Nutrition-Sensitive Social Protection: Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) in Fiji

Call description

The World Food Programme (WFP) seeks international and local non-governmental and civil society organisations as national delivery hubs under Field Level Agreements for the Fiji segment of its nutrition-sensitive social protection project. The partner would work with government and community structures to deliver social and behaviour change communication (SBCC), aiming to improve food security, nutrition and resilience among vulnerable households. Household targeting covers recipients of, or those eligible for, government social protection cash transfers, with priority to households with pregnant and lactating women and children under 5. Mandatory NGO eligibility conditions apply.

The call describes an indicative 6-month project delivered in stages, with an estimated start date of 1 February 2027 and estimated end date of 30 July 2027. The proposal template uses the same implementation period.

Priorities and eligibility

The mandatory partnership criteria specify a legally registered, non-profit and non-political NGO in the country of implementation. All interested NGOs must register in the UN Partner Portal (UNPP). The call seeks international and local organisations, but the supplied organisation context is empty, so applicant eligibility cannot be assessed.

All NGOs must undergo WFP due diligence and the implementing-partner process for protection from sexual exploitation and abuse. An NGO not verified through due diligence cannot become a WFP partner, regardless of technical merit. The call also requires that the NGO not be implicated in corruption, fraud or crimes against humanity; the extracted text does not specify separate dates for these conditions.

Mandatory partnership conditions include relevant experience in similar activities and target areas; project, financial, resource and community mobilisation capacity; and established reporting, procurement and financial management systems with two years of audited statements. The qualifications also require presence and operational capacity in target locations and capacity to operate under remote-island and cyclone-season access constraints.

Separate WFP panels assess technical and financial proposals using weighted criteria. The call lists clarity of activities and expected results at 30%, sector expertise and experience at 20%, project management at 20%, local experience and presence at 15%, and cost effectiveness at 15%. For an NGO that has previously applied for a WFP Field Level Agreement, the call states that further cooperation is based on a finalised and successful performance evaluation.

The call’s target table lists Western, Northern, Central and Eastern divisions, whereas the portal listing identifies Eastern. The intended geographic coverage is therefore unresolved; neither source establishes that the other locations are excluded. Seek WFP confirmation before committing to sites, coverage targets or delivery costs.

Funding and application requirements

The call instructs NGOs to register and submit the complete package through UNPP only, uploaded as a ZIP file. No alternative channel or applicant-specific submission exception is identified in the supplied extracted coverage.

The complete application package comprises a letter of intent signed by the head of the organisation, the project proposal narrative using Annex 1, and the project proposal budget using the Annex 2 Field Level Agreement budget template. The narrative asks for a budget justification based on the budget summary. Project delivery outputs such as the inception report and SBCC implementation plan are identified as expected results, not as separate application attachments.

Does the portal’s concept note template require a separate submission, or is it the same narrative requested as Annex 1 in the call? The extracted listing names a concept note template, while the call specifies a project proposal narrative. Clarify the relationship and required file formats with WFP; the sources establish ZIP packaging but do not establish the individual file formats.

What language must the application itself use? Strong English communication and reporting skills are required, and Fijian/iTaukei fluency is desirable, but these passages do not explicitly prescribe the application language. Separately, project messages must be translated, locally adapted and pre-tested before rollout.

What funding allocation and any per-project ceiling or budget conditions apply? The portal’s indicative budget field contains a dash, while the call says implementation is subject to funds availability. The supplied extracted coverage does not establish an amount; this is not proof that none exists elsewhere. Confirm the available funding and any ceiling with WFP before finalising the budget.

The application deadline is 14 December 2026. Incomplete and late applications will not be considered. The call also lists a clarification request deadline of 30 November 2026.

Recommendations

Operational capacity and safeguarding need to be demonstrated, not merely asserted. The template asks for management roles, realistic risk mitigation and measures to prevent and respond to sexual exploitation and abuse; this complements mandatory WFP partner verification. Describe the proposed staffing and oversight, access risks and mitigation, and accessible confidential reporting arrangements in the narrative.

The design is more than a standalone communications campaign: it relies on existing social protection systems and trusted community structures to reinforce messages face to face. Explain how community networks and government relationships would reach eligible households, and how messages would be translated, locally adapted and pre-tested. Preparedness content must reflect the country's El Niño outlook, verified with the National Disaster Management Office; the call does not state that the content itself must be locally verified. Capacity for this delivery model matters alongside sector experience.

The indicative implementation period includes foundation, scale-up, consolidation and sustainability activities, with a WFP review before scale-up. Develop a staged workplan that allows time for training, monitoring, adjustment and integration into government systems within the stated period, rather than assuming all activities begin together.

Cost effectiveness is assessed, but the supplied evidence does not establish a grant ceiling. The narrative must justify major cost categories, and personnel information must align with the budget proposal. Connect staffing time and delivery costs to the staged activities and geographic coverage once WFP confirms the locations and funding parameters; do not assume an amount.