Contracting Authority: European Commission

Food Security Thematic Programme (FSTP)

Strengthening Civil Society Networking in the International Policy Dialogue for an Increased Food Security

Regional, Continental and Global Actions

Restricted Call for Proposals 2008

Guidelines for grant applicants

Budget line 21 02 01

Reference: EuropeAid/127646/C/ACT/Multi

Deadline
for submission of Concept Notes: 09/12/2008

Notice

This is a restricted Call for Proposals. In the first instance, only Concept Notes must be submitted for evaluation. Thereafter, applicants whose Concept Notes have been pre-selected will be invited to submit a Full Application Form. Further to the evaluation of the Full Applications, an eligibility check will be performed for those applicants who have been provisionally selected. This check will be undertaken on the basis of the supporting documents requested by the Contracting Authority, the signed "Declaration by the Applicant" sent together with the Concept Note, and the second Declaration sent together with the Full Application.

All Internet links in the present document are valid at the time of publication of this Call for Proposals. Nevertheless, they may be subject to changes at a later stage.

Table of contents

1.    Strengthening Civil Society Networking in the International Policy Dialogue for an Increased Food Security    4

1.1    Background    4

1.2    Objectives of the programme and priority issues    5

1.2.1 Objectives of this Call for Proposals    6

1.3    Financial allocation provided by the contracting authority    7

2.    Rules governing thIS call for proposalS    8

2.1    Eligibility criteria    8

2.1.1    Eligibility of applicants: who may apply?    8

2.1.2     Partnerships and eligibility of partners    9

2.1.3    Eligible actions: actions for which an application may be made    10

2.1.4    Eligibility of costs: costs which may be taken into consideration for the grant    11

2.2    How to apply and the procedures to follow    13

2.2.1    Concept Note content    13

2.2.2    Where and how to send Concept Notes    14

2.2.3    Deadline for submission of the Concept Notes    15

2.2.4    Further information for the Concept Note    15

2.2.5    Full Application Form    15

2.2.6    Where and how to send the Full Application Form    16

2.2.7    Deadline for submission of the Full Application form    17

2.2.8    Further information on the Full Application Form    18

2.3    Evaluation and selection of applications    19

2.4    Submission of supporting documents    24

2.5     Notification of the Contracting Authority's decision    26

2.5.1 Content of the decision    26

2.5.2 Indicative time table    27

2.6    Conditions applicable to implementation of the action following the Contracting Authority's decision to award a grant    28

3.    LIST OF annexes    29

1.    Strengthening Civil Society Networking in the International Policy Dialogue for an Increased Food Security

1.1    Background

The EC Food Security policy established in 1996 under Council Regulation (EC) N°1292/96 continues to guide the Commission's action to eradicate food insecurity. Following the reform of EC external assistance under the Financial Perspectives 2007-2013, the Food Security and Food Aid Budget Line were replaced by the Food Security Thematic Programme (FSTP), which observes the objectives of the European Consensus on Development (COM(2005)311) on attaining the MDGs. The Communication to the Council and the European Parliament "A Thematic Strategy for Food Security - Advancing the Food Security Agenda to Achieve the MDGs" (COM(2006)21) laid the foundations for the present FSTP strategy. The legal basis for the FSTP is the Development Cooperation Instrument (Regulation (EC) N° 1905/2006).

The new thematic strategy of the FSTP has been drawn up in response to food security problems, which, according to the principle of subsidiarity, cannot be addressed adequately and efficiently by other EC cooperation instruments. In particular in the current socio-economic, political and policy environments associated with the soaring food prices, the FSTP aims at ensuring overall coherence in the approach to food security at global, continental and regional levels, thus complementing geographical instruments.

The FSTP has an important role to play in helping to channel the efforts and resources deployed to face the current food crisis. There is scope for intensifying the policy dialogue on food security with development partners and other civil society organisations. Therefore, the sixth component of the FSTP, "Fostering advocacy and advancement of the food security agenda, harmonisation and alignment with development partners and donors", encourages the creation and/or strengthening of networking and thematic platforms to promote food security at national, regional and international level. On the donors' side and in line with the commitments of the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness (2005), the Annual Action Plan for Food Security 2008 supports the programme "Fostering European aid effectiveness for agricultural research for development" as well as the Global Donor Platform for Rural Development, with the overall aim of enhancing results and increasing aid efficiency. The Paris Declaration also recognises the crucial importance of the partner countries' ownership of their development policies and strategies. The primary aim of the present programme is therefore to contribute to the empowerment of civil society in order for partner countries to play an enhanced role in food security policy-making. In addition, increased consultation between all actors involved in food security will achieve greater complementarity and coordination of aid. This will also contribute to fully integrating the Community food security policy into the policies of the beneficiary countries.

The primary importance of the role and voice of civil society organisations and non-state actors as programme partners in the design and implementation of the FSTP strategies is fully acknowledged. Strengthening local ownership of strategies, programmes and projects, through the active participation of all components of civil society and through the promotion of social dialogue, must be encouraged and supported.

1.2    Objectives of the programme and priority issues

Overall objectives:

In order to make headway on the Community's commitment towards achieving the MDG1 of eradicating extreme poverty and hunger by 2015, it is crucial to increase the participation and engagement of various actors of civil society in policy dialogue at national, regional and international levels. Thematic networks can position themselves as a formidable force to enhance policy dialogue through the shared experience and best practices of various stakeholders. National food security networks are also the building blocks for a "bottom-up" approach to increase aid effectiveness and coordination by improving the communication of grassroots information. Moreover, food security networks can empower civil society to build bridges with national governments and the international community to enhance both food security and the quality of food security monitoring. The targeted beneficiaries of this programme are therefore a whole range of civil society actors, as well as decision-makers whose food security strategies can be enhanced through increased dialogue with civil society.

Specific objectives:

Civil society organisations in many developing countries are still regarded as too weak, unprepared or unorganised to actively contribute to policy-making through democratic processes. In order to reinforce civil society capacity, it is essential to improve civil society access to information as well as its analysis and advocacy capacity, in particular on the part of women and disadvantaged groups. In line with these objectives, the programme will therefore help strengthen the capacity of civil society to contribute to the food security debate at national, regional, and international levels. It will also aim at fostering cooperation between NGOs and other non-state actors, and the private and public sector.

