open call for proposals n° 2 · 2 october 2019 archipelago guidelines second call for proposals...

1 October 2019

ARCHIPELAGO Guidelines Second Call for Proposals

Open Call for Proposals n° 2

Countries covered by the call: Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad,

Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Mali, Mauritania, Niger,

Nigeria, Senegal

Contracting Authority: sequa gGmbH

Guidelines for grant applicants

Budget: European Union Emergency Trust Fund for Africa

T05-EUTF-SAH-REG-15-01

Reference:

796-APL-2/2019

Deadline for submission of applications

6 February 2020 at 11:00 p.m.

(Brussels date and time)

2 October 2019


Notice

This is an open call for proposals, where all documents are submitted together (con-

cept note and full application and the required annexes). 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, a final eligibility check will be performed for those which have

been provisionally selected. Eligibility will be checked based on the supporting doc-

uments requested by the contracting authority and the signed ‘declaration by the

lead applicant’ sent together with the full application.

3 October 2019


Table of contents

1 ARCHIPELAGO: AN AFRICAN-EUROPEAN TVET INITIATIVE 4

1.1 Background ............................................................................................................................ 4

1.2 Objectives of the programme and priority issues ..................................................................... 5

1.3 Financial allocation provided by the contracting authority....................................................... 7

2 RULES FOR THIS CALL FOR PROPOSALS 7

2.1 Eligibility Criteria................................................................................................................... 8

2.1.1 Eligibility of applicants (i.e. lead applicant and co-applicant(s)) ...................................... 8

2.1.2 Affiliated entities .......................................................................................................... 10

2.1.3 Associates and contractors............................................................................................. 11

2.1.4 Eligible actions: actions for which an application may be made ..................................... 12

2.1.5 Eligibility of costs: costs that can be included ................................................................ 16

2.2 How to apply and the procedures to follow ........................................................................... 19

2.2.1 Application forms ......................................................................................................... 19

2.2.2 Where and how to send applications .............................................................................. 20

2.2.3 Deadline for Submission of Applications ....................................................................... 20

2.2.4 Further information about applications .......................................................................... 20

2.3 Evaluation and selection of applications................................................................................ 21

2.4 Submission of supporting documents for provisionally selected applications ......................... 25

2.5 Notification of the contracting authority’s decision ............................................................... 27

2.5.1 Content of the decision .................................................................................................. 27

2.5.2 Indicative timetable ....................................................................................................... 27

2.6 Conditions for implementation after the contracting authority’s decision to award a grant ..... 28

3 LIST OF ANNEXES 30

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1 ARCHIPELAGO: AN AFRICAN-EUROPEAN TVET INITIATIVE

1.1 Background

We can assume that within the next 20 years, 450 million people will enter the African labour market

that can only absorb 250 million. The actual major trends of migration might then increase significantly:

• First, within the African continent with intra-African migration via neighbouring countries

• Second, from West African coastal countries, today relatively prosperous, but with a high level of

extra-continental emigration

• Third, mostly towards Europe, due to its geographical proximity for migrants from West, North

and Central Africa. Destination countries are France and the UK, given their historical background towards the African continent (and the historical role of labour recruitment of France, specifically

in francophone countries), but increasingly also Germany, The Netherlands, Italy, Portugal and

Spain, which are all becoming important destinations for African migrants.

The EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa (EUTF) was established by European and African partners at

the Valletta Summit on Migration in November 2015 to deliver an integrated and coordinated response

to the diverse causes of instability, irregular migration and forced displacement. The emergency fund released for the Europe-Africa partnership must promote resilience and stability through the creation of

local jobs in three regions of Africa – the Sahel and Lake Chad, the Horn of Africa and North Africa

and thereby contribute to addressing the causes of migration.

Development cooperation, policies supporting commerce, industry, trade and agriculture, and education

policies must therefore help stemming the flow of mass departures and facilitate, as far as possible, the

return and reintegration of migrants in their country of origin.

The ARCHIPELAGO programme, via the involvement of the private sector in Technical Vocational

and Education and Training (TVET) in the regional window defined by the EU as the Sahel and Lake

Chad region and in Europe and by addressing youth and vulnerable groups’ employability, contributes

to finding an appropriate long-term solution to the tensions that may influence the relationship between Europe and Africa. The major demographic transition that Africa - and more specifically Sub-Saharan

African - is currently undergoing has exacerbated socioeconomic imbalances that are likely to increase

significantly in the short and medium terms.

This great instability is due to the complete incompatibility between the twofold demographic eruption

(in both cities and rural areas) occurring in the Sahel region and Lake Chad, and the limited ability of

public or private local structures to absorb it.

Since the early 2010s Europe has thus faced a serious migration crisis, with a significant population flows from Africa (described by the European Commission as an “African migratory route”) that impact

not only the countries of departure but also the neighbouring and transit countries, as well as Europe at

the end of the line.

It can be assumed that short and long-term grievances arising from economic and social exclusion,

marginalisation and inequality are amongst the most significant drivers of violence, forced displacement

and illegal migration.

Sub-Saharan Africa will need to create 18 million jobs each year until 2035 to accommodate young

labour market entrants considering also that many people are underemployed.

