Counterpart International Afghanistan Afghan Civic Engagement Program (ACEP) Request for Applications (RFA) Government Monitoring Grant(GMG) Issuance Date of RFA: Dec 08, 2016 Deadline for Submission of Questions: Orientation Session Date: December13, 2016 at 04:30 PM Kabul Time December 15, 2016 at 02:00 PM Kabul time Posting Date of Answers to Questions: December 19, 2016 Application Submission Deadline Date: December 28, 2016 at 23:59 Kabul Time Projected Date of Grant Award: January 19, 2017 RFA Number: RFA 17-04 Purpose of the RFA: Eligible Organizations: To solicit applications from eligible Afghan Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) supporting the role of citizens and Civil Society Organizations in holding state institutions accountable through researching, reporting and implementing anticorruption and government monitoring activities that improve government service delivery. Afghan Civil Society Organizations (CSO) holding valid registration certificates from the Ministry of Economy and/or Ministry of Justice, formally constituted, have its principle place of business in the recipient country, and compliant with all applicable civil and fiscal regulations. Applicants must display sound management in the form of financial, administrative, and technical policies and procedures and present a system of internal controls that safeguard assets; protect against fraud, waste, and abuse; and support the achievement of program goals and objectives. ACEP will assess this capability prior to awarding a grant. Page 1 of 11
Dear Potential Applicant: The USAID-funded Afghan Civic Engagement Program (ACEP), Counterpart International, Inc. (Counterpart) is soliciting competitive applications from eligible organizations for an Advance Plus Cost Reimbursement Grant, as described in this solicitation. Only Afghan civil society organizations (CSOs) operating at the regional level, holding valid registration certificates from the Ministry of Economy and/or the Ministry of Justice and fulfil other criterion mentioned below are eligible to apply for the Government Monitoring Advance Plus Cost Reimbursement Grant. The eligibility requirements are further described in the RFA. Counterpart International anticipates awarding one (1)Advance Plus Cost Reimbursement grants to a CSO for a period of nine (9) months, and for up to AFN Afghani 3,300,000. The anticipated start date of the Regional Civic Engagement Grants is on or about January 19, 2017. Applications must be submitted in accordance with the instructions contained in this solicitation. A. OBJECTIVE To solicit applications from eligible Afghan Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) supporting the role of citizens and Civil Society Organizations in holding state institutions accountable through researching, reporting and implementing anti-corruption and government monitoring activities that improve government service delivery. The key purpose of this grant is to support the role of citizens and Civil Society Organizations in holding state institutions accountable through researching, reporting and implementing activities aimed at curbing corruption and improving government service delivery. Under this grant, CSO initiatives will address issues at the policy and implementation levels which should improve government service delivery and create transparency and accountability of the government institutions to the public. CSOs must integrate gender and youth approaches in all of its initiatives. In PY4, ACEP anticipates to award one (1) Government Monitoring Grant (with a maximum value of AFN 3,300,000) to an eligible Afghan CSO for a period of up to nine (9) months to support CSOs in conducting government monitoring and implement anti-corruption activities. B. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION Background The Afghan Civic Engagement Program (ACEP) is a five-year program, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by Counterpart International, Inc. (Counterpart), in partnership with Internews Network (Internews), the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) USA and the International Centre for Non-profit Law (ICNL). The Page 2 of 11
goal of ACEP is to promote civil society and media engagement that enables Afghan citizens to influence policy, monitor government accountability, and serve as advocates for political reform. The program aims to achieve this goal through five program areas: (1) Regular Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) Engagement with Government; (2) Increased CSO and Media Thematic Expertise in Democracy and Governance; (3) Expanded Civic Engagement; (4) Improved Access to Independent News and Public Affairs Information, and (5) Increased CSO Organizational Capacity. During Program Year (PY1) 1, under its Government Monitoring and Policy Advocacy Grant Initiative, ACEP awarded grants to six (6) CSOs to conduct government budgeting analysis and monitor government service delivery evaluation and policy advocacy. Similarly, in coordination with the USAID-funded Afghanistan Electoral Reform and Civil Advocacy (AERCA) Program implemented by Democracy International (DI), in PY2 ACEP awarded grants to another four (4) CSOs to conduct government monitoring activities but in PY3, ACEP awarded only one (1) Government Monitoring Grant. In PY4, ACEP anticipates to award one (1) Government Monitoring Grant (with a maximum