Kenya CT Justince Sector NOFO - Q&A Guide - Updated May 8.docx

08 May 2017 Questions and Answers on Opportunity Number: CTP-CTAQM-17-005 Kenya Counterterrorism Criminal Justice Sector Support

1. Can CT confirm the NOFO closing date?

RESPONSE: The NOFO closes Monday, May 22, 2017.

2. Can an organization bid more than once on this NOFO either as lead/lead, lead/sub, or sub-sub?

RESPONSE: Eligible organizations may submit proposals for as many objectives/projects as they wish in any capacity.

3. Is a completed Financial Management Survey required to submit a proposal? Where can this form be located?

RESPONSE: CT does not require applicants to submit a Financial Management Survey with their proposal package, but strongly encourages it. Financial Management Surveys will be required in the granting process for the selected applicant. A survey template can be found attached above.

4. Are proposals from partnerships or consortia between more than one institution acceptable?

RESPONSE: CT will accept proposals from partnerships. Should a partnership proposal be chosen, one organization of the consortia will need to act as prime. That organization will have to meet all eligibility criteria to receive federal funding.

5. If applications by partnerships and consortia are admissible, do all the partners have to meet the eligibility criteria? Is an application where the lead partner meets the eligibility criteria however one of the partners is a for-profit institution with the necessary experience for the proposal admissible?

RESPONSE: Eligibility requirements depend on the involvement of the partner organization on the project and whether the organization will be receiving federal funds thru the prime grantee or directly from CT. If the organization will participate as either a sub-awardee or contractor of the prime, eligibility criteria of the prime trickles down to the sub awardee.

6. The eligibility requirements specify three categories of eligible applicants however, are applications from a Kenyan parastatal or Kenya government inter-agency body mandated by law to address issues on counter terrorism admissible?

RESPONSE: Technically, parastatal organization are not excluded per the NOFO, however CT will judge the appropriateness of their participation on a case by case basis.

7. In relation to Project 1, has CT been able to assess the level of buy-in and interest from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) to enhance its capacity related to terrorism cases?

RESPONSE: CT works closely with the ODPP and has their full support and buy-in for this project. The idea for this institute was in fact generated by ODPP leadership. We expect the grant recipient to work closely with the ODPP to ensure the project aligns with their needs and capacities.

8. Because of sensitivities in Kenya regarding anti-terrorism-related efforts, will CT provide a degree of leeway to implementing partners regarding how they manage those sensitivities, including, for example, how the projects are presented and named?

RESPONSE: CT understands the sensitivities surrounding this issue area and supports grantees publically reframing projects to ensure the safety and success of their work. Grant recipients may mark their proposal as sensitive which will release them from any obligation to use DOS branding or promote the project as U.S.-funded.

9. Would CT be interested in receiving and reviewing a comprehensive theory of change that encompasses all these project objectives, and if so, would it be admissible for us to submit a consolidated budget and project narrative that takes into account the elements and funding levels described under each project in the solicitation? Would CT be interested in receiving and reviewing an overall theory of change articulating the linkages between projects, while still requiring separate narratives and budgets for each project described in the solicitation?

RESPONSE: Indeed these projects are all inter-related and share a common approach to CT criminal justice. However, we are required to judge each submission as separate and independent, and it is difficult for panelists to analyze budgets when consolidated. Please submit separate narratives and budgets for each project. We would welcome your ideas on linkages or a shared theory of change as relevant within your proposals.

10. Is there a preference for a proposal that covers all six projects?

RESPONSE: CT does not have a preference for the number of objectives for which organization applies.

11. According to the project guidelines, all six projects will need to take place entirely in Kenya. What does it entail exactly for a project to be entirely carried out in Kenya?

RESPONSE: All project activities must take place in Kenya. International exchanges may be considered as relevant to the specific project objectives. CT understands that organizations are often headquartered overseas and that project ramp up and other support functions may take place externally.

12. What is the difference in a research proposal between Plan for Measuring Program Effectiveness and the requested one page on Monitoring and Evaluation Approach? In case, would you have preferred formats for the Plan (in the NOFO there is reference to “The following tables” but no table is visible)? Also in selecting research proposals you will weight each of them separately, thus giving monitoring and evaluation the double of the weight than the narrative?

RESPONSE: Though there is some redundancy, the Plan for Measuring Program Effectiveness is intended to capture efforts during the program design phase to identify performance measures that will help determine progress or lack thereof, describe mechanisms for making program adjustments based on the data analysis, and to ensure there are adequate resources allocated for these purposes. The Monitoring and Evaluation Approach is submitter’s’ opportunity to describe their overall approach to M&E, what types of monitoring activities will be conducted (surveys, site visits, etc.) and what kind of evaluation(s) you plan to conduct (mid-course, summative, etc.), if any.

13. Concerning the specific guidelines for Project 6, may we understand that while gathering the available amount of quantitative data, the research you expect will have to look into qualitative aspects of the personal itineraries of subjects at risk?

RESPONSE: Indeed we are looking for both quantitative and qualitative aspects for the research project to get a holistic picture of justice related drivers of violent extremism.

14. What shall we consider baselines in drafting the outcomes and impact of the criminal justice and VE research project that only impacts knowledge and not on the field-situation?

RESPONSE: A baseline is not required for the research project in the NOFO. References to baseline assessments are related to other programming activities.

15. Can you distribute the tables quoted on page 10 of the NOFO (“The following tables show proposed outcome and output indicators as well as illustrative targets”)?

RESPONSE: The tables indicated on Page 10 are not applicable to this solicitation and the Grants Officer has removed wording about tables from the NOFO to mitigate any further confusion.

16. The NOFO reads “Cost sharing is considered beneficial.” Could you give us an idea of which percentage of the total budget is considered relevant to get a positive opinion on the cost-sharing?

RESPONSE: CT does not require cost sharing of any of its grantees and does not have a threshold percentage for cost sharing of the total budget in its assessment of a proposal.