CALL FOR PROJECT PROPOSALS FOR NATIONAL GRANTS for addressing migrant smuggling prevention and/or the protection of smuggled migrants
Security for Human Beings and Borders – Combating Smuggling of Migrants in the Western Balkans
Civil Rights Program Kosovo Lorenc Antoni no 15 Pristina, Kosovo Phone: +383 (0)38 243 610 E-mail: [email protected]
29 April 2021
BACKGROUND
The Western Balkans (WB) continued to be a transit route for irregular migrants trying to reach Western Europe from Turkey. Despite a significant decrease in the number of irregular migrants arriving at the EU’s external borders since the migration crisis in 2015, the migration pressure in the Western Balkans remains high, as does smuggling and the demand for facilitation services.1 For example, during the first ten months of 2020, detections on the Western Balkan routes were 122% higher compared to the same period in 2019 indicating continued significant movements in the region and beyond.2The authorities of some of the countries in the region have implemented measures such as strengthening border controls, which have had an effect on the migratory routes, hindering movements throughout the region. At the same time, these measures primarily appear to slow down or divert migratory movements, instead of preventing or deterring them altogether. Irregular migrants usually try to cross borders multiple times and many eventually succeed. Another side-effect of these measures is that they increase the demand for facilitation services.3In the Western Balkans as an active transit area, migrants staying for a longer period of time (particularly those with an unregulated status), difficulties crossing state borders, and an increase in the price of smuggling certainly represent circumstances that increase migrants’ risk factors and expose them to various forms of abuse, violence or exploitation, especially the most vulnerable among them (women, children, unaccompanied minors). Although deaths along the WB route are relatively rare, they do occur. Smuggling of migrants is continuously among the main topics in EU Progress Reports for WB countries.
The number of migrants who entered Kosovo in 2020 was 29414, but only 1532 registered their intention to seek asylum and a total of 1409 people applied for asylum.5 Subsidiary protection was granted to 3 persons while refugee status to 11 persons.6 In the previous year, 23 cases of smuggling, involving 2907 persons were recorded. Kosovo authorities dealt with the cases according to the Law in place.
PURPOSE OF THE CALL
This action is launched within the project “Security for Human Beings and Borders-Combating Smuggling of Migrants in the Western Balkans” that was developed as a regional response of 7 CSOs affiliated in the Balkan Refugees and Migration Council (BRMC): Albanian Helsinki Committee (AHC), Belgrade Centre for Human Rights (BCHR), Civic Alliance from Montenegro (GAMN), Civil Rights Program Kosovo*8(CRP/K),Group 484, Macedonian Young Lawyers Association (MYLA) and Vašaprava Bosnia and Herzegovina (VP BiH), as well as Danish Refugee Council (DRC) to the burning common problem along the Western Balkans Migration Route – smuggling of migrants. The project is funded by European Union within
1Frontex, “Risk Analysis for 2020,” Frontex, 2020, https://frontex.europa.eu/publications/frontex-releases-risk-analysis-for-2020- vp0TZ7. (accessed February 4, 2021). 2 EPRS, European Parliament, Understanding EU action against migrant smuggling, January 2021, PE 659.450, European Union: EPRS. 3 Europol, Frontex, & EASO, Tackling Migrant Smuggling in the Western Balkans, January 2020. 4 Civil Rights Program Kosovo data 5 Civil Rights Program Kosovo data 6Civil Rights Program Kosovo data 7 Civil Rights Program Kosovo data * This designation is without prejudice to positions on status and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence.
the scope of Civil Society Facility and Media Programme 2018-2019 under the lot “Enhancing CSOs’ engagement in protection sensitive migration management”. a. Objectives(See Guidelines for the applicants Section 2)
The overall objective is contribution to the EU approximation process by establishing protective sensitive migration management in WB with fine balance between security and border protection of the countries and respect human rights and fundamental freedoms of migrants.
