Non-State Actors and Local Authorities in Development

Transcription

1 European Commission Non-State Actors and Local Authorities in Development Actions in partner countries (In-country) PUBLISHED UNDER THE SUSPENSIVE CLAUSE Guidelines for grant applicants Restricted Call for Proposals 2010 for Non-State Actors Budget line Reference: EuropeAid/129491/C/ACT/TPS Deadline for submission of the Concept Notes: 3 May 2010 NOTICE

2 Prior registration by applicants in EuropeAid's on-line database, PADOR, available at is obligatory under the present call for proposals (see section 2.2 below for details). Applicants must be registered before submitting the concept note, while partners must be registered prior to submission of the full application Only submission by is permitted under this call for proposals. 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 which are provisionally selected. This check will be undertaken on the basis of the supporting documents requested by the European Commission, the signed "Declaration by the Applicant" sent together with the Concept Note and the second Declaration sent together with the Full Application. SUSPENSIVE CLAUSE The conclusion of grant contracts for actions selected under this Call for Proposals is subject to the adoption of the relevant financing decision, i.e. the adoption of the Annual Action Programme. The adoption of the afore-mentioned programme does not depend only on the European Commission. If the above-mentioned programme is substantially modified and/or does not provide adequate coverage for the proposed action or is not adopted, the present Call for Proposals or some of its allocations may be cancelled and/or replaced by other Calls for Proposals adapted to the finally approved Annual Action Programme. EuropeAid/129491/C/ACT/TPS 2

3 Table of contents 1. THE PROGRAMME "NON-STATE ACTORS AND LOCAL AUTHORITIES IN DEVELOPMENT " Background Objectives and priorities of this call for proposals Financial allocation provided by the European Commission RULES FOR THIS CALL FOR PROPOSALS Eligibility criteria Eligibility of applicants: who may apply? Partnerships and eligibility of partners Eligible actions: actions for which an application may be made Eligibility of costs: costs which may be taken into consideration for the grant how to apply and the procedures to follow Concept Note content Where and how to send concept notes Deadline for submission of the Concept Notes Further information for Concept Note Full Application form Where and how to send the Full Application form Deadline for submission of the Full Application form Further information for the Full Application form Evaluation and selection of applications Submission of supporting documents Notification of the Contracting Authority s decision Content of the decision Indicative time table Conditions applicable to implementation of the action following the Contracting Authority's decision to award a grant EARLY WARNING SYSTEM AND CENTRAL EXCLUSION DATABASE LIST OF ANNEXES 30 EuropeAid/129491/C/ACT/TPS 3

4 1. THE PROGRAMME "NON-STATE ACTORS AND LOCAL AUTHORITIES IN DEVELOPMENT " 1.1 BACKGROUND The European Commission (EC) has a long-standing relationship and cooperation with non-governmental and other civil society organisations as well as with local and decentralised authorities in the field of development. It is part of the European Union's (EU) commitment to fighting poverty and promoting the rule of law and adherence to fundamental freedoms set out in Article 177 (former Article 130u) of the Lisbon Treaty. In 1976 budget-line (ex-b Co-financing with NGOs) was set up to enable the EC to support actions proposed by European NGOs specialised in development co-operation, as part of its own development co-operation policy. These actions were intended to make a direct and lasting contribution to improving the living conditions and development prospects of the disadvantaged and marginalised in developing countries. From 1979 onwards, a component for raising the awareness of the European public of development issues was included. As of 1992 budget-line (Decentralised Cooperation) was added as another privileged channel of cooperation with non-state actors and decentralised authorities. The thematic programme Non-State Actors and Local Authorities in Development, introduced in 2007, should be seen as the successor of the above budget-lines. The overarching objective of this programme is poverty reduction in the context of sustainable development, including the pursuit of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) and other internationally agreed targets. It is an actor-oriented programme aimed at strengthening the capacity of civil society organisations and local authorities as a pre-condition for a more equitable, open and democratic society through support to their own initiatives. The programme's three main components are the following: Support to development actions, to be implemented by Non-State-Actors (NSA) or Local Authorities (LA), in close cooperation with the local communities and the most vulnerable population groups, aiming at promoting an inclusive and empowered society in partner countries 1. Support to actions in the EU and acceding countries aiming at raising public awareness of development issues and promoting education for development, to mobilise greater support for actions against poverty and fairer relations between developed and developing countries. Support to actions aiming at achieving more efficient cooperation, foster synergies and facilitate a structured dialogue in the area of development between civil society networks and local authorities associations from the EU and acceding countries, within their organisations and with European institutions. Regulation (EC) n 1905/ of the European Parliament and of the Council (OJ L 378, 27 December 2006), establishing a financing instrument for development cooperation, and more specifically its article 14 constitute the legal basis for this thematic programme. 1 Please note that for a further 84 partner countries local Calls for Proposals will be launched by the Delegations concerned. These Calls will be published on the Delegations' as well as on EuropeAid s website. The Annual Action Programme for 2010 to be published to the following address will refer to the list of the countries concerned. For the publication of the individual local Calls for Proposals please consult regularly EuropeAid s website at or the website of the EU Delegation in the country concerned. 2 Available at the following address: EuropeAid/129491/C/ACT/TPS 4

