Business Partnerships Platform

Business Partnerships Platform

Application Guidelines

Table of Contents

Section 1: Background and Introduction

Section 2: Operational objectives

Section 3: Eligibility criteria

3.1Organisation eligibility

3.2Multiple partner proposals

3.3Proposal eligibility

3.4 Safeguards and cross-cutting issues

Section 4: Application process and indicative timeline

4.1Indicative timeline

4.2Applicant briefings

4.3Deadline for proposal submission

4.4Conformance check

4.5Shortlisting EoIs

4.6Stage 2 Application Process

4.7Past Performance Information

Section 5: Assessment

5.1Core Selection Criteria

5.2Additional Eligibility Criteria – Business Partnerships for Gender Equality

Section 6: Activity proposal format

Section 7: Contractual, reporting and acquittal requirements

Section 8: Contact Details

Section 1: Background and Introduction

1. DFAT is calling for Expressions of Interest (EoI) in the Business Partnerships Platform (BPP). The closing date for submissions is 18 December 2015. Subsequent EoI rounds are planned for May and December 2016.

1. The Foreign Minister’s Statement on Engaging the Private Sector in Aid and Development - Creating Shared Value through Partnership extends an invitation to the private sector to collaborate with DFAT to build commercially-sustainable solutions that tackle development challenges whilst delivering commercial returns.

1. The BPP aims to improve the effectiveness of the aid program by drawing on the wealth of knowledge, ideas, capabilities and resources that the private sector has to offer.

1. The goal of the BPP is to create scalable shared value partnerships that advance economic and social conditions in developing countries.

1. Partnering with DFAT brings a number of potential benefits for businesses, including:

• Strengthened networks
• Access to technical expertise
• Shared funding, risks and rewards
• Opportunity to make a social impact
• Better understanding of DFAT and its potential as an ongoing partner.

1. DFAT anticipates that partnering with business will produce the following benefits for Australia’s aid program:

• Increased overall volume of funding going to development
• Access to technical knowledge and expertise
• Shared funding, risks and rewards
• Better understanding of the private sector and its potential contribution to development.

1. Gender equality is essential to good development. Business engagement with women, as employees, suppliers or customers can drive stronger business outcomes. All BPP proposals are expected to be able to demonstrate their impact on positive gender outcomes.

1. In addition to the above gender outcomes, a specific stream of funding – The Business Partnerships for Gender Equality is being made available for proposals with an explicit focus on gender equality and women’s economic empowerment.

Section 2: Operational objectives

1. Three strategic outcomes will contribute to the BPP’s goal:

• Development (DFAT's country, regional and sectoral strategy objectives advanced)
• Partnership (more businesses supporting the achievement of the aid program’s objectives)
• Business (commercial interests and social impact advanced).

1. BPP is designed to facilitate relationship building and exploration of potential for future private sector contribution to development outcomes.

1. The BPP is based firmly on a partnership model and applications will ideally be made by businesses working with NGOs or community organisations. This does not exclude businesses or NGO’s undertaking commercial development from participating. Flexibility is at the core of the BPP and the application process is designed to accommodate EoIs using a variety of partnership models.

1. An establishment phase of the BPP will run from November 2015 to November 2017, with funding rounds planned for November 2015, June 2016 and December 2016. This phase will be used to test and refine the mechanism, with a decision on the future of the program to be made in early 2017.

Section 3: Eligibility criteria

3.1Organisation eligibility

1. EoIs are open toAustralian, global and foreign organisations of all sizes undertaking activities of a commercial nature.

1. Organisations submitting EoIs must not have any reason preventing them from operating in the country where they propose to undertake partnership activities.

