CALL FOR PROPOSALS - Lot 1 Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) advocacy and policy dialogue with Sub-National Governments to support the inclusive and climate resilient implementation of national programmes for WASH and IWRM

CALL FOR PROPOSALS - Lot 1

Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) advocacy and policy dialogue with Sub-National Governments to support the inclusive and climate resilient implementation of national programmes for WASH and IWRM

Issued by: SNV Zambia

Application Deadline: 20 May 2026

Funding Available per CSO under Lot 1: ZMW 700.000

Total Funding Available for Lot 1: ZMW 700,000

Eligible CSOs: any national CSO current or prospect member of the NGO WASH Forum

Eligible areas: any, within Zambia

Implementation Period: 12 Months(6 July 2026 to 5 July 2027)

Background and Context

SNV, in partnership with the NGO WASH Forum, and funding from the European Union (EU) is pleased to announce a call for proposals for Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) that are current or prospective members of the NGO WASH Forum to implement projects aimed at raising the awareness the communities as Rights’ Holders, and advocating and mobilising Local Governments to accelerate the achievement of the Human Right to Water and Sanitation and the Human Right to a Clean, Healthy and Sustainable Environment in Zambia.

This call for proposals seeks to support the key national priorities such as those stated in the 8^th National Development Plan for Water and Sanitation and the international commitments expressed in the Sustainable Development Goals. Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI), and climate change adaptation and mitigation are key in these priorities, and this call seeks to address them accordingly.

National Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) and Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) development plans, policies and guidelines provide a robust framework for sustainable and inclusive development, but their successful implementation requires strong collaboration between local governments, CSOs, and communities. CSOs play a critical role in bridging gaps, advocating for inclusive WASH and IWRM policies, addressing climate change challenges, and ensuring that the voices of marginalized groups, including women, youth, and vulnerable populations, are heard in decision-making processes.

This call for proposals invites current and prospective national CSOs members of the Zambia NGO WASH Forum, to design and implement innovative, context-specific, local level interventions that strengthen policy dialogue, enhance governance and communities participation, and promote a more inclusive, climate resilient and effective implementation of WASH and IWRM development plans in their constituencies.

Objectives of the Call for Proposal

1. Strengthen Policy Dialogue: improve dialogue between CSOs, local government, communities and other stakeholders to address WASH and IWRM development challenges; and increase the ownership, responsiveness and accountability of the Local Government as the Duty Bearer of the Human Right to Water and Sanitation
2. Enhance Implementation of Development Plans: Support the effective implementation of national WASH and IWRM development plans, increasing their effectiveness, outreach, climate resilience, local participation and ownership, and inclusion of vulnerable groups
3. Promote Inclusive Governance: Ensure that marginalized groups, including women, youth, and people with disabilities, are actively engaged in WASH and IWRM policymaking and implementation processes.
4. Foster Innovation and Collaboration: Encourage innovative approaches and partnerships that leverage local knowledge, resources, and expertise to achieve sustainable WASH and IWRM development outcomes.

Thematic Priorities

The proposal should align with at least one of the following thematic priorities:

1. Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), in view of national development plans, targets and policies and international commitments under the Sustainable development Goals. Specific focus issues can cover any of the following (the list is not exhaustive): WASH in institutions, Rural WASH, Urban WASH, MHM, hygiene behaviour promotion, constituency budget allocations for WASH, operation and maintenance of WASH facilities, climate resilient WASH. 
2. Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM), in view of national development plans, targets and policies and international commitments under the Sustainable development Goals. Specific focus issues can cover any of the following (the list is not exhaustive): water security, protection and rehabilitation of water sources, nature based solutions, water harvesting, prevention of domestic or industrial pollution, rational management of water sources in view of different uses and user groups; constituency budget allocations for IWRM; cultural, social and communal value of water sources

Regardless of the thematic priority, the proposal must address:

1. Inclusion of vulnerable groups, namely women and girls, people with disabilities, and other groups that are lagging in the realization of their Human Right to Water and Sanitation and the Human Right to a Clean, Healthy and Sustainable Environment
2. Climate Change: increased focus on climate adaptation and mitigation measures, ecosystem-based adaptation, and Nature-based Solutions approaches to strengthen water security and resilience to droughts and floods. Ensuring that these measures are included in the policies and plans, promoting sustainable resource management, and building resilience to climate-related risks in WASH and IWRM.

Eligibility Criteria

1. Eligible Applicants:

• Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), who are current (paid up) members of the Zambia NGO WASH Forum or that submitted a formal request to join the Forum before December 31^st 2025

1. Eligible Activities:

• Evidence based advocacy activities targeting Provincial and Local Governments for increased support and investment to advance the realization of the Human Right to Water and Sanitation, and the Human Right to a Clean, Healthy and Sustainable Environment
• Policy dialogues between CSOs, community representatives, traditional establishment and Local Governments, lobbying for increased ownership, responsiveness and accountability of Government Authorities as Duty Bearers of the Human Right to Water and Sanitation
• Community consultation initiatives to gather input and feedback on WASH and IWRM status, GESI and climate change challenges and/or views on development plans.
• Community awareness and capacity building initiatives that increase people’s understanding as Rights’ Holders of the Human Right to Water and to a Clean, Healthy and Sustainable environment, and their ability to demand and contribute to safe, sustainable and inclusive access to WASH services and Water Resources Management
• Activities demonstrating innovative approaches to support Government Authorities and local communities to collaboratively address WASH and IWRM development challenges with increased attention to Inclusion of vulnerable groups and Climate Change
• Monitoring, evaluation and learning of WASH and IWRM development plans implementation.

