The United Nations Population Fund, UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, UNFPA, invites qualified non-profit organizations or institutions to submit proposals for a partnership on implementing the adolescent sexual and reproductive health (ASRH) research under the UNFPA East and Southern African Regional Office (ESARO) youth workplan. This includes conducting research related to Menstrual Health, Mental Health, Climate Change, Economic empowerment, Child marriage and harmful practices.
The purpose of the Invitation for Proposals is to identify eligible non-governmental organizations or academic institutions for prospective partnership with UNFPA ESARO to support the achievement of results under Output 6 of the 2022 - 2025 Regional Action Plan and the Safeguard Young People (SYP) Programme. The SYP has been implemented since 2013, and is currently supporting 11 countries in the East and Southern African Region. The SYP programme is funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (Mozambique).
Deadline
Organizations that wish to participate in this Invitation for Proposals are requested to send their submissions through email clearly marked “Invitation for Proposals – ESARO Youth Research” at the following address By 10 May, 2024 at 5PM SAST:
Regional Office for East and Southern Africa
UNFPA – United Nations Population Fund
9 Simba Road, Sunninghill, Johannesburg, 2157, South Africa
Email address: partner-selection-esaro@unfpa.org
Proposals received after the date and time may not be accepted for consideration.
Applications must be submitted in English.
Any requests for additional information must be addressed in writing by 3 May 2024 at the latest to the email address: partner-selection-esaro@unfpa.org. UNFPA will post responses to queries or clarification requests by any NGO/institution applicants who submitted, on the UNFPA ESARO website before the deadline for submission of applications.
UNFPA shall notify applying organizations or academic institutions whether they are considered for further action.
Application requirements
The expression of interest shall include the following documentation:
- Copy of provisions of legal status of the NGO/institution in ESAR [Required to be eligible for review]
- Copy of provisions of legal status of the NGO/institution in Country of incorporation for INGOs
- Attachment I – NGO/institution Profile and Programme Proposal
- Latest annual report and audit report as separate documents or hyperlink to the documents
Schedule
- Invitation for Proposal issue date 24 April 2024
- Deadline for submissions of proposals 10 May 2024
- Deadline for requests of additional information/ clarifications 3 May 2024
- Review of NGO/institution submissions 24 May 2024
- Notification of results communicated to NGO 31 May 2024
Process and Timelines
Applications will be assessed by a review panel to identify the organization/institution that have the required knowledge, skills, and capacity to support achievement of results using criteria outlined in section 3.2 below.
It should be noted, however, that participation in this Invitation for Proposals does not guarantee the organization will be selected for partnership with UNFPA. The selected NGO/academic institution will be invited to enter into an implementing partner agreement and applicable UNFPA programme policy and procedures will apply.
Selection criteria
The eligible organization/institution will be selected in a transparent and competitive manner, based on their capacity to ensure the highest quality of service, including the ability to apply innovative strategies to meet programme priorities in the most efficient and cost-effective manner.
UNFPA ESARO office will review the evidence provided by the NGO/institution submission and evaluate applications based on the following criteria:
NB: Any proposal not submitted in a specified working language will be excluded from consideration.
- The organization/institution has a clearly defined mission and goals that reflect the organization’s structure and context, as well as alignment to UNFPA priority areas.
- Organization/institution does not have a history of fraud, complaints or service delivery issues.
- Organization/institution has sufficient staff resources and technical expertise to implement the activities that will be agreed upon.
- Organization/institution does not have conflicts of interest with UNFPA or its personnel that cannot be effectively mitigated.
- The organization/institution’s mission and/or strategic plan focuses on at least one of the UNFPA’s programme areas.
- The organization/institution has research experience in the region or field and enjoys prominence in areas related to UNFPA’s mandate.
- The organization/institution has a proven track record in implementing similar activities and is seen as credible by its stakeholders and partners.
- The organization/institution has relevant links and structures to reach or ensure the target audience is reached; especially vulnerable populations and hard-to-reach areas.
- The organisation / institution has staff/researchers with additional language skills, especially French and Portuguese
- The organization/institution has systems and tools in place to systematically monitor and ensure quality research is conducted.
- The organization/institution has established partnerships with the regional economic commissions, governments and other relevant national, regional, international and private sector entities.
- The organization/institution has established policies or practices to reduce the environmental impact of its activities. If no policies exist, the organization/institution must not have a history of its activities causing negative impact to the environment.
UNFPA will inform all applicants of the outcome of their submissions in writing to the email/ postal address indicated in the NGO submission.