Three specific objectives will be pursued:
(a) to support CSOs in conducting activities for prevention of migrant smuggling; (b) to support CSOs in providing effective protection services to smuggled migrants; (c) to support CSOs in engaging to advocacy activities for migrant`s rights. b. Target groups(See Guidelines for the applicants Section 2)
1. Migrants, particularly smuggled migrants; 2. Vulnerable groups of migrants (e.g. women, children, persons with disabilities, the elderly, unaccompanied and separated migrant children, victims of torture, etc.); 3. State and local institutions; 4. Media; 5. Local citizens and municipalities. c. Scope of activities
The applicants are invited to propose activities they assess as relevant to the objectives of the Call.
Examples of the activities(See Guidelines for the applicants Section 4 – Types of activity):
- activities aiming to deliver concrete public services responding to the needs of smuggled migrants, including legal aid, psychosocial support, healthcare, etc.; - activities supporting adequate attention to gender issues in the migration-related contexts; - media campaigns, production of news and relevantinformation tools (leaflets etc.); - activities strengthening the watchdog role of CSOs in the implementation of relevant policies andreforms; - policy monitoring and publication of relevant monitoring reports; - research and analysis of relevant media content; - activities that promote implementation of relevant laws and regulations; - activities that support discussion between different stakeholdersand/or consultation with stakeholders,including establishment of dialogue with political parties or local legislative bodies; - activities that promote cooperation and exchange between different local communities and self- governments, related to protection of migrants; - other activities enhancing protection-sensitive migration management.
RULES FOR CALL FOR PROPOSALS(See Guidelines for the applicants, Section 4.)
Eligibility of applicants
In order to be eligible for a grant, the applicant must: be a legal person registered before 1 March 2019; be established in Kosovo; be non-profit-making; civil society organization; be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the action.
Geographic coverage. Proposed activities must take place in the territory of Kosovo.
Duration of the proposed activities. The applicant should foresee all project activities to be completed in six (6) months from the date of contracting.
Number of grants. Up to four national projects will be supported. Each organisation can submit only one application.
Size of funds. For each project from 3.500,00 EUR to 5,000.00 EUR.
INFO SESSION (See Guidelines for the applicants, Section 5.)
Info session on the selection process regarding the implementation, financial monitoring of the project and reporting will be organized online on 14th May 2021.
APPLICATION SUBMISSION PROCEDURE (See Guidelines for the applicants, Section 5)
The application must be submitted on the provided application forms, in the English, Albanian or Serbian language, and must be completed in full according to the given instructions in the Guidelines for applicants.
DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS: 31 May 2021
CONTACT:
Project proposals, applications for info session, as well as all questions and requests for any clarifications should be sent to e-mail: [email protected]
Contracting party: Civil Rights Program Kosovo
Security for Human Beings and Borders – Combating Smuggling of Migrants in the Western Balkans
Guidelines for grant applicants
Deadline for submission of application: 31 May 2021
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE CALL
2. OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME AND TARGET GROUPS
3. FINANCIAL ALLOCATION PROVIDED BY THE CONTRACTING AUTHORITY 4. RULES FOR THIS CALL FOR PROPOSALS
5. HOW TO APPLY AND THE PROCEDURES TO FOLLOW
6. EVALUATION AND SELECTION OF APPLICATIONS
7. SUBMISSION OF SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS FOR PROVISIONALLY SELECTED APPLICATIONS
8. NOTIFICATION OF THE CONTRACTING AUTHORITY’S DECISION 9. LIST OF ANNEXES 10. INDICATIVE TIMETABLE
1. BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE CALL Background
The Western Balkans (WB) continued to be a transit route for irregular migrants trying to reach Western Europe from Turkey. Despite a significant decrease in the number of irregular migrants arriving at the EU’s external borders since the migration crisis in 2015, the migration pressure in the Western Balkans remains high, as does smuggling and the demand for facilitation services.1 For example, during the first ten months of 2020, detections on the Western Balkan routes were 122% higher compared to the same period in 2019 indicating continued significant movements in the region and beyond.2The authorities of some of the countries in the region have implemented measures such as strengthening border controls, which have had an effect on the migratory routes, hindering movements throughout the region. At the same time, these measures primarily appear to slow down or divert migratory movements, instead of preventing or deterring them altogether. Irregular migrants usually try to cross borders multiple times and many eventually succeed. Another side-effect of these measures is that they increase the demand for facilitation services.3In the Western Balkans as an active transit area, migrants staying for a longer period of time (particularly those with an unregulated status), difficulties crossing state borders, and an increase in the price of smuggling certainly represent circumstances that increase migrants’ risk factors and expose them to various forms of abuse, violence or exploitation, especially the most vulnerable among them (women, children, unaccompanied minors. Although deaths along the WB route are relatively rare, they do occur. Smuggling of migrants is continuously among the main topics in EU Progress Reports for WB countries.