The involvement of the African and European private sector is therefore crucial to improve

employability in the region and to address the economic causes of migration. Micro, Small &

Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) are the main drivers of economic development, in that they can

create a truly inclusive growth dynamic (in particular through the transition from the informal to the formal sector which can/must be facilitated) by means of development investments and their ability to

integrate young people (indicative age range between 15 and 40) into the job market. MSMEs provide

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a huge potential for sustainable economic growth in Africa. Furthermore, Africa has a dynamic business

environment led by MSMEs but which is mostly informal and, with this consideration, invisible at the

global level.

Technical and vocational education and training (TVET) is a prerequisite to be employed and to

strive in the economy and generate income if it addresses identified skill gaps and restores a clear link between the offer and the demand of labour. One needs to specify that the training has to be fully aligned

to the market needs and that the quality of the training to be certified.

Currently the main impediments to employability in the targeted African countries are:

• Incomplete needs and demand assessment

• Limited offer of tailored business and vocational training, considering the local economic

structure and growth potential as well as the actual needs and potentials

• Insufficient active and organised / structured participation of the private sector in TVET

Most ongoing initiatives correspond only to a basic education offer of the national scholar system or to some commercial offers that are not really connected to the labour market. If the youth experiences are

not demanded or not sufficiently qualified to cater for basic needs through self-employment, young

people will seek their chances elsewhere. Skills and expertise, which are defined in cooperation with the

private sector, will increase employability and reduce migration pressure.

There are two main approaches to work on improving VET systems to increase employability.

The first approach focuses on developing initial training/education which implies to work strongly with national public institutions responsible for the formulation and validation of training curricula and

programmes and to develop a structured cooperation with other VET relevant stakeholders, including

representatives of the private sector. This approach takes time, it needs the involvement of all actors to improve the VET offer and its legal framework (systemic approach). The success of this approach

depends also strongly on the existence of a shared national VET strategy.

The second approach is more pragmatic and aims to implement complementary/additional VET courses

within the existing institutional framework to achieve concrete results in a shorter period of time. These

additional or complementary courses are developed in cooperation with public and private stakeholders to respond quickly to urgent needs (quick impact). These VET courses are linked to the existing VET

system, including initial and further/advanced education, and synergies are fostered. The experiences of

former VET projects show that complementary/additional VET courses often lead in the long term to

an improvement of the initial VET offer as they contribute to the modernization and adaptation of VET programmes and curricula with upgraded and actualized contents. This second approach focuses on

flexible solutions which are implemented in the existing VET system in cooperation with the national

relevant public and private stakeholders. The VET courses need to be somehow recognized by the national VET system so that trained people develop new skills that are acknowledged and valued on the

labour market. In various projects, chambers of commerce or handicraft have been capacitated to deliver

trainings and issue certificates in cooperation with VET schools. Participation of the private sector in the formulation of VET courses is of highest importance to match the needs and demands of enterprises

and assure the quality and standards of the courses.

The ARCHIPELAGO programme will focus on the second approach, strongly involving private

sector (business membership/support organizations and enterprises) and contributing to a sustainable

improvement of VET systems (actualized and needs-oriented programmes and curricula, well-trained

human resources, coordination tools between public and private stakeholders).

1.2 Objectives of the programme and priority issues

➔ The ARCHIPELAGO programme aims to support the creation of sustainable and decent job

opportunities in the Sahel and Lake Chad region. It contributes to tackling the grievances arising

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from economic and social exclusion, marginalisation and inequality, usually considered as the most

significant drivers of violence, radicalisation, forced displacement and irregular migration.

➔ Vocational competencies - ARCHIPELAGO is an inclusive economic development programme

addressing youth and vulnerable groups' employability through increasing their professional skills

as well as enhancing employment opportunities.

➔ Employability - ARCHIPELAGO will increase local employment opportunities and employability

by developing local vocational training resources adapted to private sector needs.

➔ Partnership Principle - The principle approach is the implementation of targeted partnership

projects between European and African Business Support Organisations (BSOs) and Technical

Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Institutions with the objective to provide labour market

relevant TVET training.

➔ Approach - Following an open and transparent selection process, these partnership projects will

develop adapted dual approach training modules (alternating workplace and TVET centre).

The global objective of this call for proposals is to better match the supply of labour (skills available

on the labour market) to the demand (generated by a growing economy and thriving private

sector).

The specific objectives of this call for proposals are:

SO1: Increase and upgrade local employment opportunities based on skills gap analysis and the

identification of potential growth sectors boosting existing MSMEs and future start-ups’ job creation.

SO2: Develop local training and vocational (TVET) resources adapted to private sector needs to

strengthen youth employability.

The expected results of this call for proposals are:

1. The Private Sector and young people are made aware of the training opportunities offered

by TVET institutions in order to better match the supply of labour to market needs

2. Young people are provided with training and skills that match the needs of businesses in

the private sector

3. Local economic development and entrepreneurship are enhanced

4. The services and overall performance of Business Support Organisations (BSOs) and

entrepreneurship & vocational training centres in the Sahel and Lake Chad region are

improved.