The three action lines of this programme are the following:

1) To reinforce civil society capacities in developing countries:

• Strengthen the analysis and action capacities of civil society in the beneficiary countries with regard to food security and the fight against poverty;
  
• Promote links and alliance building among civil society actors in countries and regions in order to increase the organisational capacities of local communities, producers, and women's groups;
  
• Encourage and facilitate the direct participation of women and men living with or threatened by hunger in the decision-making processes that affect their 'Right to Food';
  
• Encourage governments of the beneficiary countries to involve more the civil society in the process of the conception of legislation and policies, as well as in following up their implementation.
  

2) To strengthen the contribution of civil society in the debate on food security policy-making at national/regional level in developing countries:

• Improve the capability of local authorities to implement a well-defined food security policy at decentralised level;
  
• Involve local civil society to conduct strategic thinking on subjects that are relevant to food security and/or nutrition issues in the region concerned;
  
• Help local civil society to identify and make decisions on actions to be implemented for the prevention and management of potential food and nutrition crises, including with regard to at-risk zones and the most vulnerable parts of the population;
  
• Inform and train civil society organisations in the beneficiary countries to increase their capacity of actively participating in national and regional debates and negotiations on poverty reduction strategies, as well as food and nutritional security, including the "Right to food";
  
• Strengthen the capacity of local civil society organisations to be more active in preventing food crises through their regular participation in regional fora/networks for discussion and action around food and nutrition security issues;
  
• Reinforce the capacity of local civil society organisations to better coordinate their actions in order to improve the dialogue with governments, parliaments, donors and other relevant institutions concerning food and nutrition security;
  
• Create, strengthen and support the capacity of continental or regional networks that can bring together local civil society, policy makers, international organisations, specialised NGOs, producer groups and researchers, and donors in order to more effectively prevent food crisis.
  

3) To support the participation of civil society in discussions and negotiations at international level:

• Reinforce the negotiation capacity of civil society in the South in international discussions and negotiations concerning food security and the fight against poverty;
  
• Promote more collaboration between governments and civil society from the South in international discussions and negotiations.
  

All proposals should clearly explain how the actions would contribute to the overall and specific objectives of this grant facility. The specific needs of the countries chosen for implementation should be demonstrated. Priority will be given to actions which embody participatory and innovative approaches to strengthening civil society for increased policy dialogue on food security issues.

1.2.1 Objectives of this Call for Proposals

The objectives of this call for proposals are to attain results as listed below. This list is not exhaustive.
Any other appropriate outcome not mentioned here may also be considered for support.

• The analysis capacity of southern civil society concerning food and nutritional security and the fight against poverty has improved;
  
• Southern civil society is better structured and more active in the targeted countries to develop and drive locally-owned strategies on food security advocacy;
  
• The capacity of local civil society organizations to reflect on strategies of reduction of poverty and food security, including the "right to food", is enhanced;
  
• The needs for a better food security of right holders, in particular vulnerable people, are better known;
  
• The conception of food security and environmentally sustainable national policies is conducted more democratically where there is greater involvement of civil society;
  
• The capacity of local civil society organizations to improve dialogue with governments and donors concerning food security in national policies is strengthened;
  
• The willingness of decision-makers to involve civil society in policy-making has increased;
  
• Civil society has a deeper understanding of and involvement in the issues at stake in international negotiations connected with food security;
  
• The capacity of civil society to create linkages between national, regional/sub-regional and international advocacy work related to food security issues has increased.
  

Actions will be selected, inter alia, on the basis of their expected results and potential effectiveness. Each proposal must therefore have its own performance and success indicators, which must be objective and verifiable.

1.3    Financial allocation provided by the contracting authority

The overall amount made available under this Call for Proposals is EUR 4,500,000.00 from the 2008 budget, as foreseen by the relevant financing decision (2008 Annual Action Programme for Food Security adopted by Commission Decision on 4 August 2008).

Where the indicative financial envelope foreseen for this Call for Proposals cannot be used due to insufficient quality or number of proposals received, the Contracting Authority reserves the right not to award all available funds and to reallocate the remaining funds to another Call under the Development Cooperation Instrument. Similarly, remaining funds from other Calls under this instrument may be reallocated to the present Call.

Size of grants

Any grant awarded under this Call for Proposals must fall between the following minimum and maximum amounts:

• Minimum amount: EUR 500,000
  

• Maximum amount: EUR 2,250,000
  

Moreover, a grant must be for at least 50% and may not exceed 80% of the total eligible costs of the project (see also Section 2.1.4). The balance must be financed from the applicant's or partners' own resources or from sources other than the European Community budget or the European Development Fund.

Full financing may only be applied in the cases provided for in Article 253 of the Implementing Rules of the Financial Regulations where financing in full is essential to carry out the action in question. In such a case the applicant must justify the full financing request in Part B, section I, point 2 of the Grant Application Form.

2.    Rules governing thIS call for proposalS

These guidelines set out the rules governing the submission, selection and implementation of actions financed under this call for proposals, in accordance with the provisions of the PRAG (Practical Guide to contract procedures for EC external actions).

The majority of terms used in the present guidelines are explained in the Glossary to the Practical Guide to contract procedures for EC external actions.

The aforementioned Practical Guide and the Glossary can be consulted at the following Internet address:

http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/work/procedures/implementation/practical_guide/index_en.htm    

In addition, the following definitions apply:

Partnership    the grouping of organisations, i.e. the main applicant and its partners, for the purpose of implementing the proposed action

Applicant    the organisation responsible for submitting the application

Partner    member
organisation of the partnership other than the applicant

Associate    organisation that plays an active role in the action but which cannot benefit from funding under the grant

Subcontractor     organisation contracted by the beneficiary in accordance with the appropriate procedures in order to execute specific tasks in implementing the action

Re-granting     financial support that may be given to third parties by the beneficiary of the Community where the implementation of the action so requires, subject to the conditions laid down in Articles 120 of the Financial Regulation and 184a of the Implementing Rules of the Financial Regulation

Regional action    Action implemented in two or more countries within the same geographically coherent area

2.1    Eligibility criteria

There are three sets of eligibility criteria, relating to:

• applicant(s) which may request a grant (2.1.1), and their partners (2.1.2);
  
• actions for which a grant may be awarded (2.1.3);
  
• types of cost which may be taken into account in setting the amount of the grant (2.1.4).
  

