Call for Proposals to assist in Spearheading Digital Governance Transformation in Ecuador

Deadline: 24-Oct-2024

The European Commission (EC) has announced a call for proposals to assist the Republic of Ecuador in promoting a data-driven digital transformation of the governance system by achieving full digitalization of administrative processes, strengthening interoperability in the area of security, justice and social policy and to provide better quality services to citizens.

Objectives of the Programme and Priority Issues

• The specific objectives of this call for proposals are:
  • To improve the design and functionalities of the Digital Ecuador Platform and digital public services;
  • To strengthen interoperability in the security and justice sector to facilitate the fight against crime and violence, and to protect human rights of vulnerable groups, with focus on persons deprived of liberty;
  • To establish a national data management system to provide personalised services to prevent child malnutrition and related social exclusion factors, using with integrated open data and AI-based predictive analytical tools;
  • To reinforce capacities in data protection and cybersecurity, to support the fight against crime and its prevention at national/regional level, including drug trafficking, terrorism, money laundering and corruption.
• The priorities of this call for proposals are:
  • The first area of intervention will focus on improving the functionalities of Ecuador’s single registry of administrative procedures (GOB.EC Platform), in order to establish “end-to-end” digital processes according to a secure and multi-channel provision system, enhancing organisational efficiency, cost-effectiveness, transparency, quality of services, and user satisfaction, exploiting in particular open government solutions, working in close cooperation with local stakeholders.
  • The second area of activity will aim at establishing appropriate regulatory frameworks, data governance mechanisms and interoperability solutions and protocols, reinforcing digital platforms and defining systematic data exchange mechanisms to ensure information flows between relevant government administrations in the security, justice and social sector.
  • The third area of priority concerns support for the completion of the national data management system for real-time monitoring of social indicators, the condition of disadvantaged groups of the population, aiming at generating personalised and preventive follow-up alerts in the specific area of child malnutrition, possibly extending to other relevant social sector areas and social services.
  • Finally, as a transversal support area, the programme will assist in strengthening skills and building capacities in data protection and interoperability, cybersecurity, cyber defence and digital forensic analysis, while assisting in the design and management of the National Cybercrime Center to be established by the government and the National Police.

Sectors or Themes 

• The actions must relate to the area of Digital Governance, Security, Justice and social services.

Funding Information

• The overall indicative amount made available under this call for proposals is EUR 5.200.000.
• Size of grants 
  • Any grant requested under this call for proposals must fall between the following minimum and maximum amounts:
    • minimum amount: EUR 4.800.000.
    • maximum amount: EUR 5.200.000.

Duration 

• The initial planned duration of an action may not be lower than 48 months nor exceed 60 months.

Types of Activity 

• The type of activity which may be financed under this call includes technical assistance and advisory services, as well as limited support to acquisition of hardware and software, when necessary.
• In addition, the organization of capacity building and training workshops and conferences, including the activities of coordination and provision of logistics, is also eligible for funding.

Location 

• Actions must take place in Ecuador.

Eligibility Criteria

• Lead applicant(s) 
• In order to be eligible for a grant, the lead applicant must:
  • be a legal person, and
  • be non-profit-making, and
  • be EU Member States agencies, academia, non-profit organizations and civil society organisations (NGOs), and
  • be established in a Member State of the European Union or a country eligible under the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument-Global Europe (NDICI-GE), preferably from Latin American and Caribbean countries, and
  • be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the action with the co-applicant(s) and affiliated entity(ies), not acting as an intermediary, and
  • have experience in the area of digital governance transformation.
• Co-applicant(s) 
  • A consortium composed by a minimum of 2 eligible organisations of at least 2 Member States of the European Union and at least 1 local partner organisation is required.
  • Co-applicants participate in designing and implementing the action, and the costs they incur are eligible in the same way as those incurred by the lead applicant.
  • Co-applicants must satisfy the eligibility criteria as applicable to the lead applicant itself.
  • Co-applicants must sign the mandate form.
• Affiliated entities 
  • The lead applicant and its co-applicant(s) may act with affiliated entity(ies).
  • Only the following entities may be considered as affiliated entities to the lead applicant and/or to coapplicant(s):
    • Only entities having a structural link with the applicants (i.e. the lead applicant or a co-applicant), in particular a legal or capital link. This structural link encompasses mainly two notions:
      • Control on the annual financial statements, consolidated financial statements and related reports of certain types of undertakings: Entities affiliated to an applicant may hence be:
        • Entities directly or indirectly controlled by the applicant (daughter companies or first-tier subsidiaries). They may also be entities controlled by an entity controlled by the applicant (granddaughter companies or second-tier subsidiaries) and the same applies to further tiers of control;
        • Entities directly or indirectly controlling the applicant (parent companies). Likewise, they may be entities controlling an entity controlling the applicant;
        • Entities under the same direct or indirect control as the applicant (sister companies).
      • Membership, i.e. the applicant is legally defined as a e.g. network, federation, association in which the proposed affiliated entities also participate or the applicant participates in the same entity (e.g. network, federation, association,) as the proposed affiliated entities.

For more information, visit EC.