In accordance with the Status of Evaluation Committee for Development Cooperation Projects and with regard to the specific conditions of projects within the framework of the Debt Resettlement with the Kingdom of Cambodia the Evaluation Committee has evaluated the submitted proposals. Three proposals were submitted till the end of the deadline, 22^nd May 2015. The Evaluation Committee recommended the proposal submitted by Czech University of Life Sciences/ČZU for implementation with several objections/recommendations and the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic for Bilateral Non-European Cooperation, Economic Diplomacy and International Economic Institutions issued the final approval.

 

Applicants	Requested Budget (USD)	Approved Budget (USD)
Czech University of Life Sciences/ČZU	278,000	278,000
People in Need/Člověk v tísni	280,000	0
Věda  a technika na dosah/Science and Technology Within Reach	244,120	0

 

CALL FOR PROPOSALS

Enhancement of Technical Education in Cambodia

funded by the Government of the Czech Republic

within the framework of the Debt Resettlement with the Kingdom of Cambodia.

Background Information:

This call is based on the Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Economy and Finance of the Kingdom of Cambodia and the Ministry of Finance of the Czech Republic on Debt Resettlement signed on May 12, 2008 and following negotiations held between the Czech Republic and the Kingdom of Cambodia on the mutual collaboration in the education sector.

On the basis of the Rectangular Strategy and Education Strategy Plan 2014-2018 the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS) has identified a number of challenges facing the education sector. One of them is the quality of education that has declined at all levels and professional training does not correspond to the need of the development of the country. The second challenge is low level of youth’s skills. Investors are not able to find sufficient numbers of skilled workers while the university graduates cannot find employments due to the mismatch between their professions and the market needs. In Cambodia, the low skills of workers are the cause of their low salaries.

Nowadays there are only three secondary schools providing technical education in Cambodia. One of them is the King Norodom Sihamoni General and Technical High School in Aur Russei Commune (Kompong Chhnang Province). In academic year 2014/15 there are 1 174 students attending Grade 7 – Grade 12 and 89 teachers (20 female and 76 male) providing education. Only 9 teachers have the qualification for teaching technical subjects – agriculture and electricity. Classrooms and administration building are well furnished. The equipment for technical laboratories of electricity subject has been already bought and school is now waiting for approval for the installation. There is a lack of facilities for practical agronomy and animal husbandry. The use of vegetable and fruit gardens is limited due to the insufficient resource of water. Heavy burden for school budget is high price of electricity. There are insufficient funds for teachers to attend trainings and seminars organized by MoEYS in Phnom Penh. 

Project Objectives:

The general objective of the project is improvement of technical education in Cambodia.

The specific objectives of the project are:

1. strengthen the capacity of technical teachers;

2. enhance the practical education of technical subjects (including technical assistance);

3. raise awareness of lower secondary students and increase their interest in studying technical subjects;

4. ensure the electric and water self-sufficiency

of the King Norodom Sihamoni General and Technical High School in Aur Russei Commune (Kompong Chhnang Province).

Available Funding:

The total amount of funds for this project is a maximum of USD 280,000. This is the maximum possible price that cannot be exceeded. There is no minimum or maximum percentage of cost sharing required. However, the Embassy of the Czech Republic encourages cost sharing, in-kind contributions, and other forms of cost participation. When cost sharing is offered, it is understood and agreed that the applicant must provide the amount of cost sharing as stipulated in its proposal and later included in an approved Contract.

Expected Duration of Project:

The project shall be completed within 18 months after the date of signature of the Contract.

Who Is Eligible to Submit a Proposal:

• Local and Czech non-governmental, community and not-for-profit organizations working in the education sector;
• Local and Czech universities and institutes working in the education sector;
• International, intergovernmental, multilateral and regional institutions, organizations and agencies working in the education sector.

