Citizens’ Voice Project
Request for Applications
1
Table of Contents
Section – A: Instructions for application format....................................................................................... 3
1.
Partner Eligibility Criteria................................................................................................................... 3
2.
Preparation and Submission Guidelines............................................................................................ 3
3.
Financial Allocation............................................................................................................................ 4
4.
Award Information ............................................................................................................................ 5
5.
Technical Application Format ............................................................................................................ 5
6.
Gender ............................................................................................................................................... 8
7.
Environmental Protection and Compliance ...................................................................................... 9
8.
Cost Share .......................................................................................................................................... 9
9.
Cost Application Format .................................................................................................................... 9
10. Award of grant ................................................................................................................................. 10
Section – B: Selection Criteria ................................................................................................................. 12
1.
Technical Evaluation Criteria ........................................................................................................... 12
2.
Budget Evaluation............................................................................................................................ 13
3.
Best Value Decision ......................................................................................................................... 14
4.
Branding Strategy and Marking Plan ............................................................................................... 14
Section – C: Program Summary/ Program Description........................................................................... 15
1.
Thematic Area # 1: Citizen Oversight of Municipal Services ........................................................... 16
2.
Thematic Area # 2: Energy Sector Reforms ..................................................................................... 18
3.
Thematic Area # 3: Improving Water Rights ................................................................................... 21
Section – D: Pre-award Certifications, Assurances and other statements of apparently successful
applicant/ recipient................................................................................................................................. 26
Section – E: Annexes ............................................................................................................................... 27
2
Section – A: Instructions for application format
1.
Partner Eligibility Criteria
Pakistani NGOs, CBOs, civil society organizations, educational institutes and
other not-for-profit organizations are eligible to apply. Private sector
organizations are also welcome to apply for grants but fees will not be paid
under these awards. Government of Pakistan or quasi-public/parastatal entities
will normally be considered for awards only when working in partnership as subrecipient with NGOs. Grants shall be awarded only to Pakistani entities. Grants
to locally registered non-Pakistani entities may be approved under exceptional
circumstances by USAID. Individuals and political organizations are not eligible
for grants under the Project. General ineligibility criteria are:





2.
Must not be a public international organization;
Must not be an entity directly affiliated with TDEA or any of its Directors,
Officers or employees;
Must not be in the various lists of Pakistan Government, U.S. Government, as
screened through different GOP, USG and UN resources maintained for
prohibited organizations or individuals (subawardee and key personnel);
Organizations whose previous awards were terminated by TDEA or USAID on
performance grounds; and
Subawardee and its key personnel were never convicted by a court of
competent jurisdiction in Pakistan for fine of more than Rs.50,000 or
imprisonment or both.
Preparation and Submission Guidelines
The TDEA grant process is web-enabled, allowing for applications to be
submitted on-line. Instructions to submit applications electronically on-line in
response to this RFA are found on the project website at http://cvpa-tdea.org
If your organization decides to submit an application, it must be received by the
closing date and time indicated at the top of the cover letter. The applicant must
provide all required information in its application, including the requirements
found in any attachments to this RFA. Applicants should retain for their records
one copy of all enclosures which accompany their applications.
If applicants shall choose to submit hard copies, the submission of the technical
and cost application will be accepted no later than the closing date and time
indicated on the cover letter, at the designated GPO Box.
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One complete original, three (3) copies of technical application along with one
(1) complete soft copy on a CD-ROM will be required for hard copy submission.
Applications and modifications thereof shall be submitted in sealed envelopes or
packages addressed to the office specified above, with the RFA number, the
name and address of the applicant, and whether the contents contain technical
and/or cost applications noted on the outside of the envelopes/packages.
Applications must be in English language.
To be eligible for award, the application should be prepared according to the
structural format set forth below in (2) Technical Application Format and (3)
Cost Application Format. Applications which are received late or are incomplete
run the risk of not being considered in the review process. Late applications will
not be considered for award.
TDEA will consider only applications conforming to the format prescribed below.
All applications received by the closing date and time indicated on the cover
letter will be reviewed for responsiveness and programmatic merit in accordance
with the specifications outlined in these guidelines and the application format.
Section B addresses the selection criteria and procedures for the applications. As
part of the application, applicants shall acknowledge receipt of any amendments
to this RFA.
In the event this solicitation is cancelled and RFA is withdrawn, a notice will be
published on the project website as TDEA will not be able to inform each
applicant individually. Therefore, interested applicants are strongly
recommended to keep visiting TDEA website for any updates.
3.
Financial Allocation
The total and indicative financial allocation for each thematic area is provided in
Section – C. TDEA grant awards generally fall into three distinct tiers:
1) Under the local currency equivalent of $100,000;
2) The local currency equivalent of $100,000 to the local currency equivalent of
$250,000; and
3) Over the local currency equivalent of $250,000.
Tier 1 awards are expected to be most frequent, and the approval process for
such awards will be streamlined and kept as simple as possible. Tier 2 subsubawards over $100,000 but under $250,000 will be less common and will
entail a greater degree of scrutiny and implementation oversight. Tier 3 subgrant awards over $250,000 will be approved by USAID in exceptional
circumstances to organizations with demonstrated capacity.
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4.