1. Eligible Costs

• Direct costs including (salaries, travel costs, activity implementation costs, relevant operational costs)

1. Co-Funding Requirements:

• A 2% in-kind co-financing against the total budget, (ZMW700,000) equal to ZMW14,000 represented as staff time, office costs, equipment

Application Process

1. Full Proposal Development: Interested and eligible CSOs are invited to submit a full proposal using the template is provided in Annex 1, below
2. Applications must be submitted electronically to zambiaprocurement@snv.org by 20 May 2026, no later than 23.59, Zambia time. Title of the e-mail must read “Lot 1 - Water Voices United CSO Call for Proposals 2026”

Conditions for the exclusion of applicants

      i.         Proposals submitted by ineligible applicants will not be considered

     ii.         Incomplete proposals will not be considered

    iii.         Proposals received after the deadline will not be considered

    iv.         Proposals submitted by any other means other than via mail to zambiaprocurement@snv.org will not be considered

     v.         The applicant may not submit more than one application per lot under this call for proposals. This will lead to the exclusion of the applicant  

    vi.         The applicant may not submit an application to both lots (1 and 2) under this call for proposals. This will lead to the exclusion of the applicant  

  vii.       SNV reserves the right to not to award any applicant

Evaluation Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated against the following set of criteria:

Evaluation criteria

Maximum score

1.

Past Performance – Quality and relevance of previous work conducted by the CSO in the same targeted area within the last 5 years

10

2.

Relevance – the extent to which the proposal addresses WASH and/or IWRM needs of the targeted areas, as backed by evidence

25

3.

Alignment – the extent to which the proposal responds to the objectives and specific thematic priorities of the call, including the mandatory ones on GESI and climate change

20

4.

Intervention Logic: the extent to which the proposed activities (and related methodologies, approaches or mechanism) logically lead to the achievement of the planned outputs, and how measurable are these

20

5.

Added value: to what extent the added value elements are addressed and clearly articulated in relation to the proposal 

5

6

Financial Proposal: the extent to which the financial proposal relates to the activities, the logic of the proposed costs and clarity of cost breakdown

20

Maximum score/total

100

Key Dates

• Launch of Call for Proposals: 20 April 2026
• Submission of questions (to dngoma@snv.org and mcarreiro@snv.org): 30 April 2026
• Collective response to all questions: 4 May 2026
• Deadline for Full Proposal Submission: 20 May 2026
• Notification of Successful Applicants: 12 June 2026
• Project Implementation Start Date: 6 July 2026
• Project Implementation End Date: 5 July 2027

Annex 1: Proposal Template for the Call for Proposals: Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) advocacy and policy dialogue with Sub-National Governments to support the inclusive and climate resilient implementation of national programmes for WASH and IWRM

MAXIMUM 8 PAGES EXCLUDING BUDGET

Lot: [indicate Lot 1 OR Lot 2]

Submitted by: [Name of CSO]

Contact Information: [Name, Position, Email, Phone Number]

Proposed area of intervention: [Geographic]

Proposed Thematic Priority: [WASH and/or IWRM]

·     Executive Summary

• Name of Organization:
• Project Title:
• Location:
• Duration:
• Summary of the proposal: (in 250 words, max)
• Total Budget requested:

1.   Organization Profile

• Registration Details: (Include registration number and date.)
• Date of membership to the NGO WASH Forum (or date of submission of request):
• Mission and Vision:
• Key Areas of Expertise:  
• Past performance: (Describe relevant projects and achievements up to 3, emphasizing ability to voice and respond to the needs of supported communities)

2.   Relevance: Problem Statement and Justification

• Context and Challenges: (Provide an analysis of the issues the project aims to address, including specific challenges related to GESI and climate change.)
• Stakeholders Affected: (Identify the groups or institutions impacted by these challenges.)

3.   Alignment: Project Objectives

·     Overall Objective: (Align with the broader goals of the call for proposals.)

·     Specific Objectives: (List 2-3 measurable objectives the project aims to achieve.)

·     Alignment with National Development Plans and International Goals: (Explain how the project aligns with WASH and IWRM national and Global priorities)

4.  Methodology & Logic: Proposed Activities and how they will contribute to specific objectives

·     Activity 1: [Description, timeline, and expected output with measurable indicators]

·     Activity 2: [Description, timeline, and expected output with measurable indicators]

·     Activity 3: [Description, timeline, and expected output with measurable indicators]

·     Add as many activities as relevant

5.  Added Value

·       Innovative Approaches: (Describe how the project introduces new or improved approaches to address the challenges.)

·       Learning Agenda: (describe what the CSO intends to learn through the project)

·       Risk Assessment and Mitigation: (Identify risks that could affect project implementation, such as political, financial, or operational challenges and how these will be managed.)

6.      Budget and Financial Plan

• Total Project Cost: [Insert Amount]
• Amount requested: [Insert Amount]
• Detail of co-contribution (in kind): detail the quantified contribution of the CSO to the project
• Detailed Budget Breakdown: (Provide a line-item budget, including personnel, activities, materials, travel, overheads, etc.)
• Budget Justification: (Explain the rationale for the budget allocations in relation to the proposed activities.)

7.      Mandatory Annexes (lack of submission will lead to the proposal being deemed incomplete)

• Annex 1: Proof of Registration
• Annex 2: TPIN
• Annex 3: Proof of Membership of the NGO WASH Forum or proof of submission of request for admission
• Annex 4: Valid ZRA tax clearance certificate

Template Instructions:

·       Please use the application template as provided above

·       Ensure the document is clear, concise, and within strictly 8 pages, excluding budget

·       Please submit to zambiaprocurement@snv.org by 20 May 2026, no later than 23.59, Zambia time. Title of the e-mail must read “Lot 1 - Water Voices United CSO Call for Proposals 2026”