The ARCHIPELAGO Programme activities will reinforce micro, small and medium enterprises in

general and, in particular, female entrepreneurship. Further, the projects shall aim for an inclusion of the

poor, youth and marginalised groups. Beyond the analysed economic potentials due consideration will

be given to natural resources, climate resilience and disaster risks. The project proposals shall specify

the consortium/partner structure, project logic, the expected results, envisaged activities, the exact

timeframe, and the requested inputs and be fully aligned with the sectorial country priorities. The

applicants are invited to contact the EU Delegation in the beneficiary country as the location of their

proposed project to get an insight into the national Jobs and Growth Compact (JGC). The Jobs and

Growth Compact is a non-binding living document shared by the EU Delegation with the Government

and the private sector. The document offers an analysis of the potential of job creation and value chain

7 October 2019


development and related obstacles, and a forward-looking response strategy in line with the four strands

of the Africa-Europe Alliance: investment climate, de-risking, education and skills, market building.

Target Groups and Beneficiaries of the ARCHIPELAGO Programme

Direct beneficiaries and main target groups:

-Youth and vulnerable groups with low employability or without occupation with particular at-

tention to women and returnees (final beneficiaries)

-Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.

-Business support organizations, training centers & training providers, host companies providing

opportunities for dual TVET, organizations dedicated to the socio-professional integration of re-

turnees (intermediary beneficiaries)

Indirect beneficiaries:

Local communities, organizations and businesses that, through their activities, stimulate eco-

nomic growth and create wealth and opportunities for trade and jobs for the target populations.

1.3 Financial allocation provided by the contracting authority

The overall indicative amount made available under this call for proposals is EUR 4,500,000. The con-

tracting 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 maxi-

mum amounts:

• minimum amount: EUR 400,000

• maximum amount: EUR 500,000

• The grant covers 100% of the total eligible costs of the action (total funding). No co-financing

is required from the applicants. The budget of the proposed action must be within the defined

range, ie not to exceed the maximum amount of EUR 500 000 and not be less than the minimum amount of EUR 400 000.

2 RULES FOR THIS CALL FOR PROPOSALS

These guidelines set out the rules for the submission, selection and implementation of the actions fi-

nanced under this call, in conformity with the practical guide, which is applicable to the present call

(available on the internet at this address http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/prag/document.do?locale=en).1

1 Note that a lead applicant (i.e. a coordinator) whose pillars have been positively assessed by the European Commission and

who is awarded a grant will not sign the standard grant contract published with these guidelines but a contribution agreement based on the contribution agreement template. All references in these guidelines and other documents related to this call to the standard grant contract shall in this case be understood as referring to the relevant provisions of the contribution agree-ment template.

http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/prag/document.do?locale=en

8 October 2019


2.1 Eligibility Criteria

There are three sets of eligibility criteria, relating to:

(1) the actors:

• 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:

Actions for which a grant may be awarded

(3) the costs:

• 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))

The proposal has to be submitted by a Consortium composed for the purpose of this Call of at

least two partners: one from one of the African countries covered by the present call for proposals

(, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Mali, Mauritania, Ni-

ger, Nigeria and Senegal) and the other from one of the Member States of the European Union. It

is recommended that the Consortium be composed of more than 2 applicants but, in any case, it

must include one Business Support Organization from one the eligible African countries and one

Business Support Organization from one of the Member States of the European Union.

Lead applicant

(1) In order to be eligible for a grant, the lead applicant must:

• be a legal person and

• be non-profitmaking and

• be a specific type of organisation such as chambers, business associations, business support

organizations, training centres, as well as community-based organizations, NGOs (Non-Gov-

ernment Organizations)/CSOs (Civil Society Organizations), public sector operators, local au-

thorities, international (inter-governmental) organizations as defined by Article 43 of the rules of application of the EU Financial Regulation2 from Europe and Africa specialized in actions

related to vocational training and business development services; and

• be established in3 Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Mali,

Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria and Senegal or in an EU Member State.

2 International organizations are international public-sector organizations set up by intergovernmental agreements as well as specialised agencies set up by them; the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the International Federation of National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies are also recognised as international organizations.

3 To be determined based on the organisation’s statutes, which should demonstrate that it has been established by an instru-ment governed by the national law of the country concerned and that its head office is located in an eligible country. In this respect, any legal entity whose statutes have been established in another country cannot be considered an eligible local organ-isation, even if the statutes are registered locally or a ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ has been concluded.

9 October 2019


For British applicants: Please be aware that eligibility criteria must be complied with for the

entire duration of the grant.

Unless sector-specific eligibility rules provide otherwise4, if the United Kingdom withdraws from the EU during the grant period without concluding an agreement with the EU ensuring in

particular that British applicants continue to be eligible, you will cease to receive EU funding

(while continuing, where possible to participate) or will be required to leave the project on the basis of Article 12 of Annex II General Conditions applicable to the European Union financed-

grant contracts for external actions allowing termination of the grant agreement (Article 12 (e)

change of the legal situation of the beneficiary)

• be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the action with the co-appli-cant(s) and, if any, affiliated entity(ies), not acting as an intermediary and

• be officially registered according to the legislation in force in their respective country dur-

ing at least the last three years (i.e. at least 3 years of existence - from the official registra-

tion date – at the date of the submission deadline of February 6, 2020)

(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 - PRAG http://ec.europa.eu/eu-

ropeaid/prag/document.do?locale=en ).

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 accord-ing 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, lead applicants, co-applicants and affiliated entities are obliged to declare that

they are not in one of the exclusion situations through a signed declaration on honour (Annex H).