5 1.2 OBJECTIVES AND PRIORITIES OF THIS CALL FOR PROPOSALS The global objective of this call for proposals of this call for proposals is poverty reduction in the context of sustainable development, including the pursuit of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) and other internationally agreed targets. It is an actor-oriented programme aimed at strengthening the capacity of civil society organisations and local authorities as a pre-condition for a more equitable, open and democratic society through support to their own initiatives. The programme therefore supports actions aimed at promoting an inclusive and empowered society in partner countries. The specific objectives and priorities of this call for proposals are to support actions are: benefit populations out of reach of mainstream services and resources and excluded from policy making processes; strengthen the capacity of civil society organisations and local authorities in partner countries, with a view to facilitating their participation in defining sustainable development strategies and in implementing actions aiming at poverty reduction ; facilitate interaction between State and Non-State Actors in different contexts and support an increased role for local authorities in decentralisation processes. Actions must correspond to at least one of the above three specific objectives and should always contain a significant element of capacity building geared towards local development actors, be it NSA, LA or more informal groupings of beneficiaries. Therefore a participatory approach, empowering local communities, should be ensured. Moreover, actions must take place in one of the countries listed in section 1.3. Such actions can cover a wide range of activities and in particular: innovative approaches of NSA possibly in partnership with LA in the provision of social and other services (notably in the field of economic as well as rural and urban development); institutional and technical support (internal governance, dialogue, strengthening of implementation and networking capacities etc.); advocacy and monitoring of public policy making and implementation; awareness raising and policy research (data gathering etc.) aimed at a better formulation, implementation and evaluation of development policies at all levels. The actions shall comprise small-scale local development activities in a wide range of sectors and themes, including economic development, health, education, capacity building and institutional support or rural development. Given the character of this programme and its multi-actor approach, working in partnership is encouraged for the success of the actions. All actions must be based on an initiative of local organisations (NSA and/or LA) in the partner countries where the actions will take place and should ensure their involvement during all stages of the implementation of the action. For actions presented by a European NSA, partnership with local actors (NSA and/or LA) in the partner country where the proposed action is going to take place, is obligatory. Projects must respond to an initiative from at least one of these local partners. The Strategy Paper for the programme Non-State Actors and Local Authorities in Development is available at the following address: EuropeAid/129491/C/ACT/TPS 5

