UNICEF Thailand is seeking for a qualified institutional contractor to design policy options for a nutrition-sensitive social protection scheme for families with children and pregnant women in Thailand, with focus on the Southern Border Provinces (RFPS)   Background   Thailand has made significant progress in reducing poverty and improving nutrition, yet disparities persist—especially in the Southern Border Provinces (SBPs)[1], where families with children and pregnant women face heightened vulnerabilities due to poverty, conflict, and limited access to services.   Child malnutrition in the SBPs is among the highest in the country. Stunting affects up to 23% of children in Yala, Narathiwat, and Pattani, compared to the national average of 13%. Wasting rates in the southernmost provinces range from 11% to 16%, higher than the national average of 7%. Children from non-Thai speaking and poor households are disproportionately affected, with stunting rates of 15.6% and underweight rates of 11.8%.   Micronutrient deficiencies, such as anaemia (iron deficiency) and vitamin A deficiency are also elevated among children in the SBPs. Anaemia affects around 18.8% of children below the age of five.  A study among a randomly selected population of children aged 6-59 months in four SBPs found vitamin A deficiency rates of 25.6% in Narathiwat, 34.1% in Pattani and 28.4% in Yala. Around one third of the sampled children (31.7%) were also suffering from undernutrition. (Nutrition assessment in SBPs).    The SBPs represent some of the most underserved and nutritionally at-risk populations in Thailand. Addressing these gaps through nutrition-sensitive social protection—particularly cash transfers—can help ensure that vulnerable children and families receive the support they need.     Objectives, Purpose & Expected results   UNICEF Thailand is seeking for a qualified institutional contractor to develop policy options for nutrition-sensitive cash transfers targeting families with children and pregnant women, using the SBPs as a reference context to inform a national policy framework.     Description of the assignment   The assignment is divided into four (4) main phases as below.   Phase 1: Situation Analysis & Needs Assessment Review existing social protection and nutrition programmes relevant to families with children and pregnant women in the SBPs. Desk review of international practices and their impacts on children development. Map relevant stakeholders at local, provincial, and national levels. Map potential sources of budget for cash transfer programmes (National government budget allocations, Provincial and local government funds, etc.) Analyze socio-economic and nutritional conditions of the target population. Identify gaps, challenges, and opportunities for policy intervention. Design consultations plan with stakeholders at national and local levels.   Phase 2: Stakeholder Consultation Conduct consultations (interview and focus group) with stakeholders at the national and local levels on potential budget resources and operational mechanisms for a nutrition-sensitive social protection scheme. The list should include the following entities but not limited to:   National Government / Local Authorities Office of National Economic and Social Development Council Department of Health Ministry of Social Development and Human Security Ministry of Interior Department of Local Administration Relevant national committees – (e.g., National Nutrition Committee, National Child Development Committee, etc.) Southern Border Provinces Administrative Center Local authorities – Provincial, district, and sub-district administrative organizations Health promoting hospitals   Parents and Communities Parents of malnourished children Community leaders Teacher from public and private schools/early childhood development centers Health volunteers   Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and Academia CSOs – Civil Society Organizations Academic institutions – Universities, research centers, and policy think tanks   Consultations should include joint focus group discussions among the Departments of Health, MSDHS and SBPAC at the national and local levels.   In close consultation with UNICEF, identify and engage a core number of stakeholders to be organized as the “Technical Reference Group” for the undertaking.   Phase 3: Drafting of Policy Proposals Develop feasible costed policy options for a nutrition-sensitive social protection scheme, including eligibility criteria, benefit levels, delivery mechanisms, and monitoring frameworks. Present the proposals to stakeholders and incorporate feedback   Phase 4: Advocacy & Policy Dialogue Develop a policy brief summarizing the key rationale and the proposed costed options Organize policy dialogue meetings/events with key decision makers to present findings and    recommendations.     