Opportunity Number SFOP0007747 Questions and Answers.pdf

SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED

Opportunity Number SFOP0007747 Questions and Answers

1. The NOFO in grants.gov does not have the appendices attached. Where are these documents located?

a. The full opportunity is in SAMS Domestic. There are currently no Opportunity

Packages available for submission through Grants.gov. Refer to Synopsis tab and Related Documents tab for additional information about this Opportunity. In the announcement, please go to the link in the additional information section.

2. On page 2 of the NOFO, under “Funding Opportunity Synopsis”, there is a specific reference to support of “civil society and local governance”. This is the only place in the NOFO that this language appears. It is our understanding this opportunity is focused on economic development, labor force skill development, and English language training.

Can NEA/AC please clarify if there is any formal expectation of civil society or local governance integration in this project?

a. The intent of this opportunity is to invest in the people who live in the region, which supports civil society elements and stronger ties with the local governments. There is no specific expectation of the integration of either civil society or local governance activities in the project; however, inclusion of local civil society organizations and/or local government elements in the project is acceptable.

3. Section II (p. 8) says, “All projects funded as a result of th is NOFO will be required to complete a final evaluation of the project at the end of the period of performance with support from the NEA/AC M&E team.” Please confirm that the expectation is for the implementer to conduct the evaluation with support from NEA/AC M&E, and that an external evaluation does not need to be budgeted.

a. The final evaluation must be completed by the recipient. A third-party evaluation is not required; however, costs pertaining to a third-party evaluation will be considered an allowable and allocable cost. NEA/AC M&E Team will provide monitoring and evaluation support to successful applicants throughout the award life cycle.

4. Does NEA have a preferred format for the risk mitigation plan specified on page 14 (e.g., table or narrative)?

a. The risk mitigation plan should primarily be in narrative form. Applicants are encouraged to include risk mitigation matrices that identify risks, likelihood of risks, and control measures.

SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED

5. Could you kindly clarify if, and what, nationality rules apply to be eligible for the above call? In particular, can you clarify whether Public International Organizations based outside the Western Sahara region are eligible?

a. Public International Organizations (PIO) and other non-Federal entities based outside the region are eligible to apply. It should be noted that experience in the region as well as the percentage of total budget actually spent in the region through local partners are considered in the evaluation criteria as stated in section VIII A- APPLICATION EVALUATION CRITERIA of the NOFO.