REQUEST FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST

Closing Date: 30th October 2024

A. Background:

The United Nations World Food Programme, hereinafter referred to as the “WFP”,
is the leading humanitarian organization saving lives and changing lives, delivering
food assistance in emergencies, and working with communities to improve
nutrition and build resilience by assisting almost 152 million people in around 120
countries each year. WFP Afghanistan is currently delivering its Programme
through providing General Food Assistance, asset creation and livelihood (Food
Assistance for Assets, Food Assistance for Training and Smallholder Agricultural
Support), School Feeding and Nutrition interventions to address the food security
and nutrition needs of the vulnerable women, men and children as part of its
strategic objective to contribute to achieving ‘Zero Hunger’. Assistance is usually
delivered through providing in-kind (food), cash-based transfer and capacity
strengthening modalities that are in line with the needs of the communities,
vulnerabilities, feasibility and market dynamics.

This call for expression of interest (EOI) is launched to invite eligible International
and National non-governmental organizations (INGOs/NGOs) – to express their
interest in partnering with WFP to combat hunger in Afghanistan. This EOI is not
intended for WFP’s current CPs, and they are requested not to apply for it.

B. Purpose:

The purpose of this request for expression of interest (EOI) is to identify potential
NGO partners through a competitive pre-selection process. Eligible organizations
will be included in WFP roster, but will NOT necessarily sign a Field Level
Agreement (FLA) and collaborate with WFP. The eligible NGOs who meet the
WFP requirements and who go into the roster will be invited at a later stage –
should WFP have a future scale-up and need to engage additional NGOs – to
participate in a competitive Call for Proposal (CFP/RFP) which may result in a
signature of a Field Level Agreement (FLA). Call for Proposals are regularly
launched on UNPP. The FLAs are partnership agreements that govern the
arrangements between WFP and the Cooperating Partner (CP), for the direct
implementation of food and cash assistance Programmes, setting forth the

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technical design, beneficiary targeting and selection, activity supervision, food
distribution and price monitoring.
WFP will assess, analyze, evaluate and score the prospective NGO capacity
assessment questionnaire and the relevant supporting documentation submitted
by applicants.
Eligible NGOs must meet pre-defined criteria for inclusion into the roster and will
undergo vetting and, capacity assessment (see section D). There shall be no
inclusion of any organization(s) in the roster after the closure of the EOI. Any
organization(s) that missed the EOI process timeframe shall wait until the next EOI
is launched. WFP Afghanistan will maintain an updated roster of potential CPs that
are eligible to be contracted, with details of key contact personnel, physical
addresses, thematic focus areas, geographical scope, and other information as
requested in the EOI.

C. WFP Anticipated Activities under the Country Strategic Plan:

General Food Assistance:

Providing unconditional, nutrition-sensitive food assistance to vulnerable people
in close collaboration with the food security and agriculture cluster, UNHCR, IOM
and all other relevant stakeholders. WFP will provide unconditional cash or in-kind
transfers using its corporate digital beneficiary and transfer management
platform, SCOPE, where possible. The approach will be nutrition-sensitive in at
least two respects: in-kind rations will provide a fortified, nutritionally balanced
food basket. Assistance will be provided in compliance with Inter-Agency Standing
Committee guidance on gender equality, protection and accountability to affected
populations, and will be adapted to the particular needs of women, men, girls and
boys, with consideration of persons with disabilities. The assistance will be
complemented by the Blanket Supplementary Feeding Programme which
provides specialized nutritious food to pregnant and breastfeeding women as well
as children who are at high risk of malnutrition. This combination aims to prevent
malnutrition from occurring in the first place.

Resilience and Food Systems:

Providing conditional, nutrition-sensitive and gender-transformative livelihood
support to vulnerable people. This will be In line with national strategies on
disaster risk reduction, climate change adaptation and support to returnees, and
in collaboration with other United Nations agencies such as FAO, IOM, UNDP and
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), WFP will provide food or cash-

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based transfers (CBTs) that are conditional on recipients’ participation in
livelihood activities. The transfers will be nutrition-sensitive, and the food rations
will be fortified and nutritionally balanced.
Consulted with communities, tailored to different situations and selected on the
basis of relevant analyses, activities may include building community assets such
as check dams, water reservoirs, canals, tree plantations; training on livelihood
skills and smallholder agriculture support. WFP will also explore possible
innovative approaches such as climate information services and weather index
insurance that will help further inform the choice of activities.