Deliverables and Timeline   Deliverables Indicative timeline of deliverables Deliverable 1 (estimated 20 working days) Inception report (in Thai and English) PowerPoint Presentation of the inception report in Thai and English Kick-off meeting with the Technical Reference Group   February - March 2026 Deliverable 2 (estimated 20 working days) At least one in-person focus group discussions/interview with all group of stakeholders at the national level At least one in-person focus group discussions/interview with all group of stakeholders at the local level Summary Report of Stakeholder Consultations in Thai and in English   April - June 2026 Deliverable 3 (estimated 20 working days) Draft policy proposals including different costed policy options (in Thai and English) Consultation meeting with the Technical Reference Group to incorporate feedback   July - August 2026 Deliverable 4  (estimated 15 working days) Final Report (in Thai and English) Policy brief (in Thai and English) Policy Dialogue meetings/events with key decision makers   September - October 2026   NB. Number of working days are only an estimation, bidder to confirm realistic number of days required in their technical and financial proposal. A detailed timeline will be agreed with the awarded contractor.     Reporting requirements   Reports as described above in No.4 of this TOR, followed by monthly update on the progress on achieving deliverables outlined in this TOR.  Additional meetings may be required based on needs. All deliverables and presentations must be provided in both English and Thai. The contractor shall be responsible for all revisions, including editing, until the deliverables meet UNICEF’s expected quality standards. Unless otherwise agreed during the inception phase, all submissions shall be delivered electronically   Note: All reports as part of the deliverables (such as inception report, draft report and final report) must meet the quality standards of UNICEF. Methodological rigor will be given significant consideration in assessing the quality of deliverables. In terms of ethical compliance, the research should be guided by the UNICEF Procedure on Ethical Standards in Research, Evaluation, Data Collection and Analysis (https://www.unicef.org/evaluation/media/1786/file/UNICEF%20Procedure%20on%20Ethical%20Standards%20in%20Research,%20Evaluation,%20Data%20Collection%20and%20Analysis.pdf) Where applicable, the approval of an ethical review board will be a prerequisite for the research and must be obtained during the inception phase.     Location and Duration   The assignment is expected to be completed within 9 months after the signing of the contract. (tentatively from February to October 2026). A detailed workplan will be agreed with the awarded contractor. The assignment will be completed at the contractor’s premises. The contractor will be responsible for acquiring resources and facilities required for its completion, including any travel arrangements. The awarded contractor will be required for travel to the SBPs and Bangkok to facilitate national-level activities under this assignment.     For full details, please refer to the attached Annex B - Terms of Reference.   This tender will be run through the UNICEF e-submissions system (UNGM). By clicking on the blue ‘Express Interest’ button in the UNGM tender notice, the full UNICEF e-submission system instructions to bidders document (including instructions on how to access the tender documents and submit an Offer) will be automatically emailed to the ‘contact persons’ included in your UNGM registration. Alternatively, the full UNICEF e-submission system instructions to bidders document is publicly available on the UNICEF supply internet pages here: https://www.unicef.org/supply/index_procurement_policies.html .   In the tender management site, if you navigate to the documents tab and opt in to confirm your intention to submit a Bid – you will then see the mandatory placeholders for documents that must be attached prior to submitting your Offer (you will also see if there are any mandatory questionnaires to complete). As such, you are recommended to `opt in` well before the submission deadline so you are clear exactly what documents are required to be uploaded prior to completing your submission.   Please note that in order to access the full-set of tender documents through UNICEF’s e-submissions system, vendors must: (1) be registered with UNICEF in UNGM as a company/NGO; (2) have successfully completed all mandatory information currently required by UNGM when registering.   Please ensure that any files submitted as part of your bid are not corrupt or damaged in any way. Please exercise caution when using compressed files. Any corrupt or damaged files may lead to your Bid being invalidated.   All vendors are strongly recommended to regularly log-in to the UNICEF e-submissions system to check for any deadline extensions, new clarifications, new correspondence or updated tender documents relating to this tender.   Should you have any questions against this solicitation, please submit your queries to Tongchanok Sonsawangphol at [email protected] with CC to: [email protected] - no later than 27 November 2025 so that all queries could be clarified and circulated to all bidders before the deadline.   The closing date of e-submission on UNGM is 4 December 2025 at 10.00 AM Bangkok time.   We look forward to receiving your proposals within the given timeline.   Best regards,   UNICEF Supply team