Terms of Reference (ToR)
External Consultant – Consultancy for Development of a Referral Coordination and Health Service Mapping Booklet
Expected Start Date: September 13, 2026
End date: October 13, 2026
Location: Hybrid – SFMC Hospital, Sinjar, Nineveh, Iraq, and remote.
Languages: English and Arabic is mandatory; Kurdish is an asset.
Contract Type: Consultancy Contract
1. Background
La Chaîne de l'Espoir (CDE), is supporting the strengthening of healthcare services and referral pathways for communities in Sinjar and surrounding areas through the project “Accessing quality healthcare in Sinjar: Construction of the Sinjar French Medical Centre (SFMC)” funded by Centre de crise et de soutien of French Ministry of Foreign affairs and Europe.
Under Result R4 – Strengthened coordination and referral pathways, Activity R4 A2 focuses on mapping key health partners in Sinjar, Nineveh and other relevant areas to strengthen coordination and referral pathways to and from SFMC.
Throughout the project, CDE has conducted four referral coordination workshops, coordination meetings, field missions, and health facility assessments involving Primary Health Care Centers, referral hospitals, and other relevant health stakeholders. These activities have generated information on health facilities, available services and capacities, existing and potential referral pathways, operational challenges, service gaps, and priority needs.
CDE intends to consolidate these findings into a Referral Coordination and Health Service Mapping Booklet to be shared with relevant authorities, including the Nineveh Directorate of Health (DoH) and the Iraqi Ministry of Health (MoH), to support evidence-based planning and strengthening of the referral system.
CDE is therefore seeking an external consultant to compile, analyze, consolidate, and professionally present the information generated through this activity.
- Purpose
The purpose of the consultancy is to develop a practical Referral Coordination and Health Service Mapping Booklet documenting the health partners, available services, referral pathways, key gaps, and recommendations relevant to the SFMC referral network.
The booklet will support SFMC, CDE, the Directorate of Health, the Ministry of Health, and relevant healthcare providers in improving coordination and identifying appropriate referral options, particularly for complex cases and cases that cannot be managed locally in Sinjar.
3. Objectives
The consultant will:
- Review and synthesize relevant information generated through referral workshops, field missions, assessments, coordination meetings, and other project activities.
- Consolidate the mapping of key health partners and facilities in Sinjar, Nineveh, and other relevant areas.
- Analyze available health services, capacities, and existing and potential referral pathways to and from SFMC.
- Identify key service gaps, operational challenges, and barriers affecting referral coordination.
- Consolidate recommendations for strengthening referral network and coordination mechanisms.
- Develop a clear and user-friendly booklet and referral mapping/tracking tool.
- Present the findings to CDE/SFMC and incorporate feedback into the final product.
4. Scope of Work
The consultant will work closely with the CDE Program Manager and SFMC technical team and will:
- Review existing information provided by CDE, including workshop reports, assessments, facility profiles, presentations, referral information, tools, and other relevant project documents.
- Consolidate and analyze the health partner mapping, including relevant health facilities, their main services and capacities, geographical coverage, referral functions, and contact information.
- Map referral pathways to and from SFMC, including existing and potential referral options for cases requiring services that are unavailable or insufficiently available in Sinjar.
- Identify key gaps and challenges affecting referral coordination and access to appropriate health services.
- Consolidate recommendations from the project activities and formulate practical recommendations to strengthen the referral network and coordination mechanisms.
- Compile any missing required information from the relevant health partners.
- Develop the final booklet in a professional and user-friendly format suitable for use by SFMC, CDE, DoH, MoH, and relevant health partners.
5. Deliverables
The consultant will provide the following deliverables:
- Inception Report and Workplan: A brief document outlining the proposed approach, methodology, workplan, and structure of the final booklet.
- Consolidated Health Partner and Referral Mapping: An editable database/tracker consolidating the identified health partners, services, capacities, referral functions, and relevant contact information.
- Draft Booklet: A complete draft of the Referral Coordination and Health Service Mapping Booklet presenting the key findings, health partner mapping, referral pathways, identified gaps, and recommendations.
- Presentation of Findings: A presentation of the main findings and recommendations to CDE/SFMC and, where agreed, relevant stakeholders.
- Final Booklet: A professionally designed final booklet (in both Arabic and English Language) incorporating CDE/SFMC feedback, including:
- Editable source files;
- Print-ready PDF; and
- 25 professional and high-quality printed copies.
The final booklet will be shared with relevant authorities and stakeholders, including the Directorate of Health and Ministry of Health.
6. Duration and Level of Effort
The consultancy will be implemented within the period from 13 September to 13 October 2026.
The detailed workplan and allocation of working days will be agreed with CDE at the beginning of the consultancy.
7. Required Qualifications and experience
- An advanced degree in Public Health, Health Management, Medicine, or related field.
- At least five years of relevant professional experience in health systems, health service assessment, referral systems, health partner mapping, or related areas.
- Demonstrated experience in analytical writing and development of technical reports, assessments, mapping products, or similar publications.
- Experience working with governmental and international organizations, preferably within the health sector.
- Experience in Iraq and/or humanitarian or resource-limited settings is desirable.
- Strong analytical, communication, and writing skills.
- Ability to synthesize complex information into clear and practical outputs.
- Fluency in English and Arabic is mandatory. Kurdish is an asset.
8. Reporting and Coordination
The consultant will report to the CDE Program Manager and coordinate closely with the SFMC technical team and relevant CDE staff.
CDE will provide the consultant with relevant project documents, including workshop reports, assessments, facility information, referral documentation, presentations, and other available materials.
Any engagement with external health facilities, health authorities, or other stakeholders will be coordinated with CDE/SFMC.
9. Expected Output
The consultancy will directly contribute to R4 A2 – Mapping of key health partners in Sinjar, Nineveh and other areas to strengthen coordination and referral pathways.
The main output will be a professionally designed Referral Coordination and Health Service Mapping Booklet consolidating the health partner mapping and referral information generated throughout the project.
The booklet will provide a practical reference on available health services and referral options, highlight key gaps and coordination challenges, and provide recommendations to support more efficient and coordinated referral pathways for patients requiring services beyond the capacity available in Sinjar.
The final booklet will be printed and shared with relevant authorities and stakeholders to support evidence-based planning and strengthening of the referral system.
10. Contractual and Payment Terms
- The consultancy fee shall be all-inclusive, unless otherwise specified in the contract.
- All deliverables, documents, databases, designs, analyses, and other materials produced under this consultancy shall remain the property of CDE.
- The consultant shall maintain confidentiality regarding all project information and shall not use or share project materials without prior authorization from CDE.
- Payments will be made upon satisfactory completion and acceptance of agreed deliverables, according to a milestone-based payment schedule defined in the consultancy contract.
- Specific payment milestones and tranches will be detailed in the service agreement.
- Application Process:
Interested individual consultants or institutions are invited to submit the following:
- CV of the individual consultant(s), or an organizational profile for institutional applicants, including relevant experience and qualifications.
- A concise proposal outlining the proposed approach, methodology, understanding of the assignment, and preliminary work plan for developing the booklet.
- A detailed, all-inclusive financial proposal covering the consultancy services, Booklet graphic design & layout, and printing of 25 copies. The proposal should demonstrate cost-effectiveness while ensuring high-quality delivery within the available budget.
- References: At least two references from previous assignments of a similar nature.
Proposals will be evaluated based on technical quality, methodological soundness, relevant experience, and cost-effectiveness.
Deadline for applications: 31 August 2026.
Please note that applications may close prior to the deadline if the position is filled.
Submit applications to: recruitment.iraq@chainedelespoir.org