Job Details

Job Description

CALL FOR PROPOSALS

Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) advocacy and policy dialogue with Sub-National Governments to support the inclusive and climate resilient implementation of national programmes for WASH and IWRM

Issued by: SNV Zambia
Application Deadline: 6th June 2025
Funding Available per CSO: ZMW 500,000

Total Funding Available: ZMW 4,000,000

Eligible CSOs: any national CSO current or prospect member of the NGO WASH Forum

Eligible areas: any, within Zambia
Implementation Period: 6 Months (1 July 2025 to 31 December 2025)

Background and Context

SNV, in partnership with the NGO WASH Forum, and funding from the European Union (EU) and Danish People’s Aid (DPA) is pleased to announce a call for proposals for Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) that are current or prospective members of the NGO WASH Forum to implement small scale projects aimed at advocating Local Governments to accelerate the achievement of the Human Right to Water and Sanitation in Zambia.

This call for proposals seeks to support key national priorities such as those stated in the 8th National Development Plan for Water and Sanitation and the international commitments expressed in the Sustainable Development Goals. Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI), and climate change adaptation and mitigation are key in these priorities and this call seeks to address them accordingly.

National Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) and Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) development plans, policies and guidelines provide a robust framework for sustainable and inclusive development, but their successful implementation requires strong collaboration between local governments, CSOs, and communities. CSOs play a critical role in bridging gaps, advocating for inclusive WASH and IWRM policies, and ensuring that the voices of marginalized groups, including women, youth, and vulnerable populations, are heard in decision-making processes.

This call for proposals invites current and prospective national CSOs members of the Zambia NGO WASH Forum, to design and implement innovative, context-specific, local level interventions that strengthen policy dialogue, enhance governance, and promote the a more inclusive, climate resilient and effective implementation of WASH and IWRM development plans in their constituencies.

Objectives of the Call for Proposal

Strengthen Policy Dialogue: improve dialogue between CSOs, local government, communities and other stakeholders to address WASH and IWRM development challenges; and increase the ownership, responsiveness and accountability of the Local Government as the Duty Bearer of the Human Right to Water and Sanitation
Enhance Implementation of Development Plans: Support the effective implementation of national WASH and IWRM development plans, increasing their effectiveness, outreach, climate resilience and inclusion of vulnerable groups
Promote Inclusive Governance: Ensure that marginalized groups, including women, youth, and vulnerable populations, are actively engaged in WASH and IWRM policymaking and implementation processes.
Foster Innovation and Collaboration: Encourage innovative approaches and partnerships that leverage local knowledge, resources, and expertise to achieve sustainable WASH and IWRM development outcomes.

Thematic Priorities

The proposal should align with at least one of the following thematic priorities:

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), in view of national development plans, targets  and policies and international commitments under the Sustainable development Goals. Specific focus issues can cover any of the following (the list is not exhaustive): WASH in Schools, WASH in Healthcare Facilities, Rural Water Supply, Rural Sanitation, MHM, Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM), in view of national development plans, targets  and policies and international commitments under the Sustainable development Goals. Specific focus issues can cover any of the following (the list is not exhaustive): water security, protection and rehabilitation of water sources, prevention of domestic or industrial pollution, rational management of water sources in view of different uses and user groups; cultural, social and communal value of water sources

Regardless of the thematic priority, the proposal must address:

Inclusion of vulnerable groups, namely women and girls, people with disabilities and other groups that are lagging behind in the realization of their Human Right to Water and Sanitation
Climate Change: increased focus on climate adaptation and mitigation measures and ensuring that these measures are included in the policies and plans, promoting sustainable resource management, and building resilience to climate-related risks in WASH and IWRM.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligible Applicants:

Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), who are current (paid up) members of the Zambia NGO WASH Forum or that submitted a formal request to join the Forum before March 31st 2025

Eligible Activities:

Advocacy activities targeting Provincial and Local Governments for increased support and investment to advance the realization of the Human Right to Water and Sanitation
Policy dialogues between CSOs, community representatives, traditional establishment and Local Governments, lobbying for increased ownership, responsiveness and accountability of Government Authorities as Duty Bearers of the Human Right to Water and Sanitation
Community consultation initiatives to gather input and feedback on WASH and IWRM status, GESI and climate change challenges and/or views on development plans.
Activities demonstrating innovative approaches to support Government Authorities in addressing WASH and IWRM development challenges with increased attention to Inclusion of vulnerable groups and Climate Change
Monitoring and evaluation of WASH and IWRM development plan implementation.