6 Apart from these requirements, it is understood that more than one European or local partner (NSA and/or LA) may participate in any given action. Equally, there may be more than one partner organisation in the partner country (NSA and/or LA) in which the action will take place. Whenever possible, particular attention should be paid to cross-cutting issues contributing to the achievement of the global objective of poverty reduction, such as the promotion of human rights, gender equality, rights of children and elderly people, rights of persons with disabilities, environment and climate change, as well as fight against HIV/AIDS. Whenever relevant, actions have to clearly demonstrate how these issues have and will be been taken into account in their design, implementation and monitoring. At the same time, principles such as empowerment, participation, non-discrimination of vulnerable groups and accountability must also be adequately taken into account. 1.3 FINANCIAL ALLOCATION PROVIDED BY THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION The overall indicative amount made available under this call for proposals is EUR , to be financed by the budget line "Non-state actors in development". Allocation of this amount is subject to approval of the 2010 Annual Action Plan "Non-state actors and local authorities in development" in the first half of The European Commission reserves the right not to award all available funds. Equally, this amount could be increased should more funds become available. Indicative allocation of funds by partner country: Where the financial envelopes given below cannot be used due to insufficient quality or number of proposals received, the European Commission reserves the right to reallocate the remaining funds to another country/other countries or to fund other components of the thematic programme Non-State Actors and Local Authorities in Development. For applications presented by NSA China EUR Iran EUR North Korea EUR Size of grants Any grant awarded under this programme must fall between the following minimum and maximum amounts: minimum amount: EUR maximum amount: EUR For proposals submitted by Non-State Actors from a partner country, the grant may not exceed 90% of the total eligible costs of the action (see also section 2.1.4). The balance (i.e. the difference between the total cost of the action and the amount requested from the EC) must be financed from the applicant's or partners' own resources, or from sources other than the European Union budget or the European Development Fund. - For proposals submitted by European 4 Non-State Actors, the grant may not exceed 75% of the total eligible costs of the action (see also section 2.1.4). The balance (i.e. the difference between the total cost of the action and the amount requested from the EC) must be financed from the applicant's or partners' own resources, or from sources other than the European Union budget or the European Development Fund. 3 When submitting proposals please bear in mind the financial envelopes available for the individual countries listed above. 4 Please note that throughout this document the term European (e.g. European partner, European NSA or LA) refers to organisations from a Member State of the European Union. EuropeAid/129491/C/ACT/TPS 6

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8 2. RULES FOR THIS CALL FOR PROPOSALS These guidelines set out the rules for the submission, selection and implementation of actions financed under this call, in conformity with the provisions of the Practical Guide to contract procedures for EU external actions. The majority of terms used in the present guidelines are explained in the Glossary to the Practical Guide to contract procedures for EU external actions. The aforementioned Practical Guide and the Glossary can be consulted at the following Internet address: In addition to the Glossary, the following definitions apply to the present guidelines: Partnership Applicant Partner Associate Subcontractor Re-granting the grouping of organisations i.e. the main applicant and its partners for the purpose of implementing the proposed action the lead organisation within the partnership, responsible for submitting the application member organisation of the partnership other than the applicant organisation that plays an active role in the action but which cannot benefit from funding under the grant organisation identified and contracted by the beneficiary or its partner(s) in accordance with the appropriate procedures in order to execute specific tasks in implementing the action financial support that can be given to third parties by the beneficiary of the EU grant under specific conditions defined in the Article 120 of the Financial Regulation applicable to the general budget of the European Communities and the Article 184a of the Rules for the implementation of the Financial Regulation 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). 5 EuropeAid/129491/C/ACT/TPS 8

9 2.1.1 Eligibility of applicants: who may apply? (1) In order to be eligible for a grant, applicants must: be legal persons 6 and be non profit making and be nationals 7 of a Member State of the European Union or of one of the partner countries in which the action will take place and be Non-State Actors 8 (NSA) constituted in accordance with the legislation in force in the country concerned. NSA must have been registered for at least three years at the time of the submission of an application. With the exception of those entities referred to in footnote 6, NSA from a partner country must have been registered for at least two years at the time of the submission of an application and be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the action with their partners, not acting as an intermediary (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 of the Practical Guide to contract procedures for EU external actions (available at the address indicated at the beginning of section 2). In part A, section III of the grant application form ( Declaration by the applicant ), applicants must declare that they do not fall into any of those situations Partnerships and eligibility of partners Eligibility of partners: 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. Non-State Actors 9 must therefore satisfy the same eligibility criteria as applicants. 6 Exceptionally and when duly justified, applications from entities based in the partner country concerned which do not have legal personality under the applicable national law may be considered eligible, provided that the representatives of these entities have the capacity to undertake legal obligations on their behalf and assume financial liability. 7 For NSA, the nationality is determined on the basis of the organisation s statutes which should demonstrate that it has been established by an instrument governed by the law of the country concerned. In this respect, any legal entity whose statutes have been established in another country cannot be considered an eligible organisation, even if it is registered locally or accompanied by a Memorandum of Understanding. 8 Non-State Actors include: non governmental organisations, organisations representing indigenous peoples, organisations representing national and/or ethnic minorities, local traders' associations and citizens' groups, cooperatives, trade unions, organisations representing economic and social interests, organisations fighting corruption and fraud and promoting good governance, civil rights organisations and organisations combating discrimination, local organisations (including networks) involved in decentralised regional cooperation and integration, consumer organisations, women's and youth organisations, teaching, cultural, research and scientific organisations, universities, churches and religious associations and communities, the media and any non governmental associations and independent foundations, including independent political foundations. 9 Exceptionally and when duly justified, entities based in the partner country concerned which do not have legal personality under the applicable national law may be considered eligible to participate in the Action as partner organisation, provided that the representatives of these entities have the capacity to undertake legal obligations on their behalf and assume financial liability. EuropeAid/129491/C/ACT/TPS 9

