“PAHO Consultant -Development of an Integrated Service Delivery Assessment Tool

OBJECTIVE OF THE OFFICE/DEPARTMENT

This is a requisition for employment at the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)/Regional Office of the World Health Organization (WHO)

Contractual Agreement:

Non-Staff - International PAHO Consultant

Job Posting:

July 10, 2025

Closing Date:

July 23, 2025, 11:59 PM Eastern Time

Primary Location:

Off Site

Organization:

HSS Health Systems and Services

Schedule:

Full time

PURPOSE OF CONSULTANCY

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES:

Background

The primary objective of the Department of Health Systems and Services is to strengthen health systems based on Primary Health Care, support the transformation of national health systems to improve equity and resilience, strengthen Primary Health Care (PHC), and address the relevant issues related to human resources as health systems move towards the achievement of Universal Health. Its work encompasses the following areas: integrated services delivery, strengthening of health systems governance and stewardship; developing efficient and equitable financial mechanisms to ensure adequate public funding of the health system; human resources for health, healthy life course; the Virtual Campus of Public Health, and Maternal, Neonatal and Reproductive Health.

  Unit Background

Strengthening Primary Health Care (PHC)-based systems is critical to achieving universal health and health system resilience. Integrated health service delivery—characterized by coordinated, continuous, and comprehensive care—requires not only robust clinical linkages but also alignment across organizations and professional domains.

Despite various assessment tools in existence, there is a recognized gap in instruments specifically designed to measure inter-organizational integration and interprofessional coordination at the meso level in the context of PHC. Building on existing conceptual frameworks, particularly the renewed Integrated Service Delivery Network (IHSD), PAHO seeks to develop a contextually appropriate tool that can help identify integration maturity, assess coordination challenges, and generate actionable roadmaps for health system actors.

The objective of this consultancy is to design a context-sensitive assessment tool for measuring and strengthening inter-organizational integration and interprofessional coordination within PHC-based integrated service delivery networks in the Americas.

Responsibilities

Under the direct supervision of Technical Officer for PHC Policy, Planning and Evaluation, and under the general supervision of the Unit Chief of Primary Health Care, the consultant is expected to deliver the following activities and outputs:

1. Tool Design and Conceptual Alignment

• Conduct a brief review of existing PHC integration measurement tools and relevant governance and service delivery frameworks.
• Define the core dimensions and indicators of inter-organizational integration and interprofessional coordination, using the PAHO’s IHSD renewed framework and complementary literature as a foundation.
• Develop a maturity model structured along a continuum (e.g., segregation, linkage, coordination, full integration) that aligns with both quantitative and qualitative assessment elements.

2. Tool Components and Modules

• Develop a modular tool including, but not limited to:
  • Governance and decision-making structures
  • Financial integration and risk-sharing
  • Service delivery coordination
  • Information and communication systems
  • Cultural and normative alignment (shared values, vision, mission)
• Include both quantitative indicators (maturity level scoring) and qualitative components (structured interviews or open-ended survey prompts).

3. Validation and Stakeholder Engagement

• Design a protocol for a multi-stakeholder validation process, including:
  • Stepwise application (network characterization, quantitative scoring, qualitative exploration)
  • Consensus-building workshops to validate findings and co-create action plans
  • Guidance on interprofessional focus groups and network mapping
• Propose a mechanism for external facilitation or validation of tool results.

Specific activities, expected deliverables and payments

​Product 1: Inception report

Deliverable 1: Work plan with detailed methodology and timeline.

Amount: $7,000.00

Due Date: September 15, 2025.

Payment 1: $7,000.00 - 1 October 2025 (for product 1)

Product 2: Draft Tool.