Two‑Stage Quality Assessment (QA)
1) Pre‑Award QA (before submitting the proposal)
Goal: maximize clarity, coherence, fundability, and compliance before you hit “Submit.”
What we review (core):
- Donor fit & eligibility: priorities, geography, population, amounts, criteria.
- Technical coherence: problem → ToC → results → activities (no “magic jumps”).
- MEL / logframe: SMART indicators, targets, workable MoV.
- Budget + budget narrative: activity↔cost traceability, unit costs, indirects, allowable cost categories.
- Formal compliance: annexes, signatures, limits, format, file naming, consistency across documents.
- Final edit (ES/PT/EN): clarity, “donor‑speak” tone, consistency.
Deliverables (proof of QA):
- Signed compliance checklist + final annex list
- Criteria alignment matrix + recommended “angle” (framing)
- Prioritized fix list (what to change, why, where)
- (If needed) targeted adjustments to ToC/MEL/budget
Pre-Award QA
Donor alignment
1) Donor alignment (fit/eligibility/focus)
- We check: donor priorities, geography, eligible population, amount/duration, evaluation criteria.
- We refine: criteria→response mapping, intro/summary to match donor priorities, scope to fit the call.
- We deliver: Criteria Alignment Matrix + Go/No‑Go Eligibility + recommended angle/framing.
Problem clarity + evidence
2) Problem clarity + evidence
- We check: diagnosis, baseline, who is affected, causes, magnitude.
- We refine: 2–3 quantified problem messages + minimum viable evidence + causes vs. symptoms.
- We deliver: rewritten problem paragraph + citations + mini “problem tree” / cause–effect bullets.
Theory of Change (ToC)
3) Theory of Change (ToC) + assumptions
- We check: causal chain, critical assumptions, risks, external conditions, contribution logic.
- We refine: 1‑page ToC + 3–5 critical assumptions made explicit + donor‑aligned results language.
- We deliver: ToC (diagram + narrative) + assumptions list + mitigation.
Program design
4) Program design (activities + timeline)
- We check: activity‑to‑results coherence, sequencing, roles, milestones, operational feasibility.
- We refine: activities into work packages + realistic timeline (simple Gantt) + light RACI ownership.
- We deliver: timeline (table/Gantt) + deliverables by activity + roles/owners.
MEL
5) MEL (measurable indicators + verification)
- We check: SMART indicators, baseline/targets, MoV, frequency, responsibilities.
- We refine: indicators into measurable format + feasible MoV + operable MEL plan (who/when/how).
- We deliver: complete MEL matrix + prioritized indicator list (core vs. complementary).
Budget
6) Budget (coherence, allowability, proportionality)
- We check: traceability to activities, allowable cost categories, indirects, assumptions, unit costs.
- We refine: activity↔cost↔result mapping + normalized unit costs + indirects aligned to donor rules.
- We deliver: reviewed budget + budget narrative/notes + list of eliminated red flags.
Organizational capacity
7) Organizational capacity (track record + risks)
- We check: relevant experience, team, governance, partners, operational/financial capacity, institutional risks.
- We refine: capacity narrative with evidence + partner roles/advantages + risk matrix with mitigation.
- We deliver: strengthened capacity section + partner/roles matrix + institutional risk matrix.
Sustainability + scalability
8) Sustainability + scalability
- We check: post‑funding continuity, local ownership, cost model, institutionalization, replication.
- We refine: 2–3 concrete sustainability mechanisms + who absorbs costs + conditions to replicate/scale.
- We deliver: sustainability plan (action bullets) + scaling note (what/where/conditions).
Cross‑cutting approaches
9) Cross‑cutting approaches (gender, inclusion, safeguards)
- We check: real integration (not decorative), do‑no‑harm, safeguarding, accessibility.
- We refine: specific measures in activities + disaggregated indicators + minimum donor‑required safeguards.
- We deliver: updates reflected in ToC/logframe/MEL and budget + safeguards checklist.
Formal compliance
10) Formal compliance (annexes, format, limits)
- We check: required sections, annexes, signatures, format, page/word limits, file naming, cross‑document consistency.
- We refine: compliance checklist + cross‑checks (amounts/dates/names) + align to donor template + final pre‑submission QA gate.
- We deliver: QA‑signed compliance checklist + final annex list + consistency cross‑check
Post Award QA
Award compliance
1) Award compliance (terms, reporting, annexes)
- We check: agreement/amendments, reporting calendar, required format, mandatory annexes, key rules (costs, branding, subawards).
