: A detailed budget should also be submitted with the proposal, outlining all operational costs, including staff, supplies, travel, lab setup, and any other categories.
- References: Three references that can be contacted regarding relevant previous work. If you are selected as a finalist, Evidence Action will contact these references. They must be active customers, or customers whom you have served within the past 12 months.
View/Download the Complete RFP
