CALL FOR PROPOSALS

1. Introduction

Lighting Rural Tanzania Competition (LRTC2014) grant award project comes as a continuation of the Lighting Rural Tanzania Competition (LRTC) program. The first project under this competitive grant program was the LRTC2010 which was held in year 2010 followed by LRTC2012 held in year 2012. All competitions under this program aim at increasing access to modern energy services, improving lighting technologies and substituting the use of kerosene and candles for lighting in rural areas. The competition seeks to support innovative and sustainable local-level solutions that improve the quality of and access to modern energy services for off-grid rural communities in Mainland Tanzania and increasing the participation of private sector entrepreneurs in rural energy projects.

2. Competition Objectives

Overall Objective of the Competition is to provide clean, affordable, sustainable and environmentally friendly energy services to rural communities in Mainland Tanzania.

The following are the specific objectives of the competition:

i. To increase access to lighting in remote off-grid rural villages;

ii. To reduce the use of fossil fuel-based lighting products;

iii. To improve technology for exploitation of low cost renewable energy sources;

iv. To bring to the market, energy products and services that are competitive in terms of price and quality;

v. To build a sustainable technical and commercial capabilities of rural energy entrepreneurs to operate and manage renewable energy systems; and

vi. To enhance the competence of private and public sector project developers’ in preparing viable and bankable project proposals.

3. Lighting Rural Tanzania Competition Themes

The main theme for LRTC2014 is “Promotion of Micro-Grids for electrification of remote off-grid rural villages and islands in Mainland Tanzania”. The competition is divided into six sub-themes namely service delivery, product innovation, environment, health, safety and natural resources. The six themes are discussed in detail in the following sub-sections.

i. Service Delivery: Sustainable and large scale delivery of lighting products and services in rural Tanzania, including removal of existing barriers.

ii. Product Innovation: Responding to consumer and market needs via development and commercialization of high quality, durable, efficient, low cost lighting products/services.

iii. Environment: Renewable energy, clean energy technologies, energy efficiency, and/or environmentally sustainable solutions to meet lighting needs of households, small enterprises, communities, etc.

iv. Health: Protecting health from environmental risk factors, such as indoor air pollution and improper disposal of hazardous material. Reliance on wood fuels combined with inadequate housing/cooking facilities lead to a high incidence of respiratory infection from indoor air pollution, and contributes to deforestation, soil erosion, and environmental degradation. Moreover, the lack of energy for basic human activity such as agriculture, transport, medical care, communication, education, and enterprise further marginalizes poor people and limits their ability to increase their incomes.

v. Safety: Ensuring safety and that both people and properties are protected against harmful conditions or events and that hazards are controlled to reduce risk to both user and micro-grids installed to supply electricity services.

vi. Natural Resources: Sustainable management of natural resources (land, water, forests) specifically for the provision of water supply, sanitation and energy to off-grid rural communities.

4. Who Should Participate

The competition is open to a wide variety of development innovators, including Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and other Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), private foundations, universities and schools, private sector groups, and local and municipal governments.

5. Eligibility Criteria

Proposals will be screened to ensure that they conform to the following criteria and that they reflect the theme of innovation in provision of energy services to rural villages and islands:

i. Service Delivery: Sustainable delivery of energy services to poor households and communities.

ii. Environment: Renewable energy, clean energy technologies, energy efficiency, and/or environmentally sustainable solutions to poor households and small enterprises.

iii. Health: Protecting health from environmental risk factors, such as indoor air pollution and improper disposal of hazardous gases or materials.

iv. Natural Resources: Sustainable management of natural resources (land, water, forests) specifically for the provision of water supply, sanitation and energy to rural households, small & medium enterprises and communities.

v. Minimum and maximum grant requested in the proposal and cost sharing arrangement presented.

vi. Duration of project proposed (Project duration should be within 18 months after signing the contract).

vii. Legal status of the organization submitting the proposal.

viii. Partnership requirement (with local partners).

ix. Innovation: The extent to which the idea is creative.

x. Measurability: Measurable project with clear result/impact to target population.

xi. Sustainability: Organizational capacity and financial viability of the proposed project idea.

xii. Growth Potential: Extent to which project could be scaled up to reach additional beneficiaries or replicable elsewhere.

xiii. Risk Management: What are the potential risks to successful project execution? What risk mitigation strategies are proposed?

