1. INFORMATION SESSION 5 February 2019
“SUPPORT TO CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANISATIONS FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF CAPACITY BUILDING ACTIONS TO INCREASE POLICY DIALOGUE AND AWARENESS ON EUROPEAN INTEGRATION PROCESS” Reference: EuropeAid/161968/ID/ACT/AL
INFORMATION SESSION
5 February 2019

2. Global objective
The global objective of this Call for Proposals is to contribute to a better knowledge of EU accession among citizens of the Republic of Albania and the impact of the integration process on their daily lives, as well as to enhance policy dialogue between CSOs and the Albanian public administration.

3. Specific objectives
To raise public awareness including schools, universities, academic institutions and citizens on the general understanding of EU, its policies, programmes and actions;
To initiate and encourage informed public debates in the country about the costs, benefits and challenges of the European Integration process;

4. Specific objectives
To enhance cooperation and evidence-based policy dialogue of CSOs and government through their expertise and experience in European Integration processes;
To strengthen the capacities of CSOs through partnership building to engage in the European Integration process.

5. Duration
The initial planned duration of an action may not be lower than 12 months nor exceed 18 months.
Location
Actions must take place in the Republic of Albania.

6. Sectors or themes
Raising public awareness including schools, universities, academic institutions and citizens on the general understanding of EU, its policies, programmes and actions;
Initiating and encouraging informed public debates in the country about the costs, benefits and challenges of the European Integration process;

7. Types of eligible actions
Raise awareness on the importance of EU integration process, steps and reforms for public at large;
Raise awareness/advocacy on EU institutions, policies and programs and EU specific assistance/actions to Albania;
Raise awareness/advocacy on EU values and culture;

8. Types of eligible actions
Raise awareness on benefits, costs and challenges of EU integration for (i) public at large, (ii) specific target groups (businesses, youth, public administration at central and local level, farmers) etc.), (iii) specific sectors (EU acquis, legislation approximation, public administration, economy, justice, human rights, environment, agriculture, transport, energy, education, etc.);

9. Types of eligible actions
Inform various categories of the public on the various possibilities of EU funds and management, specifically at local level (structural funds, regional cooperation, rural development, human rights, CS support);
Actions that involve CSOs in monitoring and decision-making process of key priorities defined in Road Map and National Plan for EU integration process;

10. Types of eligible actions
Actions that support research, capacity building and advocacy activities on specific thematic areas of EU acquis, legislation approximation process, costs, implications and trade-offs to protect interests of the country targeting various target groups (youth, businesses, farmers, public administration at central and local level);

11. Types of eligible actions
Actions that promote policy analysis on costs of the adoption of laws and regulations related to EU legislation approximation,
Actions that support dialogue platforms between the CSOs and local/public authorities, exchange of best practices with other EU and/or Western Balkan (IPA) Countries and application of model(s) in the country.

12. Types of Ineligible actions
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 concerned only or mainly with academic research, feasibility studies and other one-off events with no direct impact on the target group;

13. Types of Ineligible actions
Projects for the exclusive benefit of individuals or restricted groups of individuals;
Projects supporting political parties or of political/partisan nature;
Core funding of the applicant or its partners;
Retrospective financing for projects already in implementation or completed;

14. Types of Ineligible actions
Social service and humanitarian activities;
Actions concerned with infrastructure investments;
Actions concerned only or mainly with the procurement of equipment;
Actions where a considerable part of the budget is planned for the provision of external services and do not involve the active participation of the lead applicant and co-applicant organisation(s).

15. Indicative activities
Public opinion polls and surveys on the perception on EU integration and related challenges;
Involvement of academia through publication of research and open seminars;
Facilitation of dialogue, consultations and discussions, i.e. through TV/community public debates;

16. Indicative activities
Quizzes/competition regarding EU institutions and values;
Research-based documentaries on success stories related to reform;
Capacity building, including training modules, workshops etc.;
Trainings for youth in EU institutions, policies, programmes and actions;

17. Indicative activities
Transfer of know-how and study visits to EU and/or IPA countries for sharing best practices and knowledge;
Seminars and public debates regarding benefits, costs and challenges of EU integration;
Information dissemination, through i.e. websites, to inform interested parties on the possibilities of EU funds and management;

18. Indicative activities
Dialogue focused on CSOs and their participation in the EU integration process;
Activities that support dialogue platforms between the CSOs and local/public authorities;
Networking and partnership building for information sharing and transfer of know-how;

19. Indicative activities
Organisation of conferences and public debates involving decision makers and politicians;
Activities supporting the Ministry of European Integration in organizing events related to EU accession awareness raising events.

