Grant Management Solutions

UPDATE: GRANT MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS (GMS) PROJECT  

Grant Management Solutions (GMS) is nearing the end of its five-year project cycle.  As a result, GMS is no longer able to accept technical assistance requests.  A follow-on project that will provide similar support for Country Coordinating Mechanisms (CCMs) and Principal Recipients (PRs) is expected to begin in early 2012. You may submit a cover letter and a technical assistance request application for the follow-on project at this time, but it will not be reviewed until the new project is awarded.  

During this interim period, the following organizations are potential options for technical assistance:  

General Support

- German BACKUP Initiative (www.gtz.de/backup; email:backup@giz.de) 
- UNAIDS Technical Support Facilities (TSF) 
     Southern Africa (www.tsfsouthernafrica.com; email:info@tsfsouthernafrica.com) 
     Eastern Africa (www.tsfeasternafrica.org; email:TSFEasternAfrica@cafs.org) 
     West and Central Africa (www.tsfwca.org; email:tsfwca@tsfwca.org) 
     Southeast Asia and the Pacific (www.tsfseap.org; email:info@tsfseap.org) 
     South Asia (www.tsfsouthasia.org; email:info@tsfsouthasia.org) 
     Latin America and the Caribbean- International Center for Technical Cooperation 
     (www.aids.gov.br/en/publicacao/international-center-technical-cooperation-hivaids-ictcaids; email:cict@aids.gov.br)

 

Civil Society

- Civil Society Action Team (CSAT;www.csactionteam.org) 
- International HIV/AIDS Alliance (www.aidsalliance.org/Pagedetails.aspx?id=265)

 

Tuberculosis

- TB Technical Assistance Mechanism (TBTEAM;www.stoptb.org/countries/tbteam) 
- Green Light Committee (www.who.int/tb/challenges/mdr/greenlightcommittee/faq1_initiative/en/index.html)

 

Malaria

- Roll Back Malaria: 
     Central Africa Regional Network (CARN;www.rbm.who.int/mechanisms/carn.html) 
     East Africa (EARN;www.rbm.who.int/mechanisms/earn.html) 
     Southern Africa (SARN;www.rbm.who.int/mechanisms/sarn.html) 
     West Africa (WARN;www.rbm.who.int/mechanisms/warn.html)

 

For questions, please contact Emily Hughes (emhughes@usaid.gov) and Lisa Luchsinger (lluchsinger@usaid.gov).

 

Country Coordinating Mechanisms (CCMs) or Principal Recipients (PRs) are invited to initiate a request for technical support by completing a technical support request form and sending it by email to the Global Fund Technical Support Manager in Washington, D.C. Review and approval by the U.S. Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator is required before GMS can begin dialogue with the CCM or PR.

To go directly to the page with the technical support application forms, click here.

Applications may be submitted in English, French, or Spanish. Se pueden someter solicitudes en ingles, frances, o español.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who can request this technical support?
Country Coordinating Mechanisms (CCMs) and Principal Recipients (PRs) in countries with Global Fund grants may request technical support. Sub-recipients (SRs) are eligible to receive technical support, but the request should be made through the PR or CCM. In cases in which the PR is a United Nations (UN) agency or non-governmental organization (NGO), direct requests from the SR will be considered. In other exceptional circumstances, the Office of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator may consider direct requests from SRs but these must be accompanied with an explanation of why the CCM or PR is not included.

Please note that the following Global Fund grants are not be eligible for U.S. Government supported Global Fund grant technical support: grants in countries on the U.S. Department of State’s list of governments that are state sponsors of terrorism; and HIV grants in focus countries in the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). UN agencies or U.S.-based groups that are serving as PRs are also not eligible to receive technical support under this mechanism.