- We refine: 1‑page “what’s required and when” snapshot + per‑report compliance checklist (with links) + internal gate (“do not submit without X”).
- We deliver: Report Requirements Snapshot + signed compliance checklist + Award Docs vFinal folder.
Evidence traceability
2) Evidence traceability (outputs → evidence → report)
- We check: Evidence Map linking report claims and MoV by output/indicator to exact data‑room links.
- We refine: Evidence Map v1/vFinal with Open/Missing/Done status + evidence request tickets (owner/due date) + rule: “Done requires a link.”
- We deliver: updated Evidence Map + Evidence Requests (tickets) + evidence uploaded with standard naming.
MEL data quality
3) MEL data quality (indicators, MoV, definitions)
- We check: definitions/formulas, disaggregation, MoV, frequency, owners, dataset↔report consistency.
- We refine: indicators normalized into measurable format + MoV validation (what proves what) + quick data QA (counts/duplicates/ranges).
- We deliver: MEL matrix / QA indicator table + Data QA notes (findings + fixes).
Narrative ↔ MEL ↔ finance consistency
4) Narrative ↔ MEL ↔ finance consistency (cross‑check)
- We check: consistency of dates, figures, scope, # of beneficiaries, activities vs. expenses, outputs vs. indicators.
- We refine: cross‑consistency checklist + contradiction fix list (priority/owner/due date) + claims rewritten using verifiable data.
- We deliver: Consistency checklist + Fix list (owners/dates) + corrected section v1.0.
Finance: budget vs. actuals + variances
5) Finance: budget vs. actuals + variances (allowability)
- We check: ledger, period reconciliation, variance explanations, allowability rules, indirects/caps, FX/exchange rates.
- We refine: budget vs. actual reconciliation (by period) + variance template (1–2 sentences) + red‑flag list and corrections.
- We deliver: Budget vs. actual v1.0 + Variance explanation + linked supporting documents file.
Supporting documentation & procurement
6) Supporting documentation & procurement (audit trail)
- We check: per‑purchase file (selection, contract/PO, receipt/acceptance, payment), thresholds, competition evidence (if applicable).
- We refine: per‑purchase checklist (minimum 4 documents) + “Procurement files by purchase” structure + missing‑docs tickets.
- We deliver: Procurement file pack per purchase + completed procurement checklist.
Subawards/Subgrants/Partners
7) Subawards/Subgrants/Partners (if applicable)
- We check: agreements, deliverables calendar, partner reporting, minimum evidence, monitoring and corrective actions.
- We refine: minimum pack per period (doc + sheet + evidence) + defined handoffs (what/when/where) + partner‑specific CAP for recurring gaps.
- We deliver: Partner reporting pack + Handoffs table + monitoring evidence.
Change management
8) Change management (scope/timeline/budget) + approvals
- We check: change triage, change log, decision log, approvals, impact on outputs/reporting.
- We refine: deviations classified (formal vs. informal) + changes/decisions logged (one line + evidence) + Change Request drafted if needed.
- We deliver: Change log + Decision log + Approvals folder + Change Request (if applicable).
Issues/Risks + CAP
9) Issues/Risks + CAP (closed with evidence)
- We check: issue log, severity, corrective actions, owners/dates, closure evidence, weekly follow‑up.
- We refine: 30‑day CAP (5–12 actions) + weekly CAP tracker integrated into ops + rule: “closed = link.”
- We deliver: 30‑day CAP + CAP tracker (4 weeks) + linked closure evidence.
Safeguarding & cross cutting compliance
10) Safeguarding & cross‑cutting compliance (PSEA/safeguarding/Do‑No‑Harm)
- We check: evidence of trainings/complaints, incident reporting (if applicable), mitigation measures, donor requirements.
- We refine: safeguards checklist + minimum evidence per period (logs, focal point, materials) + report integration (verifiable claims only).
- We deliver: Safeguarding checklist + folder with minimum evidence + naming.
Data room, naming/versioning
11) Data room, naming/versioning & “single source of truth”
- We check: structure, folder owners, single vFinal, clear paths, version control for submitted reports.
- We refine: standard structure + owners + naming applied to critical files + submission evidence and logs.
- We deliver: Repo structure + owners + naming/versioning applied + Submission evidence pack.
Closure / Audit Ready
12) Closure / Audit‑Ready (when applicable)
- We check: Evidence Index, closure checklist, final archive, ability to respond to common requests in minutes.
- We refine: Evidence Index with links + Audit‑Ready Pack (question → link) + lessons learned with a v2 action list.
- We deliver: Evidence Index + Audit‑Ready Pack + Closure checklist + final archive.
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