Eligible Costs

Direct costs including (salaries, travel costs, activity implementation costs, relevant operational costs)

Co-Funding Requirements:

A 2% in-kind co-financing against the total budget (ZMW1.2million) represented as staff time, office costs, equipment

Application Process

Full Proposal Development: Interested and eligible CSOs are invited to submit a full proposal outlining the proposed project, including objectives, activities, expected outcomes, with detailed implementation plans and budget. A template is provided in Annex 1, below
Applications must be submitted electronically to [email protected] by June 6th 2025, no later than 23.59, Zambia time. Title of the e-mail must read “Water Voices United CSO Call for Proposals 2025”

Conditions for exclusion of applicants

i. Proposals submitted by ineligible applicants will not be considered

ii. Incomplete proposals will not be considered

iii. Proposals received after the deadline will not be considered

iv. Proposals submitted by any other means other than via mail to [email protected] will not be considered

v. Multiple proposals from the same applicant will lead to the exclusion of the applicant

vi.          SNV reserves the right to not to award any applicant

Evaluation Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated against the following set of criteria:

Evaluation criteria / Maximum score

1. Past Performance – Quality and relevance of previous work conducted by the CSO in the same targeted area within the last 5 years
10

2. Relevance – the extent to which the proposal addresses WASH and/or IWRM needs of the targeted areas, as backed by evidence
25

3. Alignment – the extent to which the proposal responds to the objectives and specific thematic priorities of the call, including the mandatory ones on GESI and climate change
20

4. Intervention Logic: the extent to which the proposed activities (and related methodologies, approaches or mechanism) logically lead to the achievement of the planned outputs, and how measurable are these
20

5. Added value: to what extent the added value elements are addressed and clearly articulated in relation to the proposal
5

6. Financial Proposal: the extent to which the financial proposal relates to the activities, the logic of the proposed costs and clarity of cost breakdown
20

Maximum score/total
100

Key Dates

Launch of Call for Proposals: 22nd May 2025
Submission of questions (to [email protected] and [email protected]):28th May 2025
Collective response to all questions: 3rd June 2025
Deadline for Full Proposal Submission: 6th June 2025
Notification of Successful Applicants: 26th June 2025
Project Implementation Start Date: 1 July 2025

Annex 1: Proposal Template for the Call for Proposals: Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) advocacy and policy dialogue with Sub-National Governments to support the inclusive and climate resilient implementation of national programmes for WASH and IWRM

Submitted by: [Name of CSO]

Proposed area of intervention: [Geographic]

Proposed Thematic Priority: [WASH and/or IWRM]
Contact Information: [Name, Position, Email, Phone Number]

Executive Summary

Name of Organization:
Project Title:
Location:
Duration:
Summary of the proposal: (in 250 words, max)
Total Budget requested:

1.    Organization Profile

Registration Details: (Include registration number and date.)
Date of membership to the NGO WASH Forum (or date of submission of request):

Mission and Vision:

Key Areas of Expertise:
Past performance: (Describe relevant projects and achievements up to 3, emphasizing ability to voice and respond to the needs of supported communities)

2.    Relevance: Problem Statement and Justification

Context and Challenges: (Provide an analysis of the issues the project aims to address, including specific challenges related to GESI and climate change.)
Stakeholders Affected: (Identify the groups or institutions impacted by these challenges.)

3.    Alignment: Project Objectives

• Overall Objective: (Align with the broader goals of the call for proposals.)
• Specific Objectives: (List 2-3 measurable objectives the project aims to achieve.)
• Alignment with National Development Plans and International Goals: (Explain how the project aligns with WASH and IWRM national and Global priorities)

4.   Methodology & Logic: Proposed Activities and how they will contribute to specific objectives

• Activity 1: [Description, timeline, and expected output with measurable indicators]
• Activity 2: [Description, timeline, and expected output with measurable indicators]
• Activity 3: [Description, timeline, and expected output with measurable indicators]
• Add as many activities as relevant

5.   Added Value

• Innovative Approaches: (Describe how the project introduces new or improved approaches to address the challenges.)
• Learning Agenda: (describe what the CSO intends to learn through the project
• Risk Assessment and Mitigation: (Identify risks that could affect project implementation, such as political, financial, or operational challenges and how these will be managed.)

6.       Budget and Financial Plan

Total Project Cost: [Insert Amount]
Amount requested: [Insert Amount]
Detail of co-contribution (in kind): detail the quantified contribution of the CSO to the project
Detailed Budget Breakdown: (Provide a line-item budget, including personnel, activities, materials, travel, overheads, etc.)
Budget Justification: (Explain the rationale for the budget allocations in relation to the proposed activities.)

7. Mandatory Annexes (lack of submission will lead to the proposal being deemed incomplete)

Annex 1: Company Registration Certificate
Annex 2: ZRA-TPIN Certificate
Annex 3: Proof of Membership of the NGO WASH Forum or proof of submission of request for admission
Annex 4: Valid Tax Clearance certificate
Annex 5: Updated Company Profile
Annex 6: Bank Account details

Template Instructions:

• Please use the application template as provided above
• Ensure the document is clear, concise, and within 10 pages
• Please submit to [email protected] by June 6th, 2025, no later than 23.59, Zambia time. Title of the e-mail must read “Water Voices United CSO Call for Proposals 2025”