Working with CIDA

• Who is eligible to work with CIDA?
• How to propose your goods or services for a CIDA project
• How to get funding from CIDA for your development project
• Aboriginal component
• Other sources of funding for your projects
• Other markets for your goods and services

An international development organization cannot meet key development challenges alone. It must be able to rely on the cooperation of partners based in Canada and elsewhere around the world.

Who is eligible to work with CIDA?

To ensure that its programs and projects are implemented effectively, CIDA awards contracts, contributions and grants to experienced partners based in Canada or elsewhere around the world. Experienced partners include:

• Non-governmental organizations, non-profit organizations, and international development agencies funded in accordance with Canada's official development assistance objectives
• Institutions, Crown corporations, unions, cooperatives, professional associations, and colleges and universities
• Community-based organizations and associations in developing countries
• Government bodies
• Consultants or consulting firms with expertise in areas related to CIDA's objectives
• Private-sector organizations, particularly companies and financial institutions

Different funding criteria apply to each type of applicant and to each type of program or project.

How to propose your goods or services for a CIDA project

If you represent a Canadian organization and want to provide goods or services for a CIDA project, you can:

• Submit a proposal for an intended procurement through MERX, an electronic tendering service that posts Canadian public sector procurement opportunities, if you represent a supplier.
• Consult Contracting, including Standing Offer Arrangements, for details about CIDA contracting mechanisms.
• Register through the Consultants Database if you are a consultant in Canada's private sector and wish to secure CIDA-funded contracts.

For more information, send an email to info@acdi-cida.gc.ca.

How to get funding from CIDA for your development project

If you represent a Canadian organization working to reduce poverty in developing countries and are planning a project or initiative whose objectives correspond to CIDA's priority themes and to the programming priorities established for each region and country, you can:

• Consult current Calls for Proposals for projects in developing countries.
• Submit an unsolicited proposal to implement a project in a country eligible for development assistance from Canada. To be considered, proposals must meet the following criteria:
  • Development must be the main objective
  • The proposal must conform with the development priorities established by CIDA for the region or country
  • No profit can be associated with the agreement.

When a natural disaster or a crisis occurs in a developing country, non-governmental organizations may submit a proposal to the International Humanitarian Assistance Program to offer short-term assistance to those affected.

Telephone: 819-994-3948
Fax: 819-997-2637

Canadian organizations that do business with CIDA, or would like to do so, may use the Partners@CIDA portal, which aims to simplify operational procedures between CIDA and its partners.

For more information, send an email to info@acdi-cida.gc.ca.

The Canada Fund for Local Initiatives aims to support small projects put forward and implemented by local organizations in developing countries. If you are in a developing country and would like to obtain information in this regard, consult Canadian representatives abroad for the appropriate Government of Canada diplomatic or consular mission to contact.

Aboriginal component

CIDA promotes Aboriginal business development by awarding bonus points to contract proposals that include Aboriginal participation, and, from time to time, by restricting a call for proposals to Aboriginal suppliers.

For the purposes of CIDA's Aboriginal Procurement Strategy, an Aboriginal organization is defined a business that is 51 percent owned and controlled by Aboriginal persons and whose staff is at least one-third Aboriginal if it has six employees or more. An Aboriginal person is a status or non-status Indian, a Métis, or an Inuk who is a Canadian citizen and normally resides in Canada.

Consult also Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada's Procurement Strategy for Aboriginal Business, which aims to promote opportunities for the Government of Canada to obtain goods and services from Aboriginal businesses.

Other Sources of funding for your projects

Other Government of Canada bodies manage an international assistance budget―especially for peace and security―and could fund initiatives. The Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade's Investment Cooperation Program aims to promote private sector involvement in developing countries in order to encourage sustainable economic growth and reduce poverty reduction.

Researchers and students pursuing international development research work at a university in Canada or in a developing country may apply for funding from IDRC (International Development Research Centre).

Other markets for your goods and services

According to the new policy on tied-untied aid, Canadian suppliers, as well as suppliers from other member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's Development Assistance Committee (OECD-DAC), may submit proposals in response to international calls for proposals launched by the following organizations:

• The United Nations system, which is made up of a multitude of organizations, commissions, programmes, and funds, each seeking different goods and services. Suppliers may register with the United Nations Procurement Division or visit the United Nations Development Business site to learn about current business opportunities.
• The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Official development assistance contract opportunities are posted on a dedicated bulletin board.
• Multilateral development banks, which play a major role in the social and economic development programs of developing countries or countries in transition. To assist Canadian firms and individuals in accessing business opportunities in development markets, the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade has compiled a list of offices of liaison with international financial institutions. Further information on multilateral development banks can be obtained through the World Bank.
• The Department for International Development (DFID). British official development assistance has been fully untied since 2001, allowing suppliers from around the world to bid to secure DFID contracts.

It is only by forming solid and effective partnerships that CIDA can help to achieve the Millennium Development Goals by 2015. Thanks to all our partners!

Questions?

For more information, contact us.