Terms of Reference (ToR)
Position: Consultant – Process Documentation
Organization: FHI 360
Location: New Delhi
Duration: October 2026 to March 2027 (maximum 20 working days / month)
Opens: 29 September 2026, Tuesday
Closes: 08 October 2026, Thursday
1. About FHI 360
FHI 360 is a non-profit human development organization that mobilizes research, resources and relationships so that people everywhere can access the opportunities they need to lead full, healthy lives. Our staff of more than 2,200 experts work in over 60 countries around the world. We implement projects related to infectious diseases, health, education, economic strengthening and humanitarian response.
2. About EpiC Project
Meeting Targets and Maintaining Epidemic Control (EpiC) is a global project funded by the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the U.S. Department of State (DoS) with a period of performance from April 15, 2019, to December 30, 2027.
Globally EpiC provides technical support and direct service delivery to improve outcomes in HIV, global health security, outbreak preparedness and response, malaria, nutrition, and maternal, newborn and child health. Under HIV, EpiC supports to achieve and maintain epidemic control through strategic technical assistance to improve HIV case finding, care, and treatment programming across 35 countries supported by PEPFAR. EpiC in India supports the National AIDS Control Program (NACP) in enhancing youth engagement, private sector engagement and digital and AI-driven innovations.
Under the National AIDS and STD Control Programme (NACP), NACO is implementing the “Model Paperless ART Centres” (SMART ART- Seamless Movement Through Antiretroviral Therapy) initiative to resonate with the Digital India mission, which aims to improve service delivery and health outcomes in HIV care. Specifically, three centres—located in Chandigarh, Rohtak, and New Delhi—have been selected as pilot sites for implementing the innovation on the digital queue management system at integrated counselling & testing centres (ICTCs) and anti-retroviral therapy centres (ARTCs), and elimination of vertical transmission of HIV & Syphilis (EVTHS) & supply chain management (SCM) digital tool, which will streamline workflows, enhance client satisfaction and overall improve programme efficiency.
3. Purpose and Objectives
The purpose of this assignment is to produce a clear, well-evidenced account of how NACO and EpiC planned, rolled out and adopted three digital health initiatives, so that NACO and SACS can use it to decide how to replicate and scale these approaches nationally.
The specific objectives are to:
- Document how each initiative was planned, deployed and adopted, including the changes it brought to facility workflows.
- Capture the experiences and perspectives of NACO, SACS, facility staff, patients and partners.
- Describe the changes observed in service delivery, client flow and data quality, drawing on programme data.
- Produce knowledge products and a replication framework that support national scale-up.
4. Scope of Work
The assignment covers three digital health initiatives that NACO and SACS are implementing with support from EpiC India:
- SMART ART (Seamless Movement through Antiretroviral Therapy): patient-centred queue management, including digital check-in, token generation, queue displays, provider-facing workflows and dashboards.
- Basic Services Division (BSD) digital support: QR-based ICTC self-registration, AI-enabled HIV risk assessment, EVTHS follow-up and related digital tools.
- District Epidemic Profiling (DEP) and its use in district-level decision making.
For SMART ART and BSD, the consultant will document the full cycle, from planning and baseline through rollout, adoption and interoperability with Strengthening Overall Care for HIV beneficiaries
(SOCH). The work covers the pilot sites in Chandigarh, Rohtak and New Delhi and other sites agreed with FHI 360. For each initiative, it includes changes in facility workflows, the experiences of staff and clients, observed changes in service delivery and data quality, and lessons for scale-up. For DEP, the consultant will support finalisation of the district reporting framework and the DEP documentation report and will document how district profiles are being used.
The specific outputs and due dates are set out in the Deliverables and Timeline listed below.
5. Approach and Methodology
The consultant will propose a detailed methodology in the inception report. The approach is expected to combine the following methods:
- Review of programme documents, standard operating procedures, system specifications and training materials for each initiative.
- Site visits to the pilot ART Centres and ICTCs in Chandigarh, Rohtak and New Delhi, and to other sites agreed with FHI 360 and NACO, including direct observation and process mapping of client flow.
- Key informant interviews (KIIs) and, where useful, small group discussions with the stakeholder groups listed below.
- Analysis of routine programme and system data provided by NACO and FHI 360 (for example SOCH, queue management and registration data) to describe changes before and after implementation.
- Photographic documentation, following the consent requirements set out under Ethics, Consent and Data Protection.
Conduct qualitative interviews with stakeholders including:
- NACO officials
- State AIDS Control Societies (SACS)
- ART Centre Medical Officers
- ICTC Counsellors
- Pharmacists
- Data Managers
- Facility Administrators
- IT teams
- Patients and beneficiaries
- Development partners
The consultant will document stakeholder perspectives on implementation, usability, challenges, innovations, lessons learned and recommendations for scale-up.
This is a process documentation assignment. Findings should describe the changes observed and the factors associated with them, since the design cannot establish that the interventions caused those changes.