value of AFN 3,300,000) to an eligible Afghan CSO for a period of up to nine (9) months to support CSOs in conducting government monitoring and implement anti-corruption activities. Objective of the Government Monitoring Grant The key purpose of this grant is to support the role of citizens and Civil Society Organizations in holding state institutions accountable through researching, reporting and implementing activities aimed at curbing corruption and improving government service delivery. Under this grant, CSO initiatives will address issues at the policy and implementation levels which should improve government service delivery and create transparency and accountability of the government institutions to the public. CSOs must integrate gender and youth approaches in all of its initiatives. The following areas of intervention are illustrative, however, CSOs are encouraged to include innovative and holistic approaches in addressing policy level issues related to anticorruption and government monitoring: 1. Anti-Corruption - CSOs may apply an inclusive approach towards anti-corruption activities with a particular focus on empowering citizens improved access to information. The anti-corruption efforts may specifically focus on: a. Monitoring the performance and reporting of Afghanistan Anti-Corruption Justice Center, which is established to investigate and prosecute high-level corruption. The Center falls under the High Council of rule of law and anticorruption established by the president in July 2016. b. Researching and reporting on the current status of assets declaration and registration by high-rank government officials, as well as current level of implementation of the asset declaration strategy developed by the high office of oversight and anti-corruption. c. Implementing activities which promote transparency and accountability in public institutions, such as proposing simplifying the complicated government service Page 3 of 11
delivery procedures, that reduces corruption. Activities of this kind may be implemented both at the sub-national and national level. d. Monitoring and reporting on transparency of newly introduced 10% taxes on every top-up mobile phone credit cards by users as part of government plan to increase revenue and decrease government dependency on aid. 2. Government Monitoring and Service Delivery - Government Monitoring and Service Delivery efforts can include monitoring government procurement of large scale projects, service provision, and addressing issues of on-going concern such as the National Unity Government s (NUG) reform commitments: a. Monitor and report on electoral reform. To ensure that future elections are fully credible, the electoral system (laws and institutions) requires fundamental changes. Immediately after the establishment of the government of national unity, the President will issue a decree to form a special commission for the reform of the electoral system in accordance with Article 7 of the Political Framework. Members of the special commission will be agreed between the President and the CEO. The special commission will report to the CEO on its progress and the Cabinet will review its recommendations and take the necessary steps for their implementation. The objective is to implement electoral reform before the 2015 parliamentary elections. (The Government of National Unity deal). b. Reforming the civil service by revising existing laws and enacting new ones, including changes to the Civil Servants law (Afghanistan National Development Framework). Civil Society Organizations can either monitor implementation of commitment or propose changes from a civil society perspective to the civil service law and advocate for proposed changes. CSOs can design research based policy advocacy campaign projects which effectively influence policies, programs and projects at the sub-national and national levels. Designing projects which include research and reporting on government s commitments must embrace an inclusive advocacy strategy and interventions. Illustrative activities may include, but are not limited to: 1. Activities, which support effective and efficient government service delivery to Afghan citizens at the sub-national level i.e. reforming complicated and bureaucratic government service delivery systems and procedures that cause corruption; 2. Activities, which support government reform commitments, such as monitoring progress and advocating for implementation of reforms; 3. Activities promoting accountability and transparency through engaging with stakeholders, including the public and parliament addressing anti-corruption related policy and implementation challenges; 4. Activities that directly influence policies and legislations on anti-corruption such as policy research and advocacy events. Page 4 of 11
