Infrastructure Grant Facility Sample Clauses

Infrastructure Grant Facility. In order to promote continued national level reform, incentivize and reward utility reform, and improve investment planning, the Parties will support the establishment of an Infrastructure Grant Facility (the “IGF”) to fund much needed infrastructure and capital improvements in the WASH sector. MCC will make funds available to the IGF in three tranches as national policy and utility reform conditions have been met. The IGF will provide grants on a competitive basis to utilities that qualify based on continuous improvement on commercialization of operations. Grant applications from qualified utilities will be evaluated based on a set of transparent financial, economic, technical, operational, environmental, and gender and social criteria. The IGF will provide grants for three categories of projects: Category I – studies and technical assistance; Category II – existing network improvements and off-network improvements; and Category III – network expansion. The categories reflect the level of complexity to implement these projects, and utility applicants will be required to demonstrate incremental progress towards corporatization to be eligible for funding under Categories II and III. Category II and III projects will include financial support for IEC and TVET activities connected to specific infrastructure projects as identified during the design phase. The IGF will have a pool of funds to assist poor and female-headed households to overcome barriers to WASH services. The eligibility requirements, project selection criteria, and operations and management procedures of the IGF, will be set forth in an operations manual to be approved by the Government and MCC. The Parties expect that the IGF will initially be managed by MCA-Cape Verde II with the support of advisory services as the Parties deem necessary and eventually transferred to ANAS when it is deemed to have sufficient capacity to administer and manage the facility. A technical evaluation panel will carry out detailed evaluations, provide technical assessments, and score proposed projects. An executive committee of the MCA-Cape Verde II Steering Committee will oversee the IGF and approve projects that pass established selection criteria and technical evaluation. The amount of MCC funds allocated for feasibility studies under Category I of the IGF will not exceed 20 percent, unless otherwise agreed by MCC. Each grant will also be subject to MCC no objection. MCC Funding will also support the development ...