Award Information
Award and disbursement of grants for this cycle will be managed by The Asia
Foundation while TDEA and GT-AASR will cover the areas of M&E and Pre/Post
award Compliance respectively.
Grants will be awarded depending on the proposed programmatic model. The
available modalities as per TDEA Subawards Manual, in line with USAID ADS 303
will be ‘small grants’.
Special and General Terms and Conditions will be communicated to the
successful applicants. These are usually based on the Standard Provisions for
Non-US NGOs available at http://www.usaid.gov/policy/ads/300/303mab.pdf.
For US based organizations, relevant standard provisions, requirements of CFR,
OMB circulars and ADS would apply.
Tenure of grants is also provided in Section – C.
5.
Technical Application Format
Technical applications shall be written in English language, must not exceed 15
pages, utilizing Times New Roman 12-font size, single spaced, typed in standard
8 ½x11 paper size with one-inch margins both right and left, and each page
numbered consecutively. Cover letter, dividers, table of contents, annexes (e.g
performance monitoring and evaluation plan, personnel resumes, past
performance information, certificates, forms, acronym list etc.) will not count
toward the page limitation. Any pages that exceed the page limitation will not be
furnished to the Evaluation Committee. There is no page limit on attachments or
cost application.
The technical application will have more significant importance than cost
application in the selection of a successful applicant. It should demonstrate the
applicant's capabilities and expertise with respect to achieving the goals of this
project. Therefore it should be specific, complete and presented concisely. It
should take into account and be arranged in the order of the technical evaluation
criteria specified in Section – B.
The suggested outline for the technical application is:
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Cover Page
Table of Contents
Executive Summary
Technical Approach
Management Plan
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f)
g)
h)
Institutional Capacity
Past Performance
Draft Project Monitoring & Evaluation Plan
a) Cover Page
A single page with the project title and RFA number, the names of the
organizations/institutions involved, and the lead or primary Applicant clearly
identified. Any proposed sub grantees (or implementing partners) should be
listed separately. In addition, the Cover Page should provide a contact person
for the prime Applicant, including this individual’s name (both typed and his/her
signature), title or position with the organization/institution, postal/ office
address, landline and mobile telephone, fax numbers and e-mail address. State
whether the contact person is the person with authority to contract for the
Applicant, and if not, that person should also be listed with contact information.
It should also list type of lead organization (NGO/CBO/Private Sector/ Other –
specify), law/regulation under which it is registered with Government of
Pakistan, date of such registration and corporate website, if any. Detail of
primary bank account with account number, bank and branch will also be
required to establish banking experience. Attach copies of certificates and
reference letters as annexes.
Title of proposed activity, duration, geographical coverage (province, district,
tehsil and union councils) and relevant thematic area must also be listed on the
cover page.
b) Table of Contents
List all parts of the technical application, with page numbers and attachments.
This will also serve as a checklist to ensure that all relevant documents have
been included with the application.
c) Executive Summary
Include a one-page executive summary that provides a clear overview of the
results to be achieved and a brief summary of applicant’s experience in
implementing activities like those described on the program summary/ program
description in Section – C.
d) Technical Approach
The technical approach must demonstrate an in depth understanding of the
development challenges in implementing the program, as described in Section –
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C. The approach should outline specific activities and explain how and at what
pace they are intended to achieve the program’s objectives. Applicants are
encouraged to propose innovative yet realistic approaches that are appropriate
in the context of Pakistan. A preferred approach would be to list down
objectives, the related activities and their outcomes.
e) Management Plan
Applicants should propose a management plan and describe how the plan will
contribute towards achieving the objectives and results described in the program
summary/ program description. The proposed plan should specifically state and
justify the composition and organizational structure of the entire project team. It
should also describe how the technical expertise and experience of all staff
members will achieve the expected results in the program summary/ program
description. Potential partners in the implementation of the award and the
services to be provided by each partner institution or organization shall be
described.
f) Institutional Capacity
Applicants must demonstrate technical and managerial expertise that would
directly benefit implementation and include the following:
1) Brief description of organizational history/expertise;
2) Relevant experience with proposed approaches;
3) Institutional strength as represented by personnel experience in managing
successful programs of similar scope and complexity; and,
4) Partner capabilities and expertise
g) Past Performance
Applicants must provide evidence of pertinent past performance and clearly
describe examples of successful development and implementation of programs
similar what is required under this RFA.
Applicants may attach as an Annex a summary of the five most recent donorfunded contracts or grants as well as the name, address, email address and
telephone number of the Project Officer, activity manager or other contact
persons. Include the following for each award:
1) Name and address of awarding organization or agency;
2) Amount of award;
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3) Term of award (begin and end dates of services/program);
4) Contact information of responsible technical representative of funding
organization or agency; and,
5) Brief description of the program.
h) Draft Project Performance Monitoring and Evaluation Plan
Applicants shall submit a draft Performance Monitoring and Evaluation Plan
(PMEP). The PMEP must explain how the applicant proposes to monitor the
project performance and measure indicators and impact. The PMEP must include
results, indicators, targets, consisting of data sources, frequency of data
collection, collection methods, data verification, and responsible parties of data
collection, baseline information, and benchmarks. The applicant must discuss
the ways in which the collection, analysis and reporting of performance data will
be managed under the project. All data collected must be disaggregated. It is
the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that all costs, if any, related to the
implementation of the PMEP are included in the cost proposal.