10 Local Authorities (or associations of Local Authorities 10 ) from the partner county in which the action will take place or from a Member State of the European Union should be constituted in accordance with the legislation in force in the country concerned. Furthermore, in duly justified cases and if necessary in the interest of the action, Ministries or decentralised departments of these Ministries may also act as local partners. However, for actions presented by European actors, local Ministries may never be the only partner for an action. Given their status, there are no other specific eligibility criteria for Ministries and no supporting documents have to be supplied (see section 2.4.) 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 a real 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 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 in section 3 of the present guidelines). The applicant will act as the lead organisation and, if selected, as the contracting party (the "Beneficiary") Eligible actions: actions for which an application may be made Definition: An action (or project) is composed of a set of activities. Duration: The initial planned duration of an action may not be lower than 12 nor exceed 60 months. Sectors or themes: See section 1.2 of the present Guidelines (Objectives and priority issues of this Call for Proposals). Location: Actions must take place in one single partner country 11. The eligible partner countries are those listed under section 1.3. of the present guidelines (Financial allocation by the European Commission). Exceptionally, and if duly justified, certain project activities, notably in view of trans-national exchanges and for networking/coordination purposes, may take place in other countries, in particular Member States from the European Union. 10 This term includes networks of associations of Local Authorities: a group of associations with a permanent representative body established as an autonomous organisation in accordance with the laws in force in the country concerned. It must comply with all the eligibility criteria laid down, and must be able to assume full contractual responsibility for the actions undertaken, based on a mandate from the members of the network. The network must have the capacity to manage an action of the scale of that which is being proposed. 11 Please note that, in the framework of this Call for Proposals, Actions which will be implemented in more than one country are not eligible. EuropeAid/129491/C/ACT/TPS 10

11 Visibility Applications should include a communication and visibility strategic plan both in the Full Application and the budget in line with the Communication and Visibility Manual for EU External Actions available at Monitoring and Evaluation: Actions should foresee 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 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. Microfinance / Revolving Funds for microcredit initiatives: Additional conditions will be applied to actions in the field of microfinance which can be found in annex H. Please read these criteria carefully and make sure that the application contains all relevant supplementary information and documents in order to allow for an easy assessment of the eligibility of the applicant, its partner(s) and the action as well as of the technical quality of the proposal. With regard to microcredit initiatives including Revolving Funds please note that an end-of-project strategy must be presented (see the last paragraph of annex H). The additional conditions relating to microfinance activities will be applied in order to ensure more professional and sustainable delivery of microfinance interventions (in line with the EC Guidelines for Support to Microfinance 12 ). They aim at achieving professionalization and sustainability through introduction of minimum requirements as regards the applicant's expertise (i.e. the capacity to provide financial services according to agreed international standards of good practice) and experience (track record in the microfinance field), application of selection criteria on the type and design of the actions, and inclusion of performance measuring and monitoring system concerning the microfinance activities. The following types of action are ineligible: actions concerned only or mainly with individual sponsorships for participation in workshops, seminars, conferences, congresses; 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 action. 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"; 12 EuropeAid/129491/C/ACT/TPS 11

