Contracting Authority: European Commission

Partnership with Civil Society Organisations
Support to in-country Youth engagement in conflict prevention and peace-building in Iraq, Lebanon, Libya and Tunisia
Guidelines for grant applicants
Budget line(s): BGUE-B2023-14.020230-C1-FPI
Reference:
EuropeAid/179931/DD/ACT/Multi
Deadline for submission of full application:
 15 April 2024 at 12:00 hours (Brussels time)
 (in order to convert to local time click here)

NOTICE
This is an open call for proposals, where all documents are submitted together: concept note (Annex A.1- Grant application form - Concept note) and full application (Annex A.2 - Grant application form - Full application). In the first instance, only the concept notes will be evaluated. Thereafter, for the lead applicants who have been pre-selected, the full applications will be evaluated. After the evaluation of the full applications, an eligibility check will be performed for those which have been provisionally selected. Eligibility will be checked on the basis of the supporting documents requested by the contracting authority and the signed ‘declaration by the lead applicant’ sent together with the full application.
Online submission via PROSPECT
To apply to this call for proposals, organisations must register in PADOR and submit their application in PROSPECT (see section 2.2.2 of the guidelines). The aim of PROSPECT is to increase the efficiency of the management of the call for proposals and to offer a better service to civil society organisations through a new panel of functionalities such as the on-line submission and the possibility to follow up online the status of their application.
All organisations may find more information regarding PROSPECT in the user's manual and the e-learning videos. You may also contact our technical support team via the online support form in PROSPECT.

Table of contents
1.	«Support to in-country Youth engagement in conflict prevention and peace-building in Iraq, Lebanon, Libya and Tunisia»
1.1.	Background
1.2.	Objectives of the programme and priority issues
1.3.	Financial allocation provided by the contracting authority
2.	Rules FOR thIS call for proposalS
2.1.	Eligibility criteria
2.1.1.	Eligibility of applicants (i.e. lead applicant and co-applicant(s))
2.1.2.	Associates and contractors
2.1.3.	Eligible actions: actions for which an application may be made
2.1.4.	Eligibility of costs: costs that can be included
2.1.5.	Ethics clauses and Code of Conduct
2.2.	How to apply and the procedures to follow
2.2.1.	Application forms
2.2.2.	Where and how to send applications
2.2.3.	Deadline for submission of applications
2.2.4.	Further information about applications
2.3.	Evaluation and selection of applications
2.4.	Submission of supporting documents 
2.5.	Notification of the Contracting Authority’s decision
2.5.1.	Content of the decision
2.5.2.	Indicative timetable
2.6.	Conditions for implementation after the contracting authority’s decision to award a grant
3.	LIST OF annexes

1.	Support to in-country Youth engagement in conflict prevention and peace-building in Iraq, Lebanon, Libya and Tunisia
1.1.	Background
This call for proposals is funded by the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument – Global Europe (NDICI-GE) – for the period 2021-2027 - under the thematic programme “Peace, Stability and Conflict Prevention” (PSCP).  
Building on the work done under the Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace (IcSP), the Peace, Stability and Conflict Prevention thematic programme aims to address insecurity and instability in a multidimensional, conflict sensitive and coherent manner, complementing actions under the NDICI–GE geographic and the Rapid Response Pillars as well as activities funded under the European Peace Facility and other financial instruments. Through this programme, the EU will contribute to the achievement of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, in particular Sustainable Development Goal (DSG) 16 on 'peace, justice and strong institutions' and SDG 5 ‘Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls’. Sustained peace is key for economic growth, welfare and prosperity and instrumental in realising the vision set forth in all SDGs.
The first priority area of the PSCP thematic programme aims at building capacity for conflict prevention and peacebuilding. Among other activities, it aims to enhance capabilities to better detect early signs of conflict/crises; promote conflict prevention and conflict resolution measures, including by strengthening confidence building, mediation, dialogue and reconciliation processes; support peace processes, including stabilisation and peacebuilding efforts.
Supporting in-country civil society in their efforts to detect and prevent conflicts, respond to crises and build peace is essential to the resilience of communities and societies, which are confronted with an increasing number of challenges, be climate change and fight over scarce natural resources, political and socio-economic instability and exclusion, poor good governance systems and flawed rule of law states.  
Empowering in-country civil society actors in conflict and post-conflict affected contexts is crucial to gather local perceptions and experiences, so to better conceive tailored responses to bring about positive change.
There is a broad recognition that inclusive and gender-responsive approaches to peace and security provide for more sustainable peace, ensuring that there is broader societal buy-in to peace processes, from pre-talks through to implementation. 
Young women and men under the age of 30 constitute more than half of the population across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
Despite growing evidence that youth inclusion and active engagement in conflict prevention, peace-building initiatives and peace-processes is essential for a lasting peace and more peaceful societies, young women and young men continue to remain largely excluded from decision-making processes and from participation in the socio-economic life. Their contribution to prevent or resolve conflict and maintain peace is still not adequately valued nor protected. Furthermore, there is tendency to treat them as a monolithic segment of society, ignoring their diversity and specific needs. 
The region is affected by fragile political systems, high percentage of unemployment also among the youth, tense citizen-state relations and recurring unrest, a significant number of young former fighters and a high number of displaced persons and refugees.  At the same time good governance, rule of law and respect for human rights remain key demands for populations across the region. In these contexts, youth exclusion risks to further fuel (new or existing) conflicts and to put young people are risk of extremist ideologies and risk-prone adaptation mechanisms, including irregular migration. 
In light of the context described above, addressing young people’s lack of civic and political engagement, vulnerabilities and exclusion is essential to build a more conducive and enabling environment for sustainable peace.
By recognising that each country in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has its own political and economic specificities, the present call for proposals seeks to strengthen in-country civil society capacity to enhance young women and men inclusion and active participation in conflict prevention and peacebuilding initiatives in: Iraq, Lebanon, Libya and Tunisia.
1.2.	Objectives of the programme and priority issues 
The global objective of this call for proposals is to strengthen in-country civil society capacity to facilitate and enhance inclusive young women and young men participation in conflict prevention and peacebuilding initiatives and processes in Iraq, Lebanon, Libya and Tunisia.
The specific objective(s) of this call for proposals is: 
In–country youth-led civil society organisations are better equipped to harness opportunities and to respond to challenges related to inclusive and conflict sensitive participation of young women and young men in conflict prevention initiatives, conflict resolution and peacebuilding processes at local, national and/or international level. 
The priorities of this call for proposals are (not in order of precedence):
•	I) Supporting youth-led peacebuilding organisations and networks in their efforts to enhance inclusive youth participation and representation in peacebuilding initiatives and processes;

•	II) Enhance capacities of marginalised youth, particularly those more vulnerable to recruitment by armed groups or vulnerable to extremist ideologies, to engage in socio-political processes;

•	III) Fostering a culture of peace and respect for human rights and tolerance as a set of values conducive to peaceful societies; 

•	IV) Empowering young women and enhancing their role and meaningful participation in conflict prevention and conflict transformation as agents of positive change at societal level. This should be reflected in initiatives directly addressing young women meaningful participation in the entire project cycle and in initiatives supporting women-led organisations.