2.1.1    Eligibility of applicants: who may apply?

(1) In order to be eligible for a grant, applicants must:

• be legal persons and
  
• be non-profit-making and
  
• belong to one of the following categories:
  

      (i) Non-state non-profit making actors operating on an independent and accountable basis as listed in the Art. 24.2 of Regulation (EC) N° 1905/2006;
  

  
   

      (ii) public sector as well as private sector non-profit making agencies, institutions, organisations and networks at local, national, regional and international level;
  

  
   

      (iii) International and regional organisations as defined by Article 43 of the Implementing Rules to the EC Financial Regulation;
  

  
   

• be nationals
  of a Member State of the EEA or of the partner countries in which the action will take place and which are included in the list of aid recipients established by the Development Assistance Committee of the OECD (Art. 1 Regulation (EC) N° 1905/2006).
  
• be directly responsible, with their partners, for the preparation and management of the action, not acting as an intermediary and
  

(2) Potential applicants may not participate in Calls for Proposals or be awarded grants if they are in any of the situations which are listed in Section 2.3.3 of the Practical Guide to contract procedures for EC external actions (available from the Internet address indicated at the beginning of the section 2).

In part A, section III and, if applicable, in part B, section VI of the Grant Application Form ("Declaration by the applicant"), applicants must declare that they do not fall into any of the situations described.

2.1.2     Partnerships and eligibility of partners

Applicants are encouraged to act in partnership or association with one or more local organisations of the countries in which the action will take place. Working in partnership and especially multi-actor partnerships are of particular interest when these prove to be more effective in promoting increased civil society participation.

When evaluating the relevance of each proposal and the methodology used, the EC will attach particular importance to the choice of the partners involved as well as the quality of the partnership. The applicant should demonstrate all expected benefits and added value of the proposed partnerships. (See section 1.2.1 above).

Applicants' partners participate in designing and implementing the action, and the costs they incur are eligible in the same way as those incurred by the grant beneficiary. Partners must therefore satisfy the same eligibility criteria as applicants.

Where the applicant does not propose partners or associates, he must provide due justification that will be evaluated (sub-section 2.3 of the Concept Note evaluation grid and sub-section 3.3 of the Full Application Form evaluation grid).

The following are not partners and do not have to sign the "partnership statement":

• Associates
  

Other organisations may be involved in the action. Such associates play an actual role in the action but may not receive funding from the grant, with the exception of per diem or travel costs. Associates do not have to meet the eligibility criteria referred to in Section 2.1.1. The associates have to be mentioned in Part B Section IV - "Associates of the Applicant participating in the Action" of the Grant Application Form.

• Subcontractors
  

The grant beneficiaries have the possibility to award contracts to subcontractors. Subcontractors are neither partners nor associates, and are subject to the procurement rules set out in Annex IV to the Standard Grant Contract (see Annex F indicated in section 3 of the present guidelines).

The applicant will act as the lead organisation and, if selected, as the contracting party (the "beneficiary").

2.1.3    Eligible actions: actions for which an application may be made

An action (i.e. a project) comprises a set of activities.

Duration

The initial planned duration of an action may not be less than 24 months nor exceed 48 months.

Sectors or themes

Please refer to section 1.2.

Location

Actions must take place at the regional, continental, or global level across several (at least three) developing countries eligible under this programme (see 2.1.1). If duly justified, certain project activities, in particular with a view to transnational exchanges and for networking/coordination purposes, may take place in other countries.

Visibility

Applications should include a communication and visibility strategic plan both in the Full Application and the budget in line with the EC visibility guidelines:

http://www.cc.cec/dgintranet/europeaid/info_com/visibility_issues/index_en.htm

Monitoring and evaluation

Actions should provide for planning, human resources, budget and any other appropriate measures for the monitoring and evaluation of the proposed action.

Re-granting

Where the implementation of the proposed action requires financial support to be given to third parties, the applicant may propose awarding sub-grants.

Any such re-granting must be duly justified. The applicant must indicate in the proposal (Full Application Form) the total amount to be awarded in the form of sub-grants and specify the minimum and maximum amounts that may be allocated to third parties. In addition, the applicant must specify the criteria to be used to select the beneficiaries of these sub-grants. A list of the different types of activity which may be eligible for sub-grants must be included in the proposal.

The afore-mentioned elements will be included in the grant contract and, at the reporting stage, detailed narrative and financial information will have to be provided with regard to the activities covered by sub-grants.

The maximum amount for a sub-grant per third party is limited to EUR 10,000 while the total amount which can be awarded in the form of sub-grants to third parties is limited to EUR 100,000.

In no circumstances may re-granting be the principal activity of the proposed action.

The following types of action are ineligible:

• actions concerned only or mainly with individual sponsorships for participation in workshops, seminars, conferences, congresses;
  
• actions concerned only or mainly with individual scholarships for studies or training courses;
  
• actions concerned only with one-off conferences. Conferences can only be funded if they form part of a wider range of activities to be implemented in the life-time of the project. For these purposes, preparatory activities for a conference and the publication of the proceedings of the conference do not, in themselves, constitute such "wider activities";
  
• actions supporting individual political parties;
  
• actions including proselytism.
  

Number of proposals and grants per applicant

An applicant may not submit more than one proposal under this Call for Proposals.

2.1.4    Eligibility of costs: costs which may be taken into consideration for the grant

Only "eligible costs" can be taken into account for a grant. The categories of costs considered as eligible and non-eligible are indicated below. The budget is both a cost estimate and a ceiling for "eligible costs". The eligible costs must be based on real costs based on supporting documents (except for subsistence costs and indirect costs where flat-rate funding applies).

Recommendations to award a grant are always subject to the condition that the checking process which precedes the signing of the contract does not reveal problems requiring changes to the budget (for instance arithmetical errors, inaccuracies or unrealistic costs and other ineligible costs). The checks may give rise to requests for clarification and may lead the Contracting Authority to impose modifications or reductions to address such mistakes or inaccuracies. The amount of the grant and the percentage of co-financing as a result of these corrections may not be increased in any case.

