Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1694859553793.pdf (Antigua and Barbuda)
GOVERNMENT OF ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA AND DEPARTMENT OF THE ENVIRONMENT CALL FOR PROPOSALS THE DEPARTMENT OF THE ENVIRONMENT’S SUSTAINABLE ISLAND RESOURCE FRAMEWORK FUND (SIRF Fund) GRANT PROGRAM FOR GRID-INTERACTIVE SOLAR PV-SYSTEMS FOR SCHOOLS AND CLINICS IN ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA GRANT FUNDING PROVIDED BY THE GOVERNMENT OF ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA AND THE GOVERNMENT OF ITALY Issuance Date: Deadline Date: Submit Applications to: 20th December 2017 31st January 2018 at 4:30PM The Chair, SIRF Fund Board of Directors, Department of the John’s Antigua, Environment, Botanical Gardens, St. DOE@ab.gov.ag copied to Shema.Roberts@ab.gov.ag 1.
GUIDELINES FOR APPLICANTS: In 2015 the Government of Antigua and Barbuda passed the Environmental Protection and Management Act.

Section 39 of the Act stipulates that certain facilities will need to prepare Site Environmental Management Plans (EMP) for review and approval by the Department.

The site EMPs will contain information as deemed important by the DOE.
1 The Government has agreed to proceed with the implementation of this section of the Act on a a pilot basis and will begin with Medical Clinics and Schools.

The Department of Environment is providing small grant funding for Schools and Clinics to assist with preparing their Site Environmental Management Plans.
Further, the DOE will be providing the Schools and Clinics with a grant to reduce their Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions, which is considered to be a Pollutant under the Environmental Protection and Management Act (2015) and its regulations.

Greenhouse Gases are causing the earth to become warmer and is attributed to the increase in super storms and more frequent droughts.
To assist these facilities prepare their Site Environmental Management Plans and meet the requirement of the Act, funding is being provided via the SIRF Fund to facilitate implementation.
Flow Diagram for Site Environmental Management System Plan Funding Sources Implementing Entity Reporting and Project Closure Evaluation form Media, photos and progress reports Financial statement Data is shared with the Department through smart metering Approval by the Dept of Environment Antigua & Barbuda’s Sustainable Island Resource Framework (SIRF) Fund Schools and Clinics Implement Projects Develop Site EMS Plan Engage Renewable Energy engineer Purchase Solar PV + batter + smart meters Insure assets Call for Proposals for Schools and Clinics – Applications can include: Site Environmental Management Systems Plan (~US$5,000) Purchase and install Solar PV panels, batteries and smart meters (~US$43,000) Educational and awareness raising activities (~US$2,000) SIRF Fund Board Applicants meet criteria Legal arrangements Grant Agreement signed Selection High quality of proposal Security certified Posted on website Disbursal First disbursement in 2 weeks A list of information for and guidance on how to prepare Site Environmental Management Plans will be provided to all schools and medical clinics selected to participate in this pilot.
2.

ABOUT THE SIRF FUND: SIRF Fund stands for Sustainable Island Resource Framework Fund.

It is Antigua and Barbuda’s national fund to support environmental management and sustainable development through dedicated financing from a variety of sources.
The SIRF Fund is legislated under the Environmental Protection and Management Act (EPMA) 2015 and can only support activities that are aligned with and facilitate the implementation of the Ac: http://laws.gov.ag/acts/2015/a2015-11.pdf 2 The SIRF Fund is also designed to serve as a catalyst to attract investments, both public and private, to support a range of priority actions for the implementation of the Multilateral Environmental Agreements such as the Climate Change Convention and the Convention of Biodiversity.
3.

ABOUT THIS CALL FOR PROPOSAL: The Government of Antigua and Barbuda has received support from the Government of Italy’s Ministry for the Environment, Land and Sea for the project titled, Grid-Interactive Solar PV Systems for Schools and Clinics in Antigua and Barbuda.

This funding is designed to ensure that the Schools and Clinics can operate after a hurricane and during an extended drought.
The project is designed to assist these entities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other waste and pollutants from the schools, and to promote knowledge about the environment while meeting the legal requirements of the Environment Act.
This initiative helps Antigua and Barbuda to achieve its climate goal to, by 2030, achieve 100% of electricity demand in essential services (including education, health facilities, food storage and emergency services) to be met through off-grid and grid-interactive renewable energy.

4.

SCOPE OF THIS CALL FOR PROPOSAL: This initial call for proposals will not fund the entire Site Environmental Management Plans prepared by the Schools.
It is however designed to provide up to 16 schools and Clinics with a maximum of US$50,000 to prepare their Site Environmental Management Plans and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.

Smart meters will be installed to send data to the Department of Environment and to help schools monitor their environmental impacts.

a) Eligible Applicants 5.
ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION: • Schools legally registered and operating in Antigua and Barbuda • Clinics legally registered and operating in Antigua and Barbuda • The school or clinic building and must be owned by the applicant b) Conditions to Receiving Funding Disbursements • Schools/Clinics are limited to one grant • Applicants must be empowered to enter into a Grant Agreement with the SIRF Fund; • Applicants must be able to accept full responsibility for executing the project in accordance with the terms and conditions outlined in the Grant Agreement • Applicants are required to provide a civil engineer certificate for a building to house the equipment, provide insurance for equipment from theft or storm damage, protect and maintain the equipment entrusted by the SIRF Fund.
• Applicants are willing to collaborate with the Department of the Environment to promote energy efficiency, renewable energy, smart metering and pollution education as outlined within their Site Environmental Management Plans.
c) Activities that are Eligible for Funding • Collect data and conduct energy and waste audits; • Preparation of the Site Environmental Management Plans in collaboration with students, for approval by the Department of the Environment (this is a requirement for 3 all applicants); • Purchase and install Solar PV Systems, and Energy Storage systems (batteries, smart • meters, and accessories) Innovative and fun awareness raising and educational activities about environmental management plans among students; 6.
GRANT AMOUNTS TO BE FUNDED: Subject to the availability of funds, the SIRF Fund expects to award 16 grants.