12 actions concerned only or mainly with individual scholarships for studies or training courses; actions in the formal education sector (apart from primary and vocational education), except in special circumstances; actions which consist exclusively or primarily in capital expenditure, e.g. land, buildings, equipment and vehicles, except in special circumstances; actions which discriminate against individuals or groups of people on grounds of their gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs or lack of them, or their ethnic origin; actions supporting political parties; actions which include proselytism. Number of proposals per applicant: No restriction shall apply to the number of proposals that an applicant may submit under this Call. Equally, there is no restriction with regard to the number of proposals in which a given actor (NSA or LA) may participate as partner organisation 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 therefore 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 European Commission 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. 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 respect the provisions of article 14 of the General Conditions to the Standard Grant Contract (see Annex F to the present guidelines). Contingency reserve: A contingency reserve not exceeding 5% of the direct eligible costs may be included in the Budget of the Action. It can only be used with the prior written authorisation of the European Commission. Eligible indirect costs (overheads): A lump sum not exceeding 7% of the total amount of eligible costs of the Action may be included as indirect costs in the Budget of the Action. These costs concern administrative overheads generated by the implementation of the Action and should not overlap with any of the budgeted items nor should they be used to cross-subsidise other actions undertaken by the Beneficiary. Indirect costs are ineligible if the beneficiary receives in other respects an operating grant from the European Commission. EuropeAid/129491/C/ACT/TPS 12

13 Contributions in kind: Contributions in kind are not considered as actual expenditures and are note eligible costs. They may not be treated as so 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 its partners. Notwithstanding the above, if the description of the action as proposed by the beneficiary foresees the contributions in kind, such contributions have to be provided. 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 13, at the latest by the end of the action; currency exchange losses; taxes, including VAT, unless the Beneficiary (or the Beneficiary s partners) cannot reclaim them and the applicable regulations do not forbid coverage of taxes. NB: The Regulation (EC) No 1905/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a financing instrument for development cooperation (OJ L 378, ), does not allow EU assistance to be used for paying taxes, duties or charges in beneficiary countries. 13 For Actions presented by NSA from a partner country and if duly justified, this obligation can be waived. EuropeAid/129491/C/ACT/TPS 13

14 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. Registration in the PADOR system (Potential Applicant Data On-line Registration), available at is obligatory 14 for both applicants and partners. PADOR is an on-line database in which organisations register themselves and update regularly their data. Data provided by organisations in PADOR is used by the European Commission for evaluating the operational and financial capacity criteria as well as for checking the eligibility of the organisations that participate in calls for proposals. This data concerns the organisation itself, it is not linked to a particular project proposal. Applicants need to be registered before submitting the concept note, while partners must be registered prior to the submission of the full application. Applicants must complete all the sections presented in PADOR with the exception of the section ''Strategy and Methodology''. The partners must complete all PADOR sections with the exception of the sections ''Board of Directors'' and ''Strategy and Methodology''. The EuropeAid ID number (assigned upon registration in PADOR) of the applicant organisation must be indicated in the Concept Note. Before starting the registration of your organisation in PADOR, the following should be consulted: - the quick guide (that explains, on one page, the process of registration in PADOR); - the Frequently Asked Questions; - the PADOR user's guide. These three documents are available on the website indicated above. Notwithstanding the above, where PADOR registration is objectively impossible, the applicant can submit a request for derogation concerning its registration in PADOR and/or that of any partner(s). In this case, it is compulsory for the applicant and/or the partner(s) concerned to complete the PADOR Derogation Pack (Annex IA and IB to these Guidelines) and to send it by together with the Concept Note for the applicant, or together with the full application for the partner(s) to the address indicated in section of the Guidelines. The justification for derogation must be based on the objective impossibility of the applicant and/or its partner(s) 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, registration in PADOR shall be initiated 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 14 Prior to the concept note submission, registration is optional but recommended for applicants requesting a grant of EUR or lower and their partners. However, registration in PADOR is obligatory for applicants whose concept note has been preselected and all their partners. EuropeAid/129491/C/ACT/TPS 14