It is therefore in the applicant's interest to provide a realistic and cost-effective budget.

Eligible direct costs

To be eligible under the Call for Proposals, costs must comply with the provisions of Article 14 of the General Conditions to the Standard Grant Contract (see Annex F to the present guidelines – follow link on the last page).

Contingency reserve

A contingency reserve not exceeding 5% of the direct eligible costs of the action may be included in the Budget of the action. It can only be used with the prior written authorisation of the Contracting Authority.

Eligible indirect costs (overheads)

The indirect costs incurred in carrying out the action may be eligible for flat-rate funding fixed at not more than 7% of the total eligible costs.

If the applicant is in receipt of an operating grant financed from the Community budget no indirect costs may be claimed within the proposed budget for the action.

Contributions in kind

Contributions in kind are not considered as expenditure and are not eligible costs. Contributions in kind may not be treated as co-financing by the beneficiary.

The cost of staff assigned to the action is not a contribution in kind and may be considered as co-financing in the Budget of the action when paid by the beneficiary or partners.

Notwithstanding the above, if the description of the action as proposed by the beneficiary foresees contributions in kind, such contributions must be listed in Annex A (Part B, section I, point 3) and must be provided during implementation.

Ineligible costs

The following costs are not eligible:

• debts and provisions for losses or debts;
  

• interest owed;
  
• items already financed in another framework;
  
• purchases of land or buildings, except where necessary for the direct implementation of the action, in which case ownership must be transferred to the final beneficiaries and/or local partners, at the latest by the end of the action;
  
• currency exchange losses;
  
• taxes, including VAT;
  
• credits to third parties.
  

2.2    How to apply and the procedures to follow

This is a restricted Call for Proposals. In the first instance, only Concept Notes must be submitted for evaluation. Thereafter, applicants whose Concept Notes have been pre-selected will be invited to submit a Full Application Form.

Prior registration in the PADOR system (Potential Applicant Data On-Line Registration) is obligatory under this Call for Proposals for both applicants and partners. The EuropeAid ID number (assigned upon registration in PADOR) of the applicant organisation as well as that of any partner organisation must be indicated in the Concept Note.

However, the applicant can submit a request for derogation concerning its registration in PADOR and for that of its partner(s). A reasoned request for derogation should be sent to the Contracting Authority at the address indicated in section 2.2.2. of the Guidelines together with the Concept Note. The justification for derogation must be based on the objective impossibility of the applicant and/or its partner(s) to have access to the technology required to register in PADOR. This objective impossibility should go beyond the control of the applicant and/or its partner(s) and, in principle, be of a general nature (i.e. not attributable to the specific circumstances of the applicant and/or its partner(s) themselves). The applicant should provide, where possible, supporting documents substantiating its request. Any derogation granted will apply only to the specific call for proposals in the context of which it was requested. If derogation is granted, data will be introduced into PADOR by the European Commission. If, at a later stage, the organisation wishes to update its data itself, an access request will have to be sent to the PADOR help desk at the address indicated hereafter.

All questions related to the registration in PADOR should be addressed to the PADOR help desk:

europeaid-on-line-registration-hd@ec.europa.eu

2.2.1    Concept Note content

Applications must be submitted in accordance with the instructions on the Concept Note included in the Grant Application Form annexed to these Guidelines (Annex A, Part A) taking care to use the correct application documents for this Call (to be downloaded from the EuropeAid website at

http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/cgi/frame12.pl ).

Any Concept Note using the format relating to any other Call may be rejected.

The applications must be submitted in one of the following Community languages: English, French or Spanish, whichever is commonly used in the country of origin of the target population.

In the Concept Note, applicants are only required to provide an estimate of the requested amount of the European Commission contribution. Only the applicants invited to submit a full proposal in the second phase will be required to present a detailed budget.

Any error or major discrepancy related to the points listed in the instructions on the Concept Note may lead to the rejection of the Concept Note.

Clarifications may only be requested when information provided is unclear, thus preventing the Contracting Authority from conducting an objective assessment.

Hand-written Concept Notes will not be accepted.

The Concept Note together with the Checklist for the Concept Note (Part A, section II of the Grant Application Form) and the Declaration by the applicant for the Concept Note (Part A, section III of the Grant Application Form) must be submitted in one (1) paper original.

Concept notes must also be submitted in electronic format
(1 CD-Rom). The electronic version must be identical to the submitted paper version.

Only the Concept Note form will be evaluated. It is therefore of the utmost importance that this document contains ALL relevant information concerning the action. No additional annexes should be sent.

2.2.2    Where and how to send Concept Notes

Concept Notes must be submitted in a sealed envelope by registered mail with confirmation of delivery, by private courier service or delivered by handed to the address below (a signed and dated acknowledgement of receipt will be given by the Contracting Authority). For the convenience of the applicants, an address form has been attached in annexes I and J to the present guidelines. Applicants are encouraged to complete it and use it as a label for the outer envelope.

Postal address

European Commission
EuropeAid Co-operation Office

Unit F4 – Finances, Contracts and Audit for thematic budget lines

Call for Proposals Sector

    Office: L-41 03/154

    B - 1049 Brussels

BELGIUM

Address for hand-delivery or private courier service

European Commission    
    EuropeAid Cooperation Office

Unit F4 – Finances, Contracts and Audit for thematic budget lines

Call for Proposals Sector

    Office: L-41 03/154

    Central Mail Service     
    Avenue du Bourget 1    
    B-1140 Brussels (Evere)

BELGIUM

Concept Notes sent by fax or by e-mail or delivered to other addresses will be rejected.

The outer envelope must bear the reference and the title of the Call for Proposals, the full name and address of the applicant, and the words "Not to be opened before the opening session".

Applicants must verify that their Concept Note is complete using the Checklist for Concept Note (Part A, section II of the Grant Application Form). Incomplete Concept Notes may be rejected.

2.2.3    Deadline for submission of the Concept Notes

The deadline for the submission of Concept Notes is 09/12/2008 (date at place of dispatch) as evidenced by the postmark or the date of the deposit slip. In the case of hand-deliveries, the deadline for receipt is 09/12/2008 at 16:00 hrs (Brussels date and time) as evidenced by the Contracting Authority's signed and dated acknowledgement of receipt given to the bearer.

