6. Negotiating and Signing the Grant Agreement
- Norad has developed standard grant agreement templates which consists of three main parts. Two annexes will always be attached:
- Part I. Specific Conditions
- Part II. General Conditions
- Part III. Procurement Provisions
- Annex A. Budget
- Annex B. Results Framework (or other document describing the planned results)
- Part I contains the project specific clauses such as a description of the scope of the project, the planned main results, the overall grant amount and the deadlines for reporting. Part II and Part III contain general rules and procedures that apply to all types of projects and programmes. In Part II you will find minimum standards for operational issues, for example, the content of reports, financial management, SEAH, financial irregularities, sanctions and termination as well as clauses defining liability and accountability. Part III sets the minimum rules and procedures for procurement. Part II and III are general rules that Norad seldom will allow deviations from. That said, if an applicant needs a deviation, a justified request (that should include an alternative text) may be put forward to Norad for consideration. Agreed deviations will be included in Part I Specific Conditions. Due to the principle of equal treatment, deviations will only be approved in exceptional cases.
- Annex A and B are based upon documents submitted by the applicant and are integral parts of the grant agreement. These annexes, together with the application, outline how the award may be used, and form the basis for reporting. When developing Annex A and B, it is key to focus on the main overall achievements and budget lines only, in order to allow for the necessary flexibility to adapt the project based on operational needs.
- It is very important that the applicant familiarises itself with Norad’s grant agreement, preferably involving staff from its financial and logistics departments as well as project staff, so that all aspects are well understood before the agreement is signed. Norad’s grant managers may be contacted if there are questions related to the content, Norad’s expectation or if general clarifications are needed.
- Grant agreements are entered into in Norwegian or English.
- Norad’s standard grant agreement for projects implemented by NGOs is available here.