6. Maximum Award Size

Awards to winners will vary in size according to their needs as outlined in their proposals, but shall not exceed two hundred thirty two million one hundred and seventy thousand Tanzanian Shillings (TZS 232, 170,000.00) per proposal.

7. Past Winners and Applicants of Lighting Rural Tanzania Competition

If your project is already being funded under LRTC2010 or LRTC2012 or if you are a past winner of any LRTC, you may submit a proposal that is significantly different from the project or idea for which you have received funding. You should not submit the same idea or project.

8. How to Apply

Applicants are encouraged to apply online at http://rea.go.tz/Resources/ApplicationForms/LRTC2014OnlineProposalForm/tabid/136/Default.aspx. To use our online proposal form, you must register and have a valid account and profile with www.rea.go.tz. Registration is free. Apply Now!

If you are not able to access the internet or our website, please contact the LRTC2014 Team by phone at +255 22 2412001, +255 22 2412002 +255 787 760020 or +255 784 969313; by Fax at +255 22 2412007 or via e-mail at lrtc2014@rea.go.tz. Other methods of application include a downloadable e-mail template for e-mail or print/postal submissions which must be specifically requested from the LRTC2014 Team.

Please note that all proposals must be submitted before 11:00 East African Time (8:00 GMT) on Friday, May 23rd, 2014. Online proposals are only considered completed when they have been officially submitted (i.e., you must specifically select the option “Yes (Please SUBMIT Proposal Now)” on line #95 before clicking the “Submit Proposal Now” button).

Applications will only be accepted in English. If successfully submitted, the LRTC2014 Online Application System will acknowledge receipt of your application for your records. Any proposals in draft form will not be considered for evaluation.

9. LRTC2014 Timeline and Key Steps

The program competition is guided by the values of inclusiveness, diversity, fairness, and transparency. The overall process is described below.

i. April 23rd, 2014 – May 23rd, 2014: Call for proposals: All proposals for LRTC2014 should be submitted through our online application system at http://www.rea.go.tz/resources/applicationforms/lrtc2014onlineproposalform.aspx.

ii. May 23rd, 2014: Submission deadline: Deadline for submitting LRTC2014 initial proposals.

iii. June 4th, 2014 – June 24th, 2014: Review of initial proposals: Proposals will be reviewed against the assessment criteria mentioned above.

iv. June 24th, 2014: Announcement of finalists.

v. July 1st, 2014 – July 31st, 2014: Preparation and Submission of detailed proposals by finalists’: Deadline for submission of detailed proposals shall be 11:00 East African Time (8:00 GMT) on Thursday, July 31st, 2014.

vi. July 31st, 2014: Submission deadline: Deadline for submitting detailed LRTC2014 proposals.

vii. August 1st, 2014 – September 15th, 2014: Review of detailed proposals: Proposals will be reviewed and ranked against the assessment criteria mentioned above.

viii. October 1st, 2014 – October 2nd, 2014: Award workshop, knowledge exchange conference and technology exhibitions: Independent jury comprised of and leading personalities in energy development (academia, civil society, foundations, government, other donor institutions, and the private sector) will evaluate each of the shortlisted proposals and select up to 20 winners.

To take advantage of the presence of a variety of development actors in one place, LRTC2014 will convene a Knowledge Exchange workshop to share ideas and engage finalists with other representatives of the development community in productive and inventive partnerships and networks.

10. Number of Winners

Up to twenty (20) winning proposals will be selected under the LRTC2014 Grant Award Competition.

Director General
Rural Energy Agency (REA)
Mawasiliano Towers, 2nd Floor
Sam Nujoma Road
P. O. Box 7990
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

E-Mail: info@rea.go.tz
Tel: +255 22 2412001, +255 22 2412002, +255 22 2412003
Fax: +255 22 2412007