The Applicant shall specify the place of the implementation of the action and the priority(ies) addressed in its Proposal.
Proposals shall address at least one of the above mentioned priorities. In case the action addresses more than one priority, the interconnectivity between the chosen priorities must be clearly explained in the Proposal.
Furthermore, the following methodological elements shall all be addressed in the Proposal:

•	Knowledge of the local context and identified priority(ies): the applicant must show a sound understanding of the local context and targeted audience through a conflict/context/stakeholder analysis. It should also include reference to the multilateral landscape and alignment with multilateral frameworks as relevant; 
•	Conflict sensitivity, do-no-harm, right-based approach: the approach followed in the design of the proposal and proposed for the implementation is expected to be conflict and gender-sensitive, right-based, inclusive and participatory. Risks of doing harm and related conflict-sensitivity monitoring will be considered as an integral part of the project approach; 
•	Theory of change: the proposal shall be designed based on activities that are clearly and logically linked to a theory of change that is based on sound needs assessment and stakeholder analysis;
•	Cross-cutting issues: the following cross-cutting issues must be taken into account in the design of the proposal: i) uphold fundamental democratic principles such as transparent and accountable governance, participation and fair representation, balance of power, respect of human rights; ii) reduction of inequalities, related to age, gender, ethnicity, religion, socio-economic position; iii) gender equality and empowerment of young girls; iv) environmental aspects, namely risks of environmental degradation, climate change and natural disasters overall and aim to reduce those risks, especially when constituting an opportunity to achieving peacebuilding objectives.
•	Disaggregation of data: design, implementation and monitoring should be informed and include the systematic collection of relevant disaggregated data (that is inclusive of age, sex etc.); 
•	For continuation/follow up initiatives: they must take into account lessons learnt from previous actions and demonstrate scale up potential.
1.3.	Financial allocation provided by the contracting authority
The overall indicative amount made available under this call for proposals is EUR 3,000,000. The contracting authority reserves the right not to award all available funds.
Size of grants
Any grant requested under this call for proposals must fall between the following minimum and maximum amounts:
•	minimum amount: EUR 500,000.
•	maximum amount: EUR 750,000.
Any grant requested under this call for proposals must fall between the following minimum and maximum percentages of total eligible costs of the action:
•	Minimum percentage: 75.00 % of the total eligible costs of the action.
•	Maximum percentage: 95.00 % 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 contracting authority) must be financed from sources other than the general budget of the Union or the European Development Fund.
2.	
Rules FOR thIS call for proposalS
These guidelines set out the rules for the submission, selection and implementation of the actions financed under this call, in conformity with the practical guide, which is applicable to the present call (available on the internet at this address https://wikis.ec.europa.eu/display/ExactExternalWiki/ePRAG ).
2.1.	Eligibility criteria
There are three sets of eligibility criteria, relating to:
(1)	the actors (2.1.1.):
•	The ‘lead applicant’, i.e. the entity submitting the application form;
•	its co-applicant(s) (where it is not specified otherwise the lead applicant and its co-applicant(s) are hereinafter jointly referred as ‘applicant(s)’); 
•	and, if any, affiliated entity(ies) to the lead applicant and/or to a co-applicant(s);
(2)	the actions (2.1.3.):
•     actions for which a grant may be awarded;
(3)	the costs (2.1.4.):
•	types of cost that may be taken into account in setting the amount of the grant.
2.1.1.	Eligibility of applicants (i.e. lead applicant and co-applicant(s))
Lead applicant
(1)	In order to be eligible for a grant, the lead applicant must:
•	 be a legal person and
•	be non-profit-making and
•	be a civil society, non-governmental organisation in line with the definition in recital (46) of the NDICI Regulation 2021/947 and
•	be established in a Member State of the European Union or in Iraq, Lebanon, Libya and Tunisia and
•	be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the action with the co-applicant(s) and affiliated entity(ies), 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 listed in Section 2.6.10.1 of the practical guide;

	Lead applicants, co-applicants, affiliated entities and, in case of legal entities, persons who have powers of representation, decision-making or control over the lead applicant, the co-applicants and the affiliated entities are informed that, should they be in one of the situations of early detection or exclusion according to Section 2.6.10.1 of the practical guide, personal details (name, given name if natural person, address, legal form and name and given name of the persons with powers of representation, decision-making or control, if legal person) may be registered in the early detection and exclusion system, and communicated to the persons and entities concerned in relation to the award or the execution of a grant contract. In this respect, provisionally selected lead applicants, co-applicants and affiliated entities or those placed in the reserve list are obliged to declare that they are not in one of the exclusion situations through a signed declaration on honour (PRAG Annex A14). For grants of EUR 15 000 or less, no declaration on honour is required. See section 2.4.

In Annex A.2 Section 5 (‘declaration(s) by the lead applicant’), the lead applicant must declare that the lead applicant himself, the co-applicant(s) and affiliated entity(ies) are not in any of these situations.
The lead applicant must act with co-applicant(s) as specified hereafter. The partnership must ensure that in the country(ies) covered by the proposed Action, either the Applicant or the co-applicant(s) are present.
International non-governmental organisations should preferably operate through a local office in one of the country where the Action is implemented. Their role within the partnership should focus on the transfer of knowledge, mediation and/or innovation, helping the local organisation(s) to strengthen relationships with their constituency and amplifying their outreach capacity.
If awarded the grant contract, the lead applicant will become the beneficiary identified as the coordinator in Annex G (special conditions). The coordinator is the sole interlocutor of the contracting authority. It represents and acts on behalf of any other co-beneficiary (if any) and coordinate the design and implementation of the action.
Co-applicant(s)
Co-applicants participate in designing and implementing the action, and the costs they incur are eligible in the same way as those incurred by the lead applicant. 
Co-applicants must satisfy the eligibility criteria as applicable to the lead applicant himself.
Co-applicants must sign the mandate in Annex A.2 Section 5.
If awarded the grant contract, the co-applicant(s) will become beneficiary(ies) in the action (together with the coordinator). 
In addition, please note that contracts cannot be awarded to or signed with applicants included in the lists of EU restrictive measures (see Section 2.4. of the PRAG). 
Affiliated entities
The lead applicant and its co-applicant(s) may act with affiliated entity(ies).
Only the following entities may be considered as affiliated entities to the lead applicant and/or to co-applicant(s):
Only entities having a structural link with the applicants (i.e. the lead applicant or a co-applicant), in particular a legal or capital link.
This structural link encompasses mainly two notions:
(i) 	Control, as defined in Directive 2013/34/EU on the annual financial statements, consolidated financial statements and related reports of certain types of undertakings:
Entities affiliated to an applicant may hence be:
-	Entities directly or indirectly controlled by the applicant (daughter companies or first-tier subsidiaries). They may also be entities controlled by an entity controlled by the applicant (granddaughter companies or second-tier subsidiaries) and the same applies to further tiers of control;
-	Entities directly or indirectly controlling the applicant (parent companies). Likewise, they may be entities controlling an entity controlling the applicant;
-	Entities under the same direct or indirect control as the applicant (sister companies).
(ii) 	Membership, i.e. the applicant is legally defined as a e.g. network, federation, association in which the proposed affiliated entities also participate or the applicant participates in the same entity (e.g. network, federation, association,…) as the proposed affiliated entities.

The structural link shall as a general rule be neither limited to the action nor established for the sole purpose of its implementation. This means that the link would exist independently of the award of the grant; it should exist before the call for proposals and remain valid after the end of the action.

By way of exception, an entity may be considered as affiliated to an applicant even if it has a structural link specifically established for the sole purpose of the implementation of the action in the case of so-called ‘sole applicants’ or ‘sole beneficiaries’. A sole applicant or a sole beneficiary is a legal entity formed by several entities (a group of entities) which together comply with the criteria for being awarded the grant. For example, an association is formed by its members.
	What is not an affiliated entity? 

