As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread, OCHA CBPFs around the world continue their humanitarian efforts in providing financing to humanitarian actors responding to the COVID-19 outbreak. Many CBPFs are opening dedicated allocations and reprogramming ongoing projects to respond to this unprecedented crisis. The GMS team has consequently been working hard on creating new features to capture more easily CBPFs' efforts in responding to COVID-19. This Blog post aims at helping HFUs (a) set up new allocations related to COVID-19 on GMS, (b) re-programme and revise ongoing projects by linking previous allocations to the COVID-19 HRP, and (c) reflect their work in responding to COVID-19 on the OCHA PFBI.

Content

• Allocation Preparation: Setting up the COVID-19 SOs, SSOs, indicators and activities on GMS
• Creating a new Allocation: Configuring a new COVID-19 Allocation on GMS
• Reprogramming previous Allocations: Link to COVID-19 HRP and Project revisions
• The COVID-19 App and visualization on the PFBI

I. ALLOCATION PREPARATION: Setting up the COVID-19 SOs, SSOs, indicators and activities on GMS

All projects with a component responding to the COVID-19 outbreak should be linked to the Global or Local COVID-19 HRP SOs, SSOs, standard indicators and standard activities (when applicable). To set-up the COVID-19 HRP features on GMS, please follow the below instructions.

Step 1: Insert the COVID-19 HRP Strategic Objectives (i.e. the three GHRP Strategic Priorities if you are using the GHRP)
Go to System Setup --> Allocation Management --> Manage Global HRP SO; then “Add HRP SO” under the year 2020 and you COVID-19 HRP (global or local). 

Step 2: Insert the COVID-19 Sector Specific Objectives (SSOs)
Go to System Setup --> Allocation Management --> Manage SSO; then add the Sector Specific Objectives for each cluster related to the allocation: under year 2020 and COVID-19 HRP, or the local HRP that is linked to your allocation (the specific objectives are found from page 21-23 for the COVID-19 GHRP). You will be able to use the tag option to tag each SSO with "COVID-19". 

Step 3: Insert the COVID-19 Standard Indicators and Activities
Go to System Setup --> Configuration Setup --> Clusters --> Cluster Indicators; then add the standard indicators related to COVID-19 (indicators can be found starting page 35 for the GHRP) for each cluster targeted through your allocation, under year 2020 and COVID-19 HRP (or the HRP that is linked to your COVID-19 allocation). You will be able to use the tag option to tag each indicator with "COVID-19". 

When applicable, you can also add COVID-19 standard activities for each cluster targeted through your allocation, under year 2020 and COVID-19 HRP or the HRP that is linked to your COVID-19 allocation. Go to System Setup --> Configuration Setup --> Manage Standard Activities. You will be able to use the tag option to tag each activity with "COVID-19".

You are now all set to create your new COVID-19 allocation or re-programme your previous allocation to link it to COVID-19!

II. CREATING A NEW ALLOCATION: Configuring a new COVID-19 Allocation on GMS

Once the 3 Steps from Section I have been undertaken, you will be able to create your allocation and link it to the COVID-19 HRP, SOs, SSOs, indicators and activities!

(a) Go to System Setup --> Allocation Management --> Manage Allocation Types, create your allocation by filling in all the information, then link it to both the COVID-19 Emergency and the relevant HRP plan. Your allocation can be linked to more than one HRP Plan. In other terms, you can link your allocation to both your local HRP and the COVID-19 GHRP.

IMPORTANT Don't forget to:

• Tick the “Publish” small box to publish your allocation on the OCHA PFBI;
• Link the allocation to a new scorecard. Each scorecard should be linked to only one allocation;
• Upload the allocation strategy paper and other relevant documents: Go to System Setup --> Allocation Management --> Allocation Type Document.

(b) Go to System Setup --> Allocation Management --> Allocation Type Configuration. Select your allocation then click on “Manage HRP”.

You will then be able to add the 2020 COVID-19 SOs (inserted in Step 1 above) that are targeted through your allocation. After that, link each SO to its respective SSOs (inserted in Step 2 above). This will allow partners to select COVID-19 SOs, SSOs and indicators when creating new projects under your COVID-19 allocation. 

III. REPROGRAMMING PREVIOUS ALLOCATIONS: Link to COVID-19 HRP and Project Revisions

1 - Linking previous allocations to the COVID-19 HRP, SOs, SSOs and indicators

If you would like to add COVID-19 SOs, SSOs, and indicators (and standard activities if applicable) to the revised Logical Framework of a re-programmed project, please follow the below instructions.

In order to be able to add the COVID-19 SOs, SSOs and indicators in the project revision, the allocation corresponding to this project should be linked to the COVID-19 HRP and SOs. Follow the 3 Steps from Section I to set up the COVID-19 HRP features on GMS; you will then be able to link your previous allocation to the COVID-19 HRP, SOs, SSOs and indicators!

(a) Go to System Setup --> Allocation Management --> Manage Allocation Types, select your allocation, then link it to the COVID-19 Emergency and HRP Plan.

(b) Go to System Setup --> Allocation Management --> Allocation Type Configuration. Select your allocation then click on “Manage HRP”.

You will then be able to add the 2020 COVID-19 SOs (inserted in Step 1 above) that are targeted through your reprogrammed projects. After that, link each SO to its respective SSOs (inserted in Step 2 above). This will allow partners to select COVID-19 SOs, SSOs and indicators when re-designing Logical Frameworks through project revisions.

2 - Project Revisions related to the COVID-19 Response

IMPORTANT: Please make sure to also track - offline in an Excel sheet - all revised projects now including a COVID-19 response component with the relevant information (budget, breakdown of number of affected persons, locations). This will allow you to track all projects already overwritten with revisions on GMS for which you did not include the COVID-19 SOs, SSOs and indicators. It will also be helpful for the insertion of your re-programmed project information on the COVID-19 App, and hence their reflection on the PFBI. The GMS team has introduced new features to "tag" revisions that are related to the COVID-19 outbreak:

• A new Type of Revision has been added in the Revision Request page: “Changes in project due to COVID-19”;
• In case the revision is also a Change in project duration/NCE, you will have the option to select COVID-19 as the “Reason for No Cost Extension”;

IV. THE COVID-19 APP AND VISUALIZATION ON THE OCHA PFBI

Please make sure to insert the information on your COVID-19 new and re-programmed allocations on the COVID-19 App to reflect them on the COVID-19 visualization map of the PFBI. Only users with Fund Manager Business Role will be able to access the app. Kindly refer to the following detailed Guidance Note for more information: COVID-19 App and PFBI Visualization - Guidance Note

• Link to the PFBI COVID-19 map: https://pfbi.unocha.org/COVID19/
• Link to the COVID-19 App: https://cbpf.unocha.org/COVID19/. Only GMS users with Fund Manager role will be able to insert information on the App. Note that your allocations will appear in the app six hours after they are published from GMS.