In Part B Section 8 of the grant application form (‘declaration(s) by the lead applicant’), the lead appli-

cant must declare that the lead applicant himself, the co-applicant(s) and affiliated entity(ies), if any, are

not in any of these situations.

The lead applicant must act with co-applicant(s) as specified hereafter.

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 main interlocutor of the contracting authority. It

represents and acts on behalf of any other co-beneficiary and coordinate the design and implementation

of the action.

Co-applicant(s)

As mentioned above, Consortia must be composed of at least two partners: one from one of the

African countries covered by this call for proposals (Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Gambia, Ghana,

Guinea, Ivory Coast, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria and Senegal) and the other from one of the Member States of the European Union.

Consequently, there is the requirement to have at least one co-applicant.

4 For instance, Article 9(1)(f) of Regulation (EU) No 236/2014 provides for eligibility of member countries of the OECD, in

the case of contracts implemented in a Least Developed Country or a Highly Indebted Poor Country, as included in the list of ODA recipients.



10 October 2019


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 (see

above (1) and (2) concerning the eligibility of the lead applicant).

Co-applicants must sign the mandate in Part B Section 4 of the grant application form.

(3) Applicants included in the lists of EU restrictive measures (see Section 2.4. of the PRAG) at the

moment of the award decision cannot be awarded the contract5.

If awarded the grant contract, the co-applicant(s) will become beneficiary(ies) in the action (together

with the coordinator).

2.1.2 Affiliated entities

The lead applicant and its co-applicant(s) may act with affiliated entity(ies).

Affiliated entity(ies) must satisfy the same eligibility criteria as the lead applicant and the co-ap-

plicant(s) (see above (1) and (2) concerning the eligibility of the lead applicant).

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).

5 The updated lists of sanctions are available at www.sanctionsmap.eu.

Please note that the sanctions map is an IT tool for identifying the sanctions regimes. The source of the sanctions stems from legal acts published in the Official Journal (OJ). In case of discrepancy between the published legal

acts and the updates on the website it is the OJ version that prevails.

http://www.sanctionsmap.eu/

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(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 delegates 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 consor-

tium 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 ac-

counts 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

of contracts and financial support to third parties) may be accepted as eligible costs, provided they com-

ply with all the relevant rules already applicable to the beneficiary(ies) under the grant contract.

. They must sign the affiliated entity(ies) statement in Part B Section 5 of the grant application form.

2.1.3 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

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Other organizations 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 Part B Section 6 — ‘Associates participating in the action’ — of the grant application

form.

• Contractors

The beneficiaries and their affiliated entities are permitted to award contracts. Associates or affiliated

entity(ies) cannot also be contractors in the project. Contractors are subject to the procurement rules set

out in Annex IV to the standard grant contract.

2.1.4 Eligible actions: actions for which an application may be made

Definition:

An action is composed of a set of activities.

Duration

The planned duration of an action may not be lower than 20 months nor exceed 24 months.

Sectors or themes

Actions must relate to the following sectors/themes:

• Dual vocational education and training (alternating workplace and training centre: work-based vo-cational education and training, or dual-type training means a training system that incorporates a

work experience where the person concerned is trained alternately in a company and in a training

center)

• Job placement jobs/internships/apprenticeships

• Validation of skills level (also including acquired skills to facilitate the transition from informal economy towards the formal economy)

• Awareness raising on the importance of dual vocational training for young people’s employability

• Promotion of and training for entrepreneurship

• Local economic development

• Value Chain enhancement

• Organisational development for the beneficiaries and improvement of training services provision

An identification of targeted sectors will have to be done beforehand because over the life of the project,

it will not be possible to conduct a study on the needs of the private sector and develop appropriate

training tools to meet them.

Location

Actions must take place in the countries covered by the present call for proposals: Burkina Faso, Cam-

eroon, Chad, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria and Senegal. If

some activities will be conducted outside this region (e.g. in Europe or North Africa), these need to be limited and justified as necessary to reach the objectives and expected results defined. Proposed actions

should preferably take place in one country only. Cross-countries projects require specific justification

and demonstrate an added value.

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Types of eligible activities

To be eligible for financing under this Call for Proposals, proposed activities must fulfil the overall and

specific objectives, and the priorities must fall under the four expected results described in section 1.2.

The following non-exclusive list presents some activities to be included in the project proposal. The

applicants will involve Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMES) in the identification of

skills gaps and project implementation.

i) further analysis of local value chains and identification of economic potentials

ii) business matching between African and European entrepreneurs and BSOs (Business

Support Organizations) and vocational training centres

iii) formulation and implementation of dual TVET training modules

iv) entrepreneurship training

v) training of company owners / general managers

vi) training of trainers

vii) capacity building of BSOs for business services provision

viii) validation of skills level (also including acquired skills to facilitate the transition from

informal economy towards the formal economy)

ix) facilitation of job placement

x) facilitation and implementation of public private dialogues

xi) hiring/contracting of audit and consultancy services

xii) support to supply chain development and small measures to enhance local economic development.