Any Concept Note sent after the deadline or, in case of hand-deliveries, received after the stipulated time will be rejected.

Any Concept Note received by the Contracting Authority on or after the effective date of completion of the evaluation of the Concept Notes will be treated as having been submitted after the deadline and, therefore, rejected.

The applicant is solely responsible for the choice of means of dispatch amongst those indicated in section 2.2.2 and for following up the delivery.

2.2.4    Further information for the Concept Note

Questions (except those related to registration in PADOR) may be sent by e-mail no later than 21 days before the deadline for the submission of Concept Notes to the below address, clearly indicating the reference of the Call for Proposals:

E-mail address: EuropeAid-GlobalCalls@ec.europa.eu

Replies will be sent no later than 11 days before the deadline for the submission of Concept Notes. The Contracting Authority has no obligation to provide further clarifications after this date.

After the deadline for submission of Concept Notes, the above-mentioned e-mail address can only be used by the Contracting Authority to initiate correspondence regarding any requests for clarification that may be required.

No individual replies to queries with regard to the status of the selection procedure can be given via this mailbox.

In the interest of equal treatment of applicants, the Contracting Authority cannot give a prior opinion on the eligibility of an applicant, a partner, an action or specific activities.

In addition, during the course of the evaluation procedure, important notices to applicants may be published on EuropeAid website http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/cgi/frame12.pl together with the other documents related to this call, as the need arises. Applicants are therefore strongly encouraged to consult this webpage regularly.

All questions related to PADOR registration should be addressed to the PADOR help desk:

Europeaid-on-line-registration-hd@ec.europa.eu

2.2.5    Full Application Form

Applicants invited to submit a Full Application Form following the pre-selection of the Concept Note must do so by using the application documents annexed to the present Guidelines: Annex A, Part B – Full Application Form, Annex B – Budget and Annex C – Logical Framework.

These are to be downloaded from the EuropeAid website at the address indicated in section 2.2.1. Applicants should keep strictly to the format of the application form and fill in the paragraphs and pages in order, taking care to use the correct application documents for this Call. Applications submitted on application documents relating to any other call may be rejected.

Budgetary information concerning the action should be provided using round figures and be presented only in the Budget (Annex B).

Applicants should note that there are two
worksheets
in Annex B that have to be completed:

Worksheet 1 – "Budget for the action" (worksheet 1 must include all
eligible costs that are expected to be incurred by the action), and

Worksheet 2 – "Expected sources of funding" (worksheet 2 must indicate the amount and percentage of financing per source, i.e. requested EC contribution, applicant's contribution, any other donors' contributions, etc).

The amount of the requested EC contribution may vary in this detailed budget from the initial Concept Note estimate by not more than 20% but must still respect the limits indicated in section 1.3. Any variation higher than 20% should be duly justified in the Grant Application Form (Annex A, Part B, section I, point 2).

Applicants must submit their applications in the same language as their Concept Note.

The Full Application Form should be completed carefully and as clearly as possible to facilitate the evaluation. The reference number allocated to the Concept Note by the Contracting Authority should appear on the cover page of the Full Application Form.

The information contained in the Concept Note cannot be altered in the Full Application Form.

Any error related to the points listed in the Checklist (Part B, section V of the Grant Application Form) or any major inconsistency in the Full Application Form may lead to the rejection of the application.

Clarifications will only be requested when the information provided is unclear, and thus prevents the Contracting Authority from conducting an objective assessment.

Hand-written applications will not be accepted.

The Full Application Form, the Budget and the Logical Framework must be submitted in one (1) paper original, as well as in electronic version (1 CD-Rom).

The electronic version must be identical to the submitted paper version. Each component of the application (Full Application Form, Budget and Logical Framework) must be submitted in a single, separate electronic file (for example, the application form must not be split into several different electronic files) and should not contain coloured or high resolution graphs, images or diagrams.

Only the Full Application Form and the published annexes which must be completed (budget, logical framework) will be evaluated. It is therefore of the utmost importance that these documents contain ALL relevant information concerning the action. No supplementary annexes should be sent.

2.2.6    Where and how to send the Full Application Form

The Full Application Form must be submitted in a sealed envelope by registered mail with confirmation of delivery, courier service or by hand-delivery to the address below (a signed and dated certificate of acknowledgement will be given by the Contracting Authority to the bearer). For the convenience of applicants, an address form has been attached in Annexes I and J to the present guidelines. Applicants are encouraged to complete it and use it as a label for the outer envelope.

Postal address

European Commission
EuropeAid Co-operation Office

Unit F4 – Finances, Contracts and Audit for thematic budget lines

Call for Proposals Sector
    Office: L-41 03/154

    B - 1049 Brussels

BELGIUM

Address for hand-delivery or private courier service

European Commission    
    EuropeAid Cooperation Office

Unit F4 – Finances, Contracts and Audit for thematic budget lines

Call for Proposals Sector

    Office: L-41 03/154

Central Mail Service     
Avenue du Bourget 1    
B-1140 Brussels (Evère)

BELGIUM

Full Application Forms sent by fax or by e-mail or delivered to other addresses will be rejected.

The Checklist (Part B, Section V of the Grant Application Form) and the Declaration by the applicant (Part B, Section VI of the Grant Application Form) must be stapled separately and enclosed in the envelope.

The outer envelope must bear the reference and the title of the Call for Proposals, the reference number allocated to the Concept Note, the full name and address of the applicant, and the words "Not to be opened before the opening session".

Applicants must verify that their application is complete using the Checklist (Part B, section V of the Grant Application Form). Incomplete applications may be rejected.

2.2.7    Deadline for submission of the Full Application form

The deadline for the submission of the Full Application Forms will be indicated in the letter sent to the pre-selected applicants. Submission within the deadline will be evidenced by the postmark or the date of the deposit slip. For hand deliveries, the deadline for submission of Full Application Forms will be on the same date as indicated in the above-mentioned letter at 16:00 Brussels time. In this case, reception within the deadline will be evidenced by the signed and dated acknowledgement of receipt given to the bearer by the Contracting Authority.