The following are not considered entities affiliated to an applicant:

-	Entities that have entered into a (procurement) contract or subcontract with an applicant, act as concessionaires or delegatees for public services for an applicant,
-	Entities that receive financial support from the applicant,
-	Entities that cooperate on a regular basis with an applicant on the basis of a memorandum of understanding or share some assets,
-	Entities that have signed a consortium agreement under the grant contract (unless this consortium agreement leads to the creation of a ‘sole applicant’ as described above).

How to verify the existence of the required link with an applicant?

The affiliation resulting from control may in particular be proved on the basis of the consolidated accounts of the group of entities the applicant and its proposed affiliates belong to.

The affiliation resulting from membership may in particular be proved on the basis of the statutes or equivalent act establishing the entity (network, federation, association) which the applicant constitutes or in which the applicant participates.
If the applicants are awarded a grant contract, their affiliated entity(ies) will not become beneficiary(ies) of the action and signatory(ies) of the grant contract. However, they will participate in the design and  in the implementation of the action and the costs they incur (including those incurred for implementation contracts and financial support to third parties and subcontractors) may be accepted as eligible costs, provided they comply with all the relevant rules already applicable to the beneficiary(ies) under the grant contract.
Affiliated entity(ies) must satisfy the same eligibility criteria as the lead applicant and the co-applicant(s).  They must sign the affiliated entity(ies) statement in Annex A.2 Section 5.
2.1.2.	Associates and contractors
The following entities are not applicants nor affiliated entities and do not have to sign the ‘mandate for co-applicant(s)’ or ‘affiliated entities' statement:
•	Associates
Other organisations or individuals 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 2.1.1. Associates must be mentioned in Annex A.2 Section 4 — ‘Associates participating in the action’. 
•	Contractors
The beneficiaries and their affiliated entities are permitted to award contracts. Associates or affiliated entity(ies) cannot be also contractors in the project. Contractors are subject to the procurement rules set out in Annex IV to the standard grant contract.

2.1.3.	Eligible actions: actions for which an application may be made
Definition: 
An action is composed of a set of activities.
Duration
The initial planned duration of an action may not be lower than 24 months nor exceed 36 months.
Sectors or themes
Peacebuilding, conflict prevention and resolution, youth inclusion
Location
Actions must take place in one or more of the following countries: Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, and Tunisia. 
Action’s implementation in more than one of the above countries will be considered as an added value element. 
Within an action, specific activities can also be implemented in third countries which are different from the ones mentioned above, if that fits within the scope of the action and justified by the nature of the activity.
Types of action
Actions shall address the call’s objective, priority(ies) and methodological elements as specified in Section 1.2.
The following types of action are ineligible:
•	actions concerned only or mainly with individual sponsorships for participation in workshops, seminars, conferences and congresses;
•	actions concerned only or mainly with individual scholarships for studies or training courses;
•	actions that are exclusively training-focused are not eligible;
•	actions concerned only with one-off conferences. Conferences can only be funded if they form part of a wider range of activities to be implemented in the life-time of the project. For these purposes, preparatory activities for a conference and the publication of the proceedings of the conference do not, in themselves, constitute such “wider activities;
•	actions 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 individual political parties;
•	actions including proselytism;

Types of activity
Activities which may be financed under this call shall contribute to achieve the objectives and priority(ies) identified in Section 1.2 of this Guidelines for Applicants.
The following is an indicative, non-exhaustive list:
Activities aiming at promoting and supporting linkages between formal peace processes and youth-led peacebuilding initiatives;
Activities aiming at equipping youth, including marginalised youth, with knowledge and skills necessary for their active engagement in conflict prevention and peacebuilding processes;
Activities aiming at creating and maintaining open space for dialogue and youth empowerment, including through the protection of young activists;
Activities aiming to create space for inclusive (for instance inter- and/or intra- generational, inter-sectarian, inter-religious) dialogue on conflict resolution and peacebuilding topics relevant at local, national or international level; 
 Activities aiming at strengthening community dialogue involving for instance universities, religious authorities, youth associations and youth on issues such as gender, civic engagement, and peaceful resolution of disputes at local and community level with a special focus on environment and gender equality; 
Activities promoting the role of youth as agents of change and peacebuilders within their local communities, including the set up mechanisms for rapid identification of grievances;  

Activities enabling young people to harness the potential of social media to promote peace and to strengthen their resilience to violent extremism and hate speech content dissemination; 
Peacebuilding initiatives, gender sensitive and tailored to local contexts, promoting innovative solutions with a particular focus on the digital space and on the fight against disinformation; 

Activities challenging narratives associated with violent extremism.

Financial support to third parties 
Applicants may propose financial support to third parties. 
Applicants may propose financial support to third parties in order to help achieving the objectives of the action. Financial support to third parties will be considered as an added value element.
The maximum amount of financial support per third party is EUR 60 000 except where achieving the objectives of the actions would otherwise be impossible or overly difficult, in which case this threshold can be exceeded.  A threshold below EUR 60 000 can be set if appropriate.
In compliance with the present guidelines and notably of any conditions or restrictions in this Section, the lead applicant should define mandatorily in Section 2.1.1 of Annex A.2 (Grant application form – Full application): 
(i)	the overall objectives, the specific objective(s) and the outputs (i.e. the results) to be achieved with the financial support 
(ii)	the different types of activities eligible for financial support, on the basis of a fixed list 
(iii)	the types of persons or categories of persons which may receive financial support  
(iv)	the criteria for selecting these entities and giving the financial support  
(v)	the criteria for determining the exact amount of financial support for each third entity, and 
(vi)	the maximum amount which may be given.
In all events, the mandatory conditions set above for giving financial support (points (i) to (vi)) have to be strictly defined in the grant contract as to avoid any exercise of discretion.

Visibility
The applicants must take all necessary steps to publicise the fact that the European Union has financed or co-financed the action. Unless the European Commission agrees otherwise, actions that are wholly or partially funded by the European Union must ensure the visibility of EU financing by displaying the EU emblem in accordance with the guidelines set out in the Operational guidelines for recipients of EU funding, published by the European Commission.  If applicable, communication activities may be undertaken to raise the awareness of specific or general audiences of the reasons for the action and the EU support for the action in the country or region concerned, as well as the results and the impact of this support. 
All measures and activities relating to visibility and, if applicable, communication, must comply with the latest Communication and Visibility Requirements for EU-funded external action, laid down and published by the European Commission  Communication and Visibility Requirements for EU External Actions | International Partnerships (europa.eu).
A conflict sensitive, do-no-harm approach shall guide all visibility activities.

