The calls for proposal documents consist of three separate documents spelling out the scope and nature of the grant facility and details on how to apply for a grant.

Priority Areas of the Grant

1. Improving basic infrastructure, equipment and means for the administrative functions;
2. Assuring sufficient know-how for the execution for the required tasks, and for increasing accountability;
3. Rehabilitation and/or construction of physical infrastructures and basic services to make work and living conditions sufficiently attractive;
4. Assuring communication with lower and higher levels of government, their administrative functions and Civil Society for appropriate decision making and budget implementation; and
5. Assuring proper functioning of the Ward Development Committee, the Lower Level Government and the Joint District Planning & Budget Priorities Committee.

Main Specifications

Main specifications of the grant facility are as follows.

• Direct financing of local-level governments through the District Treasury
• Quick disbursement procedures
• Strengthening the logistic system and human resources of local administrations
• Strengthening and enhancement of the local development planning with bottom-up approach
• Facilitating access to information
• Enhancing the working environment/conditions of the district administration and their communication with higher levels of government.

Principles of the District and Local-level Government Grant Facility

• The Grant Facility aims to strengthen capacity and development initiatives at Districts and Local-level Government
• There will be a minimum counterpart funding of 15% from the Districts. This cannot comprise the applicants labour cost
• The Department of Provincial & Local Government Affairs (DPLGA) will launch call for proposals to the Districts on a six month basis. Documents included will give a clear definition of the grant system, submission and implementation procedures as well as evaluation criteria which will be used to evaluate the proposals
• Applicants will be all 83 Districts as specified in the Organic Law on Provincial and Local-level Governments, which are presently not the direct beneficiary of an ongoing EC/EDF-Grant
• Submitted proposals will be evaluated on the basis of two ranges of predefined and publicised criteria; the Eligibility Criteria and the Evaluation Criteria
• The ranked list will be submitted to the Grant Selection Committee for analysis who will then propose the best project proposals for funding
• Results of the evaluation and selection process will be documented and communicated to all the Districts and Provincial Administrations and be made available on the Project’s website
• Unsuccessful applicants can resubmit in the next call for proposals
• Funding for successful proposals will be made available once the grant contract has been signed between the District Administration and the contracting authority for the Grant Facility
• Funds will be dispatched to the District Treasury on a 40%, 40%, 20% basis, with the District being totally responsible for the implementation of the Grant.

Different Stakeholders & their Roles

1. The Applicant
   The District with its Local-level Governments’ and Ward Development Committees’, represented by its District Administrator. The applicant can have associates and contractors.
2. Beneficiary
   The successful District and its LLGs and Wards who are legally represented by the District Administrator who is the Project Manager and District Treasurer who is the Project Accountant.
3. Third Parties
   These are the Non State Actors (CBOs, churches, NGOs, etc) or semi public organisations (Open Campus, PNG Institute of Public Administration, etc) and are referred to as associates.
4. Project Team of DPLGA
   The team is tasked with managing the Strengthening of Districts & Local-level Governments grant facility with technical assistance from a long term and short term technical advisor.