About La Chaîne de L’Espoir

La Chaîne de l’Espoir (CDE) is an international, humanitarian, independent, apolitical, and non-religious NGO, founded in 1994, currently operating in 30 countries.

CDE aims to improve access to medical and surgical care for vulnerable populations, especially children and women, in fragile or crisis-affected settings, by strengthening health systems through training, hospital engineering, and technology transfer

CDE prioritizes an integrated approach along the continuum of care and works in close collaboration with local actors, with the ultimate goal of enabling their autonomy. To this end, CDE volunteer doctors, nurses, and technicians provide care and training in techniques best suited to the needs and contexts. The organization implements the structural conditions necessary for surgery, both in terms of infrastructure (hospital construction, equipment) and human resources (medical-surgical, paramedical, and technical skills). It also invests in prevention and early detection.

Context and justification

Since March 2022, La Chaîne de l’Espoir (CDE) has been supporting the Ukrainian healthcare system, particularly in traumatology, pediatric cardiology, and maternal/child care. This includes medical and surgical support, donation of equipment, and training in coordination with Ukrainian authorities and international partners. La Chaîne de l’Espoir is committed to providing high-quality biomedical devices that are adapted to the specific needs of each hospital.

In addition to donating new equipment, and specifically for hospitals lacking well-defined maintenance plans, La Chaîne de l’Espoir aims to support the maintenance and reactivation of existing devices to maximize their impact and ensure continuity of care.

CDE is planning a new mission to:

• Support some Ukrainian hospitals with the maintenance of equipment in the areas of monitoring, drug administration, disinfection and sterilization, neonatology, ventilation, and laboratory.
• Assess the need and the current state of donated biomedical equipment in several Ukrainian hospitals
• Identify opportunities to restore, reinstall, or maintain underused equipment
• Better understand systemic challenges and propose targeted interventions aligned with CDE’s strategic priorities in trauma (including AMR), pediatric cardiology, and neonatology.
• Set up some pilot simple trainings/ mentoring for Ukrainian biomedical staff

Objectives

General objective: To identify priority actions to improve the quality of medical equipment inside Ukrainian partner hospitals, in alignment with CDE’s areas of expertise, with a particular focus on specialized surgical care.

Specific objectives:

• SO1. Conduct technical assessments across selected hospitals (Kyiv, Lviv, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Chernihiv). Assess biomedical equipment: quantity, quality, installation status, usability and investigate and when possible collect information where and how this equipment was procured/ donated.
• S02. Oversee, support and lead the initial phases of CDE maintenance projects for equipment used in monitoring, drug administration, disinfection and sterilization, neonatology, ventilation, and laboratory.
• SO3. Evaluate maintenance needs and possibilities for reactivation of equipment and create list of priority actions.
• SO4. Evaluate existing maintenance protocols and identify gaps in training, compatibility, and installation affecting equipment usage. Support creation of comprehensive training plan for bio-medical staff inside Ukrainian healthcare system.
• SO5. Collaborate with local biomedical teams, health authorities and private suppliers to provide informed needs assessment and suggestions for project implementation regards biomedical interventions in line with CDE’s mission

 Expected results

The expected deliverables from the mission would include :

• Technical Assessment report per facility visited providing comprehensive breakdown of equipment in hospital and condition. To cover 10 hospitals across 5 cities.
• Evaluation of training needs among medical and technical staff and creation of training plan to begin building capacities here
• A brief comparative analysis of major similarities, synergies, and differences across Ukrainian health facilities
• An updated and expanded mapping of key stakeholders and initiatives relevant to provision of medical equipment in Ukraine
• A set of actionable recommendations for targeted interventions aligned with CDE areas of expertise to strengthen

Methodology

The exact methodology should be proposed by the consultant/s in the application documents.

The assignment will include the following phases:

Desk phase, during which the consultant will:

• Meet with the CDE team to clarify expectations and discuss the organization of the assessment.
• Review CDE’s contextual analysis documents and survey tools, which will be provided by CDE. The consultant may adapt or complement these tools to ensure their relevance and effectiveness.
• Engage with local translators and interpreters.
• Coordinate the translation of the tools from English into Ukrainian
• Gather and analyze secondary data relevant to the assessment.
• Develop a detailed work plan, including a list of stakeholders to meet during the field phase.

These elements will be compiled into an inception report to be validated by the CDE team.

Field phase (planning and methodology will be managed with CDE Ukraine team in agreement with consultant). CDE will provide logistical support and can facilitate appointment scheduling with local stakeholders (authorities, hospitals, NGOs etc.).

