Southern Africa Development Community Secretariat – Procurement and Grants Policy Article 62. Principle of no cumulative awards (1) Each action may give rise to the award of only one grant to any beneficiary. The same action must not be funded by several sources over 100% of the cost. (2) The applicant shall immediately inform SADC Secretariat of any multiple applications and any multiple grants related to the same action or to the same work program. (3) An action may be co-financed by different contributors. Article 63. Principle of non-retroactivity (1) A grant can only be awarded for an action which has already begun on the following cases: (d) exceptional cases in which the applicant can demonstrate the need for starting the action prior to signature of the grant agreement or notification; or (e) in cases of extreme urgency in which the legal frame allows it. (2) Grants cannot be awarded retroactively for actions already completed. CHAPTER III. APPLICATION AND AWARD PROCEDURE Article 64. Guidelines for Applicants (1) The SADC Secretariat will provide for the production of guidelines for applicants. The guidelines for applicants are a comprehensive document explaining the purpose of a call for proposals for grants. It sets out the rules regarding who may apply, the types of operations and the costs which may be financed, and the evaluation (selection and award) criteria. It also provides practical information on how to complete the application form, what documents must be annexed, and rules and procedures for applying. (2) The Guidelines for applicants must contain at least the following: (c) (d) (e) (f) amount available for the call and source of the funding; maximum and minimum amount funded per grant; amount of co-finance needed; eligibility rules for candidates, which determine the conditions for participating in the call for proposal. These criteria shall be established with due regard for the objectives of the action and shall comply with the principles of transparency and non-discrimination; (g) eligible actions under the call. This criterion shall be established with connection with the objective of the call; (h) eligible costs under the call; (i) maximum percentage and activities that can be subcontracted through secondary procurement; (j) deadline for submissions; (k) selection criteria; (l) award criteria; (m) maximum implementation period; (n) payment conditions, including if necessary conditions for pre financing guarantee; and (o) reporting conditions (audit, monitoring and evaluation) (3) The Beneficiaries of grants may be natural or legal persons. When several entities satisfy the criteria for being awarded a grant and together form one entity, that entity may be treated as the sole 42