Call for bids: Building support for LGBTQ+ people in Romania
Deadline for submitting project bids is 1 November 2022.
The British Embassy Bucharest invites project proposals to support the delivery of activities and outcomes on building a supportive environment for the LGBTQ+ community in Romania. This is on behalf of a group of potential project sponsors, including the Embassy of Ireland in Bucharest.
This project is part of a wider British Embassy portfolio of projects which seeks to support the Romanian Government and civil society in promoting LGBTQ+ rights across the world. It also complements the work in this field being carried out by the other participating project sponsors.
Social acceptance of LGBTQ+ people in Romania remains limited, characterised mostly by ambivalence and a small, but vocal, negative response. There is some slow improvement, of attitudes but there remains significant misconceptions about LGBTQ+ people in public discourse, which would benefit from being dispelled and debunked.
The LGBTQ+ community struggles to gain acceptance amongst the wider population, despite quite a high level of social apathy towards the topic. In this context, we propose working with local LGBTQ+ NGOs to develop and promote a toolkit focused at allies of LGBTQ+ people. This would aim to break misconceptions and provide information and tools for those who wish to be more supportive of their LGBTQ+ relatives, friends and colleagues.
Objective
To promote a better understanding of LGBTQ+ issues for potential allies of LGBTQ+ people through building a more constructive public discussion around the LGBT+ community and promoting more inclusive social attitudes. This should include improving understanding for parents, colleagues, friends as well as broader society.
Scope of Work
The project should have a national reach, and should utilise online media where appropriate. It should also look to build long-lasting resources to be utilised beyond the immediate life of the project.
Activities
It is essential that the project implementer builds effective relationships to secure buy in at a policy and operational level for this project to be successful. Potential activities could include:
- digital resources or platforms for allies
- creative campaigns to promote positive social attitudes
- a communications campaign to promote resources with appropriate target audiences
- activities to promote resources and key messages with authorities, as appropriate
This is not an exhaustive list and the British Embassy welcomes innovative proposals from potential implementing partners that suggest additional or alternative activities to deliver the key objectives. We encourage creative proposals and ideas.
Project approach
The British Embassy Bucharest is working with the Embassy of Ireland in Bucharest, and other potential project sponsors, to enhance and secure further funding for the project. All future partners will be consulted and approve a project proposal.
This proposal will form the basis for project planning. The proposal should set out how the implementing partner will deliver activities to support the objectives set out above with an implementation plan and supporting activity-based budget.
The British Embassy Bucharest will oversee the project planning, in communication and coordination with other partners, and provide the necessary contacts to the implementers.
The project implementer will manage project logistics and is expected to consider the pandemic context and its possible impact on the project implementation when submitting the bid.
The project sponsors will provide contact persons and focal points for UK, Irish other national institutions or experts that might be needed in the process. The Embassy and partners will also aim to provide international best practice where possible and appropriate.
How to bid
Our process will consist of a one-stage full bid proposal.
Bids should be completed in English using the and an should be submitted alongside it. The project sponsors reserve the right to request additional information from bidders before making a decision.
Activity Based Budgets should list the activities needed to deliver the outcomes (results) of the project and all costs should be in Romanian Lei (RON).
Deadline for submitting project bids is 1 November 2022.
Please send all completed forms to bucharest.projects@fcdo.gov.uk and kim.best@fcdo.gov.uk.
Please specify in the subject of the email: Name of implementing organisation and title of the project.
Reporting
The reports to be produced during the course of this project are to be delivered in English:
- an Inception Note detailing approach and proposed activities. This should also set out key stakeholders who will be engaged, a proposed schedule of activities, risks, safeguarding approach and any additional details, including a communications plan
- a draft report
- three monthly financial reports
- after a facilitated process of commenting, the Final Report
Composition of the project teams:
The British Embassy Bucharest will nominate a Project Director, British Embassy Bucharest (Goran Mandic, 1st Secretary) and a Project Manager, (Kim Best, 2nd Secretary) to oversee the project delivery.
Project proposals should demonstrate that the implementing partner’s staffing levels are appropriate to deliver the aims of the project and that the staff have relevant expertise and experience in working with LGBTQ+ topics in Romania, as well as detailed knowledge of the situation of the LGBTQ+ community in Romania.
Timing and scope of input
The bidding round is an open and competitive process, assessed by the British Embassy in Bucharest, in coordination with the Embassy of Ireland and other partners. Results will be issued by late October. Once a bid is approved, a Grant Agreement will be signed with the successful bidders. In the documents section you will find an example of a Grant Agreement.
Your organisation will be expected to sign the contract within 1 week of the funds being awarded. Failure to do so may result in the funds being re-allocated. The implementing organisation will be required to submit report updates and a final evaluation of the project.
Most project funding will be available on a reimbursement only basis, with some scope for payments to be made in advance of work carried out. Reimbursements will be completed once activities have taken place and all receipts submitted.
For payment by reimbursement Implementing organisations will request repayments using an invoice (including receipts and a financial report of spend) and the repayments will be carried out during those dates agreed upon in the respective contract. The exact schedule of payments will be discussed and agreed with the successful project.
The budget should be presented in Romanian New Leu (RON). All payments will be made in RON to a bank account held in Romania.
Please send any questions regarding the call for bids to kim.best@fcdo.gov.uk.
It is expected that the project will be carried out from November 2022 to end March 2023. The crucial milestones will be the submission of the Draft report (February 2023) and the Final Report (April 2023).
Budget
Grant applications must include an estimated budget of at least 80,571 RON. The British Embassy Bucharest is offering 48,571 RON and the Embassy of Ireland is offering 32,000 RON. We will accept bids with scalable budgets, to allow for further funding from other potential partners.
Depending on the quality of the proposals, the British Embassy, Embassy of Ireland and other project sponsors reserves the right not to grant all or part of the available funds.
The Embassy also reserves the right to award a grant of less than the amount requested by the applicants. In such a case, applicants will be asked to increase the amount that they co-finance, to propose other co-financing means or to decrease the total costs without altering the substance of the proposal.