Field Support Services Program for Global Affairs Canada

Trigon Associates, LLC (Trigon) is currently managing all aspects of the Field Support Services Program (FSSP) in the West Bank and Gaza (WBG) on behalf of Global Affairs Canada (GAC). In order to ensure the effectiveness, efficiency, quality and relevance of Canada’s support in responding to Palestine’s development and humanitarian challenges, the FSSP was designed to provide Canada’s international assistance program with access to technical expertise with local knowledge and experience, as well as provide supplementary administrative and logistical support to Canadian cooperation initiatives. The FSSP receives funding from GAC, the Government of Canada’s department responsible for Canada’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) programming.

Trigon staff are serving as the overall Project Manager and Project Coordinator for this 5-year effort, bringing together the various resources required to execute the FSSP and carrying out activities required for the financial and operational administration of the Program, including administrative, financial, procurement and logistical services as well as support to local development initiatives. In support of the FSSP, Trigon is managing the procurement and selection activities as well as the administration of technical experts in various programming sectors as identified by GAC for input and oversight to their ongoing international development projects, messaging and overall support. FSSP works closely with GAC representatives to identify upcoming technical needs and other areas where FSSP is able to support the GAC in-country staff in carrying out their duties and responsibilities. The technical experts, who are typically local resources, provide a wide range of specialized in-country services and consultation. Technical experts include specialists in environmental matters, water and sanitation, irrigation and agriculture, gender equality, monitoring and evaluation, rule of law/human rights, reputational risk/due diligence, planning/policy support and energy (gas and solar).

In addition to the technical experts, the FSSP is responsible for developing the annual Local Initiatives Grant Plan, which involves funding for small-scale, high impact projects focused on women’s issues and other humanitarian efforts. The grants provide up to $500,000 in funding to in-country recipients each year, with projects averaging $40,000. Examples of projects include training and capacity development of students as well as other citizens, supporting continued manufacturing of local hand-made crafts by Bedouin women, training for Palestinian women in trade (import/export), capacity building regarding democracy in local communities, raising awareness of epigenetic trauma, support to families affected by the freeze of the family reunification law, and improving the accessibility of vulnerable women to quality medical care in the Gaza Strip. The FSSP provides monthly budget updates to GAC, along with numerous quarterly, semi-annual and annual reports summarizing all financial, schedule, progress, issues/resolutions, and other matters.

The FSSP is responsible for coordinating available funding and focus areas with GAC, development of all documentation and material for publicizing the application phase of the grants (each year), managing the application and receipt phase with all potential recipient organizations, developing a short-list of potential awardees (with GAC), performing enhanced due diligence on all short-listed organizations, and then completing the necessary selection, award and agreement execution for all awardees. For each of the grant-funded projects, which average 18 months in duration, the FSSP provides orientation training at the initiation of the grant projects, monitors progress for project implementation, supports the reporting requirements and supporting documentation to be provided by the recipients, issues grant funding on scheduled basis to recipients, coordinates any issues with GAC, and provides regular progress reports on project implementation progress. As part of the overall management effort, FSSP provides monthly budget updates to GAC, along with numerous quarterly, semi-annual and annual reports summarizing all financial, schedule, progress, issues/resolutions, and other matters to GAC.