Q&A OFOP0002934 7-14-2026.pdf

SBU - DELIBERATIVE PROCESS

Questions and Answers for

“Combating Forced Child Recruitment by FTOs and TCOs”

OFOP0002934

Date: July 14, 2026

Question 1:

The eligibility criteria indicate that the grant is open to NGOs. Could you please confirm whether an international organization would be eligible to apply?

INL Response:

A Public International Organization (PIO) cannot apply independently to this NOFO. The PIO cannot submit or co-submit the proposal — the eligible applicant type who will submit the proposal must be the sole lead applicant. The PIO cannot be listed as an applicant in any capacity — only as a sub-recipient partner.

Question 2:

If an IO is not eligible to apply independently, would it be possible for the organization to participate as a partner with an NGO or as a subcontractor responsible for implementing specific project activities?

A Public International Organization (PIO) cannot apply independently to this NOFO. The PIO cannot submit or co-submit the proposal — the eligible applicant type who will submit the proposal must be the sole lead applicant. The PIO cannot be listed as an applicant in any capacity — only as a sub-recipient partner.

Question 3:

More generally, is there a mechanism through which an IO can submit project proposals or apply for INL funding opportunities?

For questions about INL engagement mechanisms for Public International Organizations (PIOs), organizations may contact INL Washington directly.

Question 4:

If a U.S.-based institution serves as the lead applicant, would Colombian staff employed by

Colombian subrecipient partner organizations be considered sufficient to meet the NOFO’s staffing requirement that “staff should be based in Colombia”?

INL expects that individuals responsible for providing overall oversight and management of the project, for example the project/country director, be based in Colombia.

Question 5:

With respect to the NOFO’s requirement for locally based staff in targeted regional centers, could you clarify the expected form of engagement for personnel working in priority territories? Specifically, is it sufficient for such personnel to be staff of Colombian subrecipient organizations with demonstrated presence and operational connections in those territories, or does the NOFO intend that subrecipient organizations themselves must maintain dedicated staff physically based in those priority locations?

Individuals responsible for providing overall oversight and management of the project should be based in Colombia. Applicants should propose a management structure in Colombia that sufficiently covers the targeted geographies. As stated in the NOFO, “The project should have local staff located in target regional centers (e.g., Cali, Popayan, etc.).”

Question 6:

Police are an integral part of investigations related to forced child recruitment, particularly in priority territories. In this context, should applicants plan to formally include the

Colombian National Police (CNP) in the proposal, in addition to the AGO, or is it sufficient to reflect some anticipated coordination and engagement with the CNP?

As stated in the NOFO, “The recipient will train, advise, and assist the Colombian National

Police (CNP) and Attorney General’s Office (AGO) to investigate and prosecute those that forcibly recruit and utilize children.” Furthermore, as noted under Participants and Audiences,”

“Primary Audiences,” the primary audiences for this project include “Colombian National

Police: The project should include members of the CNP’s Criminal Investigation and Interpol

Directorate (DIJIN), Protection Directorate (DIPRO) working on crimes related to children and adolescents, and others, as applicable.” Given that the CNP is identified as a primary audience and a core recipient of project activities, applicants should reflect a substantive role for the CNP in their technical approach.

Question 7:

What proportion of resources and programmatic emphasis does INL expect the implementer to direct toward Objective 1 versus Objective 2?

Applicants should determine the allocation of resources and level of effort across the project objectives necessary to achieve the overall goal and anticipated results described in the NOFO.

Applicants should propose a budget and technical approach that appropriately supports their proposed distribution of effort.

Question 8:

Does the Times New Roman, 12-point font requirement extend to text boxes, tables, and graphic elements, or may the applicant use 10-point font for these items?

Text boxes, tables, and graphic elements may be in Times New Roman, 12-point font.

Question 9:

Could INL clarify how it will assess the eligibility requirement of “successful experience implementing criminal justice projects outside the U.S.” in consortium applications? Must the lead applicant independently meet this requirement, or may it be satisfied collectively through the demonstrated experience of subrecipients or implementing partners?