Number of applications and grants per applicants / affiliated entities
The lead applicant may not submit more than one application under this call for proposals.
The lead applicant may be a co-applicant or an affiliated entity in another application at the same time.
A co-applicant/affiliated entity may be the co-applicant or affiliated entity only in one application under this call for proposals.
2.1.4.	Eligibility of costs: costs that can be included 

Union contributions under this call for proposals take the following form(s):
- Reimbursement of eligible costs that may be based on any or a combination of the following forms: 
(i) actual costs incurred by the beneficiary(ies) and affiliated entity(ies);
(ii) one or more simplified cost options (see below).
Only ‘eligible costs’ can be covered by a grant. The categories of costs that are eligible and non-eligible are indicated below. The budget is both a cost estimate and an overall ceiling for ‘eligible costs’. 
Simplified cost options may take the form of:
•	unit costs: covering all or certain specific categories of eligible costs which are clearly identified in advance by reference to an amount per unit.
•	lump sums: covering in global terms all or certain specific categories of eligible costs which are clearly identified in advance.
•	flat-rate financing: covering specific categories of eligible costs which are clearly identified in advance by applying a percentage fixed ex ante.
Simplified costs options (SCOs) which can be proposed are the following: 
"output or result based SCOs": they include costs linked to outputs, results, activities, deliverables in the framework of a specific project (for example the determination of a lump sum for the organization of a conference, or for the realisation of a determined output/activity). Where possible and appropriate, lump sums or unit costs shall be determined in such a way to allow their payment upon achievement of concrete outputs and/or results. This type of SCO can be proposed by the beneficiary (no threshold is applicable) at proposal's stage (in Annex A.2 – Grant application form – Full application). In case the evaluation committee and the contracting authority are not satisfied with the quality of the justification provided reimbursement on the basis of actually incurred costs is always possible.
Please refer to Annex K for the details of the procedure to be followed depending on the type and amount of the costs to be declared as SCO. Applicants proposing this form of reimbursement, must clearly indicate in worksheet no.1 of Annex B, each heading/item  of eligible costs concerned by this type of financing, i.e. add the reference in capital letters to ‘UNIT COST’, ‘LUMPSUM’ in the Unit column (see example in Annex K). 
Additionally, in Annex B, in the second column of worksheet no.2, ‘Justification of the estimated costs’ per each of the corresponding budget item or heading applicants must:
•	describe the information and methods used to establish the amounts of unit costs and/or lump sums, to which costs they refer, for output or result based SCO;
•	clearly explain the formulas for calculation of the final eligible amount for output or result based SCO..
In case of output or result based SCOs the evaluation committee and the contracting authority decide whether to accept the proposed amounts or rates on the basis of the provisional budget submitted by the applicants, by analysing factual data of grants carried out by the applicants or of similar actions. In case the evaluation committee and the contracting authority are not satisfied with the quality of the justification provided reimbursement on the basis of actually incurred costs is always possible.
No threshold is set ex-ante for the total amount of financing that can be authorised by the contracting authority on the basis of simplified cost options. 
Recommendations to award a grant are always subject to the condition that the checks preceding the signing of the grant contract do not reveal problems requiring changes to the budget (such as arithmetical errors, inaccuracies, unrealistic costs and ineligible costs). The checks may give rise to requests for clarification and may lead the contracting authority to impose modifications or reductions to address such mistakes or inaccuracies. It is not possible to increase the grant or the percentage of EU co-financing as a result of these corrections.
It is therefore in the applicants' interest to provide a realistic and cost-effective budget.
The grant may take the form of a single lump-sum covering the entire eligible costs of an action or a work programme.
Single lump sums may be determined on the basis of the estimated budget, which should comply with the principles of economy, efficiency and effectiveness. Compliance with these principles shall be verified ex ante at the time of evaluation of the grant application.
When authorising single lump sums the authorising officer responsible shall comply with the conditions applicable to output or result based SCOs. 
When using this form of financing, the description of the action shall include detailed information on the essential conditions triggering the payment, including, where applicable, the achievement of outputs and/or results. 	

Eligible direct costs
To be eligible under this call for proposals, costs must comply with the provisions of Article 14 of the general conditions to the standard grant contract (see Annex G of the guidelines).
Contingency reserve
The budget may include a contingency reserve not exceeding 5 % of the estimated direct eligible costs. It can only be used with the prior written authorisation of the contracting authority.
Eligible indirect costs
The indirect costs incurred in carrying out the action may be eligible for flat-rate funding, but the total must not exceed 7 % of the estimated total eligible direct costs. Indirect costs are eligible provided that they do not include costs assigned to another budget heading in the standard grant contract. The lead applicant may be asked to justify the percentage requested before the grant contract is signed. However, once the flat rate has been fixed in the special conditions of the grant contract, no supporting documents need to be provided.
If any of the applicants or affiliated entity(ies) is in receipt of an operating grant financed by the EU, it may not claim indirect costs on its incurred costs within the proposed budget for the action.
Contributions in kind
Contributions in kind mean the provision of goods or services to beneficiaries or affiliated entities free of charge by a third party. As contributions in kind do not involve any expenditure for beneficiaries or affiliated entities, they are not eligible costs (except for personnel costs for the work carried out by volunteers under an action or an operating grant if so authorised). 
Contributions in kind may not be treated as co-financing.
However, if the description of the action as proposed includes contributions in kind, the contributions have to be made.
Other co-financing shall be based on estimates provided by the applicant.
Ineligible costs
The following costs are not eligible:
•	debts and debt service charges (interest);
•	provisions for losses or potential future liabilities;
•	costs declared by the beneficiary(ies) and financed by another action or work programme receiving a European Union (including through EDF) grant;
•	purchases of land or buildings, except where necessary for the direct implementation of the action, in which case ownership must be transferred in accordance with Article 7.5 of the general conditions of the standard grant contract, at the latest at the end of the action;
•	currency exchange losses;
•	in kind contributions (except for volunteers' work);
•	bonuses included in costs of staff;
•	negative interest charged by banks or other financial institutions;
•	credit to third parties;
•	salary costs of the personnel of national administrations.
2.1.5.	Ethics clauses and Code of Conduct 

a) Absence of conflict of interest
The applicant must not be affected by any conflict of interest and must have no equivalent relation in that respect with other applicants or parties involved in the actions. Any attempt by an applicant to obtain confidential information, enter into unlawful agreements with competitors or influence the evaluation committee or the contracting authority during the process of examining, clarifying, evaluating and comparing applications will lead to the rejection of its application and may result in administrative penalties according to the Financial Regulation in force. 
b) Respect for human rights as well as environmental legislation and core labour standards 
The applicant and its staff must comply with human rights. In particular and in accordance with the applicable act, applicants who have been awarded contracts must comply with the environmental legislation including multilateral environmental agreements, and with the core labour standards as applicable and as defined in the relevant International Labour Organisation conventions (such as the conventions on freedom of association and collective bargaining; elimination of forced and compulsory labour; abolition of child labour).
Zero tolerance for sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment:
The European Commission applies a policy of 'zero tolerance' in relation to all wrongful conduct which has an impact on the professional credibility of the applicant.  
Physical abuse or punishment, or threats of physical abuse, sexual abuse or exploitation, harassment and verbal abuse, as well as other forms of intimidation shall be prohibited. 
Applicants, (and affiliated entities) other than (i) natural persons (ii) pillar-assessed entities  and (iii) governments and other public bodies whose application has been provisionally selected or placed in a reserve list shall assess their internal policy against sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment (SEA-H) through a self-evaluation questionnaire (Annex L). For grants of EUR 60 000 or less no self-evaluation is required. Such self-evaluation questionnaire is not part of the evaluation of the application by the contracting authority, but is an administrative requirement. See section 2.5.6 of the PRAG. 