Important consideration

The consortia selected within the present call will be invited by the contracting authority to

attend training sessions, networking and benchmarking activities at the level of the overall

ARCHIPELAGO Programme (i.e. training sessions on the grant contract financial proce-

dures and on project performance indicators, ARCHIPELAGO stakeholders’ annual meet-

ings, workshops for exchange of experiences and best practices etc.). The above activities

will be organized by the Management Unit of the contracting authority. Attendance instruc-

tions and information will be given in due time. The applicant is therefore requested to al-

locate in its budget proposal an amount of 15,000 euro (under the travel and per diem budg-

ets lines for the participation in the above activities). Some of the activities will be addressed

to the consortium coordinators only while others will target both the Consortium coordina-

tors and partners representatives.

Types of ineligible actions

The following types of actions 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;

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• purchase of computers, hardware and equipment at large (including vehicles, machinery),

financial support to enterprises, one-off conferences, support to political parties, actions in-

cluding proselytising, actions which discriminate individuals or groups on grounds of their sex-

ual orientation, religious beliefs or lack of them, or their ethnic origin.

Indicators to be achieved per action

Indicators:

Each application within the framework of the call for proposals must include the following indicators

(these indicators contribute to the overall indicators of the ARCHIPELAGO program):

1. at least 480 direct beneficiaries are aware of the opportunities offered by TVET through infor-

mation campaigns and training activities, including returnees identified namely in cooperation

with the EU delegations and IOM – the International Organization for Migration.

2. indicatively 65 MSMEs (micro-, small and medium enterprises of the targeted value chain(s)

including company providers and clients) are involved in the identification of skills gaps

3. a minimum of 360 young people (aged between 15 and 40) are trained, with the indicative ob-jective to reach a minimum percentage of 40% of female trainees and 30 % of returnees.

If the percentages proposed in the application are lower for both the female trainees and return-

ees (indicated here above), a justification is to be provided.

Out of the young people trained:

a. A minimum of 235 are inserted into the job market through the dual vocational training

approach (workplace and training centre) and accompanied after the training for job

placement and

b. at least 125 persons are trained in entrepreneurship and accompanied after the training

for the creation of their enterprise.

4. out of the 360 young people to be trained 250 are inserted into the job market, among them at

least 50 are employed in new jobs created (formal/informal)

5. the TVET offer for selected sector(s)/trade(s) per country is improved, according to private sec-

tor’s needs and previously analysed focal sectors.

6. indicatively 75 company directors (employers) are trained/sensitized on work-based learning

7. at least 1 training provider and minimum 2 Business Support Organisations are mobilised,

trained and institutionally strengthened to provide new and/or better TVET services

8. at least 25 local trainers (trainers from TVET centres, company staff in charge of internal train-

ing, other training providers) are trained

9. indicatively 65 MSMEs involved in activities promoting local economic development such as:

conduct MSMES and entrepreneurs’ surveys to analyse economic potentials and promising

value chains and identify business hindrances to implement company demand oriented

measures.

The above activities will have inter alia the following objectives:

• Involve MSMES in the identification of Public Private Dialogue issues and in the elabora-

tion of business agenda and action plans

15 October 2019


• Support MSMES in taking actively part in local Public Private Dialogue platforms to pro-

mote a more conducive business environment

• Support the Business Support Organizations in measuring the impact of their activities on

MSMES through regular data collection and monitoring;

• Support MSMES in monitoring performance indicators (e.g. employment generation,

productivity, competitiveness)

• Promote the implementation of pilot initiatives at local level with direct involvement of

MSMES to improve business environment

• Transfer at national level issues raised at local level, organise Public Private Dialogue work-

shops, formulate recommendations and action plans beyond the local context

10. at least 1 local value chain is enhanced

11. minimum 3 new relevant services are developed and offered by Business Support Organizations

12. at least a 10% increase in membership/clients of Business Support Organizations offering rele-

vant services

13. at least 3 local business issues taken up by Business Support Organizations in public private

dialogue and discussed by at least 30 participants

Financial support to third parties6

Applicants may not propose financial support to third parties. This means that the applicants cannot

delegate or transfer the management of the grant, or part of it, to other organizations (via for example

calls for proposals).

Visibility

The applicants must take all necessary steps to publicise the fact that the European Union has financed

or co-financed the action. As far as possible, actions that are wholly or partially funded by the European Union must incorporate information and communication activities designed 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.

Applicants must comply with the objectives and priorities and guarantee the visibility of the EU financ-

ing (see the Communication and Visibility Manual for EU external actions specified and published by

the European Commission at http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/funding/communication-and-visibility-man-

ual-eu-external-actions_en).

When awarded the grant contract, a Visibility Manual of the ARCHIPELAGO programme will be pro-vided by the contracting authority.

Number of applications and grants per applicants / affiliated entities/per country

The lead applicant may submit more than one application under this call for proposals.

The lead applicant may not be awarded more than one grant under this call for proposals (as lead

applicant)

The lead applicant may be a co-applicant in another application at the same time.

6 These third parties are neither affiliated entity(ies) nor associates nor contractors.

http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/funding/communication-and-visibility-manual-eu-external-actions_en

http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/funding/communication-and-visibility-manual-eu-external-actions_en

16 October 2019


A co-applicant may not be awarded more than one grant under this call for proposals (as co-applicant)

but may be a lead applicant in another application at the same time. The ARCHIPELAGO programme

aims at a balanced coverage of projects in the countries of the region targeted. Considering the outcomes of the first call for proposals, each of the 12 African countries covered by this second call (Burkina Faso,

Cameroon, Chad, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria and Senegal)

can benefit of a maximum number of approved projects as follows:

Burkina Faso: 2

Cameroon: 3

Chad: 2

Gambia: 4

Ghana: 2

Guinea: 4

Ivory Coast: 4

Mali: 3

Mauritania: 3

Niger: 4

Nigeria: 4

Senegal: 2

2.1.5 Eligibility of costs: costs that can be included

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.