15 2.2.1 Concept Note content Applications must be submitted in accordance with the guidance on the Concept Note 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 Any Concept Note using the format relating to any other Call may be rejected. Concept Notes must be submitted in English. In the Concept Note, the applicants must only provide an estimate of the total eligible costs of the action together with the amount of contribution and percentage requested from the European Commission. Only the applicants invited to submit a full proposal in the second phase will be required to present a detailed budget. This detailed budget may not vary from the initial estimate by more than 20%. The applicant is free to adapt the percentage of co-financing required as long as it does not exceed the maximum percentage of cofinancing and as long as the minimum and maximum amount of co-financing, as laid down in the present Guidelines, is respected (see section 1.3). Any error or major discrepancy related to the points listed in the guidance on the Concept Note may lead to the rejection of the Concept Note. Clarifications will only be requested when information provided is unclear, thus preventing the European Commission from conducting an objective assessment. Hand-written Concept Notes will not be accepted. The Concept Note together with the Checklist (Part A, section III of the Grant Application Form) and the Declaration by the applicant (Part A, section IV of the Grant Application Form) must be submitted by e- mail. Only the Concept Note will be evaluated. It is therefore of utmost importance that this document contains ALL relevant information concerning the action. No additional annexes should be submitted, unless a derogation to PADOR registration is being requested Where and how to send concept notes Concept Notes must be submitted by only to the following address: EuropeAid-NSA-InCountry@ec.europa.eu The subject field of the must bear the reference of the Call for Proposals and the name of the applicant organisation. The Applicant will receive an automatic acknowledgement of receipt following the submission of a Concept Note. Please note that if several Concept Notes are sent from the same address on the same day, only one acknowledgment of receipt will be generated. This mailbox can only be used to submit Concept Notes (see section for the addresses to be used for sending questions). Concept Notes sent by other means (registered mail, courier service, fax, hand delivery, etc.) may be rejected. 15 See Annex IA to these Guidelines EuropeAid/129491/C/ACT/TPS 15

16 Applicants must verify that their Concept Note is complete using the Checklist (Part A, section III of the Grant Application Form). Incomplete Concept Notes may be rejected Deadline for submission of the Concept Notes The deadline for the submission of Concept Notes is 3 May 2010 at 24:00 hrs (Brussels date and time). Applicants are strongly advised not to wait until the last day to submit their concept notes, since heavy Internet traffic or a fault with the Internet connection (including electricity failure, etc.) could lead to difficulties in submission. The EC cannot be held responsible for any delay due to such afore-mentioned difficulties. Any Concept Note sent after the deadline will be rejected Further information for Concept Note Questions concerning this Call for Proposals (except those related to registration in PADOR) may be sent by no later than 21 days before the deadline for the submission of Concept Notes to the below address, indicating clearly the reference of the Call for Proposals: address: EuropeAid-GlobalCalls@ec.europa.eu Replies will be given no later than 11 days before the deadline for the submission of Concept Notes. The European Commission has no obligation to provide further clarification after this date. In the interest of equal treatment of applicants, the European Commission cannot give a prior opinion on the eligibility of an applicant, a partner or an action. After the deadline for submission of Concept Notes, the above-mentioned address can only be used by the European Commission 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 addition, during the course of the evaluation procedure important notices to applicants may be published on the EuropeAid website together with the other documents related to this call, as the need arises. The applicants are therefore strongly encouraged to regularly consult this webpage. All questions related to PADOR registration should be addressed to the PADOR help desk: europeaid-on-line-registration-hd@ec.europa.eu 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 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. EuropeAid/129491/C/ACT/TPS 16

17 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 foreseen 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 EU contribution, applicant's contribution, any other donors' contributions, etc). The elements contained in the Concept Note cannot be modified in the full application form. The detailed budget (provided without decimals) may not vary from the initial estimate indicated in the Concept Note by more than 20%. The applicant is free to adapt the percentage of co-financing required as long as it does not exceed the maximum percentage of co-financing and as long as the minimum and maximum amount of co-financing, as laid down in the present Guidelines (see section 1.3), is respected. 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 should appear on the cover page of 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 information provided is unclear, thus preventing the European Commission from conducting an objective assessment. Hand-written applications will be rejected. The Full Application Form, the budget and the logical framework must be submitted by . 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 filled in (Budget, Logical Framework) will be evaluated. It is therefore of utmost importance that these documents contain ALL relevant information concerning the Action. No supplementary annexes should be enclosed unless a derogation to PADOR registration is being requested See Annex IB EuropeAid/129491/C/ACT/TPS 17