c) Anti-corruption and anti-bribery 
The applicant shall comply with all applicable laws and regulations and codes relating to anti-bribery and anti-corruption. The contracting authority reserves the right to suspend or cancel project financing if corrupt practices of any kind are discovered at any stage of the award process or during the execution of a contract and if the contracting authority fails to take all appropriate measures to remedy the situation. For the purposes of this provision, ‘corrupt practices’ are the offer of a bribe, gift, gratuity or commission to any person as an inducement or reward for performing or refraining from any act relating to the award of a contract or execution of a contract already concluded with the contracting authority.
      d)  Unusual commercial expenses 
Applications will be rejected or contracts terminated if it emerges that the award or execution of a contract has given rise to unusual commercial expenses. Such unusual commercial expenses are commissions not mentioned in the main contract or not stemming from a properly concluded contract referring to the main contract, commissions not paid in return for any actual and legitimate service, commissions remitted to a tax haven, commissions paid to a payee who is not clearly identified or commissions paid to a company which has every appearance of being a front company.
Grant beneficiaries found to have paid unusual commercial expenses on projects funded by the European Union are liable, depending on the seriousness of the facts observed, to have their contracts terminated or to be permanently excluded from receiving EU/EDF funds.
e) Breach of obligations, irregularities or fraud
The contracting authority reserves the right to suspend or cancel the procedure, where the award procedure proves to have been subject to substantial breach of obligations, irregularities or fraud. If substantial breach of obligations, irregularities or fraud are discovered after the award of the contract, the contracting authority may refrain from concluding the contract.
2.2.	How to apply and the procedures to follow
To apply for this call for proposals, lead applicants need to:
I.	Provide information about the organisations involved in the action. To this end, lead applicants, co-applicants and affiliated entities should register in PADOR and the lead applicants must make sure that their PADOR profile is up to date. Please note that the registration of this data in PADOR is obligatory. 
PADOR is an on-line database in which organisations register and update information concerning their entity. Organisations registered in PADOR get a unique ID (EuropeAid ID), which they must mention in their application. PADOR is accessible via the website: https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/pador.
If it is impossible to register online in PADOR for technical reasons, lead applicants, co-applicants and/or affiliated entity(ies) must complete the ‘PADOR registration form attached to these guidelines. This form must be sent together with the application, by the submission deadline (see section 2.2.2.).

II.	Provide information about the action in the documents listed under section 2.2.2. (Where and how to send applications). Please note that online submission via PROSPECT is obligatory for this call.
It is strongly recommended to register in PADOR well in advance and not to wait until the last minute before the deadline to submit your application in PROSPECT. 
Before starting using PADOR and PROSPECT, please read the user guides available on the website. All technical questions related to the use of these systems should be addressed to the IT helpdesk at INTPA-SUPPORT-SERVICES@ec.europa.eu via the online support form in PROSPECT.
2.2.1.	Application forms  
Applications must be submitted in accordance with the instructions on the concept note and the full applications in the grant application form annexed to these guidelines (Annex A). Lead applicants should then keep strictly to the format of the grant application form and fill in the paragraphs and pages in order.
Applicants must apply in English or in French. Applicants must apply in the language most commonly used by the target population in the country(ies) in which the action takes place or in the language decided by the partnership. 
Please complete the application form carefully and as clearly as possible so that it can be assessed properly. 
Any error or major discrepancy related to the points listed in the instructions on the concept note or any major inconsistency in the application e.g. if the amounts in the budget worksheets are inconsistent) may lead to the rejection of the application.
Clarifications will only be requested when the information provided is unclear and thus prevents the Contracting Authority from conducting an objective assessment. Please note that only the grant application form and the published annexes which have to be filled in (budget, logical framework) will be evaluated. It is therefore of utmost importance that these documents contain ALL the relevant information concerning the action. 
If it is impossible to register online in PADOR for technical reasons, the lead applicant has to submit with the application the completed PADOR registration form (Annex F) for the lead applicant, each co-applicant (if any) and each affiliated entity (if any). 
Please note that the following documents shall be uploaded in PADOR by the application deadline or submitted together with the PADOR registration form with the application form:
1.	 The statutes or articles of association of the lead applicant, (if any) of each co-applicant and (if any) of each affiliated entity. Where the contracting authority has recognised the lead applicant’s, or the co-applicant(s)’s, or their affiliated entity(ies)’s eligibility for another call for proposals under the same budget line within 2 years before the deadline for receipt of applications, it should be submitted, instead of the  statutes or articles of association, a copy of the document proving their eligibility in a former call (e.g. a copy of the special conditions of a grant contract received during the reference period), unless a change in legal status has occurred in the meantime.  This obligation does not apply to international organisations which have signed a framework agreement with the European Commission.
2.	Legal entity form (see Annex D of these guidelines) duly completed and signed by each of the applicants (i.e. by the lead applicant and by each co-applicant, if any), accompanied by the justifying documents requested there. If the applicants have already signed a contract with the contracting authority, instead of the legal entity sheet and supporting documents, the legal entity number may be provided, unless a change in legal status occurred in the meantime.
3.	 A financial identification form of the lead applicant (not from co-applicant(s)) conforming to the model attached as Annex E of these guidelines, certified by the bank to which the payments will be made. This bank should be located in the country where the lead applicant is established. If the lead applicant has already submitted a financial identification form in the past for a contract where the European Commission was in charge of the payments and intends to use the same bank account, a copy of the previous financial identification form may be provided instead. 
In addition, for the purpose of the evaluation of the financial capacity, the following documents should be submitted:  

1.	The lead applicant shall provide a self-declaration signed by its authorised representative certifying the validity of its accounts for up to the last 3 financial years available. 
This requirement shall apply only to the first application made by an applicant to the contracting authority in any one financial year.
The external audit report as well as the self-declaration certifying the validity of the accounts are not    required from the co-applicant(s) or affiliated entities (if any).
2.	A copy of the lead applicant’s latest accounts (the profit and loss account and the balance sheet for the last financial year for which the accounts have been closed). A copy of the latest account is neither required from the co-applicant(s) (if any) nor from affiliated entity(ies) (if any). 

The requested supporting documents (uploaded in PADOR or sent together with the PADOR registration form) must be supplied in the form of originals, photocopies or scanned versions (i.e. showing legible stamps, signatures and dates) of the said originals. Originals should be kept on file for controls. 
Where such documents are not in one of the official languages of the European Union, a translation into one of the languages- of the call for proposals (English or French) of the relevant parts of these documents proving the lead applicant's and, where applicable, co-applicants' and affiliated entity(ies)' eligibility, must be attached for the purpose of analysing the application.
Where these documents are in an official language of the European Union other than the languages of the call for proposals, it is strongly recommended, in order to facilitate the evaluation, to provide a translation of the relevant parts of the documents, proving the lead applicant's and, where applicable, co-applicants' and affiliated entity(ies)' eligibility, into English or French.
Applicants have to take into consideration the time necessary to obtain official documents from national competent authorities and to translate such documents in the authorised languages while registering their data in PADOR. 
If the abovementioned supporting documents are not provided by the deadline for the submission of the application form, the application may be rejected.
No additional annexes should be sent.