6. Deliverables and Timeline
1. Inception Report and Documentation Framework (within 2 weeks of contract start)
- Detailed work plan, methodology and timeline
- Documentation framework for SMART ART, BSD and DEP
- Stakeholder engagement and interview plan
- Data collection tools and reporting templates
2. Baseline and Workflow Documentation Report (by November 2026)
- Documentation of pre-implementation workflows and service delivery processes at ICTCs and ART Centres
- Baseline observations and process maps
- Photographic documentation of facilities before digital transformation
3. Implementation Documentation Report (December 2026 to January 2027)
- Documentation of planning, deployment, testing, rollout and adoption of SMART ART and BSD interventions
- Documentation of interoperability with SOCH and associated workflow changes
- Summary of implementation milestones, challenges, mitigation measures, innovations and best practices
- Photographic documentation of implementation and facility transformation
4. Stakeholder Perspectives and Outcomes Report (February 2027)
- Findings from interviews with NACO, SACS, facility staff, IT teams, development partners and beneficiaries
- Documentation of user experiences, acceptability and operational feasibility
- Assessment of changes in service delivery, patient flow, waiting times, workload, service utilisation and data quality
5. Case Studies and Knowledge Products (February 2027)
- At least three implementation case studies covering SMART ART, BSD and DEP
- Success stories and before-and-after transformation briefs
- Best practices and recommendations for sustainability and scale-up
6. DEP Documentation Support (Throughout the assignment)
- Support the finalisation of the District Epidemic Profiling reporting framework
- Support development and finalisation of the DEP documentation report
7. Final Comprehensive Process Documentation Report (by March 2027)
- SMART ART, BSD and DEP implementation processes
- Stakeholder perspectives and experiences
- Outcomes, lessons learned and best practices
- Replication framework and recommendations for sustainability and national scale-up
7. Ethics, Consent and Data Protection
- Before data collection begins, FHI 360 will confirm whether the assignment requires ethics review or a non-research determination, and the consultant will follow the resulting requirements.
- The consultant will obtain informed consent from every interview participant and will not record interviews without permission.
- No patient or client will be photographed or identified in any product without their written informed consent. Wherever possible, facility photographs will show spaces, systems and staff rather than clients.
- The consultant will follow NACO guidelines on the confidentiality of people living with HIV and will not access, copy or keep individual-level client data beyond the de-identified data provided for the assignment.
- All interview notes, recordings, photographs and data will be stored securely and handed over to FHI 360 at the end of the assignment.
8. Reporting and Coordination
The consultant will report to the Lead: Digital Health and Innovation of EpiC India and work closely with the EpiC India digital health and technical teams. EpiC India will coordinate all engagement with NACO, SACS and facilities and will provide introductions and access letters. The consultant will share a brief monthly progress update and take part in review meetings as needed. FHI 360 will provide feedback on each draft deliverable.
9. Duty Station and Travel
The consultant will be based in Delhi. The assignment requires travel to the pilot sites in Chandigarh and Rohtak and to other locations as agreed with FHI 360. Travel and Logistics will be arranged by FHI 360 India country office, subject to approval from the project technical monitor.
10. Qualifications and Experience
Essential
- A master's degree in public health, social sciences, development communication or a related field.
- At least [7] years of experience in process documentation, qualitative research or knowledge management in the public health sector and HIV programme in India.
- A portfolio of case studies, documentation reports, guidelines or similar knowledge products written for government or donor audiences.
- Demonstrated experience conducting qualitative interviews with government officials, health workers and community members, including on sensitive topics.
- Excellent written English and fluency in Hindi.
Desirable
- Experience with HIV programmes under NACP, or familiarity with NACO, SACS and the SOCH system.
- Experience documenting the implementation of HIV programme documentation, digital health or health information systems.
- Skills in photography or experience producing photo essays for health programmes.
- Familiarity with process mapping and basic analysis of routine programme data.
11. Payment Terms
The consultant will be engaged on a monthly retainer of 20 working days per month. Payment will be made monthly on submission of an approved timesheet, brief report and deliverables as stated above. All deliverables must be finalized latest by March 31, 2027.
12. Intellectual Property, Branding and Confidentiality
- All products, data, photographs and materials produced under this assignment belong to FHI 360 and will be shared with NACO. The consultant may not publish or share them without written approval from FHI 360.
- All products will follow EpiC and U.S. Department of State branding and marking requirements and will be reviewed by FHI 360 and NACO before dissemination.
- The consultant will treat all programme information and data as confidential.
How to Apply
Interested candidates should send the following to hrindia@fhi360.org by October 8, 2026, with the subject line "Application: Consultant - Process Documentation, EpiC":
- A CV of no more than four pages.
- A cover letter of no more than one page describing relevant experience.
- Two samples of documentation reports, case studies or similar products that the candidate wrote or led.
- Contact details for two professional references.
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.