1. EoIs must be made by established organisations that satisfy (or are able to satisfy) the requirements of DFAT’s Baseline Due Diligence Process including:

• Registered with a business or other recognised registration/accreditation body
• Established financial history
• Not listed on World Bank, ADB or Attorney general sanctions lists
• Other background criminal and reputational checks

1. Organisations should note that individuals with conflicting commitments and current and recent DFAT Employees should not be included in the EoI or as individuals who may be engaged by the applicant if selected through the assessment process described in this Guideline. DFAT may reject any EoI which does not disclose the fact that a proposed team member has an existing and continuing commitment to another project or activity.

1. EoIs compiled with the assistance of current DFAT employees or recent DFAT Employees will be excluded from consideration.

1. For the purposes of clauses 3-5, ‘recent DFAT Employee’ means a person who was previously employed by DFAT, whose employment ceased within the last 9 months and who was substantially involved in the design, preparation, appraisal, review and or daily management of the program to which this grant program relates.

3.2Multiple partner proposals

1. Multiple partner EoIs that include Non-Government/Civil Society Organisations, Foundations, and additional business partners are eligible.

1. EoIs involving multiple partners must detailall of the proposed partners that will be participating in their partnership as part of theirEoI.

1. Multiple partner EoIs that proceed to the second stage of the application process must provide a separate letter from each partner providing information about itself, noting the relationship between the Lead Organisation and partner organisation(s) and expressing the intent to collaborate.

1. The Lead Organisation in a consortium will be accountable for all funds. The Grant Agreement shall be signed with the Lead Organisation, and the Lead Organisation is responsible to DFAT for the performance of the consortium under the Grant Agreement to achieve the proposed objectives.

1. Should two or more eligible Organisations wish to enter a BPP EoI together, one partner must be nominated as a lead organisation. The lead partner will enter the Grant Agreement with DFAT and be responsible to DFAT for the performance of the consortium.

1. Organisations may be involved in several EoIs and business partnerships.

1. DFAT reserves the right to reassess any proposal if, following submission, the membership of a successful multiple partner proposal changes, including withdrawing partnership member(s).

3.3Proposal eligibility

1. In order to be accepted your proposal must:
   
2. Be submitted via the electronic “Smartygrants” application system on the BPP website:

1. Be completed in accordance with the Smartygrants application form including:

1. Identifying the DFAT investment priority that the partnership is targeting

1. Indicate whether the application wishes to be considered in the Business Partnerships for Gender Equality selection process in addition to the Core BPP selection process.

1. A description of the proposed partnership.

1. Detail how the applicant would implement the objectives of the Business Partnerships Platform:

1. describe how they would achieve positive development impact in line with DFAT's Priorities;

1. describe how the partnership will advance the business partners interests;

1. outline the contribution each partner will make to the partnership;

1. describe the future prospects for the partnership beyond the initial 12 month term;

1. describe how gender equality and women’s economic empowerment will be advanced;

1. document the potential risks to the success of the partnership;

1. show how they would ensure compliance with Australian requirements, including requirements for due diligence, transparency, accountability and child protection.

1. Proposals may cover the full range of business development activities including (but not limited to) feasibility studies, market research, due diligence, investment readiness, capital expenditure, training and development or consultancy fees.

1. Costs may include salaries and costs for staff in developing countries as well as office costs, equipment related to community activities, workshop costs and travel costs and allowances for staff and communities.

1. DFAT’s matched funding contribution will not exceed AUD500,000over the 12 month period of each partnership.

3.4Safeguards and cross-cutting issues

1. Proposals must include the applicant’s approach to:
2. ‘do no harm’ and protecting women and girls;
3. including people with disabilities,
4. child protection; and
5. minimising fiduciary risk.

1. All organisations (including all partners in a consortium) must comply with the relevant category in Attachment 1 of DFAT’s Child Protection Policy.

