Who we are

Development Gateway: An IREX Venture (DG) is an international nonprofit organization that creates innovative information management and data visualization technology, implements data-focused programs, and conducts research and evaluation to further sustainable development. DG supports public and private sector actors in collecting, analyzing, and using data in the health sector for policymakers and development agencies to make more effective decisions and to improve service delivery. DG is headquartered in Washington, DC, and is exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

DG has team members across many continents, from the Americas and Europe to Africa and Asia, with team members in Dakar, Abuja, Lusaka, Nairobi, Kinshasa, Addis Ababa, and Cape Town. We are a cross-functional team of experts in policy, research, technology, law, health, agriculture, etc. with a diversity of regional experience. As a result, we work in a matrix structure and in a hybrid environment.

What we do

DG has led the Data on Youth and Tobacco in Africa (DaYTA), with support from the Gates Foundation since 2022. Aimed at supplying sub-Saharan African (SSA) governments with improved access to country-specific data to inform better tobacco control policies, in 2024, the DaYTA program conducted the first-ever nationally representative household survey on the use of tobacco and nicotine products among 10-17 year-olds in the DRC, Kenya, and Nigeria. This information has been showcased on the Tobacco Control Data Initiative websites for each country (DRC, Kenya, Nigeria) to meet the needs of government stakeholders, as well as civil society and academia, for a one-stop shop for accessible and actionable tobacco control data. Building on its success in these three countries, the program has been extended with the goal of replicating the core survey in four additional countries: Namibia, Sierra Leone, South Africa, and Zambia.

Submission Instructions

DG invites qualified data collection firms or research consortia in Sierra Leone to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) to participate in an upcoming Request for Proposals (RFP) for a multi-stage, stratified cluster design, cross-sectional household survey among adolescents (10-17 years) based on DG’s field-tested DaYTA core protocol. DG will be coordinating the studies across all four countries of implementation while the firm/consortium selected as a result of this 3-round process will be responsible for data collection, analysis, and reporting in Sierra Leone, in collaboration with local (a) Ministries of Health, (b) tobacco control advocacy organizations, (c) academic researchers, and (d) representatives from youth member organizations, and in close consultation with DG.

High-level priorities for successful candidates throughout this process include demonstrated understanding and/or experience related to:

1. Understanding data collection standards, ethical considerations for surveying minors, and how survey findings translate into public health evidence.
2. Demonstrating flexibility and country-level contextual awareness when rolling out standardized instruments in diverse health systems.
3. Experience in data validation, quality assurance (QA/QC), and stakeholder management.
4. Demonstrating leadership in cross-functional or multi-country teams, monitoring field data collection, and handling operational bottlenecks smoothly.
5. Commitment to refuse funding from or collaborate with the tobacco industry.

First Round: Expression of Interest

DG invites qualified data collection firms/consortia to submit an expression of interest to showcase their understanding of the scope of work based on the core protocol and the background provided in this document. Submissions should demonstrate:

• Technical capacity:
  • Briefly outline your team’s experience implementing household surveys with adolescents, particularly using multi-level analytical frameworks.
  • Describe your fieldwork capacity, including enumerator networks, language coverage, and logistics management (transport, supervision, data security).
  • Describe your familiarity with the national statistics office’s sampling frame and your team’s experience with multi-stage cluster sampling and post-stratification weighting.
  • Summarize your experience in household listing, random respondent selection, and managing parental or guardian consent with minors.
  • Provide examples of past studies where you determined or implemented sampling parameters based on prevalence, design effects, or non-response adjustments.
• Country implementation experience:
  • Highlight any country-specific considerations that could influence fieldwork timing or coverage (e.g., school terms, rainy seasons, security conditions).
  • Describe any important modifications to the protocol that are needed to implement the research in the Sierra Leonean context.
  • Indicate your familiarity with national ethics approval procedures and safeguarding standards for adolescent data collection in Sierra Leone.
• Independence from Tobacco Industry:
  • Affirmative statement that the firm/consortium is independent of DG and has not worked with the tobacco industry.

The submission should be a maximum of 3 pages.

Eligibility Criteria

• Relevant sector and methodological experience
• Local presence or partnerships
• Prior work with international agencies or comparable scale

Only shortlisted organizations will be contacted about subsequent rounds.

Timeline for the process

• 16 August 2026: EOI due
• 24 August 2026: DG communicates with shortlisted firms and shares Request for Proposals
• End of September 2026: Proposals due
• Early October 2026: DG communicates with shortlisted firms and invites successful firms to interview round

Additional Rounds: Proposal and Interview

If your organization’s EOI is selected, you will be invited to the proposal round, where you will receive instructions for submitting additional details including your detailed technical approach (with logistical and project management plans) and associated budget.

The final round will consist of a Zoom video interview with your proposed team and the DG program team.