As an annex to this section, applicants shall submit a brief on “Post-Project
Management and Sustainability of the Project Benefits”. Explaining how the
applicant plans to ensure that the project interventions and benefits will sustain
after the completion of project. What measures the applicant will take in the
post-project period to monitor project interventions and to provide assistance to
the project beneficiaries. Also indicating recurring cost, if any, needed to
manage post-project operations and how this cost will be managed by applicant
organization.
6.
Gender
Given the critical role of women in development, it is essential that institutions
competing for an award demonstrate knowledge and capacity to address
gender-based constraints. Based on the different needs and roles of men and
women, strategies for addressing these needs and for ensuring women’s full
participation in all proposed activities must be part of the methodology/proposed
approach. In addition to explicitly addressing women’s needs and participation,
the proposed methodology/approach shall also address: (a) how will gender
relations affect the achievement of sustainable results; and (b) how will
proposed activities affect the relative status of men and women. Furthermore,
the program strategy shall demonstrate how activities will be monitored, tracked
and evaluated to measure the impact on women and on gender relations. All
people-level results and indicators must be gender disaggregated.
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7.
Environmental Protection and Compliance
TDEA requires an evaluation to ensure that any environmental impacts resulting
from the project implementation are mitigated. Filling of the Initial
Environmental Examination (IEE) checklist available in Section - D, provides a
system to the applicant to ensures that environmental (i.e., natural resource or
public health) impacts of program activities are identified and mitigation
measures are proposed at the design stage, prior to the irreversible obligation of
TDEA funds. Subsequently, over the tenure of grant, these environmental
mitigation measures are to be a standard component of program management.
8.
Cost Share
Although there is no requirement that applicants propose a specific cost share,
cost sharing is an important element of the TDEA-recipient relationship and
applicants are encouraged to contribute resources from its own, private or local
sources for the implementation of this program. Contributions can be either cash
or in kind.
9.
Cost Application Format
The Cost Application is to be submitted under separate cover from the technical
application.
The following sections describe the documentation that applicants for a grant
must submit to TDEA prior to award. A basic template for the budget and
mandatory additional information has been attached as an annex to this
RFA. While there is no page limit for the cost application, applicants are
encouraged to be as concise as possible, but still provide the necessary detail to
address the following:
1) Budget: which provides in detail the total estimated amounts for
implementation of the project your organization is proposing.
2) Budget narrative: that provides detailed budget explanations and supporting
justification of each proposed budget line items. It must clearly identify the
basis of cost elements, such as market surveys, price quotations, current
salaries, historical experience, etc.
3) Additional information required under this RFA.
The program budget should be in Pakistani Rupees containing the following
categories:
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a. Direct Labor - Direct salaries, wages and benefits. Provide annual salary
history for at least the three most recent years for all identified and proposed
long-/short-term key and non-key personnel.
b. Supplies and Equipment - Differentiate between expendable supplies and
nonexpendable equipment.
c. Travel and Per Diem - Proposed per diem must be in accordance with the
Applicant’s established policies and practices.
d. Other Direct Costs - This could include miscellaneous costs such as
communications, utilities, report preparation costs, etc.
e. Proposed (Sub)agreements - Applicants who intend to utilize sub recipients
should indicate the extent intended and a complete cost breakdown.
f. Cost-Share - If cost share is proposed, applicants should estimate the
amount of cost-sharing resources to be mobilized over the life of the
Agreement.
An award shall be made only when TDEA makes a positive determination that
the applicant possesses, or has the ability to obtain, the necessary management
competence in planning and carrying out assistance programs and that it will
practice mutually agreed upon methods of accountability for funds and other
assets provided by TDEA. For the organizations that are new to USAID, or
organizations with outstanding audit findings, it may be necessary to perform a
pre-award survey. The cost/business applications of all applicants submitting a
technically acceptable application will be evaluated for general reasonableness,
cost realism, allowability and allocability.
10.
Award of grant
TDEA may award a grant resulting from this RFA to the responsible applicant(s)
whose application(s) conforming to this RFA offers the greatest value (see
Section B of this RFA). TDEA may (a) reject any or all applications, (b) accept
other than the lowest cost application, (c) accept more than one application, (d)
accept alternate applications, and (e) waive informalities and minor irregularities
in applications received.
TDEA may award a grant on the basis of initial applications received, without
discussions or negotiations. Therefore, each initial application should contain the
applicant's best terms from a cost and technical standpoint. As part of its
evaluation process, however, TDEA may elect to discuss technical, cost or other
pre-award issues with one or more applicants. Alternatively, TDEA may proceed
with award selection based on its evaluation of initial applications received
and/or commence negotiations solely with one applicant.
Awards will be made to responsible applicants whose applications offer the
greatest value, technical, cost and other factors considered. Applicants are
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specifically advised that the Asia Foundation will be awarding grant agreements
and disbursing grants under the Citizens Voice Program and until an executed
document is received and duly signed by the Country Representative of the Asia
Foundation, who has been currently designated by TDEA as the financial
custodian of grants and contracting officer, no project expenditures will be paid
by TDEA.
