Some 40 representatives of organizations interested in Round III application participated in a "live" FAQs session in Yangon on 04 August 2009. Below the individual questions the Fund Manager received by e-mail before the meeting along with the Fund's answers provided to participants during this meeting. These additional questions from interested parties are supplementing the Fund's Frequently Asked Questions provided in the set of solicitation documents. See also below the links to the existing township list, where projects funded in Round I and II currently operate, and the short project descriptions for Round I (Project-at-a-Glance).

Questions by Interested Parties
04 August 2009, Yangon

1. Evidence of authorisation to work in Myanmar: would the expired MOU and copy of last version of MOU-in-process qualify as “evidence of authorisation to work in Myanmar?
A: Yes, that will suffice.

2. What kind of documentation do you expect for joint proposals? Will legal documents of lead agencies be enough?
A: Legal documents of lead agencies are mandatory.

3. Does the prerequisite of two years of experience refer exclusively to 3DF work?
A: No, two years of experience in any of the three diseases will suffice. No need to have the past experience specifically in the proposed geographical area.

4. Could you detail what “key staff” means and how many CVs should be submitted (all medical staffs—more than 30 persons in our cases—only senior management positions?). Is there a CV template?
A: There is no CV template, agencies are free to submit their own format. The Fund is not expecting CVs for all staff, but only for the key personnel, i.e people with technical and/or management expertise to implement the proposed activities, in order to verify that the suggested structure is appropriate to the presented architecture of the proposal and its goals.

5. Is there a template for the “signed capability statement”: do applicants have to certify that they are currently implementing x projects with y budget or that they are able to implement the proposal submitted?
A: There is no template. The capability statement is a modality to demonstrate the agency’s competences and past experiences. Submission of proof of past and present capacities is a must and any format would do, as long as the applicant sufficiently demonstrates its capacities, preferably with donor references.

6. Would it be possible for individuals to submit an application or does the Fund accept applications only from specific group of people such as the Red Cross, Christian communities, NGOs etc?
A: No, applications from individuals do not meet the Fund’s eligibility criteria.

7. Since most of the implementing partners in health sector are covering HIV, it is very likely that the majority of the proposals are for HIV and AIDS programme. Will 3DF be flexible and allocate more than one third of the funds for HIV?
A: The final decision rests with the Fund Board.

8. Where can we get more information on current 3DF funded projects? Who is doing what and where?
A: The information is available and the Fund posts these documents on the 3DF website. Please check out also the “Project at Glance” documents on our website. These offer brief information on each project that we have funded to date.

9. Methadone maintenance substitution therapy is not included in the ‘harm reduction’ package – is it eligible?
A: No, the provision of Methadone therapy is not the 3DF priority for this Round. Referrals are acceptable.

10. For harm reduction, one of the main barriers to scale up services is police attitudes and lack of understanding of harm reduction strategies by local authorities. Would activities and costs related to advocacy at local level (national staff, workshops and printing of IEC materials) be eligible?
A: Yes, very much so.

11. Is cash provision for nutritional support acceptable?
A: It is up to the technical panel to consider the context and decide whether the proposed activity meets the set criteria.

12. Can the organization propose capacity building of its own staff if this directly benefits the project?
A: Yes, it is possible. Please refer also to Annex VI of the solicitation documents. See also FAQs, question 27.

13. Can BCC and VCCT services for general population be included in HIV proposal?
A: TOR specifically requires that prevention services must focus on high risk groups. Treatment services (provision of OI, ART) are accessible to all PLHIVs and not only high risk groups.

14. Does the organization need to submit a procurement plan only for those items that 3DF will have procure on their behalf or for the entire project including core equipment for admin purposes?
A: The procurement plan needs to cover required equipment and supplies for the entire programme side and additionally core equipment for its own office, for example computers, copiers, etc. No need to include consumables for administration purposes.

15. Any limitation to the frequency of procurement actions? Especially related to shelf-life of products?
A: There is no limitation to the number of purchase orders; it is important to initiate the procurement of required equipment and supplies early enough to have the items available when needed throughout the project cycle. Many commodities have fairly long lead times, especially when purchased in small quantities from the international market.