The number of migrants who entered Kosovo in 2020 was 29414, but only 1532 registered their intention to seek asylum and a total of 1409 people applied for asylum.5 Subsidiary protection was
1Frontex, “Risk Analysis for 2020,” Frontex, 2020, https://frontex.europa.eu/publications/frontex-releases-risk-analysis-for-2020-vp0TZ7. (accessed February 4, 2021). 2 EPRS, European Parliament, Understanding EU action against migrant smuggling, January 2021, PE 659.450, European Union: EPRS. 3 Europol, Frontex, & EASO, Tackling Migrant Smuggling in the Western Balkans, January 2020. *This designation is without prejudice to positions on status and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo* Declaration of Independence. 4 Civil Rights Program Kosovo data 5 Civil Rights Program Kosovo data April 2021 8cf58b289c136b05372e50778e7217d12159f1f0476d6aac74df445f84e62706 Page 2 of 12
granted to 3 persons while refugee status to 11 persons.6 In the previous year, 23 cases of smuggling, involving 2907 persons were recorded. Kosovo authorities dealt with the cases according to the Law in place.
Purpose of the Call This action is launched within the project “Security for Human Beings and Borders -Combating Smuggling of Migrants in the Western Balkans” that was developed as a regional response of 7 CSOs affiliated in the Balkan Refugees and Migration Council (BRMC): Albanian Helsinki Committee (AHC), Belgrade Centre for Human Rights (BCHR), Civic Alliance from Montenegro (GAMN), Civil Rights Program Kosovo*8(CRP/K), Group 484, Macedonian Young Lawyers Association (MYLA) and Vašaprava Bosnia and Herzegovina (VP BiH), as well as Danish Refugee Council (DRC) to the burning common problem along the Western Balkans Migration Route – smuggling of migrants. The project is funded by European Union within the scope of Civil Society Facility and Media Programme 2018-2019 under the lot “Enhancing CSOs’ engagement in protection sensitive migration management”.
2. OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME AND TARGET GROUPS
The Overall Objective of this call for proposals is to contribute to the EU approximation process by establishing protective sensitive migration management in WB with fine balance between security and border protection of the countries and respect human rights and fundamental freedoms of migrants. The specific objective(s) of this call for proposals is/are: a) to support CSOs in conducting activities for prevention of migrant smuggling b) to support CSOs in providing effective protection services to smuggled migrants c) to support CSOs in engaging to advocacy activities for migrant`s rights
Target groups 1. Migrants, particularly smuggled migrants; 2. Vulnerable groups of migrants (e.g. women, children, persons with disabilities, the elderly, unaccompanied and separated migrant children, victims of torture, etc.); 3. State and local institutions; 4. Media; 5. Local citizens and municipalities.
3. FINANCIAL ALLOCATION PROVIDED BY THE CONTRACTING AUTHORITY The overall indicative amount made available under this call for proposals is EUR 17.600,00. The contracting authority reserves the right not to award all available funds.
Size of grants
Any grant requested under this call for proposals must fall between the following amounts:
minimum amount: EUR 3.500 maximum amount: EUR 5.000 The grant will cover the entire eligible costs of the action.