School Feeding:
Providing nutritious snacks, cash-based transfers and take-home rations aimed at
improving food security and nutrition among school-aged children. The activity
will help increase the enrolment rate, decrease the dropout and enhance learning
outcomes. The intervention will not only contribute to the educational outcomes,
it will also support local production and economy through sourcing locally
produced fortified snacks.

Nutrition Intervention:
Providing specialized nutritious food that is fortified and balanced to meet the
dietary needs of malnourished pregnant and breastfeeding women and children
under the age of 5 years through the Targeted Supplementary Feeding
Programme. The intervention is aimed at preventing and treating malnutrition
among the stated group, improving health outcomes through the well-being of
mothers and children.

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D. Eligibility of Potential Prospective NGO Partners:
Upon closure of the Call for Expression of Interest, WFP will assess, evaluate and
score the NGOs’ applications, based on a capacity assessment and due diligence
scoring list. NGOs eligible as Low-Risk Partner will be included in the WFP
Afghanistan Partnership roster as a WFP prospective partner that will be
contacted to submit a proposal and a budget upon launching a competitive Call
For Proposals – should WFP expand its operation and need to engage additional
partners in the future.

Minimum Corporate Requirement for Reviewing the Application

• The NGO must be registered on the UN Partner Portal and have a complete
profile.
• The NGO must be legally registered as a non-governmental, non-profit, non-
political organization in the country.
• The mandate and mission of the NGO are aligned with those of the United
Nations.
• The NGO must have mechanisms to combat fraud and corruption, prevent
sexual exploitation and abuse, and safeguard beneficiaries. Prospective
NGO needs to carry out its obligations in accordance with the principles of
humanitarian protection set forth in WFP Protection and Accountability
Policy. The NGO must document these mechanisms (e.g., code of conduct or
organizational policies).
• Prospective NGO should, at minimum, have a policy/mechanism in place
clarifying organizational stand to protect beneficiaries and staff members
from any misconducts (sexual abuse, sexual exploitation and sexual
harassment).
• Prospective NGO should have mechanisms to prevent discrimination against
any person on the basis of race, community, sex, language, disabilities or
religion.
• The NGO should not have any risk-related flags raised by another United
Nations agency.
• The NGO must have programmatic and relevant experience (Not Less Than
Three Years) to implement the activities in a professional manner,
consistent with applicable industry standards and a proven track record in
the geographical area of implementation.

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 • The NGO must have the capacity and experience in project and financial
management to comply with WFP’s financial and programmatic reporting
requirements.
• The NGO must have the capacity to manage, store and distribute any
beneficiary entitlements responsibly.
• The NGO should be an active participant in relevant established coordination
mechanisms for an operation (Clusters, or any separate NGO coordinating
body).
• The NGO should have a track record in working with communities and
community-based organizations such as Organizations of Persons with
Disabilities (OPDs) 1.

Main Criteria for Consideration of the Application for Roster

Registration and legislative Framework: Having a complete profile through

UNPP (10 Marks).
Regional Presence: Having a geographical presence in the provinces/region
selected for partnership (30 Marks).
Sectoral Expertise and Experience: Having a minimum of 3 Years Relevant
Experience in implementing Humanitarian and Development interventions (40
Marks)
Collaboration with UN Agencies: Having proven experience of partnering with
UN agencies in the last five years (20 Marks)

E. Review Process and Timeline

The Call for Expression of Interest will be open on the United Nations Partner
Portal (UNPP) from 15th October 2024 until 30th of October 2024, COB (two
weeks). WFP will assess and evaluate the submissions in line with the criteria
indicated below and based on the completeness and quality of the submitted
documents – starting 31th October with the qualified NGOs to be notified for the
physical capacity assessment and visit of their offices in November 2024 and
beyond.

