UNICEF CSO Procedure
Overview of key changes, March 2015
Overview


Supersedes 2009 PCAs and SSFAs Guidelines
(CF/EXD/2009-011)
Transition period from 01 April – 01 June 2015
 Offices can adopt as early as 01 April but MUST adopt by
01 June


For use by Country & Regional Offices
All agreements entered into prior to effective date
remain valid
 Any new agreement/ amendments – except no cost
extensions - follow new Procedure
New agreements

PCA “umbrella” agreement to cover duration of the
country programme
 Details of the partnership defined in accompanying
programme document(s) – results, work plan, budget

SSFA limit raised to $50K
 Can be used in humanitarian response also for transfer
of 3 months supplies
Not included
MoU – where there is no transfer of resources
Clarifies Partnership vs Procurement
Procurement
Partnership
UNICEF defines scope of work
& results to be achieved. CSO
identified through competitive
bidding process
 Institutional contract or
 Long-Term Arrangement for
Services (LTAS)
UNICEF and the CSO pool together
resources to achieve commonly defined
results, sharing costs and benefits
 Programme Cooperation Agreement (PCA)
or
 Small-Scale Funding Agreement (SSFA)
No set amount for contribution but a key
requirement for partnership
If major components of programmes to be subcontracted, other options should be considered
These modalities can be used concurrently with the same CSO
Requires documentation of CSO selection
Open selection
Direct selection
 UNICEF office issues a call for
expression of interest
 UNICEF office partners with a
CSO for a specific proposal
– Transparent process
– Supports identification of new
partners/ approaches
– May require more time
– Responsive to specific
considerations, such as known
expertise, timing/ criticality of
intervention, innovation…
– Limits transparency/ cost
effectiveness analysis
Clarifies due diligence process
• Done by HQ for ICSO
• By COs for other CSO based
on Partner Declaration & check
of UN sanctions list
Ability to deliver programme
results part of CSO selection
process
Type of
agreement
Core values
HACT/ Micro
assessment
Programme
assessment
Simplified
financial asses.
PCA with regular,
contingency or
humanitarian)
Mandatory
before
partnership
If CSO expected
to receive $100K
or more/ year. To
be done before or
after PCA onset
CO
discretion
CO discretion
when partnership
<$100/year
(before or after
PCA onset)
SSFA
Mandatory
before
partnership
Not required
CO
discretion
CO discretion
Simplified programme document



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Reduced narrative
Results-based workplan & budget in the same table
Budget defined at activity – not input level
Includes planned assurance activities & partnership
review dates
Simplified programme document/
humanitarian response
Programme Document
Regular programme or
emergency response
Simplified Humanitarian Doc
First 3 months of humanitarian
response or L2/L3 emergencies
1. Programme info
& CSO overview
Basic
Very basic
2. Programme
description
Brief but complete programme
rationale & expected results
Simplified humanitarian data &
targets for the response
3. Workplan &
budget
Results, performance indicators
activities, timeframe & budget
Simplified activity based budget
with 1 line for ops&mngt costs
4. Partnership
review plan
Complete plan of reviews with
UNICEF
Status of assessments & risk
management measures (if any)
5. Other
Additional reporting & technical
guidance
N/A
Signatures & date
Yes
Yes
Key features
Revised budgeting & detailed guidance

Programme costs include a
standard output & activities for
Effective & Efficient Progr.
Management
 Replace DPSC and the
associated 25% cap

HQ Support Costs same rate (7%
of cash component)
 payable to INGOs upon reporting
actual expenditures – not as advance
 Payment to national CSOs at Rep.
discretion
 Not applicable to SSFAs
Detailed guidance on budgeting,
eligible expenses & other fin./
admin. issues (currency, bank
account, VAT..)
Streamlined Partnership Review Committee

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Guidance on membership & PRC Submission Form
Flexibility to fit the office/country context
Benchmark of 45 days to operationalize partnership
in regular programme; 20 days for initial
disbursement of donor funds in humanitarian action
New guidance on partnership management
Annual Partnership Review
meeting if partnership >$100K
PCA/Programme document
revisions guidance
New benchmark of 10
working days for
disbursing funds
following submission
of properly filled FACE
form (accompanied by
itemized cost estimate
– ICE)
Streamlined reporting
Simple template for quarterly
reporting on results aligned to
reporting with FACE – no
additional report required
Additional reporting requirements to be
agreed upfront in progr.doc (e.g. monthly
reporting in humanitarian situations)
Options for onset of humanitarian response
Type of
partnership
Ongoing
partnership
New
partnership
Programme instruments for rapid response
Approval
Contingency PCA/ prog.doc
Rep.
Simplified humanitarian progr.doc
Rep.
Revision of existing progr.doc
Rep.
PCA + Simplified humanitarian progr.doc
Rep.
SSFA
Rep.
New role of SSFA to transfer
up to 3 months of supplies for
immediate distribution
In summary – CSO Procedure Overview
IDENTIFYING CSO
CONCLUDING
 Activity closure & performance
review
 Termination of programme
document/ partnership
IMPLEMENTATION,
MONITORING, REPORTING
 Assurance activities integrated
in the Prg.Doc as per HACT
 Financial & programmatic
quarterly reporting with FACE
 Annual Partnership Review
meeting
 Guidance for revisions & PCA
amendment form
STEP 4
Concluding,
Suspension or
Termination
STEP 1
 Procurement vs Partnership:
decision tree & list of services
 CSO selection
 Core values ICSOs – done by HQ
based on Partner Declaration
Identifying CSO
STEP 3
Implementation,
Monitoring &
Reporting
STEP 2
Designing &
Formalising
Relationships
DESIGNING & FORMALISING
RELATIONSHIP
 PCA “umbrella” legal agreement
covering CP or grant duration
 SSFA for transfers <$50,000 &
3 months supplies in emergency
 New Programme doc. Template
& Simplified emergency doc
 Guidance on Budgetary issues
Roll-out activities (staff & CSO)
Key 2015 activities
Training material/tools
2 pager Overview of key changes for partners & staff
2 pager Overview of CSO Procedure
Partner version of the CSO Procedure
Training materials (presentation, website, intranet)
Working with CSO e-course for staff & partners
Capacity building events
Dedicated CSO roll-out/TOT trainings
Series of webinars Mar-Apr. & on request
Orientation on new Procedure mainstreamed in key regional
events Feb. onwards  entry point for training of CSO
partners at regional level
Q2
Q3
Q4
Thank you for your inputs

Global Results Network members

HQ divisions, especially EMOPS

CSO community
Individual
country
Thank
you
foroffices
your inputs


WASH specialist