Number of grants
6Civil Rights Program Kosovo data 7 Civil Rights Program Kosovo data * This designation is without prejudice to positions on status and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence.
April 2021 8cf58b289c136b05372e50778e7217d12159f1f0476d6aac74df445f84e62706 Page 3 of 12
The overall number of national grants will be up to four.
4. RULES FOR THE CALL FOR PROPOSALS
These guidelines set out the rules for the submission, selection and implementation of the actions financed under this call.
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA Eligibility of applicants
In order to be eligible for a grant, the applicant must:
be a legal person registered before 1 March 2019 be established in Kosovo. be non-profit-making; civil society organisation; be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the action.
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 contract9.
Eligible actions: actions for which an application may be made
Definition: An action is composed of a set of activities.
Duration The initial planned duration of an action may not exceed 6 (six) months.
Location Actions must take place in the following country: Kosovo.
Types of action The actions proposed under this call for proposals must be contribute to the realisation of it’s specific objectives. Indicative list of actions is as presented below: a) Support services related to protection of migrants; b) Dissemination of information/awareness campaign; c) Research and analysis; d) Legal support; e) Implementation of relevant policies and reforms.
The following types of action are ineligible: actions concerned only or mainly with individual sponsorships for participation in workshops, seminars, conferences and congresses.
9The 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.
April 2021 8cf58b289c136b05372e50778e7217d12159f1f0476d6aac74df445f84e62706 Page 4 of 12
actions concerned only or mainly with individual scholarships for studies or training courses.
Types of activity a) activities delivering public services response to the needs of smuggled migrants, including legal aid, psychosocial support, healthcare, etc.; b) activities supporting gender issues in the migration-related contexts; c) activities supporting dissemination of project relevant information, including activities such as: media campaigns, production of news and relevant information tools (leaflets etc.); d) activities strengthening the watchdog role of CSOs in the implementation of relevant policies and reforms; e) policy monitoring and publication of relevant monitoring reports; f) research and analysis of relevant media content; g) activities that promote implementation of relevant laws and regulations; h) activities that support discussion between different stakeholders and/or consultation with stakeholders, including establishment of dialogue with political parties or local legislative bodies; i) activities that promote cooperation and exchange between different local communities and self- governments, related to protection of migrants; j) other activities enhancing protection-sensitive migration management.
Financial support to third parties10 Applicants may not propose financial support to third parties.
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 financing (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- manual-eu-external-actions_en).
Number of applications and grants per applicants The applicant may not submit more than 1 application under this call for project proposals.
The applicant may not be awarded more than 1 grant under this call for project proposals.
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’.
Eligible costs are actual costs incurred by the grant beneficiary which meet all the following criteria: a) they are indicated in the estimated Budget proposal; b) they are incurred during the implementation of the action; c) they are necessary for the implementation of the project activities;
10These third parties are neither affiliated entity(ies) nor associates nor contractors.
April 2021 8cf58b289c136b05372e50778e7217d12159f1f0476d6aac74df445f84e62706 Page 5 of 12
d) they are identifiable and verifiable, in particular being recorded in the accounting records of the beneficiary(ies) and determined according to the accounting standards and the usual cost accounting practices applicable to the beneficiary(ies); e) they comply with the requirements of applicable tax and social legislation; f) they are reasonable, justified and comply with the requirements of sound financial management, in particular regarding economy and efficiency.
Non-eligible costs The following costs shall not be considered eligible: a) debts and debt service charges (interest); b) provisions for losses, debts or potential future liabilities; c) costs financed by another action or work programme; d) purchases of land or buildings; e) currency exchange losses; f) credits to third parties; g) salary costs of the personnel of national administrations; h) bonuses included in costs of staff.