What kind of support is available?
The purpose of the technical support is to improve the functioning of Global Fund grants, including CCM governance. The technical support should be time-limited (total consultancies per grant not exceeding 18 person-weeks), outcome-oriented, and should strengthen local capacity. Technical support through GMS should focus on alleviating specific bottlenecks that are causing grants to under-perform, including inadequate or poor performance in the following areas:

• Governance and Leadership
• Program and Financial Management
• Procurement and Supply Management
  
• Monitoring and Reporting

Roll Back Malaria, Stop TB, the Green Light Committee, and the UNAIDS Technical Support Facilities can support disease-specific technical assistance.

How do CCMs or PRs request this support?
CCMs or PRs must complete an application to request technical support, including a cover letter, completed application form, and scope of work. If a CCM or PR requires help in developing a scope of work, it may request assistance from the U.S. Embassy Point of Contact.

Over what period of time is the technical support provided?
Due to the short-term nature of this technical support, the total level of effort for most in-country consultancies will not exceed eighteen person-weeks (such as three persons for six weeks, two persons for nine weeks, or another combination). GMS teams usually carry out two or three visits spaced over a three to six month period. Some countries might need short-term consultancies in more than one technical area to address different problems or bottlenecks within one request. Local technical support providers may also be assigned follow-up responsibilities for a limited period.

Can CCMs and PRs request support to diagnose the problem?
Where the problem itself is unclear, the CCM or PR may request an initial diagnostic visit to clarify the most crucial issue or issues that need resolution. Based on the results of the diagnosis or assessment, the CCM or PR will finalize the work plan for support and deliverables with the GMS directly.

How will the U.S. Government process the technical support request?
The U.S. Government Technical Support Advisory Panel (TSAP) will review applications and proposed scopes of work on a rolling basis throughout the year; applications must be received by the first day of the month in order to be reviewed within that month. The TSAP has five members from the U.S. Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator Global Fund Core Group, representatives from the disease-specific areas, and geographic areas. The Global Fund Technical Support Manager will notify the applicant of approval of the request within 30 days of receiving it. Grantees are not competing against each other for available technical support funding, although approval of any request is subject to the availability of funds.

How will the U.S. Government notify CCMs and PRs if it has accepted their technical support request?
The TSAP will examine requests and collect comments for any necessary revisions. The Global Fund Technical Support Manager will inform the applicant of approval of the request within 30 days of receiving it.

What costs will the U.S. Government cover?
Funding to support the technical support teams will flow directly through the GMS project. GMS teams will receive support for consultant salaries, travel, per diem, hotels, and the production of documents (such as manuals and plans) and reports (including translation). CCMs and PRs are encouraged to use grant funds, if available, to support in-country costs such as working space, costs for workshops and meetings (including venue, participant travel and accommodation, etc.), and other activities that will enable the GMS teams to work more efficiently.

Can CCMs use this support to develop a new proposal to the Global Fund?
The U.S. Government cannot support the writing of new applications for future Global Fund grant competitions, or ongoing, recurring costs of Global Fund grant programs (such as staffing). CCMs may request assistance to meet the requirements for signature of a new grant agreement once the Global Fund Board has approved a proposal.

What is the relationship between the requesting CCM or PR and the technical support provider?
Once the U.S. Government approves the request for technical support, GMS will work directly with the CCM or PR to finalize details of the assistance requested, including a work plan with an estimated number of consultants and person-days needed, a proposed team of consultants, and the timing of technical support delivery. The CCM or PR will complete a short evaluation once the technical support project has concluded to give feedback on the skills of the GMS consultant or team and the overall usefulness of the technical support provided.

What role does the U.S. Embassy play?
The CCM or PR may wish to work with the U.S. Embassy Point of Contact to complete the application. Once complete, the U.S. Embassy or the CCM or PR will send the application by email to the Office of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator for review by the Technical Support Advisory Panel. GMS teams will be subject to the same procedures and oversight followed by all U.S. Government temporary duty contractors and grantees. If requested, the GMS consultants will brief U.S. Embassy staff at the beginning and end of their work. The U.S. Embassy may request a copy of the final report from the CCM or PR.

The application may be downloaded here or from the PEPFAR Web site.