The reimbursement of eligible costs may be based on any or a combination of the following forms:

− actual costs incurred by the beneficiary(ies) and affiliated entity(ies);

− no simplified cost options except for per diems (unit costs). The unit cost should be checked

ex-ante (before the signature of the contract). Afterwards, the unit cost cannot be put into ques-

tion. It is in the applicants' interest to provide a realistic and cost-effective budget.

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 (Annex II)

The applicants (and where applicable their affiliated entities) agree that the expenditure verifications

referred to in Article 15.7 of the general conditions to the standard grant contract (Annex II) and Article

4.3 of the Special Conditions (see Annex G of the guidelines) will be carried out by an external body

authorised by the contracting authority.

17 October 2019


At the exception of the initial pre-financing covering 100% of the costs for the first six months of im-

plementation, the applicant must provide an expenditure verification report for any request for further

intermediary payment and for the final payment.

The applicant must foresee a budget for the above expenditure verifications under the budget line

5.3 in Annex B: Budget.

The following direct costs of the Beneficiary(ies) shall be eligible:

• the cost of staff assigned to the action, corresponding to actual gross salaries including social

security charges and other remuneration-related costs; salaries and costs shall not exceed those

normally borne by the Beneficiary(ies); • travel and subsistence costs for staff and other persons taking part in the Action, provided they

do not exceed those normally borne by the Beneficiary(ies) according to its rules and regula-

tions, or the rates concerning the per diem published by the European Commission at the time

of such mission • purchase costs for equipment (new or used) and supplies specifically for the purposes of the

Action as training tools kits, provided that ownership is transferred at the end of the Action (see

Article 7.5. of the general conditions to the standard grant contract (see Annex G of the guide-lines). Equipment such as for instance training tools kit can be financed under the pro-

posed project budget but cannot exceed 10% of the total budget of the grant. The eventual

equipment and supplies of the training tools kit paid for by the Budget for the Action shall be

transferred to the final beneficiaries of the action, at the latest when submitting the final report. If there are no final beneficiaries of the action to whom the equipment and supplies can be

transferred, the Beneficiary(ies) may transfer these items to:

o local authorities o local Beneficiary(ies)

o another action funded by the European Union

• costs of consumables; • costs entailed by contracts awarded by the Beneficiary(ies) for the purposes of the Action re-

ferred to in Article 10 of the general conditions to the standard grant contract (see An-

nex G of the guidelines). • costs deriving directly from the requirements of the contract (dissemination of information,

evaluation specific to the action, audits, expenditure verifications, translation, reproduction,

insurance, etc.) including financial service costs (in particular the cost of transfers and finan-cial guarantees where required according to the Contract);

• duties, taxes and charges, including VAT, paid and not recoverable by the beneficiaries (see

article 14.1 §i) of the General Conditions – Annex II). In order to be eligible, the beneficiary

(the lead applicant, each co-applicant and the affiliated, if any) will provide a certifi-

cate from its tax administration stating that they are not recoverable.

Salary costs of the personnel of national administrations may be eligible to the extent that they relate to

the cost of activities which the relevant public authority would not carry out if the action were not un-

dertaken.

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.

18 October 2019


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.

Ineligible costs

The following costs are not eligible:

- financial allowances for trainees and participants in events (training sessions, workshops, sem-

inars, conferences, working meetings etc…)

- indirect costs

− 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 re-

ceiving a European Union (including through EDF) grant;

− purchases of land or buildings;

− currency exchange losses;

− credit to third parties.

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

19 October 2019


the conventions on freedom of association and collective bargaining; elimination of forced and

compulsory labour; abolition of child labour).

Zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and sexual abuse:

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.

c) Anti-corruption and anti-bribery

The applicant shall comply with all applicable laws and regulations and codes relating to anti-brib-

ery and anti-corruption. The European Commission 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 con-

tracts 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 breach of obligations, irregularities or fraud. If 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

Open call for proposals

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).

Supporting documents must be sent at the same time as the application form (see section 2.4.).

Applicants must apply in English or French.

20 October 2019


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.

Hand-written applications will not be accepted.

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.

With the application the lead applicant also has to submit the completed organisation data forms

(see Annex F) for the lead applicant, each co-applicant and each (if any) affiliated entities.

No additional annexes should be sent.

2.2.2 Where and how to send applications

Applications must be submitted online through the call system https://wetransfer.com/ indicating as

recipient the following email address: [email protected]

For any question regarding technical problems encountered during the online submission of the appli-

cations please write an email to [email protected]

When submitting the application online, the applicant will send the required documents in sepa-

rate files (see chapter 3. List of annexes – documents to be completed and their annexes)

Once the presentation of the online application through the system is completed, the applicant will re-

ceive an acknowledgment of receipt within 72 hours.

Requests sent by any other means (for example, fax or email) or to addresses other than the sys-

tem will be rejected.

