CALL FOR PROPOSALS

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria through the Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria to the Republic of Armenia announces a procedure for accepting and selecting proposals for projects to be implemented with a grant within the framework of the Official Development Assistance of the Republic of Bulgaria, with an initial deadline for launching in 2020.

1. Priority Areas and Directions for Implementation of Projects in the Republic of Armenia are:

- Strengthening of democratic institutions and promotion of the principle of good governance, including the protection of human rights.

- Promotion of sustainable economic development and entrepreneurship by improving the capacities of institutions and / or organizations supporting the development of small and medium-sized businesses.

- Promotion of the quality, comprehensive, inclusive and modern education.

- Supporting the development of cultural tourism as a sector generating economic growth and sustainable development.

2. Target Groups:

- central and local administrations and the representatives of the Armenian institutions;

- representatives of different social and minority groups, vulnerable categories of people (children with disabilities, migrants, elderly people);

- youth and adolescent girls and young women; pupils/students receiving their education in various educational institutions;

- young female entrepreneurs ambitious to create and develop their own businesses;

- representatives of civil society and Non-governmental organizations.

3. Outputs/Results:

- enhanced level of participation of youth and women in socio-economic and political life in Armenia;
- enriched  positive image and visibility of Bulgaria in Armenia;

- better governance leading to sustainable and inclusive social development,

- strengthened administrative and expert capacities of the Armenian institutions engaged with the protection and promotion of human rights, rule of law and good governance;

- raised awareness of the Armenian citizens about their rights and possibilities provided for in the Armenian legislation regarding their protection;  

- fulfilled access to modern, quality and inclusive education.

4. Eligible Project Budget:

4.1. Minimal ammount of the project is 5 000 BGN / 2 555 Euro.

4.2. Recommended maximum amount for projects with main purpose to deliver goods and /or services - up to 70 000 BGN/ 35 700Euro

5. Implementation Deadlines and Duration of the Projects:

5.1. Project proposals must contain an indicative start date for the implementation of the project after March 1, 2020 and no later than November 30, 2020.

5.2. Projects must be completed no later than December 31, 2022.

6. Eligible Candidates:

• Primary and secondary budget spenders - legal entities of the Republic of Armenia;
• International and local non-governmental organizations;
• Municipalities and their associations;
• Educational, health and social institutions;
• International humanitarian organisations;

No natural or legal person can apply for whom there are circumstances under Art. 23, para. 3-8[1] of Decree No. 234 of the Council of Ministers of 01.08.2011 on the policy of the Republic of Bulgaria on participation in international development cooperation.

7. Eligible Activities and Project Costs:

7.1.  The Costs of Project Implementation must Meet All of the Conditions below:

             -be lawful;

            - be executed only with the necessary invoices or supporting documents, testifying the expenditures incurred;

            - be within the budget limits of the project;

            - not funded by any other project, program or any other financial scheme, related to the national budget, the EU budget or any other donor.

7.2.   Compulsory Activities to be provided in the Project:
            - providing of an audit report by an independent financial auditor;
            - ensuring the visibility of the financial assistance provided, in accordance with the Guidelines for publicity and visibility of Bulgarian development aid.

7.3.     Examples of Activities Eligible for Funding:

 - development of new / upgrade of existing training materials;

- organizing and conducting trainings for the employees of the public administration;

- conducting trainings on specific topics in Bulgarian institutions for the exchange of good practices and the improvement of the qualification of the officials from the public administration;

- organization of seminars, forums, conferences;

- development of research analysis and strategies;

- activities to raise awareness of the topic of human rights;

- activities to promote multicultural dialogue and to eliminate racism, xenophobia, hate speech, discrimination and intolerance in society;

- activities to improve dialogue between non-governmental organizations and local, regional and national authorities;

- activities related to improving the quality of the infrastructure in a respective area and increasing the potential of the sites by supplying equipment and materials intended for state or municipal property - schools, hospitals, kindergartens, retirement houses, etc.

8. Required Documents for Application:

An Application Form is available on the following website in Bulgarian and English:

https://www.mfa.bg/upload/37117/App_Form_Development_2019%20F.doc

All parts of the application form should be filled in clearly and properly in either Bulgarian or English. In case of omissions that hinder the evaluation of the project proposal, the Embassy the Republic of Bulgaria in the Republic of Armenia may require additional information within a short period of time. Failure to provide such information within the deadline shall be considered a ground for rejecting the proposal.

9. 
   Method and Deadlines for Projects Applications:

Project proposals should be submitted to the following e-mail address:

[email protected]. 

The deadline for submission is: 28 June 2019. Please note that project proposals sent by mail or any other means than indicated above will not be considered. 

10. Additional Information:

Candidates shall be informed of the results of the evaluation within 10 working days of the decision of the competent authority. The Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in the Republic of Armenia has no obligation to inform candidates of the grounds for approval or refusal of the submitted project proposals. The projects submitted under the Bulgarian development cooperation program should not be submitted for financing or have previously received grants by other donors. To avoid duplication, the beneficiary may be requested to sign an affidavit, should the project get approved. 

Annex 1

Decree No 234 of the Council of Ministers of 01.08.2011 on the policy of the Republic of Bulgaria regarding its participation in international development cooperation (excerpts)

Article 23(3) A legal person seeking to apply for the provision of development aid must not:

1. be declared bankrupt;

2. be in liquidation proceedings or in a similar procedure under the national laws and regulations;
3. be in open insolvency proceedings or must not have entered into an out-of-court settlement with its creditors within the meaning of Article 740 of the Commerce Act, and if the applicant is a non-resident – it must not be in a similar procedure under the national laws and regulations, including if its activities are under the court's control or it has ceased its activities;
4. be disqualified from practicing a particular profession or activity under the law of the State in which the offense was committed;
5. have any monetary debts owed to the State or a municipality within the meaning of Article 162, paragraph 2 of the Tax and Social Insurance Procedure Code established by an act of a competent authority which has entered into force, unless rescheduling or deferral of the debts has been allowed, or monetary debts relating to the payment of social insurance contributions or taxes under the legal provisions of the State in which it is established;
6. have any outstanding private debts owed to the State listed in Article 3, paragraph 7 of the National Revenue Agency Act.

(4) A legal person seeking to apply for the provision of development aid must not have a member of the management body that:

1. has been convicted by a final sentence for indictable offense;
2. has not fulfilled his/her/its obligations relating to the payment of social insurance contributions or taxes in accordance with the applicable law;
3. has provided deliberately false documents when providing information requested as a condition for financing development aid activities or has not provided such information;
4. has been disqualified from practicing a particular profession or activity under the law of the State in which the offense was committed;
5. is a legal person for which any of the circumstances under paragraph 3 exist;
6. has any outstanding private debts owed to the State listed in Article 3, paragraph 7 of the National Revenue Agency Act.

(6) Where the members of the management bodies are legal persons, the requirements of paragraph 5 shall apply to their representatives in the relevant management bodies.

(7) Persons seeking to apply for the provision of development aid must not:

1. have a member of a management or supervisory body, as well as such person ad interim, including a procurator or a commercial agent who has “close links”, within the meaning of § 1, item 1 of the Supplementary Provision of the Conflict of Interest Prevention and Ascertainment Act, with the agency administering the relevant project or with senior employees in his/her organisation;

2. have entered into a contract with a person under Article 21 or 22 of the Conflict of Interest Prevention and Ascertainment Act.

[1] See Annex 1