The consortium members must be politically independent, but can board members of the consortium members be affiliated with a political party?
As described in section 5.2.5 of the Terms of Reference, the presence of board members with a political affiliation or the reception of funds from government sources may not automatically lead to the organisation being deemed to lack the necessary independence. But such factors should be clearly disclosed in the bid, along with a description of how independence will be maintained. Failure to disclose any personal ties that could be deemed to inhibit the independence of the bidder, may lead to the bid being rejected without further assessment of compliance with this criterium.
One of our board members has an affiliation to a political party/religious organisation or similar. What should we do about that? Can we still be eligible?
We cannot and will not answer questions directly relating to the eligibility of potential bidders before the deadline for submission of proposals.
However, as described in point 5.2.5 of the ToR, the presence of board members with such affiliations "may not automatically lead to the organisation being deemed to lack the necessary independence. But such factors should be clearly disclosed in the bid, along with a description of how independence will be maintained." The assessment will be made by the FMO on a case by case basis.
You must yourself determine whether you believe that the board, entity and Fund Operator can be considered independent with the presence of the board member in question. If you think so, you must include all relevant information about the board member's affiliations in your bid, and your reasoning as to why you believe you can still fulfil the independence criterion.