20. Indicative financial allocation by lot
No.
LOTS
Budget in € 1
Support to civil society organisations to increase awareness and knowledge on European integration process
,00 2
Support to civil society organisations to engage in capacity building and policy dialogue on European Integration process and particularly in the understanding and adaption of the EU Acquis
,00
Total
,00

21. Financial allocation
The overall indicative amount made available under this call for proposals is EUR 700,000.
Size of grants
Lot 1 – Support to civil society organisations to increase awareness and knowledge on European integration process
Any grant requested under this Call for Proposals - Lot 1, must fall between the following minimum and maximum amounts:
Minimum amount: EUR ,00
Maximum amount: EUR ,00
Duration of action: The initial planned duration of an action may not be lower than 12 months nor exceed 18 months.
Any grant requested under this Call for Proposals - Lot 1, must fall between the following minimum and maximum percentages of total eligible costs of the action:
Minimum percentage: 60 % of the total eligible costs of the action.
Maximum percentage: 95 % of the total eligible costs of the action (see also Section 2.1.5).

22. Financial allocation Size of grants
Lot 2 – Support to civil society organisations to engage in capacity building and policy dialogue on European Integration process and particularly in the understanding and adaption of the EU Acquis
Any grant requested under this Call for Proposals - Lot 2, must fall between the following minimum and maximum amounts:
Minimum amount: EUR ,00
Maximum amount: EUR ,00
Duration of action: The initial planned duration of an action may not be lower than 12 months nor exceed 18 months.
Any grant requested under this Call for Proposals - Lot 2, must fall between the following minimum and maximum percentages of total eligible costs of the action:
Minimum percentage: 60 % of the total eligible costs of the action.
Maximum percentage: 95 % of the total eligible costs of the action (see also Section 2.1.5).

23. WHO MAY APPLY ? ELIGIBILITY
Lead applicant
In order to be eligible for a grant, the lead applicant must:
be a legal person (individuals are not eligible, nor are informal alliance or initiatives without legal status)
be non-profit-making
be a civil society organisation, such as non-governmental organisations (NGOs)
be established in the Republic of Albania, or in a Member State of the European Union, in an accession or official candidate country as recognised by the European Union or in Member State of the European Economic Area
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.

24. WHO MAY APPLY ? ELIGIBILITY
Co-applicant(s)
Co-applicant(s) participate in designing and implementing the action, and the costs they incur are eligible in the same way as those incurred by the applicant.
Co-applicant (s) must satisfy the eligibility criteria as applicable to the lead applicant himself.
Co-applicants(s) must sign the Mandate in Part B section 4 of the grant application form.
If awarded the Grant contract, the co-applicant(s) will become beneficiaries in the Action (together with the Coordinator).
For grants between min EUR 20,000 – max EUR 40,000 (Lot 1): the lead applicant may act individually or with co-applicant.
For grants between min EUR 45,000 – max EUR 70,000 (Lot 2): the lead applicant must act with at least one co-applicant.
Note:
The CSO’s awarded through IPA 2014 are excluded from this call.

26. CONCEPT NOTE

27. How to fill the Concept Note
You first need to complete the Concept Note application form which includes:
1.1 Summary of the action
Information to be provided in max 1 page. Table to be filled in for the requested information
1.2 Description of the action
- Information to be provided in max 2 pages. Details can be found in the Application Form template
1.3. Relevance of the action (max 3 pages)
- Information to be provided in max 3 pages. Details can be found in the Application Form template.
Note:
DO NOT forget to fill in the tables and declarations with the data requested in the template of Concept Note.

28. Where and how to send concept notes
- one original and three copies in A4 size, each bound.
- An electronic version of the concept note must also be submitted.(The electronic file must contain exactly the same application as the paper version enclosed)
Concept notes must be submitted in a sealed envelope by registered mail, private courier service or by hand-delivery
- The envelope must bear the reference number and the title of the call for proposals, the full name and address of the lead applicant, and the words ‘Not to be opened before the opening session’ and ‘Të mos hapet përpara sesionit të hapjes’.