The reimbursement of eligible costs is based on:
a) unit costs: covering all or certain specific categories of eligible costs which are clearly identified in advance by reference to an amount per unit.
b) lump sums: covering in global terms all or certain specific categories of eligible costs which are clearly identified in advance. Recommendations to award a grant are always subject to the condition that the checks preceding the signing of the grant contract do not reveal problems requiring changes to the budget (such as arithmetical errors, inaccuracies, unrealistic costs and ineligible costs). The checks may give rise to requests for clarification and may lead the contracting authority to impose modifications or reductions to address such mistakes or inaccuracies. It is not possible to increase the grant as a result of these corrections.
It is therefore in the applicants' interest to provide a realistic and cost-effective budget.
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 comparingapplications will lead to the rejection of its application and may result in administrative penalties according to the Financial Regulation in force. b) Respect for human rights as well as environmental legislation and core labour standards The applicant and its staff must comply with human rights. In particular and in accordance with the applicable act, applicants who have been awarded contracts must comply with the environmental legislation including multilateral environmental agreements, and with the core labour standards as applicable and as defined in the relevant International Labour Organisation conventions (such as the
April 2021 8cf58b289c136b05372e50778e7217d12159f1f0476d6aac74df445f84e62706 Page 6 of 12
conventions on freedom of association and collective bargaining; elimination of forced and compulsory labour; abolition of child labour). Zero tolerance for sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment The European Commission applies a policy of 'zero tolerance' in relation to all wrongful conduct which has an impact on the professional credibility of the applicant. Physical abuse or punishment, or threats of physical abuse, sexual abuse or exploitation, harassment and verbal abuse, as well as other forms of intimidation shall be prohibited. c) Anti-corruption and anti-bribery
The applicant shall comply with all applicable laws and regulations and codes relating to anti-bribery and anti-corruption. The 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 contracts terminated or to be permanently excluded from receiving EU/EDF funds. e) Breach of obligations, irregularities or fraud The contracting authority reserves the right to suspend or cancel the procedure, where the award procedure proves to have been subject to 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.
5. HOW TO APPLY AND THE PROCEDURES TO FOLLOW Application forms
Applications must be submitted in accordance with the instructions for the applications in the grant application form annexed to these guidelines (Annex A).
Applicants must apply in English, Shqip or na Srpskom.
Any error or major discrepancy/inconsistences presented in the various sections of the Application form and/or Budget breakdown 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.
April 2021 8cf58b289c136b05372e50778e7217d12159f1f0476d6aac74df445f84e62706 Page 7 of 12
Please note that only the grant application form and the published annexes which have to be filled in will be evaluated. It is therefore of utmost importance that these documents contain ALL the relevant information concerning the action.
Incomplete applications will be rejected.
No additional annexes should be sent.
Where and how to send applications
Applications must be submitted in electronic format to:
Deadline for submission of applications
The deadline for submission of applications is 31 May 2021 at 12 p.m. local time.
Application submitted after given deadline will not be taken into consideration and will be rejected.
Further information about applications
An information session on this call for proposals will be held on 14th May 2021.
Questions may be sent by e-mail no later than 15 days before the deadline for the submission of applications to the below address(es), indicating clearly the reference of the call for proposals:
E-mail address: [email protected]
The contracting authority has no obligation to provide clarifications to questions received after this date.
Replies will be given no later than 7 days before the deadline for the submission of applications.
Please note that the contracting authority may decide to cancel the call for proposals procedure at any stage.
6. EVALUATION AND SELECTION OF APPLICATIONS Applications will be examined and evaluated by the Selection Committee. 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 4, the application will be rejected on this sole basis.
STEP 1:OPENING & ADMINISTRATIVE CHECKS
During the opening and administrative check the following will be assessed: a) If the deadline has been met. Otherwise, the application will be automatically rejected. b) If the application satisfies all the criteria specified in the in Section 4. 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.
STEP 2: EVALUATION OF THE APPLICATION
April 2021 8cf58b289c136b05372e50778e7217d12159f1f0476d6aac74df445f84e62706 Page 8 of 12
The full applications that pass this check will be further evaluated on their quality, including the proposed budget and capacity of the applicants. They will be evaluated using the evaluation criteria in the evaluation grid below.
