Subawardee Guidance for Start-Up and Workplanning

Agency for International Development under Agreement No. AID-OAA-A-12-00047, beginning October 1, 2012. APC is implemented by JSI Research & Training Institute, Inc., in collaboration with FHI 360. The project focuses on advancing and supporting community programs that seek to improve the overall health of communities and achieve other health-related impacts, especially in relationship to family planning. APC provides global leadership for community-based programming, executes and manages small- and medium-sized sub-awards, supports procurement reform by preparing awards for execution by USAID, and builds technical capacity of organizations to implement effective programs. The project's scope encompasses various aspects, including monitoring and evaluation, international travel, procurement, management, and staffing. Key personnel are identified as project positions, as well as the individuals who fill the particular slots. Typically, positions identified in the subaward as 'Key Personnel' are those leadership positions considered essential to the successful implementation of the overall project. Monitoring and evaluation (M&E) is the process of collecting and analyzing data and information for the purpose of identifying and measuring a project's impact. The start-up phase of a project begins when the award is executed and ends when the workplan is approved and funding is received. During project start-up, subawardees must complete several USAID compliance requirements, including the Environmental Verification Form, Family Planning Compliance Form, Gender Compliance Plan, and Branding and Marking Plan. These requirements are outlined in the corresponding compliance guidance documents, located on the APC website. A workplan is a document that lays out a subawardee's planned activities, timelines, the staff resources required to carry out the activities, and the project's targets. The workplan serves as a guide for project implementation and is used to track progress and make adjustments as needed. The workplan should include sections on implementation, monitoring and evaluation, international travel, procurement, management, and staffing. The APC M&E Officer works with subawardees to determine the appropriate standard indicators for their project based on their subagreement. Standard budget categories include Salaries, Fringe Benefits, Travel and Transportation, Equipment, Supplies, Contractual services, Project Costs, Other Direct Costs, and Indirect Costs. Significant rebudgeting involves moving funds between budget categories above a certain threshold set by the funding agency. The start-up checklist provides a framework for subawardees to ensure that all necessary steps are completed during the start-up phase. This includes completing the Environmental Verification Form, Family Planning Compliance Form, Gender Compliance Plan, and Branding and Marking Plan, as well as developing a workplan that meets the requirements outlined in Annex 1. By following this guidance, subawardees can establish a solid foundation for their project and ensure a smooth implementation process.