Offered services justification
The rationale of all services is cost minimization at all levels. We are offering you a cost effective system. Normally complete department with permanent staff members are required. However, we offer you, same services at reduced costs because of our special assignment based working. Hence, reducing costs without compromising performance
1. What are the main directions of the foundation? Please give a preview.
Main concepts are always tweaked as per interest of different donor/partner organizations. But the core concept remains same. We can develop many concepts and programs on the core concept.
Main directions
Hence, the initial project can comprise following details for which we request for support in shape of grants / funds:
i) Further processing, extension, replication and/or value addition.
ii) R & D on the successful and sustainable products and projects.
iii) Transfer of successful and sustainable practices.
iv) Marketing linkage especially with export market and replacement with imports.
v) Training and Promoting activities to establish and sustain such activities.
vi) Supply chain enhancement for regular market inputs
vii) Application and replication of same project/s in other areas and direct applicant party or facilitator or consultant.
viii) Application and acceptance of any relevant project/s or relevant development projects of same or relevant communities.
ix) Invitation for investors to make it profitable industry and department to guide local and foreigner investors
x) Involvement of government and shelter of government sector. We can also develop Public Private Partnership for the subject.
Note:
We need to get prequalification of organization and project both. So, we must apply and get ready to welcome the offered projects from donor/partner side if they are relevant with our systems and operations. At the same time, we have strong marketing activities for our own designed projects.
2. What about foreign trips?
a. What does that mean?
b. Who will be sponsoring them?
Social sector community has very close ties and they works on close interaction by conferences, seminars and workshops etc.
Normally these events are managed in the homeland of the donor agencies.
Offered terms to attend these events
a. If we are partner or potential/expected partner for a donor agency. It provides all expenses e.g. travelling, residence and daily expenses of the events.
b. We can be offered to attend any of these agencies’ activities by paying full cost of the event.
c. We can adjust the package by partial payment of the package.
3. Time frame or timelines of funding.
We can reply this query after first completion of the homework and presentation to some agencies. Normally, it can be possible within six months. (Two Quarter)
Another important point, we need to understand for social business that
a. Approximately all of main stakeholders of our corporate business class are using the same mechanism of social business and investment of social investors.
b. It is marketing of a social entity. A complete company have all features and working like a corporate company. It has successful examples in Pakistan and third world countries.
4. Bench Marks of such project
i. Own developed pilot project
ii. Must be innovative
iii. Can be productive and beneficial for economy, employment and local community
iv. Acceptable in social and moral modalities
v. Have no contradiction or suspects for environment, UN policies and narcotics
vi. Replicable/extendable in the same and other areas
vii. Must be 10% to 25% of applied funding (in shape of asset or finance)
viii. Have some registered and qualified legal platform
5. Explain what it means about facilitators, concept writers, technical members etc. Please elaborate who are they, the role and contribution etc.
I have already explained that we will arrange all facilitations on assignment bases in spite of permanent staff.
We need to frame many assignments e.g. Technical concepts and proposals of the project which has these segments;
a. History and actualities of the project and organization
b. Project technical aspects and endorsement by some qualified persons
c. Concept building as per the requirements and priorities of donors
d. Operational manuals and policies
e. Features designing of organization and programs as per the policies and requirements from donor agencies as pre-qualification criteria
f. Presentation and marketing
g. Follow ups
All of these activities required senior management persons from project fields, financial and operational management persons etc. We use free lancers and in job persons for the purpose. Normally, these persons are exiting staff members of donor/partner offices or senior management of different NGOs and Charter Accountancy Firms. Event management and marketing experts etc.
6. What type of funds we expect to get?
a. Grants – will these be in form of machinery or cash etc.
b. As we are not interested in either loans or Islamic loans what are the other options?
Every donor agency has its own policy for funding. The basic directions are these
a. Some specific agencies are providing only matching grants for machines especially agricultural machines and industrial units like ASF (Agriculture support Fund), JICA etc.
b. Some are offering only donation e.g. USAID, AUSAID etc.
c. Some are providing other facilities with credit lines like PPAF, UKAID etc.
d. Some entities offering business terms like ASF and Acumen Fund. A business partnership at local and international level even for export purpose.
Note:
It is not essential for us to accept the package as a hole and there is a few entities are offering complete offers for funding. In general, we make a complete acceptable package by different donors/partners.
7. Elaborate in detail the steps required for acquiring funds from donors.
It is explained in delivered memo under the heading of technical services
8. Kindly add performance guarantees for achievement of above. (What assurances and guarantee will be provided by you for attainment of funds from donor)
This query has these aspects for more explain
Part 01, performance guarantees for achievement
Performance indicators are measurable and controllable by the organization
Registrations, technical materials (virtual properties and marketing materials and team are measurable elements and these are directly adjustable with timeline and frames.