In the event of an inconsistency between the documents comprising this RFA, it
shall be resolved by the following descending order of precedence:
(a) Section B - Selection Criteria;
(b) Section A – Instructions for Application Format;
(c) Section C - The Program Summary/ Program Description;
(d) Cover Letter.
A written award mailed or otherwise furnished to the successful applicant(s)
within the time for acceptance specified either in the application(s) or in this RFA
(whichever is later) shall result in a binding agreement without further action by
either party. Before the application's specified expiration time, if any, TDEA may
accept an application, whether or not there are negotiations after its receipt,
unless a written notice of withdrawal is received before award. Negotiations or
discussions conducted after receipt of an application do not constitute a rejection
or counteroffer by TDEA. Since the funding allocation is limited and defined,
TDEA may only award to the applicants deemed as “the best” for the program
objectives while not awarding a grant to any otherwise qualified applications.
(End of Section – A)
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Section – B: Selection Criteria
The technical applications will be evaluated in accordance with the Technical
Evaluation Criteria set forth below. Applicants shall organize the narrative sections
of their technical applications in the same order as the selection criteria. Technical
evaluation of applications will be based on the extent and appropriateness of
proposed approaches and feasibility of achieving the strategic objectives, in
accordance with the following criteria.
If award is not made on the initial applications, TDEA may request clarification and
supplemental materials from applicants whose applications have a reasonable
chance of being selected for award. The entry into discussion is to be viewed as
part of the evaluation process and shall not be deemed by TDEA or the applicants
as indicative of a decision or commitment upon the part of TDEA to make an award
to the applicants with whom discussions are being held.
1.
Technical Evaluation Criteria
A Technical Review Panel designated by the project will review the grant
applications. This panel will form a short list and provide its recommendations to
the Grants Management Committee, using the criteria shown in this Section. The
criteria set forth will serve as the basis for evaluating the technical Applications.
Grants Management Committee will review the short list and forward their
recommendations to the Project Steering Committee which will vet the selection
and finally, USAID will approve the selection. The various functional elements of
the technical criteria are assigned weighted scores, so that the Applicants will
know which areas require emphasis in the preparation of Applications. Where
technical Applications are considered essentially equal, cost may be determining
factor.
Applicants should note that these criteria:
(1) Serve as the standard against which all Applications will be evaluated; and
(2) Serve to identify the significant matters which Applicants should address in
their Applications.
The relative importance of each criterion is indicated by the number of points
assigned; a total of 100 points is possible.
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Technical Evaluation Criteria
a. Technical Approach
b. Management Plan
c. Institutional Capacity
d. Past Performance
Total possible technical evaluation points
Weight
55
15
15
15
100
a) Technical Approach – 55 points
Particular attention will be given to evaluating the applicant’s responsiveness
to the program summary/ program description and realistic linkages between
expected results and the applicant’s proposed interventions. Applicants
must demonstrate understanding of key issues, challenges and opportunities.
b) Management Plan – 15 points
Particular attention will be given to the extent to which the proposed
management structure and approach will ensure program effectiveness and
efficiency in achieving maximum benefits and results. The Management Plan
must consist of a clear and concise description of how internal management
plans, organizational structures, lines of communications and partnerships
amount to a timely and integrated project implementation strategy.
c) Institutional Capacity – 15 Points
Particular attention will be given to applicant’s demonstrated effectiveness in
organizing and managing development programs. Applicants must have the
requisite experience in effective coordination of multi-component projects
involving multiple institutions and diverse pools of expertise.
d) Past Performance – 15 Points
Particular attention will be given to past achievements as evidenced by
verifiable success in implementing similar programs. In articulating past
achievements, applicants should explain why and how similar achievements
are relevant for the current program.
2.
Budget Evaluation
Evaluation points are not awarded for the applicant’s budget. Proposed budgets
will primarily be reviewed to determine if the overall costs proposed are realistic
for the work to be performed, if the costs reflect understanding of the
requirements, and if the costs are consistent with the technical application.
Although there is no requirement that applicants propose a specific cost share,
cost sharing is an important element of the TDEA-recipient relationship and
applicants are encouraged to contribute resources from its own, private or local
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sources for the implementation of this program. Contributions can be either cash
or in kind.
3.
Best Value Decision
Award will be made to the Applicant whose application offers the best value to
TDEA. Best value is defined as the expected outcome of a process that, in
TDEA’s estimation, provides the greatest overall benefit in response to the
requirement.
For this RFA, technical proposal merits are considered significantly more
important than cost relative to deciding which Applicant might perform the work
best. Cost realism, effectiveness and reasonableness will be the determining
factors in the event that the applications receiving the highest ratings are closely
ranked. Therefore, after the final evaluation of the application, TDEA will make
the award to the Applicant whose application offers the best value to the project
considering technical, cost and other factors.
Other areas of review and discussion will vary according to the circumstances
pertaining to the application.
Grant applications must score a minimum of 60 points out of 100 to merit
further consideration. The Citizens’ Voice Project office will acknowledge the
receipt of applications. The processing of application may take a minimum of 6
weeks.
4.
Branding Strategy and Marking Plan
USAID is the prime funding institution for the grants under this solicitation.