INL will evaluate the applications using the Technical Evaluation Criteria established in Section

E.1, including, “Institution’s Record and Capacity Rating – Total Possible Points: 15 – The applicant demonstrates expertise and previous experience administering successful programs in the proposed country and program area. If partners are identified, the applicant should briefly describe the partners’ roles and experience. Professional capacity of staff and institutional resources are adequate and appropriate to achieve the project’s objectives.” The eligibility requirements in Section C apply to the lead applicant. Partners’ experience may be considered as part of the technical evaluation under the Institution's Record and Capacity criterion but does not substitute for the lead applicant’s eligibility.

Question 10:

Could INL clarify what types of prior work would be considered sufficiently relevant to qualify as “criminal justice projects” for purposes of eligibility and technical review (for example, prosecution support, investigative capacity-building, justice sector reform, victim-related case support, applied criminal justice research, or monitoring and evaluation of justice programs)?

Applicants should demonstrate how their previous experience is relevant to the goal, objectives, project activities and anticipated results described in the NOFO. Applicants will be evaluated based on the information provided in the application and the evaluation criteria specified in the

NOFO.

Question 11:

If a lead applicant has strong implementation experience in Colombia but more limited direct criminal justice experience, would INL consider that acceptable where a specialized partner provides the criminal justice technical lead?

INL cannot make an advance determination regarding sufficiently of an applicant’s or proposed partner’s experience. Applicants should describe the relevant experience, capabilities, and roles of the applicant organization and any proposed partners. Applications will be evaluated in accordance with the eligibility requirements and technical evaluation criteria set forth in the

NOFO.

Question 12:

The NOFO emphasizes “immediate and operational outcomes.” Could INL clarify whether applicants are expected to propose specific quantified targets for arrests, prosecutions, convictions, or investigations, or whether these should be understood as illustrative outcome areas that may depend in part on Government of Colombia decision-making and operational cooperation?

Applicants are expected to propose performance indicators and targets in their Change Map and

Performance Indicator Reference Sheet that are ambitious, realistic, and clearly linked to project activities and the NOFO's anticipated results. INL recognizes that outcomes such as arrests, prosecutions, and convictions depend in part on Government of Colombia decision-making and operational cooperation. Applicants should propose indicators and targets that reflect what the project can reasonably influence and should clearly explain the assumptions underlying proposed targets. As noted in the NOFO, the Change Map and PIRS may be notional at the application stage. A final version will be required as an early deliverable after award

Question 13:

Could INL clarify whether the award is expected to include direct case-level technical accompaniment to AGO and/or CNP, or whether broader institutional strengthening, training, coordination, analytical support, and evidence-generation would be considered responsive if clearly linked to prosecutorial outcomes?

As stated in the NOFO, “Project activities: Activities should focus on specialized training/advising and assisting, enhanced intelligence sharing, technological tools to improve online evidence collection and law enforcement coordination to identify patterns and improve prosecutions.” Applicants should clearly articulate how proposed activities connect to the project’s goal of improving investigations and prosecutions, consistent with the NOFO’s emphasis on immediate and operational outcomes.

Question 14:

Does INL expect applicants to propose a fixed package of activities at the application stage, or would INL welcome a phased implementation approach in which diagnostics, territorial prioritization, and activity sequencing are further refined during an inception period after award?

Applicants should propose a technical approach that is sufficiently detailed to demonstrate feasibility and alignment with the NOFO's goal, objectives, and anticipated results within the 24-month period of performance. Applicants are reminded that, as stated in the NOFO, “activities and efforts must effect immediate and operational outcomes.” Applicants are encouraged to review the NOFO's project description, anticipated results, and cooperative agreement provisions carefully when designing their implementation approach.

Question 15:

Could INL clarify whether applicants are expected to present evidence of prior coordination or preliminary buy-in from AGO, CNP, or other relevant Colombian institutions at the application stage, or whether such institutional alignment may be formalized after award?

As stated in the NOFO, “Project Proposal” section, letters of support are optional, “If desired, applicants may submit letters of support from project partners, host government entities, or other relevant stakeholders.”

Question 16:

If access to case-level or institution-level data from AGO, CNP, or other government counterparts is limited, delayed, or inconsistent across regions, how does INL expect recipients to validate and report performance indicators related to investigations, prosecutions, convictions, or disengagement outcomes?