29. Request for Clarifications
Questions may be sent by no later than 21 days before the deadline for the submission of concept notes to the address(es) below, indicating clearly the reference of the call for proposals:
address: Enkelejda Kokthi, General Director and
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 submission of concept notes.
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 EuropeAid website and CFCU website: and MEI website: as the need arises.

30. EVALUATION

31. STEP 1: OPENING&ADMINISTRATIVE CHECKS AND CONCEPT NOTE EVALUATION
The following will be assessed:
Submission before deadline – 28 February 2019 at 16:00 CET
Concept note Application Form satisfies all the criteria specified in Checklist.
In case of missing/incorrect information or late submission:
application may be rejected!

32. STEP 1: OPENING & ADMINISTRATIVE CHECKS AND CONCEPT NOTE EVALUATION
The concept notes that pass the administrative 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
The evaluation will also check on compliance with the instructions on how to complete the concept 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.

33. 1. Relevance of the action Sub-score 20
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 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)?
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?
1.4 Does the proposal contain particular added-value elements (e.g. innovation, best practices) and the other additional elements indicated under 1.2. of the guidelines for applicants
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?
2.3 Does the design take into account external factors (risks and assumptions)?
2.4 Are the activities feasible and consistent in relation to the expected results (including timeframe)? Are results (output, outcome and impact) realistic?
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)?
TOTAL SCORE 50

34. STEP 1: OPENING & ADMINISTRATIVE CHECKS AND CONCEPT NOTE EVALUATION
Once all concept notes have been assessed, a list will be drawn up with the proposed actions ranked according to their total score. Only Concept Notes ≥ 30 points will be considered for pre-selection. The Contracting Authority will send letters to all lead applicants with the results of evaluation. The pre-selected lead applicants will subsequently be invited to submit full applications.

35. CONCEPT NOTE RESULTS
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 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.

36. STEP 2: EVALUATION OF THE FULL APPLICATION
The following will be assessed:
If the submission deadline has been met
If the full application satisfies all the criteria specified in the checklist (section 7 of Part B of the grant application form)
The selection criteria helps to evaluate the applicant(s)'s and affiliated entity(ies)'s operational capacity and the lead applicant's financial capacity
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

37. SELECTION CRITERIA
Applicant has stable and sufficient sources of finance to maintain their activity throughout the period of action
management capacity,
professional competencies
qualifications required
… to successfully complete the proposed action.

38. AWARD CRITERIA Be clear that the quality of the application submitted
responds to the set objectives and priorities of the call:
relevance of the action
consistency with the objectives of the Call for Proposals
quality
expected impact/sustainability
cost-effectiveness

39. 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 in-house technical expertise? (especially knowledge of the issues to be addressed)
1.3 Do the applicants and, if applicable, their affiliated entity(ies) have sufficient in-house management capacity? (Including staff, equipment and ability to handle the budget for the action)?
1.4 Does the lead applicant have stable and sufficient sources of finance?
2. Relevance
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 rationale to achieve the expected results? Are the activities proposed appropriate, practical, and consistent with the envisaged outputs and outcome(s)?
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)?
3.3 Does the design reflect a robust analysis of the problems involved, and the capacities of the relevant stakeholders?
4. Implementation approach
4.1 Is the action plan for implementing the action clear and feasible? Is the timeline realistic?
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)?
4.3 Is the co-applicant(s)'s and affiliated entity(ies)'s level of involvement and participation in the action satisfactory?
5. Sustainability of the action
5.1 Is the action likely to have a tangible impact on its target groups?
5.2 Is the action likely to have multiplier effects, including scope for replication, extension, capitalisation on experience and knowledge sharing?
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?)
6. Budget and cost-effectiveness of the action
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

40. FULL APPLICATIONS - SCORING
MAXIMUM TOTAL SCORE: 100
1. Financial and operational capacity: 20
2. Relevance of the action: 20
3. Design of the action: 15
4. Implementation approach: 15
5. Sustainability of the action: 15
6. Budget and cost-effectiveness of the action: 15
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 3.4 shall be 5 unless the involvement of co-applicants or affiliated entities is mandatory according to these guidelines for applicants.

41. 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 (only for the selected applications according to their score and within the available budget for this call for proposals)
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 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 sections 2.1.1,2.1.2 and
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.

42. Notification of the Contracting Authority’s 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 of the Practical Guide.

43. THANK YOU!