EVALUATION GRID
Maximum Section Score
1. Relevance 30
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 15 guidelines for applicants?
1.2 How relevant is the proposal to the particular needs and constraints of the target 5 groups?
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 5 been clearly defined and does the proposal address them appropriately?
1.4 Does the proposal contain particular added-value elements (e.g. innovation, best 5 practices)?
2. Design of the action 20
2.1 How coherent is the design of the action? Does the proposal indicate the expected 15 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 results?
2.2 Is analysis of the problems involved and the capacities of the relevant stakeholders 5 included? Does the designed action properly reflect them?
3. Implementation approach 15
3.1 Is the action plan for implementing the action clear and feasible? Is the timeline 5 realistic?
3.2 Does the proposal include an effective and efficient monitoring system? Is there an 5 evaluation planned (previous, during or/and at the end of the implementation)?
4. Sustainability of the action 20
4.1 Is the action likely to have a tangible impact on its target groups? 10
4.2 Is the action likely to have multiplier effects, including scope for replication, extension, 5
April 2021 8cf58b289c136b05372e50778e7217d12159f1f0476d6aac74df445f84e62706 Page 9 of 12
capitalisation on experience and knowledge sharing?
4.3 Are the expected results of the proposed action sustainable?: 5 - 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. Budget and cost-effectiveness of the action 15
5.1 Are the activities appropriately reflected in the budget? 5
5.2 Is the ratio between the estimated costs and the results satisfactory? 10
Maximum total score 100
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.
STEP 3: VERIFICATION OF ELIGIBILITY OF THE APPLICANTS
The eligibility verification will be performed on the basis of the supporting documents requested by the contracting authority (see Section 7 below). It will by default only be performed for the applications that have been provisionally selected according to their score and within the available budget for this call for proposals.
The eligibility of applicants will be verified according to the criteria set out in Section 4.
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.
7. SUBMISSION OF SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS FOR PROVISIONALLY SELECTED APPLICATIONS
An applicant whose application has been provisionally selected or placed on the reserve list will be informed in writing by the contracting authority. It will be requested to supply the following documents in order to allow the contracting authority to verify the eligibility of the applicant:
1. The statute or articles of association of the applicant; 2. A copy of the applicant’s latest accounts (the profit and loss account and the balance sheet for the lastfinancial year for which the accounts have been closed); 3. A financial identification form of the applicant conforming to the model attached as Annex C of these guidelines, certified by the bank to which the payments will be made. This bank should be located in the country where the applicant is established.
April 2021 8cf58b289c136b05372e50778e7217d12159f1f0476d6aac74df445f84e62706 Page 10 of 12
Documents must be supplied in the form of originals, photocopies or scanned versions (i.e. showing legible stamps, signatures and dates) of the said originals.
If the abovementioned supporting documents are not provided before the deadline indicated in the request for supporting documents sent to the applicant by the contracting authority, the application may be rejected.
After verifying the supporting documents, the Selection Committee will make a final decision on the award of grants.
8. NOTIFICATION OF THE CONTRACTING AUTHORITY’S DECISION
The applicants will be informed about the Call for Proposals results within 60 days from the day when the Call for Proposals was announced. The list of approved applications will be published on Civil Rights Program Kosovo website.
9. LIST ANNEXES
DOCUMENTS TO BE COMPLETED
Annex A: Grant application form (Word format) Annex B: Budget (Excel format) Annex C: Financial identification form (only for provisionally selected)
April 2021 8cf58b289c136b05372e50778e7217d12159f1f0476d6aac74df445f84e62706 Page 11 of 12
10.INDICATIVE TIMETABVLE
DATE
1. Info session 14 May 2021
2. Deadline for requesting any clarifications 17.05.2021. from the contracting authority
3. Last date on which clarifications are issued 24.05.2021. by the contracting authority
4. Deadline for submission of applications 31.05.2021.
5. Information to applicants on opening, 10.06.2021. administrative checks and evaluation of applications (Steps 1 and 2)
6. Notification of award (after the eligibility 20.06.2021. check) (Step 3)
7. Informing the applicants and publishing the 25.06.2021. list of approved applications
8. Contract signature 01.07.2021.
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.
