OGP NOFO Q&A.pdf

Open Government Partnership Reforms NOFO Questions

Opportunity Number: SFOP0006524

1) Because Phase 1 of the project activities targets only Morocco and Tunisia, can NEA please clarify if applicants should plan to start programming in the other two countries before 2022?

ANSWER: The NOFO has been revised (please refer to v2 on grants.gov or SAMS

Domestic) and addresses revisions to the phases of the project activities. Given this revision, yes, applicants can plan to start programming in other countries.

2) The NOFO mentions that “the percentage of total budget actually spent in the region through local partners may be among the elements of evaluation for this competition”.

Can NEA please clarify if there is any required or recommended percentage to be devoted to local partners?

ANSWER: No set percentage is required. However, we recommend devoting the maximum possible resources to building the capacity of local partners.

3) As the NOFO does not mention working with parliaments, can NEA please clarify to what extent strengthening parliamentary oversight and involvement in the NAP process be seen as a helpful addition to supporting engagement with civil society?

ANSWER: Working with the maximum number of stakeholders, including parliament, is very helpful to ensuring wide buy-ins to OGP principles.

4) The NOFO mentions that the project would create “the first MENA long-term strategic partnership and governance network for policy dialogue and exchange of good practices.”

Is this supposed to be a regional network? What kind of stakeholders would such a network have?

ANSWER: Yes, this should be a regional network. Stakeholders can include civil society organizations (CSOs), business support organizations (BSOs), government officials, and others.

5) The next National Action Plan (2020-2022) is supposed to be submitted by June 30.

Would the winner of this award be engaged on assisting the governments with creating the 2020-2022 plan?

ANSWER: The recipient of this project is not expected to be engaged on assisting the governments with creating the 2020-2022 plan as the award is not anticipated to commence until September 2020.

6) Requesting clarity on how the budget should be submitted for Phase 2 and 3. Should it be a budget summary or a detailed budget?

ANSWER: A detailed budget for 24 months is required as well as a notional budget for the two subsequent phases. Each of the two subsequent phases should be their own detailed tab within the budget.

7) Could you please clarify whether you have a preference on how much total funding is proposed for each Phase 2 and Phase 3?

ANSWER: All future projects will be based on availability of funds and no preference is given to allocation of activities for the second and third phase.

Open Government Partnership Reforms NOFO Questions

Opportunity Number: SFOP0006524

8) What are the parameters for working with the Lebanese government under this program?

ANSWER: Applicants can propose working with various components of the Lebanese government, though vetting through the Department of State will be a requirement prior to being able to undertake such activities. It would be helpful for applicants to detail with which components of the Lebanese government they propose to engage in project activities.

9) Can you please confirm that proposals must focus only on Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria during Phase 1? Or are we allowed to propose activities for Jordan and Lebanon during

Phase 1?

ANSWER: The NOFO has been revised (please refer to v2 on grants.gov or SAMS

Domestic) and addresses revisions to the phases of the project activities. Given this revision, proposals must focus on Algeria, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, and Tunisia during phase 1.

10) We would like to seek clarification around funding disbursement in line with the phases

(Years 1-2, Years 3-4, Year 5) that have been indicated in Section C. Project Design.

ANSWER: All future funding (for phases two and three) will be based on availability of funds. NEA/AC anticipates an initial incremental ceiling of $1.5 million in funding for activities detailed under phase one.

11) Are local partners in all four countries eligible to receive funds from the beginning of the project even though some countries will not the main focus of certain phases as outlined by the Project Design in Section C?

ANSWER: The NOFO has been revised (please refer to v2 on grants.gov or SAMS

Domestic) and addresses revisions to the phases of the project activities. Given this revision, proposals can include local partners for all detailed countries during phase 1.