Note: Counterpart will not fund activities that are described as banned activities by the NGO Law and other Laws of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (Article 8). To avoid duplication of funding, CSOs that have active grants/programs and/or planning to receive grants/programs of similar nature from USAID or other donors will not be considered for this opportunity at this time. Eligibility Requirements Counterpart will accept applications from organizations that meet the following eligibility requirements: Applicants must be an Afghan Civil Society Organization, holding valid registration certificates from the Ministry of Economy and/or the Ministry of Justice, should be formally constituted, recognized by and in good standing with appropriate Government authorities, have its principle place of business in the recipient country, and compliant with all applicable civil and fiscal regulations. Applicants must be able to demonstrate successful past performance in implementation of anti-corruption, service delivery monitoring, implanting citizen report cards, social audits and other ACEP priority areas as described in this RFA. Applicants must display sound management in the form of financial, administrative, and technical policies and procedures and present a system of internal controls that safeguard assets; protect against fraud, waste, and abuse; and support the achievement of program goals and objectives. ACEP will assess this capability prior to awarding a grant. Grant Selection Process 1. Grant Application Orientation Session An orientation session for Civil Society Organizations interested in applying for a Government Monitoring Grant under this RFA will be organized by Counterpart International Afghanistan on December 15, 2016 at 02:00 PM (Kabul time). Requests to attend the orientation session should be emailed to applications.acep@counterpart.org no later than December12, 2016 at 04:30 PM (Kabul time). Please use Orientation Session RFA 17-04 Government Monitoring Grant (GMG) in the email subject line. No phone requests will be accepted. In your email, please list the name of your organization, the name and title of the person to represent your organization and her/his contact details (email address and phone number). Only one representative per organization may attend the orientation session. All invitees are asked to bring a valid picture ID and to arrive 20 minutes earlier than the announced time to allow for registration and entrance procedures. Page 5 of 11
The purpose of the orientation session is to explain the application process and to allow interested applicants to ask questions about the RFA requirements. All interested CSOs and any CSOs that are not be able to attend the orientation session in person can email questions regarding the RFA in writing to applications.acep@counterpart.org with subject line: Question RFA 17-04 Government Monitoring Grant (GMG) until December13, 2016 02:00 PM (Kabul time). All Questions & Answers (Q&A) collected via email or at the orientation session will be posted on ACEP Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/counterpart.afghanistanon Dec 19, 2016. During this solicitation process, interested applicants may not contact, speak with or ask questions of any Counterpart ACEP staff outside of the Orientation Session. Any contact is grounds for disqualification of the organization s application. 2. Application Requirements Applications must be in English. Proposals should be limited to no more than ten (10) pages, submitted in Times Roman 12. Technical Proposal (Using Attachment A1, Proposal) 1. Legal, Registered Name of Organization and Acronym 2. Contact information (Address, Telephone number; E-mail and Website address) 3. Name, position and contact information of the Official Organizational Representative who is authorized to sign agreements. 4. The grant application/proposal should address 1) what the organization s grant goals are, 2) what the proposed activities will be, 3) how the grant goals and activities were determined by the organization, and 4) how the proposed activities will contribute to addressing grant goals. The Project proposal shall state the organization s clear objectives and how these are directly linked to the priority areas set forth by this RFA. The proposal should provide a clear understanding of the work to be undertaken and the roles and responsibilities of all parties involved. 5. A description and list of the CSOs anti-corruption activities completed in the past three years, including exposing corruption, awareness rising on the adverse impact of corruption, legislative advocacy efforts that enhanced government transparency and accountability the organization. Please include project title, duration, amount of funding and donors names and contact information (name of the contact person, organization name and address, active phone number and official email address). 6. A description of how anti-corruption activities are aligned with the organization s mission and core competencies. 7. A description of how the CSO will integrate gender and youth in the proposed activities. 8. A description of how the indicators and tools will be used to measure project performance. 9. A description of the short and long term impacts as well as the steps taken by your organization to ensure project sustainability. Page 6 of 11