16. Is support like provision of grants for Income Generation Activities (IGAs) considered eligible?
A: Treatment, care and support is acceptable e.g. nutritional support or referral cost but IGA support is not eligible. Only actions listed in the TOR are eligible.

17. Will training of caregivers for home-based care be considered as an acceptable activity?
A: Yes, provided that it is directly linked to the proposed project.

18. Do migrant workers meet the criteria of acceptable target group?
A: Please refer to the TOR, only listed target groups are eligible.

19. The “description of action” format (section i) refers to expected results, but the Logframe shows only “purpose” and “outputs”; do “expected results” mean broadly targets for activities and outputs?
A: Yes. The Logframe must have clear baselines and targets for each and every indicator, broken down by year.

20. What is the desired level of details for outputs? Is it acceptable to lump MSM and SW prevention outputs or shall outputs be absolutely detailed per target population?
A: Outputs shall be divided per target group.

21. Do the three disease areas and prevention and treatment activities need to be split into different proposals or can they be in one? For example, if we are applying for all three disease areas, do we submit them as one budget, Logframe, and work plan, or in three separate ones. Furthermore, if we are proposing to do both treatment and prevention (for Malaria for example), do we put both treatment and prevention in one budget, Logframe and work plan, or do we split treatment and prevention into two.
A: Integrated proposals are preferred. No need to submit separate Logframes. Disease specific outputs and corresponding activities need to be developed appropriately in one Logframe, and supported by separate budget sub-sheets. M&E output can be combined for integrated approach.

22. What does the term “architecture” mean?
A: It refers to approaches used, modalities, strategies, in other words, the entire structure/construction of the project.

23. Is there a need to describe exit strategy, i.e. how the particular organization plans to continue services after 3DF funding?
A: If applicable, a project exit strategy should be described in the document.

24. There is an “imposed” M&E output. Can a “coordination and management” output be set up to show project management costs, or shall applicants spread these costs across other outputs using an allocation key?
A: M&E output is mandatory. All M&E related activities should be budgeted there. Project management costs must be shared across all outputs accordingly.

25. What kind of indicators are expected under M&E output?
A: It depends on M&E activities; both qualitative and quantitative indicators are needed.

26. Does the 3DF have specific M&E indicators for M&E output?
A: The 3DF sets no limit to specific indicators. It should be combination of both quantitative and qualitative. e.g number of monitoring visits covered during reporting period, MSC stories, and indicators reflecting the results of a qualitative survey if proposed by the organization. The 3DF will not prescribe all M&E indicators, and the organization must follow the M&E plan of its project.

27. Under the M&E output, can monitoring visits by Yangon-based coordination staffs be specified as well?
A: Yes.

28. Are HQs (based outside the country) technical advisors visits be eligible under “monitoring”?
A: Yes, they are if they come for monitoring of project or evaluation. If they come for other purposes, e.g training, it is not eligible to put this budget under M&E output.

29. Can the agency include the salary of a medical coordinator (who does monitoring and evaluation for at least 30 percent of his/her time)?
A: Yes, up to the portion used for monitoring of 3DF funded activities.

30. We heard that there is a maximum ceiling of 35 per cent for the HR budget. Will the 3DF be flexible and accept higher HR budget?
A: No mandatory ceiling has been set for the HR costs. However, please refer to the solicitation documentation, Annex VI. See also FAQs, question 29.

31. Are there any guidelines on HR expenses calculated from the grant, as there was for Round I?
A: Yes. As Round III is mostly about scaling up direct service delivery and not focused on capacity building, the rule of thumb is to limit personnel costs to 35% of the total budget. Well argued deviations will be considered.

32. Can monitoring of procurement be included, and would a pharmacist salary be eligible?
A: Yes, a pharmacist salary can be included to the proportion of which he/she conducts M&E activities for the funded project. Supply chain management is an essential part of the operation requiring close monitoring.

33. Some prevention activities mostly rely on “medical” means (staff, drugs). For clarity of budget, is it possible to lump those activities with care and treatment outputs—but with a specific indicator related to the activity—or is it compulsory to specify them under “prevention outputs”?