2.2.2.	Where and how to send applications

Applications must be submitted online via PROSPECT https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/prospect  following the instructions given in the PROSPECT user manual.
Upon submission of the application online, the lead applicant will receive an automatic confirmation of receipt in its PROSPECT profile. 
If it is impossible for the organisation to submit its application online via PROSPECT for technical reasons, the applicant must send its application in a sealed envelope (Annex A.1: concept note and Annex A.2.: full application form), PADOR registration form (where applicable), budget and logical framework. In particular, the lead applicant must send, in a sealed envelope as described below the following items: 
a. One original signed copy of the complete application form (Annex A.1: concept note and Annex A.2: full application form), PADOR registration form (where applicable), the budget and the logical framework. The declaration by the lead applicant (Annex A.2., section 8 of the full form) must be stapled separately and enclosed in the envelope.
b. Two additional copies in A4 size, each bound.
c. An electronic version (USB) of the items under point (a). The electronic file must contain exactly the same application as the paper version enclosed. 
To reduce expense and waste, we strongly recommend that you do not use plastic folders or dividers. Please also use double-sided printing if possible.
Applications must be submitted in a sealed envelope by registered mail, private courier service or by hand-delivery (a signed and dated certificate of receipt will be given to the deliverer) at the address below. Where a lead applicant sends several different applications (if allowed to do so by the guidelines of the call), each one has to be sent separately:
Postal address
Service for Foreign Policy Instruments (FPI) Regional Team MENA
Delegation of the European Union to Lebanon
City Hill bloc 61-10, Zokak El Blat, Barbir Street, Facing Mouawad Museum, Beirut 
P.O. Box 11-4008 – Riad El Solh, Beirut 1107 2150, Lebanon
Address for hand delivery or by private courier service
Service for Foreign Policy Instruments (FPI) Regional Team MENA
Delegation of the European Union to Lebanon
City Hill bloc 61-10, Zokak El Blat, Barbir Street, Facing Mouawad Museum, Beirut 
P.O. Box 11-4008 – Riad El Solh, Beirut 1107 2150, Lebanon
The outer envelope must bear the reference number and the title of the call for proposals, together with the full name and address of the lead applicant, and the words ‘Not to be opened before the opening session’ and ‘لا تفتح المغلفات قبل موعد الجلسة الافتتاحية ’.
 Applications sent by any other means (e.g. by fax or by e-mail) or delivered to other addresses will be rejected. Hand-written applications will not be accepted.
Please note that incomplete applications may be rejected. Lead applicants are advised to verify that their application is complete using the checklist (Annexes A.1 and A.2, Instructions).
2.2.3.	Deadline for submission of applications
The deadline for the submission of applications is 15 April 2024 at 12:00 hours (Brussels date and time). In order to convert this deadline to local time you can use any online time converter tool that takes into account timezones and winter/summer time changes (example available here). 
Lead applicants are strongly advised not to wait until the last day to submit their applications, since heavy Internet traffic or a fault with the Internet connection (including electricity failure, etc.) could lead to difficulties in submission. The contacting authority cannot be held responsible for any delay due to such aforementioned difficulties.
In the exceptional case of submission by post, private courier service or by hand-delivery (see section 2.2.2), the date of submission is evidenced by the date of dispatch, the postmark or the date of the deposit slip. In the case of hand-deliveries, the deadline for receipt is at 13:00 hours local time as evidenced by the signed and dated receipt. However, for reasons of administrative efficiency, the Contracting Authority may also reject any application sent in due time but received after the effective date of approval of the proposal evaluation (see indicative calendar under section 2.5.2).
Any application submitted after the deadline will be rejected.
 
2.2.4.	Further information about applications 
One or more information session on this call for proposals will be held on-line on the date that that will be communicated on the website of DG International Cooperation and Development: https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/online-services/#/
Therefore, potential Applicants are strongly advised to regularly consult the above website.
Questions may be sent by e-mail 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:
E-mail address: FPI-REGIONAL-TEAM-MENA@eeas.europa.eu
The contracting authority has no obligation to provide clarifications to questions received after this date.
Replies will be given no later than 11 days before the deadline for the submission of applications. 
To ensure equal treatment of applicants, the contracting authority cannot give a prior opinion on the eligibility of lead applicants, co-applicants, affiliated entity(ies), an action or specific activities.
No individual replies will be given to questions. All questions and answers as well as other important notices to applicants during the course of the evaluation procedure will be published on the website where the call was published: website DG International Partnerships https://ec.europa.eu/international-partnerships/home_fr or Funding & Tender opportunities (F&T Portal) https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/home It is therefore advisable to consult the abovementioned website(s) regularly in order to be informed of the questions and answers published.
All questions related to registration in PADOR or the online submission via PROSPECT should be addressed to the IT helpdesk at INTPA-SUPPORT-SERVICES@ec.europa.eu via the online support form in PROSPECT: please note that the working languages of the IT support are English, French and Spanish. Therefore, users are invited to send their questions in in English, French or Spanish should they wish to benefit from an optimum response time.
Please note that the contracting authority may decide to cancel the call for proposals procedure at any stage according to the conditions set out in Section 6.5.9 of the PRAG.
2.3.	Evaluation and selection of applications
Applications will be examined and evaluated by the contracting authority with the possible assistance of external assessors. All applications will be assessed according to the following steps and criteria.
If the examination of the application reveals that the proposed action does not meet the eligibility criteria stated in Section 2.1, the application will be rejected on this sole basis. 
(1)	
STEP 1:	[OPENING &]ADMINISTRATIVE CHECKS AND CONCEPT NOTE EVALUATION
During the opening and administrative check the following will be assessed:
•	If the deadline has been met. Otherwise, the application will be automatically rejected.
•	If the application satisfies all the criteria specified in the checklist in Annex A.2, Instructions. This includes also an assessment of the eligibility of the action. If any of the requested information is missing or is incorrect, the application may be rejected on that sole basis and the application will not be evaluated further.
The concept notes that pass this check will be evaluated on the relevance and design of the proposed action.
The concept notes will receive an overall score out of 50 using the breakdown in the evaluation grid below. The evaluation will also check on compliance with the instructions on how to complete the concept note, which can be found in Annex A.1.
The evaluation criteria are divided into headings and subheadings. Each subheading will be given a score between 1 and 5 as follows: 1 = very poor; 2 = poor; 3 = adequate; 4 = good; 5 = very good.
Evaluation Grid
Section	Maximum Score	
1. Relevance of the action	20	
1.1. How relevant is the proposal to the objectives and priorities of the call for proposals and to the specific themes/sectors/areas or any other specific requirement stated in the guidelines for applicants? Are the expected results of the action aligned with the priorities defined in the guidelines for applicants (section 1.2)?	5	
1.2. How relevant is the proposal to the particular needs and constraints of the target country(ies), region(s) and/or relevant sectors (including synergy with other development initiatives and avoidance of duplication)?	5	
1.3. How clearly defined and strategically chosen are those involved (final beneficiaries, target groups)? Have their needs (as rights holders and/or duty bearers) and constraints been clearly defined and does the proposal address them appropriately?	5	
1.4. Does the proposal contain particular added-value elements (e.g. innovation, best practices, financial support to third parties, action’s location) and the other additional elements indicated under 1.2. of the guidelines for applicants?	5	
2. Design of the action	30	
2.1. How coherent is the overall design of the action? Does the proposal indicate the expected results to be achieved by the action? Does the intervention logic explain the rationale to achieve the expected results?	5x2**	
2.2. Does the design reflect a robust analysis of the problems involved, and the capacities of the relevant stakeholders?	5	
2.3. Does the design take into account external factors (risks and assumptions)?	5	
2.4. Are the activities feasible and consistent in relation to the expected results (including timeframe)? Are results (output, outcome and impact) realistic?	5	
2.5. To which extent does the proposal integrate relevant cross-cutting elements such as i) uphold fundamental democratic principles; ii) reduction of inequalities, related to age, gender, ethnicity, religion, socio-economic position; iii) gender equality and empowerment of young girls; iv) environmental aspects?	5	
Maximum total score	50	
**: this score is multiplied by 2 because of its importance
Once all concept notes have been assessed, a list will be drawn up with the proposed actions ranked according to their total score. 
Firstly, only the concept notes with a score of at least 30 will be considered for pre-selection. 
Secondly, the number of concept notes will be reduced, taking account of the ranking, to the number of concept notes whose total aggregate amount of requested contributions is equal to at least 200% of the available budget for this call for proposals. The amount of requested contributions of each concept note will be based on the indicative financial envelopes for each lot, where relevant.
Lead applicants will receive a letter indicating the reference number of their application and the respective results. This letter will automatically appear online in the PROSPECT profile of the lead applicant. Lead applicants who, in exceptional cases (see section 2.2.2), had to submit their application by post or hand-delivery will receive the letter by e-mail or by post, if no e-mail address was provided.
The evaluation committee will then proceed with the lead applicants whose proposals have been pre-selected.
(2)	
STEP 2: EVALUATION OF THE FULL APPLICATION 