10. A brief description of the organization s mission, core competencies and strategic objectives of the organization. 11. A brief description of the main sources of funding for the organization (amounts of funding, duration, donor, name and objective of the project, current active grants). 12. A description of how the project will be managed and operated. 13. A description of project stakeholders and partners and describe their involvement in the project implementation. Work Plan (Using Attachment A2, Work Plan) 1. Develop a Work Plan in Excel format, using the template provided in Attachment A2. Please note the Sample Work Plan tab included in the template for applicants to refer to when developing their work plans. Budget and Budget Narrative (Using Attachments B1, Budget and B2, Budget Narrative) 1. Using Attachment B1, please develop a Budget in an amount not to exceed AFN 3,300,000.Please note the Sample Budget tab including in the template that shows what the budget should look like.please ensure that only costs that are directly related to the grant activities are budgeted. Indirect costs are not allowed under this Program. The budget should reflect all the resources necessary for project implementation. Budgets are to be developed based on the specific needs associated with the applicant s proposed activities. 2. Please develop a Budget Narrative using the template provided in Attachment B2. The budget narrative should provide details on all types of costs planned, cost per unit and cost justification. Cost Share Requirement and Plan In order to be considered for a Grant, applicants are required to secure either cash or goods/services (referred to as in-kind ) to contribute to the grant activities. This cost share contribution must come from other, non-us Government related sources of funding. The cost share contribution requirement is a minimum of 5% of the value of the grant. Please refer to Attachment C for Cost Share Guidelines. Applicants must complete and attach to the Application a Cost Share Planning Worksheet, per Attachment C. that demonstrates how the organization plans to meet this cost share requirement either in cash or in kind and what percentage of cost share they are proposing. The minimum requirement is 5% but special consideration shall be given to sound cost share plans that propose a higher cost share. Please note that if awarded, the proposed cost share becomes a contractual commitment that the organization must meet within the effective dates of the grant. Documents to Attach as Part of the Application 1. Copy of the Registration Certificate 2. Copy of the Organization s Charter or Document of Incorporation or Organization s bylaws 3. Organization s most recent annual financial statement and audit report for the most recent year. 4. Organizational chart outlining the staffing structure by name and title and showing the number of staff employed, if available. Page 7 of 11
An application containing all of the required information in the above Application Requirements shall be considered a complete application. 3. Deadline Date for Responding to this RFA Complete Applications should be emailed toapplications.acep@counterpart.org. The Email and attachment total size should not exceed 20 MB. If needed, an application may be submitted through multiple emails. Please include in the submission email the following subject line: RFA 17-04 Government Monitoring Grant (GMG). The deadline for submitting Complete Applications is December 28, 2016, 23:59 PM Kabul Time. Late or incomplete submissions will not be considered. Applications and accompanying documentation will not be returned. All applicants will be notified on outcome once the grant recipients are determined. 4. Applications Evaluation Process Only complete applications received by the Application Submission Deadline Date will be accepted and submitted to the Grant Technical Evaluation Committee (GTEC) for review. GTEC members, Counterpart technical staff from different departments with ACEP, will thoroughly review and evaluate the applications in accordance with application evaluation procedures. Applications will be reviewed based on the following evaluation criteria: No. 1 1.1 2 2.1 Criteria Relevance of the proposed project to the key purpose of the Government Monitoring Grant: Are the project objectives directly related to supporting the role of citizens/csos to do anti-corruption activities, to monitor government, hold the government accountable and/or improve service delivery and create transparency. Organization s ability to successfully implement the project. Relevant previous experience including list of grants obtained in the last three years: Are the organization's vision, mission and strategic objectives directly related to the thematic areas of the RFA? Max Score 10 10 25 7 2.2 Does the organization have the relevant experience for the project implementation? 3 Page 8 of 11
2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 Does the organization have the adequate capacity to implement the project? 3 Are the main sources for the organization's current active projects described well (funding, objectives, donors, duration and cost share)? Are the organization's By-laws and/or Charter consistent with the above mentioned RFA themes? Are the management and operation adequately described that will support the implementation of this project? Is the involvement of the stakeholders and partners in the implementation of the project described clearly? 3 2 5 2 3 Relevance and suitability of planned activities and expected result to achieve project objectives related to the thematic areas described in the RFA: 20 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 4 Has the organization clearly described the expected results (output, outcome, impact)? 7 Are the expected results measurable and are adequate tools/indicators described. 