USAID‘s policy is that programs, projects, activities, public communications, or
commodities implemented or delivered under co-funded instruments – such as
grants, cooperative agreements, or other assistance awards that usually require
a cost share – generally are ―co-branded and co-marked. TDEA will put in
required provisions in the award document and will provide necessary technical
assistance to successful applicants in this regard.
(End of Section – B)
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Section – C: Program Summary/ Program Description
Citizens Voice Project is based on the understanding that the links between the
government and the governed in Pakistan are weak; and that the absence of
substantive public debate and discussion about key social, economic and political
issues often exacerbates the lack of public trust and confidence in government
institutions and in civil society.
The program has three main objective areas: 1) Strengthened Voice (Policy
Advocacy and Government Oversight); 2) Enhanced Capacity (Organizational
Development and Targeted Trainings); and, 3) Improved Accountability (Public
Private Connections, or linkages, between and among state and non-state actors).
The outcomes expected in each area are behavioral and attitudinal changes and,
over time, the project will help to institutionalize changes in public decision-making
mechanisms, program planning and implementation, and oversight.
TDEA provides the opportunity to community-based organizations, and NGOs to
come up with their own ideas, promotes out of the box thinking with innovative
ideas. The project aims to empower people and organizations to initiate change
from the grassroots level.
A valid proposal must meet the following criteria:




Be innovative and unique;
Be independently originated and developed by the applicant;
Be consistent with and supportive of USAID/Pakistan’s strategy and
objectives; and
Be able to meet a specific programmatic need in the defined thematic area.
The following thematic areas along with sector, timeline and estimated funding
have been identified for the first grant cycle of TDEA. Accordingly, applicants are
required to propose programs within these areas to meet the overall objectives of
the project i.e., Strengthened Voice; Enhanced Capacity and Improved Public
Accountability.
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1.
Thematic Area # 1: Citizen Oversight of Municipal Services
Background:
According to a general perception, provincial and district government departments
in Pakistan make many decisions in a non-transparent, non-participatory manner.
The importance of public participation and peoples’ right to information is rarely
recognized. The lack of transparency in local government decision-making breeds
corruption and abuse of authority and covers inefficiencies leading to poor delivery
of municipal services. It also allows local governments to make resource allocations
for projects, which benefit the local elite and their patronage networks rather than
the public good. In this context, citizen participation in the local decision making
and strengthening their oversight of the development process will help reduce
incidence of corruption, malpractices and inefficiency leading to improved municipal
service delivery. Deteriorating infrastructure and quality of municipal services has
been accentuated by rapid urbanization and dysfunctional local governments.
Public oversight of the development process can take various forms for instance
accountability of local government officials in the form of citizen report cards on
quality of municipal services, citizen consultations to determine budget priorities,
citizen engagement in fund tracking mechanisms, and use of governance
assessment tools. Therefore, interested organizations are requested to submit
applications for achieving the objective(s) mentioned below.
Objectives:
Citizens’ participation in decision making process and active oversight of the
development process strengthened leading to noticeable improvements in the
municipal services delivery supported by empirical data
Provincial/District governments institutionalize tools and mechanisms to effectively
respond to citizens’ needs and priorities.
Activity Area:
The proposed interventions could include, but not limited to, the following:
 Develop benchmark of performance, comparing situation with progress of
TMAs under Local Governments;
 Assess and compare situation with current practices and base line;
 Mapping of existing good practices of citizens’ engagement in the process if
any?
 Development of citizens’ report cards on selected municipal services;
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 Organize public consultations to determine budget priorities and advocate for
the same in relation to district and tehsil/ town budgets;
 Undertake activities to track funds allocated for delivering municipal services;
 Public awareness and advocacy for improving the legislative framework for
municipal service delivery including enforcement of Right to Information Act
for ensuring transparency, peoples’ right to information and accountability;
 Citizens’/ civil society oversight of relevant public bodies to identify
strengths, weaknesses and challenges in order to inform public discourse and
provide appropriate feedback into the policy making and implementation
processes related to municipal service delivery; and
 Promotion of effective intra-departmental complaint handling mechanism in
government organizations.
 Capacity building of districts/TMA administration to address the issues
identified by citizens and request budget allocation in accordance with citizen
priorities.
 Support
provincial/district
government
departments
to
devise
mechanisms/frameworks for responding to citizen needs and priorities,
allocate adequate resources and develop fund tracking mechanisms.
Expected Outcomes:
Organizations are expected to collect qualitative/quantitative data in the proposed
area of work in the beginning and towards the end of the project to clearly
demonstrate project achievements. A sample results and indicator is as follows:
Result: More Efficient and Effective Local Service Delivery
Indicator: % users in targeted municipalities that note improvements in targeted
public services- Percentages of citizens in target municipalities that are satisfied
with targeted services as follows: water, sewerage, solid waste, city streets, street
lighting
Note: Baseline will be established the first time the survey is conducted. At that
time, targets can be set.
