Request for Applications at International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES)
International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES)
Mitigation of Violence in Elections (MOVE) Project
Request for Applications
Ref: RFA-15-034
Organizational Background
The International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) is an independent, non-governmental organization providing professional support to electoral democracy. IFES proposes the Mitigation of Violence in Elections (MOVE) project, which aims to decrease the potential for outbreaks of violence before, during and after the 2015 elections. IFES plans to support the process, specifically looking ahead to the 2015 General Elections across the country (February 2015), by supporting six local civil society organizations (CSOs; one in each geopolitical zone) with conflict mitigation and mediation experience to identify hotspots and conduct conflict mitigation and mediation activities ahead of the 2015 elections.
Invitation for Grant Competition
IFES invites CSOs, registered in Nigeria, to submit applications for the project description outlined in the previous section. The awards can vary in amount. IFES will consider proposals of up to NGN 9,490,000. Proposals exceeding this amount will not be considered.
Funds may be used only for the activities directly related to the Implementation of grant project, which will be funded under this grant competition.
IFES reserves the right to fund any or none of the applications submitted.
Project Description
The MOVE project will be guided with the following objectives:
- To strengthen the capacity of governmental and non-governmental organizations to engage in conflict resolution and prevention;
- To increase the participation and involvement of election stakeholders in the mitigation and prevention of electoral violence; and
- To increase public knowledge and awareness of the dangers of electoral violence before, during and after elections and the conflict mediation tools and resources available to them.
The selected CSO in each zone would have the following activities:
- Provide an assessment of the election violence landscape in the zone and identifying election violence hotspots;
- Work with local CSOs and election stakeholders in the zone to assess the potential for electoral violence and share electoral violence information.
- Identify and partner with relevant CSOs and community-based organizations at the LGA level, with a focus on associations and organizations working with youth, women or people with disabilities.
- Working with community-level partners, organize at least 12 peace building town hall meetings in areas at risk for electoral violence, bringing disputants together under the same roof to endorse peaceful participation in elections and discuss alternatives to violence in resolving conflicts. Town hall meetings should be organized both before and after the general elections, and should be organized based on the risk of electoral violence in communities and the need for interventions to prevent violence.
- Design voter education materials promoting mediation and peaceful participation.
- Support at least 5 peace education programs in partnership with INEC in the zone for election stakeholders towards public awareness on election violence/conflicts (jingles, local TV drama, public awareness rallies / campaigns).
- With input from IFES, ensure that some of the town hall meetings and peace education programs are specifically targeted towards youth, women or people with disabilities, by incorporating issues that are important to those groups and conducting special outreach. Ensure that all of the meetings and programs are accessible to all community members.
- Support the development of monthly reports at the Zonal level, which will feed into one final These reports are expected to be submitted to IFES within the timeframes stipulated in sub award.
- Publication and presentation of final report.
Project activities must start in late December 2014, and finish no later than May 30, 2015.
Eligibility
Eligible organizations must be registered, Nigerian, CSOs. Applicants must:
- Have a strong, established financial management and reporting system, and
- Not be affiliated with any political parties or engaged m any political activities.
- Possess a valid registration certificate.
IFES may request potential bidders to sign a statement of nationality, including the usual proof of nationality under Nigerian legislation.
Prior experience and demonstrated expertise in implementation of related projects, and prior history of successful implementation of project grants and sub awards is a plus.
Proposals submitted to IFES under this competition must be original and the sole work of the applicant organizations.
Decision-Making
To ensure an objective and non-discriminatory selection process, proposals will be reviewed by a committee of IFES staff.
Issuance of this RCA does not constitute an award commitment on the part of the IFES, nor does it commit IFES to pay for costs incurred in the preparation and submission of a proposal.
Evaluation Criteria
The following criteria will be used for evaluation of applications:
Project Goals, Objectives and Activities-25 points
- Does the project improve voter awareness and overall quality of elections by promoting issue-based debates?
- Does the proposal cover sufficient number of voters?
- Does the project target self-governing cities?
- Are the goal(s) and objective(s) achievable within the allocated time frame?
Results-25 points
- Are the expected results concrete and appropriate to the goals and objectives?
- Are the expected results meaningful, practical, reasonable and attainable?
Workplan-10 points
- Is the implementation plan feasible and detailed?
- Do all project activities lead to accomplishing the project goals?
- Is the timeline reasonable and comprehensive?
Monitoring and Evaluation-10 points
- Are there clear measurable criteria, inclusive of indicators and results?
- Are the indicators and results measurable and relevant?
Organizational Capacity-20points
- Does the applicant organization have proven experience in organizing public discussions, debates, forums or similar activities?
- Is there an evidence of previous success in related field?
- Has the applicant previously implemented similar awards successfully?
- Does the applicant organization demonstrate relevant experience of the project team?
Budget -10 points
- Does budget reflect realistic costs?
- Is the budget adequate to cover project activities?
- Is the budget cost-effective?
Application Submission Procedures
Applicants must submit;
- The prospective recipient for each zone should submit a proposal of not more than 10 pages detailing the organizational structure, capacity and experience in doing similar work, a work plan including details on implementation schedule as well as an organizational monitoring and evaluation plan. The proposal should also briefly outline what the organization sees as the main concerns in relation to election conflict, its mitigation and mediation in each zone being applied for in the country. In addition, the CSO must demonstrate a presence in the zone and knowledge of the socio-political and cultural environment of each location.
- A detailed itemized budget and explanatory budget notes, in Microsoft Excel format.
- Names, addresses and telephone numbers of two references from other organizations and/or donors that have worked with applicant organization, and approval to contact listed references.
- If applicable, applicant should submit additional information about other projects (project summary and budget) on similar topics, submitted or already funded by other donors.
- Any other supporting document that will strengthen the application and All the materials and documents submitted as part of this competition become the property of IFES and will not be returned to the applicant. IFES guarantees the confidentiality of applications.
Please note that selected organization will be subject to a pre-award audit to determine fiscal responsibility and ensure adequacy of financial controls and accounting systems.
Competition Schedule
| Item | Date |
| Competition Announcement: | December 15,2014 |
| Questions & Answers Due: | Decemberl7, 2014,17:00 local Nigeria time |
| Responses from IFES Due: | December 18, 2014 |
| Applications Due: | December 22, 2014,17:00 local Nigeria time |
Applications must be submitted via email on or prior to December 22, 2014 by 5.00 Nigeria time to IFES Nigeria at ifesnigeria@ifes.org and Josh Hayes at jmhayes@ifes.org. Applicants must confirm with IFES whether their e-mail submissions were successfully received by the required due date.
Please note that these dates are subject to change.
Contact Information: All correspondent including questions and answers, must be submitted via email to IFES Nigeria at ifesnigeria@ifes.org and josh Hayes at jmhayes@ifes.org