If the applications pass the opening and administrative checks along the instructions of the Step 1: they will be further evaluated on their quality, including the proposed budget and capacity of the applicants and affiliated entity(ies). They will be evaluated using the evaluation criteria in the evaluation grid below. There are two types of evaluation criteria: selection and award criteria. 
The selection criteria help to evaluate the applicant(s)'s and affiliated entity(ies)'s operational capacity and the lead applicant's financial capacity and are used to verify that they:
•	have stable and sufficient sources of finance to maintain their activity throughout the proposed action and, where appropriate, to participate in its funding (this only applies to lead applicants);
•	have the management capacity, professional competencies and qualifications required to successfully complete the proposed action. This applies to applicants and any affiliated entity(ies).
For the purpose of the evaluation of the financial capacity, lead applicants must ensure that the relevant information and documents (i.e. accounts of the latest financial year and external audit report, where applicable) are up to date, either in their PADOR profile or when submitting the requested documents with the PADOR registration form. If the information and documents requested are outdated and do not allow for a proper evaluation of the financial capacity, the application may be rejected.
The award criteria help to evaluate the quality of the applications in relation to the objectives and priorities set forth in the guidelines, and to award grants to projects which maximise the overall effectiveness of the call for proposals. They help to select applications which the contracting authority can be confident will comply with its objectives and priorities. They cover the relevance of the action, its consistency with the objectives of the call for proposals, quality, expected impact, sustainability and cost-effectiveness.
Scoring:
The evaluation grid is divided into Sections and subsections. Each subsection will be given a score between 1 and 5 as follows: 1 = very poor; 2 = poor; 3 = adequate; 4 = good; 5 = very good. 

Evaluation grid
Section	Maximum Score	
1. Financial and operational capacity	20	
1.1. Do the applicants and, if applicable, their affiliated entity(ies) have sufficient in-house experience of project management?	5	
1.2. Do the applicants and, if applicable, their affiliated entity(ies) have sufficient technical in-house expertise (especially knowledge of the issues to be addressed)?	5	
1.3. Do the applicants and, if applicable, their affiliated entity(ies) have sufficient management in-house capacity (including staff, equipment and ability to handle the budget for the action)?	5	
1.4. Does the lead applicant have stable and sufficient sources of finance?	5	
2. Relevance of the action	20	
2.1. How relevant is the proposal to the objectives and priorities of the call for proposals and to the specific themes/sectors/areas or any other specific requirement stated in the guidelines for applicants? Are the expected results of the action aligned with the priorities defined in the guidelines for applicants (section 1.2)?	5	
2.2. How relevant is the proposal to the particular needs and constraints of the target country(ies), region(s) and/or relevant sectors (including synergy with other development initiatives and avoidance of duplication)?	5	
2.3. How clearly defined and strategically chosen are those involved (final beneficiaries, target groups)? Have their needs (as rights holders and/or duty bearers) and constraints been clearly defined and does the proposal address them appropriately?	5	
2.4. Does the proposal contain particular added-value elements (e.g. innovation, best practices, financial support to third parties, action’s location) and the other additional elements indicated under 1.2. of the guidelines for applicants?	5	
3. Design of the action	15	
3.1. How coherent is the design of the action? Does the proposal indicate the expected results to be achieved by the action? Does the intervention logic explain the rationale to achieve the expected results? Are the activities proposed appropriate, practical, and consistent with the envisaged outputs and outcome(s)?	5	
3.2. Does the proposal/Logical Framework include credible baseline, targets and sources of verification? If not, is a baseline study foreseen (and is the study budgeted appropriately in the proposal)?	5	
3.3. Does the design reflect a robust analysis of the problems involved, and the capacities of the relevant stakeholders?	5	

4. Implementation approach	15	
4.1. Is the action plan for implementing the action clear and feasible? Is the timeline realistic?	5	
4.2. Does the proposal include an effective and efficient monitoring system? Is there an evaluation planned (previous, during or/and at the end of the implementation)?	5	
4.3. Is the co-applicant(s)'s and affiliated entity(ies)'s level of involvement and participation in the action satisfactory?	5	

5. Sustainability of the action	15	
5.1. Is the action likely to have a tangible impact on its target groups?	5	
5.2. Is the action likely to have multiplier effects, including scope for replication, extension capitalisation on experience and knowledge sharing?	5	
5.3. Are the expected results of the proposed action sustainable?- Financially (e.g. financing of follow-up activities, sources of revenue for covering all future operating and maintenance costs)- Institutionally (will structures allow the results of the action to be sustained at the end of the action? Will there be local ‘ownership’ of the results of the action?)- At policy level (where applicable) (what will be the structural impact of the action — e.g. improved legislation, codes of conduct, methods) - Environmentally (if applicable) (will the action have a negative/positive environmental impact?)	5	