Geographical Focus:
Tehsil/ town in selected districts of KP, South Punjab and North Sindh provinces:
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa:
Malakand Division [7 districts] and Peshawar city
Sindh:
Sukkur Division, Larkana
Division [13 districts]
South Punjab:
Bahawalpur Division, Multan Division and Dera Ghazi
Khan Division [11 districts]
Division
and
Mirpur
Khas
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Note: At least one grant each will be provided for Jacobabad district and Peshawar
city. Organizations are expected to work in small geographical entities (district or
tehsil/taluka) to demonstrate noticeable and visible improvements in municipal
services delivery and maximize the outcomes of the project.
Eligible Organizations:
Provincial/District/Tehsil level NGOs/CSOs with 3-5 years’ experience of
engagement with provincial/district/TMAs governments for improving municipal
services delivery.
Number of grants: 10
Grant size:
One grant up to PKR 8,500,000
Timeframe:
24 months.
2.
Thematic Area # 2: Energy Sector Reforms
1. Background:
Pakistan is experiencing a severe energy crisis that has led to widespread loadshedding and prolonged blackouts nationwide. The enormous debt created by
subsidizing the power sector limits the GOP’s ability to expand investment in
essential public services like health and education. Moreover, constant, prolonged
power outages disrupt business, especially major manufacturing industries,
worsening Pakistan’s global competitiveness and reducing employment
opportunities for the country’s citizens.
Improving effectiveness and efficiency of energy supply is a priority and the GOP is
moving ahead with plans to improve energy sector finances and ensure the sector’s
long-term viability. There is also an urgent need to strengthen and enhance energy
sector governance; ensuring civil society participation, and building capacities to
promote just and equitable policies and practices.
Citizens’ Voice Project aims to strengthen citizens’ voice and public accountability in
the energy sector by:


supporting efforts to design and implement public information, education
and communication (IEC) campaigns aimed at improving awareness and
expanding knowledge of energy sector issues; and,
developing linkages and partnerships between and among academic
institutions, chambers of commerce and trade/professional organizations and
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community organizations to engage with public sector energy decisionmakers.
2. Objectives:
“Citizen-Energy” Projects will be funded in support of one or both of the following
objectives and respective sub-objectives:
2.1. Strengthened citizens’ voice through, among others, oversight of public bodies
and/or advocacy for policy reforms and improved public service delivery in the
energy sector.
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Advocate for establishment of forums where citizens and civil society groups
could participate in and contribute to the policy making and regulatory
processes;
Participate in the policy making, public hearings and regulatory proceedings
organized by the relevant bodies to convey citizens’ voice and demands, as
articulated through evidence-based and participatory methods
Promotion of informed public dialogue around the policies (in relation to
aspects like availability, access, quality, equity, regulation, priorities) and
challenges being faced in reforming and improving the performance of
energy sector (e.g. electricity, gas, renewables etc.);
Campaigns for energy conservation and specific energy sector reforms on the
basis of demands articulated through a broad-based consultative process
involving various stakeholders;
Oversight of relevant public bodies (e.g. PEPCO, DISCOs, WAPDA etc.) to
identify strengths, weaknesses and challenges in order to inform public
discourse and provide appropriate feedback into the policy making;
implementation or regulatory processes;
2.2. Civil Society-Government Partnership, or linkages, between and among
Government and non-Government actors for improved accountability in the energy
sector.
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Engagement with political parties and elected representatives to seek
commitments, demand performance and ask critical questions about
inadequate policies, inefficiencies, consumer complaints or corruption in the
energy sector;
Establish partnerships/ linkages with (or make use of) parliamentary
committees (e.g. Parliamentary Committees of Senate or National Assembly
on Water and Power or on Petroleum), regulatory bodies (e.g. NEPRA, OGRA,
etc.) and/or other institutions meant for accountability (e.g. Federal
Ombudsman);
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Establish partnership/ linkages with relevant public bodies (e.g. Ministry of
Water and Power; Ministry of Petroleum, OGDC, WAPDA, PEPCO, DISCOs
etc.) to establish appropriate forums where citizens and civil society groups
could ask questions, seek answers, raise concerns about performance and
suggest reforms; and,
Engage with energy service providers to ensure equitable service delivery
and curb line losses attributable to theft.
3. Results Expected
All activities supported under this solicitation should help to improve energy sector
governance; broadening participation and inclusiveness in energy policy dialogue
and program implementation; improving transparency and accountability in
services planning, power distribution and delivery; promoting responsive consensus
–oriented energy sector decision-making; strengthening rules and regulations in an
equitable fashion; and, improving the effectiveness and efficiency of enery supply
and services support delivery.
4. Illustrative Activities to be supported:
The following are types of activities that may be funded under this solicitation:
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Stakeholder dialogues, seminars, policy forums, roundtables and conferences
etc.;
Activities required to oversee the performance of public bodies;
Meetings with political leaders, senior officers, legislators and regulators;
Public awareness campaigns including through print or electronic media;
Participation in regulatory proceedings;
Applied research as required to develop citizens demands e.g. Citizens’
Charter of Demands for a given sector like electricity or gas or petroleum;
Activities related to submitting complaints to regulatory bodies,
parliamentary committees, senior officers or other forums (e.g. Federal
Ombudsman); and,
Any other activities that can efficiently contribute to realization of the given
objectives.