Each individual grant is a maximum of US$50,000 or EC$130,000 ECD per facility.

The grant and activities must be completed within 12 months (by January 2019).

The SIRF Fund reserves the right to fund any or none of the applications submitted.

Further, the SIRF Fund reserves the right to make no awards as a result of this grant funding opportunity.

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HOW TO APPLY: Applicants meeting the eligibility requirements (Section IV.

Eligibility Information) are required to complete and submit the SIRF Fund Application Form.

The application form can be downloaded from the Department of Environment’s website at http://www.environment.gov.ag.

The project seeks to provide equal access and therefore special need schools are strongly encouraged to apply.

Applications can be submitted in person or electronically by email.
Completed applications can the Project Coordinator, Shema Roberts, be submitted electronically via email Shema.Roberts@ab.gov.ag and copied to DOE@ab.gov.ag or deliver hard copies to the Project Coordinator Shema Roberts at the Department of Environment, #1 Victoria Park Botanic Gardens, St. John’s, Antigua.

to The deadline for applications is [31st January 2018 at 4:30PM] Applicants should retain for their records a copy of the application and supporting documentation that accompanies their application.
To obtain additional information or help to fill out the application form, call Shema Roberts, at 562 2576 / 786 8256.

8.

SELECTION PROCESS & CRITERIA: Applications submitted on or before the deadline will be subject to a verification of the application eligibility and submission requirements by the Proposal Review Committee.

Only applications satisfying the eligibility and submission requirements will be evaluated using the criteria below.
# Eligibility Category 1 Needs of recipient Criteria The applicant has financial or capacity constraints and cannot address its Site EMP Scoring (Excellent, Satisfactory, Poor) Poor – Not addressed.

Satisfactory – The proposal addresses this area with some shortcomings present.

4 without project support.

Excellent – The proposal excels in 2 Current Environmental challenges Expected ability of the proposal to fix the institution’s environment-related challenges.
3 Evidence of student consultation or involvement in the preparation of drafting the proposal 4 Urgency for taking actions at the site facilities Climate adaptation benefits (education, human health, well- being) of installing resilient energy systems on this facility.

Expected ability of the proposal to prevent deteriorating conditions.
5 Level of infrastructure and management capacity Expected ability of the proposal to 1) utilize and improve existing infrastructure and management capacity and 2) benefit from the recipient’s partnerships or co-financing.

addressing the criteria; any shortcomings are minor.

Poor – Not addressed.

Satisfactory – The proposal addresses this area with some shortcomings present.

Excellent – The proposal excels in addressing the criteria; any shortcomings are minor.

Poor – Not addressed.


Satisfactory – The proposal addresses this area with some shortcomings present.

Excellent – The proposal excels in addressing the criteria; any shortcomings are minor.

Poor – Not addressed.

Satisfactory – The proposal addresses this area with some shortcomings present.
Excellent – The proposal excels in addressing the criteria; any shortcomings are minor.

All applicants will be notified by the Department of Environment within four () weeks of the deadline, on the status of their application.

Successful applications will also be announced on the website of the Department of Environment, with the following information: • Name and address • Place of incorporation • Purpose of the grant • Grant amount awarded • Amount of grant co-financing 9.
GRANT AWARD & DISBURSEMENT: Successful applicants will be invited to discuss the award of the grant and to sign a Grant Agreement with the SIRF Fund.

The first disbursement will be made to the grantee within approximately two (2) weeks of the signing of the Grant Agreement.

5 10.
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GRANT REPORTING & VERIFICATION: On completion of the project, grantees will be required to prepare a financial expenditure statement on how the funds have been spent, and complete an evaluation form, which will be provided by the Department of Environment.

The evaluation form will provide key information such as whether the objectives of the Site Environmental Management Plan are being met, the impact of the project, measures for the activities to be more effective, outcomes and lessons learnt.
The applicant will be requested to participate in media and other events, and provide photos and progress reports throughout the process.

Furthermore, the Technical Expert Committee from the Department of Environment will be conducting site visits to confirm that activities are proceeding as planned.

Disclaimer This grant funding opportunity outlines the information required by the applicant for the development and submission of an application for consideration.
The potential applicant is expected to review, understand, and conform with specifications contained in this public notice.

Failure to do so will be at the applicant’s own risk.
The issuance of this grant funding opportunity does not constitute an award commitment on the part of Sustainable Island Resource Framework Fund/Department of Environment, Ministry of Health and the Environment nor does it commit Sustainable Island Resource Framework Fund/Department of Environment, Ministry of Health and the Environment to pay for costs incurred in the preparation and submission of an application.

The application is submitted at the risk of the applicant.
All preparation and submission costs are at the applicant's expense.

If information provided by the Facilities is to be consider Confidential, the applicant must note these areas in the Application.

The Fund reserves the Right to publish the names of the successful Facilities, all other information may be kept confidential.

For further information or assistance contact the Department of Environment: 11.
CONTACT INFORMATION: Project Coordinator, Shema Roberts, shema.roberts@ab.gov.ag and copied to DOE@ab.gov.ag Call (268) 562 2568 / 786 8256 Department of Environment #1 Victoria Park Botanic Gardens St. John’s, Antigua 6