ORIO - grants for infrastructure projects

The new ORIO scheme replaces the former ORET scheme for development-related export transactions and was launched in 2009. New policy rules were published in April 2012.

 

ORIO (Facility for Infrastructure Development) is a grant scheme under the responsibility of the Minister for European Affairs and International Cooperation. The programme provides grants to infrastructural works in developing countries. These works include development, implementation (construction and/or renovation), and operation & maintenance of public works.

ORIO in brief

  • Administered by NL Agency of the Netherlands Government;
  • Total project costs between EUR 2-60 million;
  • Projects need to be commercially non-feasible (over a span of 10 years);
  • Between 50 or 100% grant funding of costs for developing a full proposal;
  • 35, 50 or 80% grant funding of costs related to implementation, operation and maintenance, including financial costs and trainings;
  • Procurement should be in line with national rules of the recipient country and taking into account de OESO Good Procurement Practices;
  • Central Government of recipient country is project owner;
  • ORIO project cycle includes hardware installation and commissioning, as well as an operational phase;
  • Ceiling per country: maximum 25 % of the annually available ORIO budget can be committed to one country;
  • Comply with international guidelines regarding corporate social responsibility: ILO conventions, IFC performance standards, OESO guidelines for multinationals.

 An ORIO project consists of four phases:


1) Grant application / initiative phase
2) Development phase
3) Implementation phase
4) Operations and maintenance phase 

Evaluation criteria
  • Relevance: the extent to which the project results fulfill the needs of the end users
  • Effectivity: the extent to which the access to and use of the infrastructure by users will be raised
  • Development impact: the extent to which the project contributes to human development and /or private sector development in the developing country
  • Efficiency: the extent to which the infrastructure relates to its costs in quantitate and qualitative sense
  • Sustainability: in terms of social and environmental aspects but also in relation to e.g. institutional, governance, technological, and capacity factors
  • Economic efficiency: social cost-benefit analysis.
 
Funding
Available funding: EUR 180 M per year.
The tender for 2012 will open on 30 May. Applications will be considered on a ‘first come, first serve’ basis.

 

Available budget per country
100% in the development phase and 50% in the implementation, operation and maintenance phase is financed in:

Angola¹, Bangladesh¹, Benin¹, Bhutan¹, Burkina Faso¹, Djibouti, Ethiopia¹, Gambia¹, Yemen¹, Malawi¹, Maldives¹, Mali¹, Mozambique¹, Niger¹, Uganda¹, Rwanda¹, Sao Tomé and Principe¹, Senegal¹, Tanzania¹, Zambia¹.

 

100% in the development phase and 35% in the implementation, operation and maintenance phase is financed in: Bolivia¹, Ghana¹, Nicaragua¹.


50% in the development phase and 35% in the implementation, operation and maintenance phase is financed in: Albania, Algeria, Armenia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Colombia, Egypt, Philippines, Georgia, Guatemala, Indonesia, Cape Verde, Kenya, Kosovo, Macedonia, Morocco, Mongolia, Pakistan, Peru, Sri Lanka, Surinam, Thailand, Vietnam, South Africa¹.


100% in the development phase and 80% in the implementation, operation and maintenance phase is financed in: Afghanistan¹, Democratic Republic of Congo¹, Sudan¹.


¹ International Competitive Bidding is compulsory 
 

Please contact us for a free assessment to find out whether your plan may qualify for ORIO grant-funding.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Grants