5 Are proposed activities realistic and sufficient to ensure project expected results are achieved. Has the organization realistically specified the project duration, geographic coverage and targets (communities, ministries, organizations, etc.) towards achieving the project objective? Potential for sustainability of project results. (Project sustainability potential and impact on system, institutions, individuals, laws and policies or target communities/beneficiaries: 5 3 15 4.1 Are steps adequately described that would ensure sustainability of results? 10 4.2 Are short term and long term impacts identified? 5 5 Project activities demonstrated Gender and Youth mainstreaming: 15 5.1 Has the project considered the impact on gender and youth? 7 Have gender and youth perspectives been integrated in the design and/or 5.2 implementation of the project? 8 6 6.1 Budget reasonableness and cost effectiveness 15 Is the allocated budget reasonable and well justified (budget narrative) for the proposed project activities? 6.2 Is there enough allocation for both program and operational costs? 7 Total Score: 100 Using the above evaluation criteria, GTEC members will score and rank each application and recommend the top one for funding. As applicable, GTEC may request CSOs to provide additional information and refine their proposals within an established deadline for re-submission of a revised application. 8 Page 9 of 11
The selected application will undergo a pre-award risk assessment for the purpose of an inperson review of grant seeking organization s financial and administrative systems by Counterpart staff that has expertise in the areas being examined to adequately evaluated organization s systems to determine their adequacy to receive and manage USAID funded award under Afghan Civic Engagement Program (ACEP). Besides, the reference and past performance of the applicant will be requested, evaluated and considered. Per the results of the pre-award assessment, references, and past performance, the one selected prospective recipient will be submitted to USAID for approval (including vetting approval). ACEP will finalize negotiations and the grantees will be submitted to USAID for approval (including vetting approval). Counterpart will issue the final advance plus cost reimbursement agreement to the selected CSO after USAID approval is received. 5. Post-award Orientation Meeting: After the award of Government Monitoring Grant, ACEP shall conduct a post-award orientation meeting with the CSO. The meeting may be held in person or by phone. The post-award orientation meeting is an essential tool to help ACEP and the recipient achieve a clear and mutual understanding of the advance plus cost reimbursement grant requirements. The meeting helps the CSO understand the roles and responsibilities of ACEP who is administering the grant and reduces performance risks and future problems. It is an opportunity to review, discuss and clarify key aspects of the grant and its administration, help the CSO meet the intended goals and outputs of the grant and contribute to building the CSO s institutional capacity. In addition, it should identify those areas where the CSO may need additional help in meeting the grant s conditions. Items to be discussed at the meeting should include, but not be limited to, the authority of ACEP personnel who administer the grant, the specific terms and conditions of the grant, ACEP s monitoring and evaluation plans, milestones, requests for payment, voucher approval, and payment procedures. 6. Monitoring and Site Visits: It is important that appropriate monitoring and oversight of the CSO and the activities is conducted. Site visits will be (security permitting) conducted by Counterpart Staff and/or Counterpart Consultants to ensure that satisfactory progress is being made and the milestones are being met. As part of USAID requirements, grant activities may also be monitored by USAID s third-party monitoring contractors under the Monitoring Support Project (MSP). 7. Subgrant Agreement Award and Payments: Up to one (1) advance plus cost reimbursement type subgrant agreements will be issued for the Government Monitoring Grant. An initial advance based on the first one month of projected costs will be issued to the subrecipient after signing by both parties of the subgrant agreement and receipt of the onemonth cost projection based on the approved budget. Subsequent advances will be made on a monthly basis upon receipt of the monthly financial report for the previous month and submission of the projected costs for the next one month of activities, based on the work plan and budget. Continuous payment of advances will be strictly contingent upon Counterpart s monthly monitoring of subgrantee s satisfactory performance and Page 10 of 11
accomplishment of project activities, and timely and accurate submission of monthly programmatic and financial reports submitted by the subgrantee. Disclaimers Please note that the issuance of this Request for Application does not constitute a commitment on the part of Counterpart International, Inc. for funding or an award. All costs associated in the preparation and submission of a proposal in response to this RFA shall be the sole responsibility of the applicant. RFA Enclosures: Attachment A1: ACEP Proposal Template Attachment A2: ACEP Work Plan Template Attachment B1: ACEP Budget Template Attachment B2: ACEP Budget Narrative Template Attachment C: Cost Share Guidelines o Appendix A Cost Share Plan Worksheet o Appendix B Cost Share Certification o Appendix C Cost Share Report Page 11 of 11