In addition, a notice indicating the deadline for submission of Full Application Forms will be published on the EuropeAid website http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/cgi/frame12.pl together with the other documents related to this call.

Any Full Application Form sent after the deadline or, in the case of hand-deliveries, received after the stipulated time will be rejected.

Any Full Application Form received by the Contracting Authority on or after the effective date of completion of the evaluation of the Full Application Forms will be treated as having been submitted after the deadline and, therefore, rejected.

The applicant is solely responsible for the choice of means of dispatch amongst those indicated in Section 2.2.6 and for following up the delivery.

2.2.8    Further information on the Full Application Form

Questions concerning Full Application Forms (except those related to registration in PADOR) may be sent by e-mail to the address below no later than 21 days before the deadline for the submission of applications, indicating clearly the reference of the Call for Proposals:

E-mail address: EuropeAid-GlobalCalls@ec.europa.eu

Replies will be given no later than 11 days before the deadline for the submission of the Full Application Forms. The Contracting Authority has no obligation to provide further clarifications after this date.

After the deadline for submission of Full Application Forms, the above-mentioned e-mail address can only be used by the Contracting Authority to initiate correspondence regarding any requests for clarification that may be required.

No individual replies to queries with regard to the status of the selection procedure can be given via this mailbox.

In the interest of equal treatment of applicants, the Contracting Authority cannot give a prior opinion on the eligibility of an applicant, a partner, an action or specific activities.

In addition, during the course of the evaluation procedure, important notices to applicants may be published on the EuropeAid website http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/cgi/frame12.pl together with other documents related to this call, as the need arises. The applicants are therefore strongly encouraged to consult this webpage regularly.

All questions related to PADOR registration should be addressed to the PADOR help desk:

Europeaid-on-line-registration-hd@ec.europa.eu

2.3    Evaluation and selection of applications

Applications will be examined and evaluated by the Contracting Authority according to the following steps and criteria.

If at any stage in the evaluation process any component of the application (the applicant, a partner or the action) is identified as not fulfilling the eligibility criteria specified in Section 2.1.1, 2.1.2 and 2.1.3 of the present guidelines, the application may be rejected on that basis alone.

• STEP 1: OPENING SESSION AND ADMINISTRATIVE CHECK OF THE CONCEPT NOTE
  

The following will be assessed:

• The deadline has been respected. If the deadline has not been respected, the proposal will be rejected.
  
• The Concept Note satisfies all the criteria mentioned in the Checklist (part A, section II of the Grant Application Form). If any of the requested information is missing or is incorrect, the proposal may be rejected on that basis alone and the proposal will not be evaluated further.
  

Following the opening session and the administrative check of the Concept Notes, the Contracting Authority will send a letter to all applicants, indicating whether their Concept Note was submitted prior to the deadline, informing them of the reference number allocated to it and whether their Concept Note has been recommended for evaluation.

The Contracting Authority reserves the right to proceed directly to the evaluation of the Concept Notes (step 2) submitted within the deadline and in the language specified in section 2.2.1 of the guidelines.

• STEP 2: EVALUATION OF THE CONCEPT NOTE
  

The evaluation of the Concept Notes will cover the relevance of the action, its merits and effectiveness, its viability and sustainability. The Contracting Authority reserves the right not to undertake the evaluation of the Concept Notes whenever considered justified (for example when a less than expected number of proposals are received) and to invite the applicants to submit Full Application Forms.

The scores awarded to the Concept Note are completely separate from those that may be awarded to the Full Application.

The Concept Note will be given an overall score out of 50 points in accordance with the breakdown provided in the Evaluation Grid below. The evaluation shall also verify compliance with the instructions provided in the guidance for the Concept Note, part A of the Grant Application Form.

The evaluation criteria are divided into headings and subheadings. Each subheading will be given a score between 1 and 5 in accordance with the following assessment categories: 1 = very poor; 2 = poor; 3 = adequate; 4 = good; 5 = very good.

Scores1. Relevance of the actionSub-score151.1 Relevance of the problems to needs and constraints of the country/region to be addressed in general, and to those of the target groups and final beneficiaries in particular

1.2 Relevance to the priorities/objectives mentioned in the Guidelines
55(x2)*2. Effectiveness and Feasibility of the actionSub-score252.1 Assessment of the problem identification and analysis

2.2 Assessment of the proposed activities (practicality and consistency in relation to the objectives, purpose and expected results)

2.3 Assessment of the role and involvement of all stakeholders and proposed partners
NB: If there are no partners the score will be 1 unless it is duly justified.5
5(x2)*
5(x2)*3. Sustainability of the actionSub-score103.1 Assessment of the identification of the main assumptions and risks, before the start up and throughout the implementation period

3.2 Assessment of the identification of long-term sustainable impact on the target groups and final beneficiaries
5

5TOTAL SCORE50
*the scores are multiplied by 2 because of their importance

Once all Concept Notes have been assessed, a list will be drawn up with the proposed actions ranked according to their total score.

First, only the Concept Notes which have been given a score of at least 12 points in the "Relevance" category, as well as a minimum total score of 30 points, will be considered for pre-selection.

Secondly, the list of Concept Notes will be reduced in accordance with the ranking awarded to those for whom the total of requested contributions amounts to at least twice the available budget for this Call for Proposals. The pre-selected applicants will subsequently be invited to submit Full Application Forms.

STEP 3: OPENING SESSION AND ADMINISTRATIVE CHECK OF THE FULL APPLICATION FORM
 

The following will be assessed:

• The deadline has been respected. If the deadline has not been respected the proposal will be rejected.
  

• The Full Application Form satisfies all the criteria mentioned in the Checklist (Part B, Section V of the Grant Application Form). If any of the requested information is missing or is incorrect, the proposal may be rejected on that basis alone and the proposal will not be evaluated further.
  

Following the opening session and the administrative check of the Full Application Form, the Contracting Authority will send a letter to all applicants, indicating whether their application was submitted prior to the deadline, whether their application has satisfied all the criteria mentioned in the checklist and whether their application has been recommended for evaluation.