But it is directly interlink with these elements
a. Cooperation and information sharing from the management of the organization
b. Government laws, policies and working environment of the country
Part 02, what assurances and guarantee will be provided by you for attainment of funds from donor?
In marketing of our project, it has these basics which are making milestones
a. Available donor agencies are funding relevant projects and a history in Pakistan for the relevant projects.
b. We are targeting maximum fields and not for any specific agency and we have proposed this complete, complicated and comprehensive system which can also be a challenge for us.
c. It is the most suitable time in Pakistan for these types of projects.
The risks and mitigations
a. Unfortunately, all rights for acceptance or rejection of the project finally have the donor agency and we cannot challenge their decisions.
b. Sometimes, we design some good projects but the policies or priorities of the donors can be changed.
c. The urgent issues are more preferable for these agencies. The situation was apparent in earthquake and flood disaster times. At that time, all regular projects were stopped and all agencies were busy for the relief and rescue activities of deprived communities.
d. Foreign relations of Pakistan with particular country (of the donor agency) also have affects for their decisions and policies.
Risk Mitigation
Normally we use a practice of maximum agencies’ liaison and get strategic information about the future policies of these agencies. We always try to not focus on one or some agency/s but maximum for the protection of the project/s.
9. Are we able to provide you exact timeline for the project/s funding?
We have a plan to introduce our working as a social business organization with a background and goodwill of the foundation and its success. Currently more than 80% of local corporate bodies are already converted in this status and 100% international corporate players are using this mechanism. So, there is no second opinion, it is inevitable reality in business if we want to survive. The future business mechanism is integrated with this mechanism.
We have no confusion for funding in this line but there are some risks from the donor side which I have mentioned above. Normally, in one quarter (three months) is the time for proposal shortlisting and appraisals and next quarter for MoUs and funding.
Risks from our sides and mitigation
a. This is not a project like construction or vender activity for tangible measurements. We can develop a model/service and offer for buyers (donors/Partners). Now, it is their decisions for collaboration for refusal. To mitigate this situation by creating maximum options and we can create options as many as we can for suitable and interested clients for our model. This is the most important surety for acceptance of our project.
b. Mistakes and miscalculations can also be possible from the side of the management of the organization in case of legal matters, registrations and financial audits and appraisals. To satisfactory replies of the queries of the donor/partners etc. But it must be teamwork for both of us and we have patience and multi-dimensional planning for our subjects. This is important to avoid the loss of both entities.
c. The most important guarantee from us is the closing of the cost from the organization after six months. The only cost will be the travelling, documentation and correspondence in marketing till the successful achievement of some project/s.
d. Total costs for the systems and setups are less than 01% as per the existing and past history of the projects which can be a good reason for initiative for the subject.
10. A payment schedule to be given that commensurate with reaching milestones, or achievement of targets.
All targets are mentioned and delivered including complete action plan in the draft. Action plan will be executed in parallel in directions. One department will work for past track of financial and text history of the organization and the second for technical materials. Third one in marketing by test marketing and regular marketing activities.
In case of payment, this modality can be followed
a. Payment can be assignment bases. The second payment shell be issued after the completion and evidence of first assignment for every department.
b. Legal and registration related fees, travelling, advances shell be paid and get immediate evidences of payment or organization can pay these costs by their own management to the concern departments and authorities.
c. For travelling, correspondence and communication, we will follow the policies of the organization.
11. What is the justification for these costs for establishment of systems?
a. We are technical body of our sector. We have past tracks for guidance and completion of these technical requirements which reduces our cost and time for standard working.
b. We have reduced the cost for establishment of the marketing department. We will handle this unit by marketing associates with incentives and cost for their working. Normally marketing consume more than a million in a moth for message, proposal delivery and follow ups. We claim very low with a commitment for complete or maximum approach to the market as we are not trying to save our job like a staff member but to achieve funding and grants. Our incentive is tied with the successful achievement of grants or funding.
c. All payments are directly related with virtual properties on activity bases. No accumulated payments are claimed here.
d. We are not in a position to earn from all of the technical working or marketing but the benefit for both agencies can only be possible after some funds allocation for our project.
e. Working of NGO as a social business, corporate player and development partner is the most successful practices in social sector. It can earn and create goodwill at corporate level and it is always beneficial for support of society and system both. It can be eligible for many of Public Private Partnership, social responsibility projects and a good source for community related projects from national and international research institutes and good consumption of tax exempted amounts.