1
As per UNDIS guidelines - Organizations of persons with disabilities (OPDs) are non-governmental organizations
led, directed, and governed by persons with disabilities, who should compose a clear majority of their
membership

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For further information or queries, please email: [email protected]
Please send all your questions before the 22nd of October 2024 COB. A Q&A
session will be organized by WFP on the 24th of October for NGOs who have
raised questions.

F. How to prepare and submit your Expression of Interest:

Organizations that wish to participate in the Call for Expression of Interest are
requested to submit their application in English on the UN Partner Portal before
30th of October (midnight, Afghanistan time). NGOs are required to be
registered and have a completed profile on the UN Partner Portal to be able to
apply and follow the steps below:
• Carefully review the TOR and Prospective Partner Assessment Form.
• Properly fill out the Prospective Partner Assessment Form.
• Prepare a package of the attachment listed in the TOR and Prospective
Assessment form. Note: Each document or set of documents within the
package should be properly organized, and named to be easily identified
for review. Failure to submit a complete, comprehensive and
comprehendible package will lead to the disqualification of your
application.
• Add both 1) a filled version of the Prospective Assessment form and 2) all
of the supporting documents into a single ZIP file, as multiple documents
couldn’t be attached to the UN Partner Portal while submitting your
application.
• Name your ZIP file using the acronym of your organization plus the region
that you are applying for. For Example: ‘ABC_Application for Kabul’, or
‘BBDO_ Application for Kandahar’, or ‘ZPDO_Application for Faizabad’ or
‘NOPA_Application for Hirat’.
• Please note that an NGO can only apply for one region or a maximum of
two regions where they should preferably have a geographical presence.
• WFP will not accept incomplete or delayed submissions beyond the
deadline.
• Successful NGOs will be notified for a physical capacity assessment and a
visit to their offices in November 2024 and beyond.

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G. Disclaimer and Clarifications:
• All applications received will be treated as strictly confidential and will not
be made available to the public.
• This expression of interest is not a call for proposal to lead to the signature
of a formal agreement between WFP and the applying organization.
• This invitation does not bind the United Nations World Food Programme to
issue any agreement or contract to the organizations who express their
interests.
• This request for expression of interest does not constitute a solicitation.
WFP reserves the right to change or cancel this NGO pre-selection process
or any of its requirements at any time during and after the process.
• WFP reserves the right to remove – both during the process and after the
process – the prospective NGO name from the roster due to reasons that
violate the pre-conditions set under Section D, or should its commitment
to the UN interagency risk management come into question due to any
risks that the prospective/rostered NGO poses.
• The roster will only be valid until the end of 2026 and it will be renewed –
following a fresh capacity assessment and launch of expression of interest
for which both new NGOs as well as those on the roster can apply to go
through a competitive process for reconsideration to the roster.
• Should you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact WFP at
[email protected]

Below is the list of all documentation that should be uploaded as a package on

the UNPP by the interested organizations:

1. A complete assessment form; please refer to Annex 1 – Prospective Partner

Assessment Form.
2. The certificate of registration for the organization that is valid until at least
the end of 2026.
3. Profile of the Organization
4. The Organization's Strategic Plan.
5. List of the projects, partners, values, project completion reports and
references with corporate email addresses.
6. The organization’s latest Internal and external audit reports for the past two
years.

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7. The organization’s gender and protection, code of conduct, anti-fraud,
anti-corruption, child protection and protection from sexual exploitation
and abuse (PSEA) guidelines/policies
8. The organization’s bank account Letter.
9. The organization’s internal staffing, Human Resources, and financial policies;
10. The Organigram (based on the template provided by the interested
organization): applicants should provide the organization’s organigram and
highlight the positions and roles that will contribute to the proposed projects.
11. Organization/Entity Governing Bodies – board of directors.
12. The Procurement manual of the organization including all internal policies
and procedures (based on the template provided by the interested
organization).
13. The Monitoring & Evaluation manuals and guidelines.
14. Recommendation letters or references from partners and fund providers.
15. Complaint and Feedback Mechanism Standard Operating Procedures.

List of Annexes:
Annex 1. Prospective Partner Assessment Form

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