Reporting phase, during which the consultant will:

• Draft a preliminary report presenting findings, analysis, and recommendations;
• Organize a debriefing workshop with the CDE team to present the findings and facilitate exchange and feedback;
• Submit the final assessment report to CDE, in English, including annexes.
• Present results and findings with CDE representatives to local stakeholders.Deliverables

Deliverables

• An inception report in English, including all survey tools and field phase planning and methodology: to be shared at the end of the desk phase. The inception report will have to be validated before the launch of the field phase.
• A preliminary report (in English) incorporating the feedback from the debriefing workshop.
• Organize a restitution presentation/workshop to CDE team, including an analysis of the preliminary findings and results of the assessment and a set of recommendations. A PowerPoint presentation will be produced and shared by the consultant.
• A final report (40 pages maximum) in English within 1 week after the restitution. The CDE team will provide comments within 5 working days for the consultant to finalize and adjust the report. The final report should include an executive summary, introduction to the context, methodology, key findings, recommendations and conclusion. Annexes should include all data collection tools, databases, and a list of persons met during the assessment, with salient points of the meetings.
• A PowerPoint presentation summarizing the results, which will be used as support during the sharing of findings with various stakeholders.
• A comprehensive training plan – with core objectives, learning outcomes and suggested curriculum

The confidentiality of personal information should be respected throughout the assessment process and in the reports. Before taking any pictures or conducting interviews, consent must be obtained using written permission forms.

Timeline

The consultancy is expected to start on October 20^th, 2025. The final deadline for submission of the completed report is December 15^th 2025.

Profile and required competencies

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Biomedical Engineering or related field
• Prior experience with humanitarian or development NGOs is strongly preferred
• Proven ability to assess and troubleshoot biomedical equipment in the field
• Experience in training, equipment installation, and technical reporting
• Experience in conducting participatory assessment techniques, including both qualitative and quantitative methods.
• Excellent command of English (oral and written) is required. Proficiency in French and/or Ukrainian an asset.
• Very good proficiency in standard IT tools (e.g., data analysis, reporting, presentations).
• Preference will be given to candidates based in Ukraine), with demonstrated knowledge of the local context, stakeholders, and health system functioning.

Application

The application package must include:

Administrative Documents

• A curriculum vitae outlining the consultant’s professional experience
• Three professional references for the lead consultant
• Two sample reports from previous studies conducted
• The physical address of the lead consultant
• The full name and contact details of the designated contact person
• Proof of professional liability insurance

For French-registered companies, the following legal documents must be provided:

• A K-bis extract dated less than 3 months ago
• Proof of declaration to URSSAF
• 2024 annual training and financial reports, where applicable

For foreign companies, a 2024 annual financial report is required. Additional legal documents may be requested depending on the country of registration.

Technical Proposal

The technical proposal must include:

1. A presentation of the applicant’s expertise and experience
2. An explanatory note demonstrating understanding of the Terms of Reference (ToR)
3. A description of the methodology proposed to achieve the objectives and the organization of the assessment
4. A provisional timeline, indicating the various phases and ensuring compliance with the deadlines outlined in the ToR.

Financial Offer

The application must include a detailed financial offer specifying all costs in an Excel file.

To facilitate the comparison of proposals, applicants are encouraged to break down the total amount proposed. This breakdown must include professional fees and all related costs, taking into account:

• Number of working days
• Planned activities
• Deliverables to be produced
• Number of days in the field

in accordance with the technical proposal.

Terms and conditions of payment must also be specified.

Please note that payments will only be made upon submission and validation of deliverables, as defined in the ToR and approved by the relevant departments at CDE.

Contingency costs may be included in the budget (up to a maximum of 5% of direct costs), subject to supporting documentation and prior approval by CDE.

The financial offer must not exceed 15,000 Euros (all taxes included – VAT included).

La Chaine de l’espoir can support logistics and practical aspects of field trips and this can be discussed at time of negotiation.

Note: Please ensure that the financial offer is submitted VAT included for applicants under the standard tax regime. According to applicable legislation, CDE will withhold any applicable taxes at source.

Evaluation criteria

The technical and financial proposals, along with administrative documents, will be evaluated by a selection committee composed of representatives from CDE. The evaluation will take into account the consultant’s expertise and profile adequacy, the understanding of the ToR and assessment context, the relevance and feasibility of the proposed methodology and timeline, as well as the financial and logistical resources.

Incomplete applications will not be taken into consideration for technical selection.