6. Budget and cost-effectiveness of the action	15	
6.1. Are the activities appropriately reflected in the budget?	5	
6.2. Is the ratio between the estimated costs and the expected results satisfactory?	5x2**	
Maximum total score	100	
**: this score is multiplied by 2 because of its importance
If the total score for Section 1 (financial and operational capacity) is less than 12 points, the application will be rejected. If the score for at least one of the subsections under Section 1 is 1, the application will also be rejected.
Provisional selection
After the evaluation, a table will be drawn up listing the applications ranked according to their score. The highest scoring applications will be provisionally selected until the available budget for this call for proposals is reached. In addition, a reserve list will be drawn up following the same criteria. This list will be used if more funds become available during the validity period of the reserve list.
(3)	
STEP 3:	VERIFICATION OF ELIGIBILITY OF THE APPLICANTS AND AFFILIATED ENTITY(IES)
The eligibility verification will be performed on the basis of the supporting documents requested by the contracting authority (see Section 2.2.1). It will by default only be performed for the applications that have been provisionally selected according to their score and within the available budget for this call for proposals. 
•	The declaration by the lead applicant (Section 5 of Annex A.2) will be cross-checked with the supporting documents provided by the lead applicant. Any missing supporting document or any incoherence between the declaration by the lead applicant and the supporting documents may lead to the rejection of the application on that sole basis. 
•	The eligibility of applicants and the affiliated entity(ies) will be verified according to the criteria set out in Section 2.1.1.
Any rejected application will be replaced by the next best placed application on the reserve list that falls within the available budget for this call for proposals.
2.4.	
Submission of supporting documents 
The lead applicant should submit the documents listed in section 2.2.1.
In addition, a lead applicant whose application has been provisionally selected or placed on the reserve list will be informed in writing by the contracting authority. It will be requested to supply the following documents:  
  1.  Declaration on honour: the lead applicant as well as all co-applicants and affiliated entities shall fill in and sign the declaration on honour certifying that they are not in one of the exclusion situations (see Section 2.6.10.1 of the PRAG) where the amount of the grant exceeds EUR 15 000. Please note that the declaration on honour shall be submitted via PROSPECT.
2. Self-evaluation questionnaire on SEA-H: the lead applicant as well as all co-applicants and affiliated entities shall fill in the self-evaluation questionnaire assessing the organisation’s internal policy and procedure against sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment (SEA-H) (Annex L) where the amount of grant exceeds EUR 60 000 (see Section 2.5.6 of the PRAG). Please note that the self-evaluation questionnaire on SEA-H shall be submitted via PADOR. 
If it is impossible for the lead applicants to supply the abovementioned documents via PROSPECT or PADOR for technical reasons, they must submit the requested supporting documents in a sealed envelope by registered mail, private courier service or by hand-delivery to the postal address described in section 2.2.2 and according to the instructions therein. 
After verifying the supporting documents, the evaluation committee will make a final recommendation to the contracting authority, which will decide on the award of grants.
NB:	In the eventuality that the contracting authority is not satisfied with the strength, solidity, and guarantee offered by the structural link between one of the applicants and its affiliated entity, it can require the submission of the missing documents allowing for its conversion into co-applicant. If all the missing documents for co-applicants are submitted, and provided all necessary eligibility criteria are fulfilled, the above mentioned entity becomes a co-applicant for all purposes. The lead applicant has to submit the application form revised accordingly.
2.5.	Notification of the Contracting Authority’s decision
2.5.1.	Content of the decision
The lead applicants will be informed in writing of the contracting authority’s decision concerning their application and, if rejected, the reasons for the negative decision.  This letter will be sent by e-mail and will appear online automatically in the PROSPECT profile of the user who submitted the application. Lead applicants who, in exceptional cases (see section 2.2), had to submit their application by post, private courier or hand-delivery will be informed by e-mail or by post if they did not provide any e-mail address. Therefore, please check regularly your PROSPECT profile, taking into account the indicative timetable below. Please note that the lead applicant is the intermediary for all communications between applicants and the contracting authority during the procedure.
An applicant believing that it has been harmed by an error or irregularity during the award process may lodge a complaint. See Section 2.12 of the practical guide. 
Applicants and, if they are legal entities, persons who have powers of representation, decision-making or control over them, are informed that, should they be in one of the situations of early detection or exclusion, their personal details (name, given name if natural person, address, legal form and name and given name of the persons with powers of representation, decision-making or control, if legal person) may be registered in the early detection and exclusion system, and communicated to the persons and entities concerned in relation to the award or the execution of a grant contract. For more information, you may consult the privacy statement available on http://ec.europa.eu/budget/explained/management/protecting/protect_en.cfm.
2.5.2.	Indicative timetable 

	DATE	TIME	
1.	Information meeting (if any)	To be confirmed (see section 2.2.4)	To be confirmed (see section 2.2.4)	
2.	Deadline for requesting any clarifications from the contracting authority	25 March 2024	12:00h (Brussels time)	
3.	Last date on which clarifications are issued by the contracting authority	04 April 2024	-	
4.	Deadline for submission of applications	15 April 2024	12:00h (Brussels time)	
5.	Information to lead applicants on [opening], administrative checks and concept note evaluation  (Step 1)	31 May 2024	-	
6.	Information to lead applicants on the evaluation of the full applications (Step 2)	12 July 2024	-	
7.	Notification of award (after the eligibility check) (Step 3)	14 August 2024	-	
8.	Contract signature	30 September 2024	-	
All times are in the time zone of the country of the contracting authority.
This indicative timetable refers to provisional dates (except for dates 2, 3, and 4) and may be updated by the contracting authority during the procedure. In such cases, the updated timetable will be published on the web site where the call was published: website of DG International Partnerships https://ec.europa.eu/international-partnerships/home_fr or Funding & Tender opportunities (F&T Portal) https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/home
2.6.	Conditions for implementation after the contracting authority’s decision to award a grant
Following the decision to award a grant, the beneficiary(ies) will be offered a contract based on the standard grant contract (see Annex G of these guidelines). By signing the application form (Annex A of these guidelines), the applicants agree, if awarded a grant, to accept the contractual conditions of the standard grant contract. Where the coordinator is an organisation whose pillars have been positively assessed, it will sign a contribution agreement based on the contribution agreement template. In this case, references to provisions of the standard grant contract and its annexes shall not apply. References in these guidelines to the grant contract shall be understood as references to the relevant provisions of the contribution agreement.
Implementation contracts
Where implementation of the action requires the beneficiary(ies) and its affiliated entity(ies) (if any) to award procurement contracts, those contracts must be awarded in accordance with Annex IV to the standard grant contract.
In this context, a distinction should be made between awarding implementation contracts and subcontracting parts of the action described in the proposal, i.e. the description of the action annexed to the grant contract, such subcontracting being subject to additional restrictions (see the general terms and conditions in the model grant contract).  
Awarding implementation contracts: implementation contracts relate to the acquisition by beneficiaries of routine services and/or necessary goods and equipment as part of their project management; they do not cover any outsourcing of tasks forming part of the action that are described in the proposal, i.e. in the description of the action annexed to the grant contract. 
Subcontracting: Subcontracting is the implementation, by a third party with which one or more beneficiaries have concluded a procurement contract, of specific tasks forming part of the action as described in annex to the grant contract (see also the general terms and conditions in the model grant contract). 

3.	
LIST OF annexes
Documents to be completed
Annex A:	Grant application form (Word format)
	Annex A.1: Concept note
	Annex A2: Full application form
Annex B:	Budget (Excel format)
Annex C:	Logical framework (Excel format)
Annex D:	Legal entity form
Annex E:	Financial identification form
Annex F: 	PADOR registration form 

DOCUMENTS FOR INFORMATION
Annex G:	Standard grant contract
-	Annex II:	general conditions 
-	Annex IV:	contract award rules
-	Annex V:	standard request for payment
-	Annex VI:	model narrative and financial report
-Annex VII:	model report of factual findings and terms of reference for an expenditure verification of an EU financed grant contract for external action
-Annex IX:     standard template for transfer of ownership of assets
 
Annex H:    Declaration on Honour

Annex I:      Daily allowance rates (per diem), available at the following address: https://international-partnerships.ec.europa.eu/funding/guidelines/managing-project/diem-rates_en  
Annex J:	Information on the tax regime applicable to grant contracts signed under the call.
Annex K:	Guidelines for assessing simplified cost options.

Annex L:     Self-evaluation questionnaire on SEA-H

Useful links:
Project Cycle Management Guidelines 
https://ec.europa.eu/international-partnerships/funding/managing-project_en 
The implementation of grant contracts
A Users' Guide
https://wikis.ec.europa.eu/pages/viewpage.action?pageId=48169235 

Financial Toolkit	
https://ec.europa.eu/international-partnerships/financial-management-toolkit_en 
Please note: the toolkit is not part of the grant contract and has no legal value. It merely provides general guidance and may in some details differ from the signed grant contract. In order to ensure compliance with their contractual obligations beneficiaries should not exclusively rely on the toolkit but always consult their individual contract documents.
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