(4)    STEP 4: EVALUATION OF THE FULL APPLICATION FORM

An evaluation of the quality of the proposals, including the proposed budget, and of the capacity of the applicant and the partners, will be carried out in accordance with the evaluation criteria set out in the Evaluation Grid below. There are two types of evaluation criteria: selection criteria and award criteria.

The selection criteria are intended to help evaluate the applicants' financial and operational capacity, in order to ensure that they:

• have stable and sufficient sources of finance to maintain their activity throughout the period during which the action is being carried out and, where appropriate, to participate in its funding;
  
• have the management capacity, professional competencies and qualifications required to successfully complete the proposed action. This also applies to any partners of the applicant.
  

The award criteria allow the quality of the proposals submitted to be evaluated in relation to the set objectives and priorities, and grants to be awarded to actions which maximise the overall effectiveness of the Call for Proposals. They enable the selection of proposals which the Contracting Authority can be confident will comply with its objectives and priorities and which guarantee the visibility of Community financing. The criteria cover such aspects as the relevance of the action, its consistency with the objectives of the Call for Proposals, quality, expected impact, sustainability and cost-effectiveness.

Scoring:

The evaluation criteria are divided into sections and subsections. Each subsection will be given a score between 1 and 5 in accordance with the following guidelines: 1 = very poor; 2 = poor; 3 = adequate; 4 = good; 5 = very good.

Evaluation Grid

Note on Section 1. Financial and operational capacity

If the total average score is less than 12 points for section 1, the proposal will be rejected.

Note on Section 2. Relevance

If the total average score is less than 20 points for section 2, the proposal will be rejected.

Provisional selection

Following the evaluation, a table listing the proposals ranked according to their score and within the available financial envelope will be established, as well as a reserve list drawn up according to the same criteria.

Note: The scores awarded in this phase are completely separate from those given to the Concept Note of the same application.

(5) STEP 5: VERIFICATION OF ELIGIBILITY OF THE APPLICANT AND PARTNERS

The eligibility check, based on the supporting documents requested by the Contracting Authority (see section 2.4), will only be performed for proposals that have been provisionally selected according to their score and within the available financial envelope.

• The Declaration by the applicant (Part B, Section VI of the Grant Application Form) will be cross-checked with the supporting documents provided by the applicant. Any missing supporting document or any inconsistency between the Declaration by the applicant and the supporting documents may lead to the rejection of the proposal on that basis alone.
  

• The eligibility of the applicant and the partners will be verified according to the criteria set out in Sections 2.1.1 and 2.1.2.
  

Following the above analysis and if necessary, any rejected proposal will be replaced by the next best placed proposal in the reserve list that falls within the available, which will then be examined to determine the eligibility of its applicant and the partners.

Based on the verification of the supporting documents, the Contracting Authority will prepare the final list of the grants to be awarded under this Call for Proposals.

2.4    Submission of supporting documents

The supporting documents listed below are required in order to allow the Contracting Authority to verify the eligibility of the applicants and their partners.

All required supporting documents for both applicants and partners for this Call for Proposals must be uploaded in the PADOR system. The deadline for uploading them in the system is the same as the deadline for submission of the Full Application Form (see section 2.2.7).

If derogation from the obligation to register in PADOR has been granted (see section 2.2), the applicant will be informed in the letter of invitation to submit a Full Application and, in this case, must send all
required supporting documents
for this Call for Proposals to the address indicated in Section 2.2.2 together with the Full Application Form.

If the supporting documents are not provided within the deadline above the application may be rejected.

Required supporting documents for the applicant:

1. The statutes or articles of association of the applicant organisation. Such documents must prove that the organisation in question meets all the required eligibility criteria indicated in section 2.1.1. above (i.e. legal existence, non profit-making status, category of organisation and objectives, nationality, etc.). They must bear the stamp of the appropriate authorising body (ministry, lawyer, etc.) or be accompanied by relevant registration documents or other appropriate documentation. Any such accompanying documentation must be uploaded into PADOR in the same electronic file as the statutes or articles of association or, when a derogation from registration in PADOR has been granted, must be sent together with the supporting documents.

This obligation does not apply to international organisations which have signed a framework agreement with the European Commission. A list of the relevant framework agreements is available at the following address:

http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/work/procedures/implementation/international_organisations/index_en.htm

2. Where the grant requested exceeds EUR 500,000, an external audit report produced by an approved auditor, certifying the applicant's accounts for the last financial year available.  

This obligation does not apply to international organisations.

This obligation does not apply to universities.

This obligation does not apply to public bodies.

3. Copy of the applicant's latest accounts (the profit and loss account and the balance sheet for the previous financial year for which the accounts have been closed).

Required supporting documents for partners:

The statutes or articles of association of the partner organisation(s). Such documents must prove that the organisation in question meets all the required eligibility criteria indicated in section 2.1.2. above (i.e. legal existence, category of organisation and objectives, nationality, etc.). They must bear the stamp of the appropriate authorising body (ministry, lawyer, etc.) or be accompanied by relevant registration documents or other appropriate documentation. Any such accompanying documentation must be uploaded into PADOR in the same electronic file as the statutes or articles of association or, when a derogation from registration in PADOR has been granted, must be sent together with the supporting documents.

This obligation does not apply to international organisations which have signed a framework agreement with the European Commission. A list of the relevant framework agreements is available at the following address:

http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/work/procedures/implementation/international_organisations/index_en.htm

Requirements for all supporting documents:

The supporting documents requested must be supplied in the form of originals, photocopies or scanned versions (i.e. showing legible stamps, signatures and dates) of the said originals.

Where such documents are not in one of the official languages of the European Union, a translation into one of the languages of the Call for Proposals (see Section 2.2.1) of the relevant parts of these documents, proving the applicant's and partner's (s') eligibility, must be uploaded into PADOR in the same electronic file as the original language version (or, in the case of derogation from PADOR registration having been granted, be sent with the supporting documents) and will prevail for the purpose of analysing the proposal.

Where these documents are in an official language of the European Union other than the languages of the Call for Proposals, it is strongly recommended, in order to facilitate the evaluation, to provide a translation of the relevant parts of the documents, proving the applicant's and partner's (s') eligibility, into one of the languages of the Call for Proposals. Where such translation is provided, it must be uploaded into PADOR in the same electronic file as the original language version (or, in the case of derogation from PADOR registration having been granted, be sent with the supporting documents).