For instance, if activities are:

- STI consultations and treatment
- Hepatitis diagnosis, vaccinations, health education to patients about hepatitis
- Laboratory (split under prevention for STI, VCCT and care for OI, TB, can the entire cost of the lab be specified under medical output?)

If separate, how should it be presented in the budget? With a percentage of total costs for one output since the agency can’t dedicate a specific machine or staff to one specific output? If so, how to fill this in the template (unit/unit cost) and how to report on this?
A: All inputs are shared between different outputs. When budgeted, planning is essential and inputs need to be divided proportionately between different outputs, similar to HR costs shared between outputs. It will reflect lump sum budget under health services/clinic operation cost budget line in summary sheet.

34. For care indicators (persons receiving OI treatment for instance), what does “cumulative at the end of the reporting period” means? If a patient is treated twice in a year for two different OI, is he/she counted 1 or 2 times? Is it necessary to provide both figures, individuals treated/year and/or number of OI/patients treated?
A: Individuals need to be counted, and not the number of visits. If a patient received care five times, that is still one person only. Cumulative means how many people received OI treatment by the end of the reporting period, as per the closing date.

35. About the number of persons reached by at least one prevention activity during one year, we are not able to record individuals outreached and do not wish to develop the means to do so, as it would involve recording target populations (MSM, IDU), who are best accessed when being unregistered. We know that other INGOs do not have the means to record individuals outreached in prevention activities, and rely on various proxies or approximations to report these data to NAP every year, this resulting in either over or under-reporting depending on cases.

Would two “proxy” indicators such as new contacts (individuals/year), in DIC and outreach and number of participants in health education sessions (cumulative peers/sessions) be acceptable? If not, can we detail the mode of “approximation” that we would use to report against this indicator based on other indicators such as total contacts in OR, percentage of new contacts, etc?
A: The two proxy indicators as presented above are acceptable. Nevertheless individuals need to be counted.

36. If the proposal is part of an overall programme, how should this be presented in the budget? Should applicants take a certain percentage (related to output) of the overall budget per budget line or dedicate specific items to the 3DF budget? How should this be presented in the budget format with regard to units and unit prices?
A: Yes, the results and targets can be set proportionately. Budgeting can be made accordingly, based on the same proportions. Only costs related to the 3DF portion of the overall budget should be in the 3DF budget, this following the same proportions as per the proportion of the whole 3DF budget within the programme budget.

37. Does the proposal need to follow the budget allocation 50 per cent for prevention and 50 per cent for treatment?
A: The Terms of Reference (TOR) specifically say that no individual proposal must follow the overall allocation.

38. Will the external evaluators be pragmatic or strictly follow the book rules?
A: External evaluation panel will assess the technical component of the proposal against the set evaluation criteria. The score for technical component is 100 and financial component is 20. Once the technical or programmatic component of the proposal is accepted and recommended for funding, budget allocation among the outputs will be discussed in detail with the partners.

39. What is the difference between the 1 per cent miscellaneous budget line and the 6 per cent indirect costs?
A: The 1 per cent miscellaneous budget line is for unforeseen direct expenses and must be supported by vouchers. The 6 per cent is for indirect costs and need not be supported by vouchers.

40. In the budget sheet “summary”, there are columns for unit and unit price. How should this be filled if it sums up lines with different kind of units?
A: Unit prices should be ignored in the summary sheet. Those are only for the sub-sheets.

41. In the output sheet for lines K till O, the budget lines are limited. Does this mean to provide totals per line, or are these lines headings under which sub-lines should be inserted? If only totals, how to combine different kind of units/ unit prices?
A: The budget template is only an indicative format/template for budgeting. It can be adjusted to the need of the project, i.e. additional sub-budget lines can be inserted. However, if sub-budget lines under the main budget headings K to L are added, the summary sheet should also reflect the added sub-budget lines. For main heading O i.e. Operations and Maintenance, any additional lines added in each output do not need to be inserted in the summary sheet, since the total amount for all sub-budget lines for Field Office Running Costs and HQ running costs are picked up in the summary sheet.