Under “Reporting Requirements,” the NOFO states, “The successful applicant will be expected to gather and provide INL with key statistics from Government of Colombia agencies, including data on arrests, prosecutions, and convictions from the Attorney General’s Office and the

Colombian National Police.” Indicators should be based on official information verified by the

Colombian agency recognized as providing the most validated, accurate, and comprehensive data, as determined by the applicant. Applicants are responsible for reporting requirements and should propose strategies for gathering data to report for these and other key illustrative activity indicators, including mandatory INL Standard Indicators. As noted in the NOFO, Performance

Monitoring Plan, “The Change Map will eventually include INL Standard Indicators, as determined by grantee responses to the Standard Indicator Form.” If the applicant's responses to the Standard Indicator Form do not result in the collection of at least one INL Standard Indicator, the applicant must propose similarly robust outcome indicators. When selecting indicators, applicants should clearly justify why each proposed indicator is the most appropriate, feasible, and meaningful measure of program results. The justification should address relevance and comparability with the standard indicator.

Question 17:

With respect to indicators such as the number of minors disengaged from criminal organizations, does INL expect the recipient to generate and verify those figures directly, or should such figures be reported only when officially confirmed by Colombian government entities or formally validated partners?

As stated in the NOFO, “The successful applicant will be expected to gather and provide INL with key statistics from Government of Colombia agencies, including data on arrests, prosecutions, and convictions from the Attorney General’s Office and the Colombian National

Police.” This indicator should be based on official information verified by the Colombian agency recognized as providing the most validated, accurate, and comprehensive data, as determined by the applicant. Indicators should focus on the judicialization objectives of the project and reflect official Colombian government information. The applicant should work with the GOC to report relevant indicators (context and outcome) on a quarterly basis in DevResults, INL’s project monitoring tool. For indicators, applicants should propose a data collection and verification methodology in their Performance Indicator Reference Sheet, clearly identifying the source of data, the verification process, and the Colombian government entity or formally recognized partner responsible for validating such figures.

Question 18:

Could INL clarify whether recipients are expected to enter into formal data-sharing arrangements with Colombian institutions, and whether INL has any preferred standards, templates, or minimum provisions for such agreements?

Implementing partners are expected to develop and manage their own data-sharing strategy with

Colombian government agencies and other relevant counterparts to collect the data that reflect the project’s results and compliance with the Change Map.

Question 19:

The NOFO states that research and evaluation components are recommended where feasible. Could INL clarify whether the baseline, midterm evaluation, learning assessment, and final evaluation may be implemented directly by the recipient through an internal monitoring, evaluation, and learning function that is methodologically distinct from day-to-day program delivery, or whether INL expects any of these functions to be conducted by an independent external evaluator?

Applicants must include an evaluation plan that proposes the most appropriate evaluation approach for the intervention. At a minimum, the evaluation plan must address the components

INL requires in all evaluation Statements of Work, including evaluation purpose; evaluation scope; intervention background; evaluation questions; available information and sources;

preliminary evaluation design and data collection methods; evaluator qualifications and team composition; evaluation quality standards; deliverables; timeline; and budget. INL will work with the selected applicant to finalize the evaluation SOW prior to implementation.

Question 20:

Appendix B refers to Do No Harm and PSEA. Could INL clarify whether applicants are expected to have standalone Do No Harm, PSEA, and child safeguarding policies in place at the time of application, or whether a credible plan to develop, adapt, or formalize such policies early in implementation would be acceptable?

Question 21:

Could INL clarify whether applicants are expected to budget for dedicated security risk management measures for staff, consultants, and local partners operating in high-risk areas, and whether INL has any restrictions or preferred approaches regarding such costs?

Applicants should propose a budget aligned with their technical approach. Proposed costs should be realistic, appropriate, and clearly linked to project objectives. Applicants should use the budget narrative to describe cost items included in the Budget.

Question 22:

Given that this will be a cooperative agreement, could INL clarify the anticipated level and frequency of approval required for implementation changes, event planning, travel, procurement of technical tools, hiring of key personnel, and adjustments to prioritized geographies or workplans?

Per the NOFO, Section B. Federal Award Information, 2. Assistance Type, “For cooperative agreements, INL may be substantially involved in the following ways:

• Approval of the recipient’s annual work plans, including planned activities for the following year, travel plans, planned expenditures, event planning, and changes to any activity to be carried out under the Cooperative Agreement;

• Approval of Monitoring and Evaluation Plan; and

• Approval of the recipient’s selection of prioritized municipalities and departments.

• Participating in committees central to the project, including with Government of

Colombia agencies.

• Other country- or project-specific approvals will be included in the award documents.”