2.5     Notification of the Contracting Authority's decision

2.5.1 Content of the decision

Applicants will be informed in writing of the Contracting Authority's decision concerning their application and, where applicable, the principal reason(s) for a negative decision.

Upon notification, successful applicants should proceed with the preparation of the Financial Identification Form (Annex D) and, for those having not previously had a contract with the European Commission, the Legal Entity Sheet (Annex E). These documents will be requested from them by the Contracting Authority in order to prepare the contract.

Applicants who were unsuccessful at the Opening and Administrative Check stages of the procedure (Step 1 and Step 3) or at the Eligibility check stage (Step 5) wishing to obtain further information should send their request by letter, indicating the reference of the Call for Proposals and the reference allocated to the proposal, to:

European Commission    
EuropeAid Co-operation Office

Unit F4 Finance, Contracts and Audit for Thematic Budget Lines
Attn. Head of the Calls for Proposals Sector    
Office L-41 03/136
B-1049 Brussels

Belgium

Applicants who were unsuccessful at the technical evaluation stages of the procedure (Step 2 or Step 4) and wish to obtain further information should send their request, indicating the reference of the Call for Proposals and the reference allocated to the proposal, to:

European Commission    
EuropeAid Co-operation Office

Unit F3 Central Management of Thematic Budget Lines PA DEV

Attn. Head of Unit

Office L-41 02/072

B-1049 Brussels
Belgium

The request for further information should be sent to the Contracting Authority no later than 90 days from the date of receipt of the letter informing the applicants of the negative decision concerning their application.

The Contracting Authority must reply within 90 days of receipt of the request for information.

Thereafter, applicants who believe that there has been an error or irregularity during the award process may send a petition, no later than 90 days from the date of receipt of the above-mentioned reply from the Contracting Authority, to the following address:

European Commission    
EuropeAid Co-operation Office

Directorate F – Thematic Operations

Attn. The Director
Office L-41 06/169
B-1049 Brussels, Belgium

The Contracting Authority must reply within 90 days of receipt of the said petition.

2.5.2 Indicative time table

The indicative calendar will be published on EuropeAid website http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/cgi/frame12.pl

together with the other documents related to this call and will be updated in the course of the evaluation procedure.

2.6    Conditions applicable to implementation of the action following the Contracting Authority's decision to award a grant

Following the decision to award a grant, the beneficiary will be offered a contract based on the Contracting Authority's standard contract (see Annex F of the present guidelines). By signing the Grant Application Form (Annex A), the applicant declares that it accepts the Contractual conditions as laid down in the Standard Contract should it be awarded a grant.

If the successful applicant is an international organisation, the model Contribution Agreement with an international organisation or any other contract template agreed between the international organisation concerned and the Contracting Authority will be used instead of the standard grant contract, provided that the international organisation in question offers the guarantees provided for in Article 53d (1) of the Financial Regulation, as described in Chapter 7 of the Practical Guide to contract procedures for EC external actions.

Implementation contracts

Where implementation of the action requires the beneficiary to award procurement contracts, it must award the contract to the tenderer offering the best value for money –- that is to say, the best price-quality ratio -– in compliance with the principles of transparency and equal treatment for potential contractors, with care being taken to avoid any conflict of interests. To this end, the Beneficiary must follow the procedures set out in Annex IV to the contract.

3.    LIST OF annexes

DOCUMENTS TO FILL IN

Annex A: Grant Application Form (Word format)

Annex B: Budget (Excel format)

Annex C: Logical Framework (Excel format)

DOCUMENTS FOR INFORMATION

Annex D: Legal ENTITY SHEET (Excel format)

See documents E3e at

http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/work/procedures/implementation/grants/annexes_standard_documents/index_en.htm

Annex E: Financial identification form

See document E3f at

http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/work/procedures/implementation/grants/annexes_standard_documents/index_en.htm

Annex F: Standard Contract (Word format) See documents from E3h_1 to E3h_9 at

http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/work/procedures/implementation/grants/annexes_standard_documents/index_en.htm

E3h_1 Special Conditions

E3h_2 - Annex II: General conditions applicable to european community-financed grant contracts for external actions
E3h_3 - Annex IV: contract award procedures
E3h_4 - ANNEX V: standard request for payment and financial identification form
E3h_5 - annex VI: interim narrative report

E3h_6 - annex VI: final narrative report

E3h_7- annex VI: financial report

E3h_8 - annex vii: model report of factual findings and terms of reference for an expenditure verification of an ec financed grant contract for external actions
E3h_9- ANNEX VIII: MODEL FINANCIAL GUARANTEE

Annex G: Daily allowance rates (Per diem) http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/work/procedures/implementation/per_diems/index_en.htm

Annex h: Standard Contribution agreement, applicable in case where the beneficiary is an International organisation

http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/work/procedures/implementation/international_organisations/index_en.htm

ANNEX I: ADDRESS FORM (postal address – applications to be sent by post)

ANNEX J: ADDRESS FORM (Address for hand-delivery or courier service)

ANNEX K: List of eligible beneficiary countries under Call for Proposals EuropeAid/127646/C/ACT/Multi

http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/23/34/37954893.pdf

ANNEX I – ADDRESS FORM (postal address – applications to be sent by registered post)

Call reference: EuropeAid/127646/C/ACT/Multi

Please fill in:

DO NOT OPEN BEFORE THE OPENING SESSION

European Commission    
EuropeAid Co-operation Office

Unit F4 Finance, Contracts and Audit for Thematic Budget Lines

Call for Proposals Sector

Office L-41 03/154

B-1049 Brussels

BELGIUM

ANNEX J ADDRESS FORM (Address for hand-delivery or courier service)

Call reference: EuropeAid/127646/C/ACT/Multi

Please fill in:

DO NOT OPEN BEFORE THE OPENING SESSION

European Commission    
EuropeAid Co-operation Office

Unit F4 Finance, Contracts and Audit for Thematic Budget Lines
Call for Proposals sector

Office L-41 03/154

Central Mail Service

Avenue du Bourget 1

B-1140 Brussels (Evère)

BELGIUM