Section 4: Application process and indicative timeline

4.1Indicative timeline

1. The indicative timeline for this competitive grants process is summarised in the table below:

Event / Time / Date
Call for EoIs / November 2015
Proposal submission deadline / December 2015
DFAT conformance check / December 2015
Proponents advised of EoI outcome / January 2015
Detailed business plans for successful EoIs submitted / February 2016
Partnership implementation commences / April 2016

4.2Applicant briefings

1. DFAT will not hold applicant briefings, however applicants seeking further information on the application process may contact

4.3Deadline for proposal submission

1. The deadline for EoI submission is 5pm Australian Eastern Daylight Time on Friday 18 December 2015.

1. Assessment will be a two-stage process:
2. only submit the information required for the EoI;
3. a full proposal should not be submitted until applicants are invited to participate in stage two of the application process.

4.4Conformance check

1. EoIs received by the deadline will first be checked for conformance with the BPP investment prioritiesto ensure the organisation and proposed partnership activity meet the eligibility criteria required and detailed in Section 3. At DFAT’s sole discretion, those EoIs deemed nonconforming will be excluded, and those applicants will be advised by DFAT at this stage.

4.5Shortlisting EoIs

1. Conforming EoIs will bereviewed by the relevant DFAT Country Program which will rank them in order of merit and provide comments on each proposal. These rankings and comments will be passed to the BPP Selection Panel for consideration.

1. The panel will assess proposals against the Selection Criteria given in Section 5 and successful EoIs will proceed to Stage 2 of the application process.

1. The panel will provide the DFAT delegate with a report that:

1. summarises the panel’s assessment of each proposal against the Selection Criteria; and

1. recommendspreferred applicants and lists other suitable applicants in ranked order for the DFAT delegate’s consideration and approval.

1. The panel is conducted on a confidential basis, and panel members will not discuss matters relating to the assessment of any proposal with any external party. Applicants must not seek contact with any members of the panel, and any such contact will be considered a breach of confidentiality and may result in DFAT rejecting the proposal of the applicant concerned.

1. Unsuccessful applicants will be notified at this stage.

4.6Stage 2 Application Process

1. Successful EoIs may be invited to participate in the second stage of the BPP Application process subject to the outcome of DFAT’s Baseline Due Diligence and other background fiduciary and reputational checks.

1. EoIs proceeding to Stage 2 of the application process will be provided with the opportunity to meet with DFAT staff to receive feedback and assist development of full business planseither in person in Canberra, Australia, or by telephone, at DFAT’s discretion.

1. DFAT may request that named personnel in the applicant’s proposal participate in this discussion.

1. Applicants will then develop a detailed business plan for the partnership and submit this plan to DFAT for further evaluation against the selection criteria.

1. The BPP Selection Panel will assess business plans against the Selection Criteria given in Section 5 and successful business plans will be recommended to proceed to partnership negotiations.

1. The panel will provide the DFAT delegate with a report that:

1. summarises the panel’s assessment of each business plan against the Selection Criteria; and

1. recommendspreferred partnerships and lists other suitable applicants in ranked order for the DFAT delegate’s consideration and approval.

1. Business plans that do not succeed at this stage of the application process may be recommended for further refinement and considered during the next round of BPP applications.

4.7Past Performance Information

1. In making its assessment of a proposal, the panel may have regard to other factors relevant to the suitability, capacity and qualifications of an applicant organisation including but not limited to:

1. checking with nominated referees and with other persons or organisations as DFAT chooses, the accuracy of information and quality of previous work performed including the resourcing of previous work; and

1. information obtained from any legitimate, verifiable source, which is relevant to the capacity of the applicants. Such information may be the result of inquiries made by DFAT, and will be raised with the applicant at interview if needed.

1. Previous performance information may only be provided to panel members where it is considered relevant. Panel members may not introduce irrelevant issues or hearsay into the assessment or base their assessment on information that is hearsay and cannot be substantiated.

1. Panel members may adjust technical scores agreed during the shortlisting process as a consideration of past performance. This will be done at the panel’s sole discretion.