Activity types that will not be supported under this solicitation include:
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Partisan activities or the ones which encourage or support sectarian,
linguistic, religious and racial divides;
Legal fees for court cases against public bodies;
International travel;
Scientific “ non-applied” research;
Direct service delivery;
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Activities that are in violation of national laws; and
Any other activities which cannot be justified in view of the selected theme or
project objectives
5. Preferred Organizations:
Civil society groups, academic institutions, trade and professional associations, and
NGOs that can work on voice and accountability issues, especially in terms of
engaging public dialogue with legislators, policy makers and regulatory agencies.
6. Geographical Focus:
National or Provincial.
7. Number of Grants:
Total grants: up to 10
Grant size: Up to PKR 8,500,000 per grant.
Timeframe:
Time frame will be according to the logical design of the proposed program. The
duration must not exceed thirty months.
3.
Thematic Area # 3: Improving Water Rights
1. Background:
Pakistan has a long and well-established tradition of water entitlements, with rules
for water distribution down to outlets and on-farm levels under the warabandi
system. There are two types of warabandi “Kacha” which is mutually agreed and
informally decided by the farmers and other one is Pacca which is determined and
specified by the officials of Irrigation Department. These two types are still exist
and most problems are seen in the Kacah warabandi in remote rural area which
also becomes the source of water theft as well.
Though the administration of this system is poor and lacks transparency, there is
broad agreement among most water professionals that improving administration is
feasible and would increase efficiency, allow flexibility in adapting to scarcity,
reduce conflict and build stakeholder support for better water management’. There
is a need to create awareness about the fact that water scarcity is a significant and
growing problem in Pakistan, whereas about 80 percent of all water is used for
agriculture. Pakistan will not be able to successfully address many of the service
and resource management challenges it faces without the implementation of a
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transparent, enforceable system of water entitlements. Implementation of existing
water entitlements is necessary to realize efficiency gains, improve equity of
distribution, legitimate water sales, reduce deficit and promote long term
investment.
According to a study by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) on
Global Water Scarcity, Pakistan is expected to enter a condition of water scarcity by
2025. Looming water scarcity is expected to increase Pakistan’s food insecurity and
needs urgent attention. The current use and management of water prohibits water
from being used for its most efficient manner. Under the current distribution
system, maintenance is costly, farmers pay little or nothing for water. What they do
pay is not funneled back into operations and maintenance. Rapid population
growth, ill-defined water rights and climate change are critical factors that
contribute to water related vulnerabilities in Pakistan. Pakistan needs to take
concrete measures in order to be able to cope under a system of water scarcity. A
transparent and enforceable governance system of water entitlement and rights will
help to ensure water is used wisely, which could include water markets managed
through public private partnerships. This solicitation invites innovative projects to
improve water rights by strengthening Citizens’ voice and citizens’ oversight of
relevant public bodies as well as by promoting public accountability.
2. Objectives:
Projects will be funded in support of selected sub-objectives under either one or
both of the following two objectives:
2.1. Strengthened citizens’ voice through, among others, oversight of public bodies
that leads to policy reform or innovative approaches to irrigation system
management and improved implementation of water related rights and
entitlements.
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Strengthening the voice of community organizations, farmer groups and water
user’s groups to advocate for full implementation of water rights/ entitlements
and enforcement of equitable distribution of water.
Promotion of informed public dialogue around the policies and challenges being
faced in implementing water rights and reforming water distribution systems
and management in order to make it more efficient and equitable.
Development of a farmers’ Charter of Demands prepared in consultation with
community organizations, large and small farmer groups as well as provincial
and district level irrigation and agricultural departments.
Organization of stakeholder consultations with the aim of building alliances for
public private partnership in the water sector leading to innovative, more
efficient and sustainable water use and management mechanisms.
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Advocacy at the provincial levels for policy change, especially with the aim of
promoting public private partnerships to maintain water use and distribution
system integrity, encourage investment, improve efficiency and ensure
accountability.
Oversight of relevant public bodies to identify strengths, weaknesses and
challenges to inform public discourse and provide appropriate feedback into the
policy making, implementation or regulatory processes as it relates to water use
and management.
Identification and advocacy for forums whereby citizens, civil society groups and
related private organizations/ companies could participate in and contribute to
the policy making and regulatory processes as it relates to water use and
management.
Participation in the policy making, public hearings and regulatory proceedings
organized by relevant bodies to convey citizens’ voice and demands, as
articulated through evidence-based and participatory methods as it relates to
water use and management.
Undertake actionable research to identify issues and give recommendations for
policy change pertaining to water rights and efficient management of water
distribution system.
2.2. Civil Society-Government connections, or linkages, between and among
government and non-government actors for improved accountability in relation to
implementation of water rights/ entitlements and water distribution systems in the
districts.
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Engagement with political parties and elected representatives to seek
commitments, demand performance and ask critical questions about inadequate
policies, inefficiencies, consumer/farmer complaints or corruption in the water
sector;
Establish linkages/ partnerships among large and small farmer groups,
companies and provincial/ district level irrigation and agricultural departments to
pave way for public private partnership in water sector leading to more efficient
management and use of water.
Establish partnerships/ linkages with (or make use of) parliamentary committees
(e.g. committees of provincial assemblies on irrigation and agriculture) and/or
other institutions meant for accountability (e.g. provincial Ombudsmen) as it
relates to water;
Establish partnership/ linkages with relevant government departments (e.g.