Expected Activities:

Proposals must include the following activities/key outputs:

1. Trainings for technical teachers;

2. Provision of practical educational materials on technical subjects;

3. Awareness and promotional campaign about technical subjects among lower secondary students;

4. Development of school farm (fruit and vegetable garden/pond/animal husbandry etc.);

5. Introduction of new methods of agriculture products processing;

6. Installation of fully functioning solar system;

7. Ensure water resource (well).

The applicants are encouraged to broaden the list of activities/ key outputs according to their capabilities and working experience. To increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the Project, the applicants are requested to coordinate the activities with the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), that has been providing the technical assistance to the King Norodom Sihamoni General and Technical High School.

The successful applicant shall discuss all matters related to the Project with the director (or delegated representative) of the King Norodom Sihamoni General and Technical High School, with the Department of Vocational Orientation (MoEYS) and with the Provincial Department for Education in Kompong Chnang.

Eligible Costs: 

The Embassy of the Czech Republic can cover costs that are integral to the Project covered by an approved Contract. The Embassy of the Czech Republic cannot pay for operating costs or ongoing expenses of an implementing organization (i.e. salaries, utilities, rent, etc.). The following list of costs indicates the range of costs that are eligible:

• administrative and overhead costs related to the project;
• capital and/or operating expenditures related to the lease and/or purchase and/or building of infrastructure;
• installation, maintenance, shipping and/or transportation costs, including fuel, computers and communication devices;
• costs of services received by recipients;
• outreach, communication and information dissemination costs,
• legal costs;
• accounting costs;
• facilities and equipment rental charges;
• salary costs relating to the project (not to the implementing organization);
• travel expenses, using lowest fares possible but not exceeding full fare economy class;
• lease or rental of vehicles;
• vehicle and equipment operation, installation and/or maintenance;
• miscellaneous expenses integral to the project.

The following costs are not eligible:

• core funding or recurrent costs of an implementing organization,
• expenses incurred prior to the signing of the Contract.

The total costs shall include all taxes (VAT) and other fees (custom fees), if applicable.

Proposal Evaluation Method

Project proposals will be evaluated using the following partial criteria:           

Criteria	Maximum points (100)
Formal requirements of the project proposal	5
Extent to which the project proposal is consistent with the intended impacts	5
Total costs, percentage of eventual cost sharing and eligibility and percentage of personal and administrative costs	50
Previous experience of a submitting organization in the field of education and development assistance and its capacity to implement the project, namely in Cambodia	15
Project management (professional capacity and previous experience in the field of education and development assistance of the key project staff)	15
Potential to establish and maintain relations and good cooperation environment with local authorities)	10

Project proposals will be evaluated by the Evaluation Committee consisting of one representative of the following institutions:

• Embassy of the Czech Republic in Phnom Penh;

• Czech Development Agency;

• Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, Department of Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid;

• Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport of the Kingdom of Cambodia, Department of Vocational Orientation;

• Independent expert acquainted with Cambodia environment.

Final approval of the project proposal will be made by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic.

Process to Submit a Proposal:

• All proposals must contain:

1) Proposal Form (DOC, 84 KB);

2) Budget Proposal Form (XLS, 41 KB);

3) Proof of the applicant’s legal capacity;

4) Resumes or CVs of the primary (key) project implementing staff (project manager, technical or administrative staff etc.);

5) List of previous projects successfully completed in the education sector in Cambodia or elsewhere.

Only those proposals using the attached Forms and containing all above mentioned items will be considered.

• Proposals and attachments must be submitted in English.
• Proposals shall be submitted in both paper and soft copy to:

Embassy of the Czech Republic

The ICON Professional Building (5th floor)

216 Norodom Boulevard

Tonle Bassac, Chamkarmon

Phnom Penh.

E-mail: phnompenh@embassy.mzv.cz 

• Deadline for submission is May 22, 2015. 
• Only the successful candidates will be contacted, not later than June 15, 2015.

For advice and assistance on how to make a submission, please contact:

Ms. Sokun Theary Duong

Development Cooperation Coordinator

Embassy of the Czech Republic

E-mail: theary_duong@mzv.cz

Telephone: 023 726 623