4.8Debriefing of applicants

1. Applicants are entitled to request a written debriefing on the results of the assessment of their proposals once a Grant Agreement/Funding Order has been signed with the successful applicants. This debriefing will provide information on scores achieved against individual criterion and comments from the panel.

1. DFAT will not enter into discussion or communications on the content of the debrief once it has been issued.

4.9Complaints

1. DFAT’s Complaints Handling Procedures Relating to Procurement will apply.

Section 5: Assessment

5.1Core Selection Criteria

1. Proposals will be assessed based on the following Selection Criteria:

CORE BPP SELECTION CRITERIA
No. / Selection Criteria / Leading questions
1 / Alignment with DFAT's investment priority sectors
Pass/Fail / Does the proposal have a strong alignment with one or more of the nominated sectoral priorities?
How well does the proposal make a positive contribution to one or more cross-cutting priorities, such as gender equality, women’s economic empowerment or disability?
How well does the proposal align with DFAT’s Aid Quality Framework?
2 / Scalability
Weighting 40% / Can the proposed partnership outcomes be increased in size or duplicated in other locations during or after the initial financial transaction passes?
Will the investment lead to additional private sector investment after the initial financial support ends?
Is the partnership commercially viable?
Does the proposal clearly articulate the changes or results expected? Are they realistic and feasible?
Will the chosen development approach achieve development results?
3 / Value for money
Weighting 15% / Does the proposal fully articulate the need for DFAT funding to catalyse business investment?
Will DFAT's investment leverage new or additional funding from the Business Partner?
Can the proponents demonstrate the need for BPP support through lack of availability of commercial funds, excessive risk premiums or other funding constraints?
Does the proposal articulate an appropriate solution to a business/development challenge?
Are costs well justified relative to the potential impact?
Are resourcing decisions well-informed and intentional and consider the relative costs and benefits?
4 / Proven track record of the implementing partner
Weighting 20% / Does the partner have a proven ability to undertake the activity, including country-specific understanding of the risks and challenges likely to arise?
Is the proposal based on sound technical analysis of the context and stakeholders and is evidence based?
Does the proponent or their partners have a track record of relevant partnerships / relationships in the proposed country/sector of implementation?
Has the applicant managed a similar activity with successful development results in a developing country context?
Does the partner have established risk management systems in place?
5 / Demonstrated commitment to responsible business
Weighting 10% / Has the proponent organisation madea commitment to contribute to sustainable economic, social and environmental outcomes?
Does the proponent have a strong track record of implementing responsible business practices?
Does the proponent report on their responsible business practices?
Does the proponent participate in any responsible business initiatives (e.g. Global Reporting Initiative, Shared Value Projects, B-Corporations, United Nations Global Compact etc)?
6 / Equality and Inclusiveness
Weighting 15% / Does the proposal demonstrate an understanding of gender equality and disability inclusiveness?
To what extent does the proposal respond to the gender/disability inclusiveness issues identified?
Does the proposal aim to measure gender or disability outcomes?

5.2Additional Eligibility Criteria – Business Partnerships for Gender Equality

ADDITIONAL ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA - BUSINESS PARTNERSHIPS FOR GENDER EQUALITY
No. / Selection Criteria / Leading questions
1 / Principle objective to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment.
Weighting 100% + Core BPP Score / Does the proposal understand gender specific-issues of the market/sector?
Does the proposal recognise the cultural context of gender issues in the proposed location?
Does the proposal articulate a specific and measurable improvement in the conditions of women/girls?
Is the product/service specifically designed or intended to benefit women/girls?
Does the proposal specifically address one or more of the following pillars of DFAT’s Gender Policy:

• Enhancing women’s voice in decision- making, leadership and peacebuilding;
• Promoting women’s economic empowerment;
• Ending violence against women and girls.

Section 6: Activity proposal format

Proposals must be submitted using the online BPP Application form via the Smartygrants Web Portal.Significant detail, within the prescribed word limit, should be included in the proposal.