18 2.2.6 Where and how to send the Full Application form The Full Application Form must be submitted by only to the following address: The subject field of the must bear the reference of the Call for Proposals, the name of the applicant organisation and the number allocated by the European Commission to the application at Concept Note stage. The Applicant will receive an automatic acknowledgement of receipt following the submission of a Full Application. Please note that if several Full Applications are sent from the same address on the same day, only one acknowledgment of receipt will be generated. This mailbox can only be used to submit Full Applications (see section for the addresses to be used for sending questions). Full Applications sent by other means (registered mail, courier service, fax, hand delivery, etc.) may be rejected. The Checklist (Part B, Section V of the Gant Application Form) and the Declaration by the applicant (Part B, Section VI of the Grant Application Form) must be enclosed in the . 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 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 preselected applicants. Applicants are strongly advised not to wait until the last day to submit their Full applications, since heavy Internet traffic or a fault with the Internet connection (including electricity failure, etc.) could lead to difficulties in submission. The EC cannot be held responsible for delay due to such afore-mentioned difficulties. Any Full Application Form sent after the deadline will be rejected Further information for the Full Application form Questions concerning the Full Application Forms (except those related to registration in PADOR) may be sent by no later than 21 days before the deadline for the submission of applications to the below address, indicating clearly the reference of the Call for Proposals: address: EuropeAid-GlobalCalls@ec.europa.eu Replies will be given no later than 11 days before the deadline for the submission of Full Application Forms. The European Commission has no obligation to provide further clarification after this date. After the deadline for submission of Concept Notes, the above-mentioned address can only be used by the European Commission to initiate correspondence regarding any requests for clarification that may be required. EuropeAid/129491/C/ACT/TPS 18

19 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 European Commission cannot give a prior opinion on the eligibility of an applicant, a partner or an action. In addition, during the course of the evaluation procedure important notices to applicants may be published on EuropeAid website together with the other documents related to this call, as the need arises. The applicants are therefore strongly encouraged to regularly consult this webpage All questions related to PADOR registration should be addressed to the PADOR help desk: europeaid-on-line-registration-hd@ec.europa.eu EuropeAid/129491/C/ACT/TPS 19

20 2.3 EVALUATION AND SELECTION OF APPLICATIONS Applications will be examined and evaluated by the European Commission 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 the sections 2.1.1, and of the present guidelines, the application will be rejected on this sole basis. (1) STEP 1: OPENING SESSION AND ADMINISTRATIVE CHECK The following will be assessed: The deadline has been respected. If the deadline has not been respected the Concept Note will automatically be rejected The Concept Note satisfies all the criteria mentioned in the Checklist (section II of part A of the Grant Application Form). If any of the requested information is missing or is incorrect, the proposal may be rejected on that sole basis and the proposal will not be evaluated further. Following the opening session and the administrative check, the European Commission will inform all applicants, whether their Concept Note was submitted prior to the deadline and whether their Concept Note has been recommended for evaluation. (2) STEP 2: EVALUATION OF THE CONCEPT NOTE The evaluation of the Concept Notes that have passed the first administrative check will cover the relevance of the action, its merits and effectiveness, its viability and sustainability. The European Commission reserves the right not to undertake the evaluation of the Concept Notes whenever considered justified (for example when fewer than the expected number of proposals are received) and to directly send invitations to the applicants to submit a full proposal. The scores awarded to the Concept Note are completely separate from those given 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 the compliance with instructions provided in the guidance for 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. EuropeAid/129491/C/ACT/TPS 20

21 Evaluation Grid Scores 1. Relevance of the action Sub-score Relevance of the action to needs and constraints of the countries/region to be addressed in general, and to those of the target groups and final beneficiaries in particular. 5 5(x2)* 1.2 Relevance to the objectives and priorities of this Call for Proposals. 2. Effectiveness and Feasibility of the action Sub-score Assessment of the problem identification and analysis Assessment of the proposed activities (practicality and consistency in relation to 5(x2)* the objectives, purpose and expected results). 5(x2)* 2.3 Assessment of the role and involvement of all stakeholders and proposed partners. 3. Sustainability of the action Sub-score Assessment of the identification of the main assumptions and risks, before the 5 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. *the scores are multiplied by 2 because of their importance TOTAL SCORE 50 Once all Concept Notes have been assessed, a list will be established with the proposed actions ranked according to their total score, taking into account the indicative financial envelopes foreseen (by country see point 1.3.) Firstly, only the Concept Notes which have been given a score of a minimum of 12 points in the category "Relevance" 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 to those whose sum of requested contributions amounts to at least two times the available budget for this Call for Proposals, taking into account the indicative financial envelopes foreseen. Applicants whose proposals have been pre-selected will subsequently be invited to submit Full Application Forms. 5 (3) 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 (Section V. of part B of the Grant Application Form). If any of the requested information is missing or is incorrect, the proposal may be rejected on that sole basis and the proposal will not be evaluated further. Following the opening session and the administrative check, the European Commission 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. EuropeAid/129491/C/ACT/TPS 21