A Concept Note (CN) is used to present an initial idea of what DFID funds will be spent on and what the expected outcomes for poor people will be . A Concept Note (CN) must be prepared for all politically sensitive, novel or contentious proposals, regardless of value. Appropriate project data must be completed on ARIES. The CN must be submitted in the standard format limited to 2 pages/500 words (excluding any tables) through the appropriate PUSS for approval by the SofS. See compliance task 8.
The main text of the CN should comprise:
1. At the outset, a short summary of what DFID funds will be spent on and what the expected outcomes for poor people will be (subject to issues at the design stage).
2. Basic information, including the purpose and objectives and how they relate to any national poverty reduction strategy (or equivalent), delivery of the MDGs, the Divisional Performance Framework, and country/regional planning or Institutional Strategy.
3. Estimated costs associated with design and appraisal.
4. Details of principal project partners, (government, civil society, other donors, etc).
5. Proposed approach to design and appraisal, key risks and how they will be managed/mitigated and the approach to conditionality.
6. Consultation process completed during the design and appraisal process.
7. Projected timetable and steps to prepare submission of full proposal for approval.
8. For all politically sensitive, novel or contentious proposals, regardless of value, the CN must be submitted in the standard format through the appropriate PUSS for approval by the SofS.
9. Approval emails must be saved to QUEST as records linked to the CN being approved.
10. Once finalised, the CN must be moved to the appropriate "Live Project Folder" in Quest, assigned the correct content type and declared a record.
11. All CN's are published on DFID's external website.
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