Lead applicants must verify that their application is rightly completed using the checklist (Section

7 of Part B of the grant application form). Incomplete applications may be rejected.

2.2.3 Deadline for Submission of Applications

The deadline for submission of applications is the 6th

of February 2020, at 11:00 p.m. (Brussels local

time). Applicants are strongly advised not to wait until the last day to submit their applications, as an

exceptional overload of the lines or a failure of the internet connection (power outages, etc.) could make

it difficult to send. The ARCHIPELAGO Consortium will not assume any responsibility for the delays

due to said contingencies.

Any request submitted after the indicated period will be rejected automatically.

2.2.4 Further information about applications

Any request for clarification to this call may be sent to the following email address: [email protected] . See indicative timetable in paragraph 2.5.2.

All the questions as well as their respective answers will be published (anonymously) in ARCHIPEL-

AGO website www.archipelago-eutf.eu in the section Calls for Proposals. Likewise, it is suggested to periodically consult the afore-mentioned site to be duly informed of the published questions and an-

swers.

In order for all applicants to receive equal treatment, the ARCHIPELAGO Consortium will not be able

https://wetransfer.com/

mailto:[email protected]




http://www.archipelago-eutf.eu/

21 October 2019


to give any prior opinion on the eligibility of applicants, co-applicants, on a project or specific activi-

ties.

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 Section 7 of Part B of the

grant application form. 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 con-

cept note, which can be found in Part A of the grant application form.

The evaluation criteria are divided into headings and subheadings. Each subheading will be given a

score between 1 and 5 as follows: 1 = very poor; 2 = poor; 3 = adequate; 4 = good; 5 = very good.

Scores*

1. Relevance of the action Sub-score 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 re-quirement 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 bene-

ficiaries, target groups)? Have their needs and constraints been clearly de-

fined and does the proposal address them appropriately?

5

1.4 Does the proposal contain particular added-value elements (e.g. innovation,

best practices, priority sectors for the concerned country)? and the other ad-

ditional elements indicated under 1.2. of the guidelines for applicants.

5

22 October 2019


2. Design of the action Sub-score 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 re-

sults?

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 (outputs, outcomes and impacts) realis-

tic?

5

2.5 To which extent does the proposal integrate relevant cross-cutting elements

such as environmental/climate change issues, promotion of gender equality and equal opportunities, needs of disabled people, rights of minorities and

rights of indigenous peoples, youth, combating HIV/AIDS (if there is a

strong prevalence in the target country/region)?

5

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.

After the evaluation of concept notes, the contracting authority will send letters to all lead applicants,

indicating whether their application was submitted by the deadline, informing them of the reference

number they have been allocated, whether the concept note was evaluated and the results of that evalu-

ation.

The evaluation committee will then proceed with the lead applicants whose proposals have been pre-

selected.

(2) STEP 2: OPENING & ADMINISTRATIVE CHECKS AND EVALUATION OF

THE FULL APPLICATION

Firstly, the following will be assessed:

• Respect of the submission deadline. Otherwise, the request will be automatically rejected.

• If the full application satisfies all the criteria specified in the checklist (Section 7 of Part B of the grant application form). This includes also an assessment of the eligibility of the action. If

23 October 2019


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 full applications that pass this check will be further evaluated on their quality, including the pro-

posed 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 suc-

cessfully complete the proposed action. This applies to applicants and any affiliated entity(ies).

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 maximize the overall effec-

tiveness 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


house technical expertise? (especially knowledge of the issues to be addressed)

5


house management capacity? (Including staff, equipment and ability to handle

the budget for the action)?

5

24 October 2019


1.4 Does the lead applicant have stable and sufficient sources of finance? 5

2. Relevance 20

Score transferred from the Concept Note evaluation

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 ra-tionale 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 budg-

eted appropriately in the proposal)?

5

3.3 Does the design reflect a robust analysis of the problems involved, and the capac-

ities 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 par-

ticipation 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, ex-

tension, 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)

5

25 October 2019


- Environmentally (if applicable) (will the action have a negative/positive environ-

mental impact?)

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 results satisfactory? / 10

Maximum total score 100

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.

If the lead applicant applies without co-applicants or affiliated entities the score for point 3.3 shall be 5

unless the involvement of co-applicants or affiliated entities is mandatory according to these guidelines

for applicants.

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 based on the supporting documents requested by the con-

tracting authority (see Section 2.4). The declaration by the lead applicant (Section 8 of Part B of the

grant application form) will be cross-checked with the supporting documents provided by the lead ap-

plicant. Any missing supporting document or any incoherence between the declaration by the lead ap-

plicant 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 Sections 2.1.1, 2.1.2 and 2.1.3.

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 for provisionally selected applications

A lead applicant whose application has been provisionally selected or placed on the reserve list will be informed in writing by the contracting authority. The following documents in order to allow the con-

tracting authority to verify the eligibility of the lead applicant, (if any) of the co-applicant(s) and (if any)

of their affiliated entity(ies) must be sent at the same time as the application form:

26 October 2019


1. The statutes or articles of association of the lead applicant, (if any) of each co-applicant and (if

any) of each affiliated entity7. 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 meantime8. This

obligation does not apply to international organizations which have signed a framework agree-

ment with the European Commission.