* * *
April 2021 8cf58b289c136b05372e50778e7217d12159f1f0476d6aac74df445f84e62706 Page 12 of 12
ANNEX A
CALL FOR PROJECT PROPOSALS FOR NATIONAL GRANTS
APPLICATION FORM
I BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON THE ORGANISATION
Name of organisation
Address
Phone number
Web page
Contact parson, position
Contact person’s e-mail
Contact person’s phone number
II PROJECT DESCRIPTION
1. Problem description Provide a detailed description of the problem/phenomenon addressed by the project proposal. Who recognises the problem/phenomenon and based on which parameters? What are the causes and effects? How does the project address the problem/phenomenon? How and to what extent does the project mitigate the effects of the problem/phenomenon? The problem/phenomenon needs to be clearly and realistically defined. (up to 400 words)
2. Description of beneficiaries and target groups Who are the project’s beneficiaries and target groups? How have they been selected? How do you define beneficiaries’ and target groups’ priorities and needs? How are the activities envisaged by the project relevant for the selected beneficiaries and target groups? How does this project meet the beneficiaries’ and target groups’ identified needs and identities? What impact do you expect the project to have on target groups? How will the project improve the position of beneficiaries and target groups? Description of beneficiaries and target groups needs to be univocal and real. (up to 600 words)
3. Objectives The project needs to contain overall and specific objectives (including SMART indicators; specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and defined in time) that should be achieved with the financial support from this grant. The objectives need to be clear, measurable and realistic. (up to 300 words)
4. Expected outcomes Please specify the expected outcomes that need to be achieved through the implementation of the project. (up to 300 words)
5. Activities Provide a concise description of proposed actions and activities related to the project (each activity needs to be described within one paragraph). Present key project activities and specify their relevance for the target group and beneficiaries. Activities need to be designed in the manner that will ensure that they produce expected outcomes. (up to 1000 words)
III PLAN OF ACTIVITIES
Activity 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. The person form the team who is in charge of implementation Example Example
Preparatory Project manager +
activity 1 researcher (Name) Implementation Researcher
activity 1 (Name) Preparatory Team leader activity 2 (name) Etc.
IV RISKS AND RISK REDUCTION MEASURES
Specify risk management and risk reduction strategy that you have defined; strategy for identifying, evaluating and control of potential threats and situations that might prevent achievement of the project’s overall and specific objectives. Define identified risks, provide risk likelihood, assessment of risk impact on the project and mitigation measures envisaged in case the risk occurs. (up to 400 words)
V BUDGET
Fill in the budget table form, in detail and precisely, so that each budget line reflects and justified the envisaged project activities. The budget form may be found in the Excell format titled Annex 2 - Budget.
VI ORGANISATION’S CAPACITIES 1. Short description of the Organisation Describe the Organisation’s mission, main scope of work and its role in the community. Provide a concise description of the cooperation and networking level. Specify the number of staff, volunteers and members. Specify major sources of finance and amounts for 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020. (up to 300 words) ...... 2. Finalised projects Specify the projects your organisation has implemented (up to 5), related to preventing and combating migrant smuggling and other forms of violation of human rights and protection of migrants. Provide short resumes of your organisation’s/project’s employees, with experience in these spheres. Provide a short overview of the goals and outcomes achieved. (up to 600 words) ......
3. Additional information Please share here any information that you consider relevant and that has not been specified in the application......