42. For international staff only initial and repatriation travel are mentioned; is it also possible to include yearly home-travel, visa costs, travel for visa (pick up outside the country), luggage allowance, family allowance and other benefits applicable according to staff policy? How to include these lines in the template for Personnel Costs? Is international travel for meetings in HQs eligible and under which heading?
A: Costs for international staff can include all costs according to the organization’s HR policy. Detail budget breakdown can be filled under personnel budget sub-sheet. International travel for meetings and conferences is not an eligible cost.

43. Can salary of staffs in Round I be covered by Round III – eg. if a person is key staff of Round I and is also taking responsibility for Round III, can s/he be paid from Round III?
A: If 100 per cent of the salary is already covered by Round I, then no, s/he is not entitled for Round III payment. However, it is possible to cover part of her/his salary from Round I and also from Round III up to the portion that corresponds to her/his contribution to the implementation of Round I and III activities.

44. If (common) residence buildings are provided to international and/or national staff by the organization instead of a housing allowance, should this be presented under Personnel Staff (and how to input this in the template)? Or should this be under Operations?
A: The template provided for personnel cost, is just an indicative format. This can include benefits/entitlements of any staff in accordance with the organization’s HR policies.

45. How should proportionately allocated costs be presented in the budget template, in order to report the same proportion of actual costs (for example fixed percentage of office rent)?
A: All inputs need to be divided between outputs and all cumulative costs in a large programme must be proportionate of the 3DF contribution.

46. About schedule A and B, our health education system in the DIC does not match the presentation in schedule B. Visitors come for care, prevention, counseling, workshops or leisure activities and during their visit are provided with drinks, snacks, reduced meals or small presents. Are we allowed to change schedule B in order to give a detailed presentation of our DIC expenses on beneficiaries? There is also no clear line between schedule A and Schedule B; for example, most of our “workshops”(schedule A) are on health education or BCC (schedule B)? For outreach activities, transportation is with rented vehicles under heading O.
A: In general, schedule A is for capacity building of the organization’s own staffs and project related workshops, schedule B is for activities related to beneficiaries. A DIC day-to-day operation budget should be under operation budget. Special education sessions/workshops for beneficiaries can be under schedule B. All budget should be incorporated under training budget line.

47. Is Schedule A “Training” meant for training for staff? Can it also include training fees for general skills (like English class, software training etc.) and for training fees of support staff (administration, logistic)? Because training facilities in Myanmar are limited, is it eligible to send (key) medical staff for seminars abroad (yearly HIV symposia Bangkok, etc.)?
A: International travel for meetings, conferences is not an eligible cost. In principle, training specifically addressing the needs of the project is acceptable. Training related costs to be budgeted under training.

48. Because of our several locations and sites, for many staff meetings and management meetings people have to travel (plus hotel and per diem). Should this be budgeted under Schedule A (training, meetings etc) or under heading K (travel)?
A: Travel to management meetings etc. should be budgeted under heading K (travel). However, if the travel is specifically to attend a training activity, then it should be budgeted as travel expenses under Schedule A. Training.

49. About procurement, can all transportation costs of goods be included in “distribution and warehousing”?
A: Yes.

50. Why is “vehicle rental” a line in the “travel sheet”? Should this not be under Heading O (transport equipment)?
A: There are two types of Vehicle Rental. If the vehicle rental is specifically intended for the local travel – ie one time rental for specific mission area, then this should be part of the Local Travel Costs. However, if the vehicle rented is used primarily for the day-to-day operation of the Field Office and HQ/Yangon-based Office, then it should be included under Operations and Maintenance.

51. In the “travel” template, there is no line for Yangon. Where can (incidental) city travel for office staff be specified?
A: It should be under operation budget under sub-heading Transport Equipment – Operation & Maintenance. Travel budget line is for staff/LO travel from HQ/Yangon office to field office vice versa related to project activities.

52. Can applicants modify the detailed “travel” sheet in order to better reflect the different travels in their programme (inter District/State, intra District/State, inner city etc.)?
A: Yes. The attached template is only an indicative format for budgeting for easier reference.