2. The lead applicant must provide an audit report produced by an approved external auditor

where it is available, and always in cases where a statutory audit is required by EU or national

law. That report shall certify the accounts for up to the last 3 financial years available.

This requirement shall apply only to the first application made by a beneficiary to an authorising

officer responsible in any one financial year.

3. The external audit report is not required from the co-applicant(s)) or, if any, the affiliated entities.

This obligation does not apply to public bodies and international organizations provided that the international organisation in question offers the guarantees provided for in the applicable Finan-

cial Regulation, as described in Chapter 6 of the practical guide.

4. A copy of the lead applicant’s accounts of the last three years (the profit and loss account

and the balance sheet). A copy of the latest account is neither required from the co-applicant(s)

nor from affiliated entity(ies)).

5. Legal entity sheet (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), 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.

6. 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 ac-

count, a copy of the previous financial identification form may be provided instead.

7. The organization data forms (annex F) duly completed for the lead applicant, each co-applicant

and each (if any) affiliated entity.

8. 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 (Annex H).

Documents must be supplied in the form of scanned versions (i.e. showing legible stamps, signatures

and dates) of the said originals.

7 Where the lead applicant and/or a co-applicant(s) and or an affiliated entity(ies) is a public body created by a law, a copy of the said law must be provided.

8 To be inserted only where the eligibility conditions have not changed from one call for proposals to the other.

27 October 2019


Where such documents are not in one of the official languages of the European Union or in the language

of the country where the action is implemented, a translation into English or French of the relevant parts

of these documents proving the lead applicant's, co-applicants' and, where applicable, affiliated en-

tity(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/one of the language(s) 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.

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.

An applicant believing that it has been harmed by an error or irregularity during the award process may

lodge a complaint. See further Section 2.12 of the practical guide (http://ec.europa.eu/eu-

ropeaid/prag/document.do?nodeNumber=2.12&locale=en ).

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.eu-

ropa.eu/budget/explained/management/protecting/protect_en.cfm

2.5.2 Indicative timetable

DATE TIME

1. Information meeting (if any) Not applicable Not applicable

2. Deadline for requesting any clarifications

from the contracting authority

17 January 2020 11.00 pm

3. Last date on which clarifications are issued

by the contracting authority

22 January 2020 -

http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/prag/document.do?nodeNumber=2.12&locale=en

http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/prag/document.do?nodeNumber=2.12&locale=en

http://ec.europa.eu/budget/explained/management/protecting/protect_en.cfm

http://ec.europa.eu/budget/explained/management/protecting/protect_en.cfm

28 October 2019


4. Deadline for submission of concept notes and

full applications

6 February 2020 11.00 pm

5. Information to lead applicants on opening,

administrative checks and concept note eval-

uation (Step 1)

2 March 2020 -

6. Information to lead applicants on the evalua-

tion of the full applications (Step 2)

7 April 2020 -

7. Notification of awards (after the eligibility

check) (Step 3)

21 April 2020 -

8. Contract signature May/June 2020 -

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 ARCHIPELAGO calls for Proposals ’website www.archipelago-eutf.eu

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 subcon-

tracting 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 benefi-

ciaries 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).

http://www.archipelago-eutf.eu/

29 October 2019


30 October 2019


3 LIST OF ANNEXES

DOCUMENTS TO BE COMPLETED

Annex A: Grant application form (Word format)

Annex B: Budget (Excel format)

Annex C: Logical framework (Excel format)

Annex C a: Table of indicators

Annex D: Legal entity sheet

Annex E: Financial identification form

Annex F: Organisation data form

Annex H: Declaration on Honour

DOCUMENTS FOR INFORMATION9

Annex G: Standard grant contract (Special Conditions)

- Annex II: general conditions

- Annex IV: contract award rules

- Annex V: standard request for payment - Annex VIa: interim narrative report and financial report

- Annex VIb: final narrative report

- Annex VIc: financial report

- Annex VIIa: terms of reference for an expenditure verification of an EU financed grant contract for external action

- Annex VIIb: model report of expenditure verification

- Annex VIII: model financial guarantee - Annex IX: standard template for transfer of ownership of assets

Annex I: Daily allowance rates (per diem), available at the following address: http://ec.eu-

ropa.eu/europeaid/funding/about-procurement-contracts/procedures-and-practical-guide-

prag/diems_en

Annex J: Information on the tax regime applicable to grant contracts signed under the call

Useful links:

Project Cycle Management Guidelines

http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/aid-delivery-methods-project-cycle-management-guidelines-vol-1_en

The implementation of grant contracts

A Users' Guide

http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/companion/document.do?nodeNumber=19&locale=en

Financial Toolkit

http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/funding/procedures-beneficiary-countries-and-partners/financial-man-

agement-toolkit_en

9 These documents should also be published by the contracting authority.

http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/prag/annexes.do?annexName=E3h3&lang=en

http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/funding/about-procurement-contracts/procedures-and-practical-guide-prag/diems_en



https://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/aid-delivery-methods-project-cycle-management-guidelines-vol-1_en

http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/companion/document.do?nodeNumber=19&locale=en

http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/funding/procedures-beneficiary-countries-and-partners/financial-management-toolkit_en

http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/funding/procedures-beneficiary-countries-and-partners/financial-management-toolkit_en

31 October 2019


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.

* * *