Date: Legal Representative of Organisation (Name and Surname):
Signature:
STAMP
1 1. Budget for the Action TOTAL PROJECT PERIOD Unit ⁶ # of units Unit value Total Cost Costs (in EUR) (in EUR) ²
1. Human Resources 1.1 Salaries (gross salaries including social security charges and other related costs, local staff) ³ 1.1.1 Technical 1.1.1.1 Per month 0.00 1.1.1.2 Per month 0.00 1.1.1.3 Per month 0.00 1.2 Per diems for missions/travel ⁴ 1.2.1 Local (staff assigned to the Action) Per month 0.00 1.2.2 Seminar/conference participants Per month 0.00 Subtotal Human Resources 0.00 2. Travel 2.1 Local transportation 0.00
Subtotal Travel 0.00 3. Other costs, services ⁵
0.00 0.00 0.00
Subtotal Other costs, services 0.00 4. Subtotal direct eligible costs of the Action (1-3) 0.00 5. Indirect costs (maximum 7% of 4, subtotal of direct eligible costs of the Action) 0.00 6. Total eligible costs of the Action, excluding reserve (4+5) 0.00
1. The description of items must be sufficiently detailed and all items broken down into their main components. The number of units and the unit value must be specified for each item depending on the indications provided. The budget has to include costs related to the Action as a whole, regardless the part financed by the Contracting Authority.
2. The budget may be established in euro. Costs and unit values are rounded to the nearest euro.
3. If staff are not working full time on the Action, the percentage should be indicated alongside the description of the item and reflected in the number of units (not the unit value).
1 1 1. Budget for the Action TOTAL PROJECT PERIOD Unit ⁶ # of units Unit value Total Cost Costs (in EUR) (in EUR) ²
4. Indicate the country where the per diems are incurred . Per diems are not considered a simplified cost option for the purposes of Union financing when the Grant Beneficiary reimburses a fixed amount to its staff according to its staff rules and asks for the reimbursement of that same amount in the action budget. That is an actual cost. Otherwise, if the Beneficiary proposes a reimbursement on the basis of simplified costs option (for instance a "unit cost"), it must specify "UNIT COST per diem" in the "unit value" column and the applicable rates (in any case the final eligible cost may not exceed the rates published by the E.C. at the time of contract signature).
5. Specify the typology of costs or services. Global amounts will not be accepted.
6. Use "UNIT COST per flight/month/kit etc…" or "LUMPSUM" or "FLAT RATE" or "APPORTIONMENT" in case of simplified cost options. Use different lines for each type of simplified cost options and per beneficiary. In worksheet 2, the methods used to determine and calculate them must be clearly described and substantiated and the Beneficiary proposing and using them must be univocally identified. (for more guidance see Annex K - Guidelines-Checklist for simplified cost options). NB: The Beneficiary(ies) alone are responsible for the correctness of the financial information provided in these tables.
2 2. Justification of the Budget for the Action TOTAL PROJECT PERIOD Costs Clarification of the budget items Justification of the estimated costs
Provide a narrative clarification of each budget item Provide a justification of the calculation of the estimated demonstrating the necessity of the costs and how they costs. Note that the estimation should be based on real costs relate to the action (e.g. through references to the or on simplified cost options if allowed, as described in activities and/or results in the Description of the Action). section 4. of the Guidelines for Grants Applicants 1. Human Resources 1.1 Salaries (gross salaries including social security charges and other related costs, local staff) ³ 1.1.1 Technical 1.1.1.1 1.1.1.2 1.1.1.3 1.2 Per diems for missions/travel ⁴ 1.2.1 Local (staff assigned to the Action) 1.2.2 Seminar/conference participants Subtotal Human Resources 2. Travel 2.1 Local transportation
Subtotal Travel 3. Other costs, services ⁵
Subtotal Other costs, services 4. Subtotal direct eligible costs of the Action (1-3) 5. Indirect costs (maximum 7% of 4, subtotal of direct eligible costs of the Action) 6. Total eligible costs of the Action, excluding reserve (4+5)
2 August 2018 e23eeb4fb01a2d5028f667f9ca5e3532cbf46a4777c25500d4dbe8ded4ab9d6a 1