Question 1:

Would it be possible to list the countries eligible for the CALL FOR PROPOSALS FOR A PROJECT TO PROMOTE INTEGRATED SCHOOL FEEDING MODELS IN WEST AFRICA (PMAI-AO)? Section 17 of the call mentions "ECOWAS countries suffering from high levels of food and nutrition insecurity due to climatic conditions", but Annex 1/Checklist (page 54 of the call) only mentions Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.

Answer 1:

All ECOWAS countries are eligible for the call, as indicated in the guidelines on pages 8 and 17. Please disregard the indication in point 4 on page 54. Instead of the 3 countries mentioned, read ECOWAS countries.

Question 2:

Answer 2:

With regard to the amount of the grant, please note that the ECOWAS grant will not exceed USD 250,000 per project. An applicant "X" cannot submit two projects XA and XB. Only one proposal may be submitted at a time. The selection of projects will depend on their quality and the scoring criteria defined in the guidelines. It is possible that a country may have more than one project after selection. In this case, the projects selected will come from different organisations in the same country.

Question 3

How can I get the note form? ?

Answer 3

Forms in Word format are posted on the platform. Thank you. For the budget, in addition to the presentation of the budget in Word format, please attach the Excel format.

Question 4:

Can only one organisation apply? Or is it better to go for a consortium? If an organisation has experience in nutrition but not in school nutrition, can it apply?

Answer 4:

Yes, only one organisation can apply. The idea of applying as a consortium is also possible, in which case the RAAA will deal with the Chief Sponsor. Experience in nutrition is desirable insofar as it remains relevant to the school feeding proposal to be submitted.

Question 5

Should Appendix F "Tenderer Information Sheet" be included in the Concept Note file? Thank you in advance for your reply. Yours faithfully.

Answer 5

The annexes are valid for both the Concept Note and the Detailed Proposal.

Question 6

For eligible organisations, is an international NGO with its head office in Europe but with a local office and a licence to operate, issued by decree by the country of operation, eligible?

Answer 6

International NGOs with an effective presence in the country of intervention are eligible.

Question 7

I noticed a comment in the appeal and I'd like you to clarify it. On reading the first few pages, I was under the impression that Benin was one of the eligible countries. But then (Annex I, page 55:4. The action will be implemented in one of the following countries : Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger), it also says that the bidder must meet the criterion of pastoral sector management. Is Benin eligible?

Answer 7

All ECOWAS countries are eligible for the call, including Benin. You will see that in the Word form, the mention of three countries has been corrected. Instead of these three countries, it refers to the ECOWAS area.

Question 8:

Is a university or university laboratory eligible as a partner?

Answer 8

Universities and research centres are not eligible for the call but may be partners of eligible organisations.

Question 9

Are United Nations organisations eligible (WFP/FAO)

Answer 9

No, these organisations are not eligible. However, they may be partners in the proposed action. Read the guidelines, Page 17 paragraph 19.

Question 10

Several places in the guidelines mention that a minimum of 20% co-financing is required. However, point 9 of Annex I states that the partners must contribute a minimum of 10%. Are these two different contributions or is one of these figures wrong? Thank you in advance for your help

Answer: 10

Please note that the contribution is 20% as mentioned in the guidelines (table on pages 8 to 9) part co-financing level.

Question 11

Hello, We would like to know what documents the bidder should send to prove that the management committees and parents' committees are operational. Also, if the bidder has certificates of successful completion for the canteen projects, can they be attached to the summary note or the detailed note? Thank you for your clarification.

Answer 11

Yes, certificates of successful completion may be attached to the brief note. Under point 4 of the brief note (Operational capacity and expertise), any additional document that may be used to attest to this point must be attached to the brief note. Minutes of the setting up of a management committee or a parents' committee are sufficient.

Question 12

From reading the guidelines, I understand that the budget cannot be submitted in local currency. I would therefore like to know at what rate the dollar is considered in the context of this call. Sincerely

Answer 12

1 US$ = 593.385205 CFA (ECOWAS rate for August 2023)

Question 13

Hello, are we talking about reinforcing schools with canteens or setting up new canteens, or can we target both? With kind regards

Answer 13

If a locality has a school canteen, there is no need to go there. It's a matter of going to schools that are not covered and that meet the characteristics described in the guidelines.

Question 14

Hello, we'd like to know whether each project will take account of the 1600 target.

Answer 14

Exactly, a target of 1,600 students per project.

Question 15

Hello, is it possible for the co-financing to be greater than 20%? And can the ECOWAS contribution be less than 80%?

Answer 15

Yes, depending on the capacity of the applicant, it may go beyond 20% co-financing, no less. In our previous experience, some applicants have requested less than 80% subsidy from ECOWAS. However, the planned activities must be in line with the guidelines.

Question 16

In the project guidelines, you mentioned a total of 1600 students per country. Is it necessary for each project proposal to take the total of 1600 students into account, or can it be more or less than 1600?

Answer 16

The choice of project depends on the quality of the proposals (included in the scoring criteria). Each proposal must therefore target at least 1,600 pupils.

Question 17

I would like to know whether the concept note and the detailed proposal must be submitted by both 15 September 2023. When I read the call for projects document, I'm confused about this.

Answer 17

That is correct. The Concept Note and detailed project document must be submitted via the RAAA's "Call for Proposals" platform at the following address: https://appels.araa.org in Word and PDF format, no later than 15 September 2023 at 23:59 GMT. It is both.

Question 18

The budget template is in Word; is it possible to produce the budget in Excel (with the same nomenclature)?

Answer 18

Yes, we strongly encourage it.

Question 19

The call for proposals states that the priority actions must mainly address outcomes R1, R2 and R3. Does this mean that activities addressing outcome R5 are not eligible for resources, given that improving the regulatory framework, strengthening the players and facilitators of these frameworks and ensuring good coordination between institutional and civil society players are fundamental levers for making school feeding sustainable?

Answer 19

The actions in your proposals must be in line with results R1, R2 and R3. The actions planned for Outcome 5 will be aimed at ECOWAS Member States and will essentially involve support for the revision of policies and strategies, governance and the design of a regional school feeding programme reference framework. ARAA will pilot these actions directly with the Member States.

Call for Proposals PMAI-AO https://bit.ly/45U7MAJ