Departments of irrigation and agriculture) for setting up appropriate forums
where citizens, farmers groups, civil society groups, private sector and other
relevant stakeholders could ask questions, seek answers, raise concerns about
performance and suggest reforms as it relates to water; and
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Develop monitoring mechanisms to highlight good performance (and support it)
vis-à-vis bad performance; and demand accountability in order to improve water
rights and pave way for reforming the sector.
3. Activity types that can be included:
Following are the types of activities that can be funded under the Citizens’ Voice
Project:
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Assess current efforts and institutions undertaking similar activities;
Stakeholder dialogues, seminars, policy forums, roundtables and conferences;
Training workshops;
Activities that could lead to and promote public private partnerships to
strengthen accountability and transparency;
Mass level awareness campaigns and other activities with a special focus on
farmers and irrigation departments, besides advocating for reform in the water
distribution, management and use systems;
Advocating installing water measurement gauges to ensure equitable and
transparent water distribution, which can promote equity as well as
sustainability;
Joint monitoring of water measurement gauges by public and private
stakeholders;
Activities related to developing an innovative and accessible information
management system on specific water related issues;
Publicizing water losses and inefficiencies in the current convenience and
distribution system through print / electronic media as well as through other
means e.g. brochures, pamphlets, booklets etc.;
Meetings with political leaders, senior officers, legislators and regulators;
Research and other activities as required to develop citizens demands e.g.
Citizens’ Charter of Demands for water rights or reforming water sector;
Research leading to identifying potential water markets and suggest public
private partnerships in different parts of the country;
Activities related to submitting complaints to regulatory bodies, parliamentary
committees, senior officers or other forums (e.g. provincial Ombudsman);
Activities which aim to highlight the problems of disadvantaged sections of
society (e.g. women, religious minorities, poor consumers/ farmers etc.) are
encouraged;
Any other activities that can efficiently contribute to realization of the given
objectives.
Activity types that will not be supported under the project include the following:
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Partisan activities or those which encourage or support sectarian, linguistic,
religious and racial divides;
Fees for lawyers for court cases against public bodies;
International travel;
Academic research;
Direct service delivery;
Activities that are in violation of national laws; and
Any other activities which cannot be justified in view of the selected theme or
project objectives.
4. Preferred Organizations:
NGOs, think tanks, advocacy organizations at the district/ provincial levels.
5. Geographical Focus:
Sindh, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
6. Number of Grants:
Total grants:
Central Punjab:
4
1
(Faisalabad Division, Gujranwala Division
and Sargodha Division)
South Punjab:
1
(Multan Division, Bahawalpur Division)
Northern Sindh:
1
(Sukkur Division and Larkana Division)
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa:
1
Grant size: up to PKR 12,750,000
Timeframe:
12 months.
(End of Section – C)
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Section – D: Pre-award Certifications, Assurances and other statements
of apparently successful applicant/ recipient
Apparently successful applicants will be required to submit Pre-award
Certifications, Assurances and other Statements of the Recipient as listed in this
section. Apparently successful organizations are specific applicant organizations
which will pass the evaluation process and are shortlisted. TDEA will contact and
inform these organizations about their status. These Pre-award Certifications,
Assurances and other Statements of the Recipient shall not be submitted as part of
the initial application.
Every apparently successful applicant will be required to obtain a number from the
website of Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS). Guidelines for the process of
obtaining this number are provided in this RFA.
The timing of submission of each certification is mentioned with the text of
certifications. For certifications required before the award TDEA will notify the
apparently successful applicant(s) to submit these documents after evaluation of
proposals. These are mandatory conditions precedent to a subaward. A list is
provided below to give an idea of what certifications would be required. Please click
on the web links below for further details:
I.
II.
Certification regarding terrorist financing implementing EO 13224
Certification regarding debarment, suspension, ineligibility and voluntary
exclusion
III. Certification regarding Narcotics offense and drug trafficking by key
individuals
IV. Certification regarding Narcotics offense and drug trafficking by
participants
V.
Certification regarding drug free workplace
VI. Initial environmental examination form
VII. Certification regarding Voluntary Population Planning Activities
VIII. Certification that the subawardee and its key employees have never been
convicted by a court of competent jurisdiction in Pakistan.
IX. Declaration about the family relationships within management and
governance structure of the subawardee organization.
X.
Certification regarding local cost financing.
XI. Disclosure and Certification Regarding Political Leadership/ Management of
the Subawardee
XII. Requirement and Guidelines for obtaining DUNS number
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Section – E: Annexes
1. Technical Application
2. Workplan template
3. Budget template
Annex 5DD Grant
Application template.docx
Annex 5DDD
Workplan Template.xls
Annex 5DDDD
Budget Template Guide.xls
4. Survey on Ensuring Equal Opportunity For Applicants
Applicability: The applicant’s completion of the survey is voluntary, and is not a requirement of the
RFA. The absence of a completed survey in an application may not be a basis upon which the
application is determined incomplete or non-responsive. Applicants who volunteer to complete and
submit the survey under a competitive or non-competitive action are instructed within the text of
the survey to submit it as part of the application process.
SURVEY ON
ENSURING EQUAL OPPORTUNITY FOR APPLICANTS.docx
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