This Blog post is dedicated to the two GMS Global Trainings that were given on Monday, 12th October and Thursday 15th of October 2020, which focused on the following: Project Timelines Update Dashboard and Homepage Updates YouTube Channel Launch Q&A session   1- PROJECT TIMELINES - UPDATE  To have a detailed account of the Timelines’ validation process, including special cases, such as duration/budget out of Operational Modalities (OM) range, please refer to the Help Portal article. Timelines workflow NEW FEATURE New Business Role created: the Programme Officer NEW FEATURE In order to allow Fund Managers to delegate the validation of timelines, the GMS now counts a new business role, the Programme Officer business role. In addition to the basic HFU rights in the Timelines tab, the Programme Officer has the appropriate admin rights to: validate the timelines on behalf of the Fund Manager, edit waivers, check/uncheck the OM Compliant box of an instance. Please note the Programme Officer business role cannot: add waivers in the system (by either cancelling or deleting an OM-compliant instance), delete the waivers, To learn more on the GMS business roles and the restrictions in the Timelines tab, please refer to this section in the dedicated Help Portal article. Timelines creation and authorization new process:  When the project reaches Budget Cleared, HFU officers must go to the timelines tab of the project and check the reporting and monitoring requirements as defined by the Operational Modalities in the top section: ‘Operational Modalities Details’. According to the OM requirements, HFU officers must create the reporting and monitoring instances. To learn how to create a Timelines instance, please refer to this section of the Help Portal article.  HFU officers cannot create waivers and/or cancel the instances that are required by the OM. When all instances have been created, or if there is a need for waivers, HFU officers should send the timelines to the Fund Manager or the Programme Officer Business Role by clicking on [Send to Under Authorization]. NEW ACTION REQUIRED *Please note, the Timelines status does not have any repercussion on your edit rights in the Timelines tab. The Timelines workflow is only indicative. d. Only the Fund Manager can add waivers if necessary. To learn how to add waivers, please refer to this section of the Help Portal article. Only the Fund Manager and the Programme Officer Business Roles can authorize the timelines. To learn how to authorize the timelines, please refer to this section of the Help Portal article. Managing the timelines post-validation NEW FEATURES Deactivating an instance NEW FEATURE User role: all HFU staff If you wish to edit the dates or type of an active instance, you can deactivate it, even if labelled OM Compliant, by clicking on the  icon. Please press this button with utmost care as all data saved in this instance will be erased. Don’t forget to click on [Save], in the amended section to save your changes. *Please note, you cannot deactivate an instance that has been approved. Changing the OM Compliant status of an instance NEW FEATURE User Role: Fund Manager/Programme Officer business roles only The Fund Manager or Programme Officer have the possibility to change the OM Compliant status of reports/monitoring instances by ticking and unticking the OM Compliance green check. *Please note, it is not possible to tick/untick the green checkboxes of approved instances. After ticking/unticking the box, click on the [Save] button of the amended section. Once an instance is no longer OM Compliant, it is possible to delete it without adding a waiver. Please be aware that if you untick an OM Compliant instance and save the section without adding a new one, the system will pick up the fact that the timelines are missing an OM Compliant instance. Hence, the timelines will be un-authorized and an error icon will appear in the Operational Modality top section. In order to fill the OM requirements, you will have to either create a new instance, that would be replacing the unmarked one, OR mark another similar instance as OM Compliant in replacement. Once the timelines match the Operational modality requirements, the system will automatically re-authorize the timelines. Editing a waiver NEW FEATURE User role: Fund Manager/Programme Officer Business roles only To edit a waiver, click on the yellow square near the section’s title. In the pop-up window, click on the edit icon. Edit the information, then click on [Save]. Deleting a waiver NEW FEATURE User role: Fund Manager Business role only To delete a waiver, the Fund Manager must click on the yellow square near the section’s title. In the pop-up window click on the red cross . Then, insert the reason why they wish to delete this waiver, and click on [Confirm]. The system will keep a trace of all deleted waivers. To access the deleted waivers’ history log, click on this gray icon next to the section’s title. Please be aware that deleting a waiver and saving the section will unauthorize the timelines and an error icon will appear next to the missing instance type which waiver you just deleted. In this case, you will be requested to either create the missing instance, or add a new waiver, before re-authorizing the timelines. 2. DASHBOARD AND HOMEPAGE UPDATES  To access a more detailed guidance on all features of your Homepage, including the new ones from this release, please refer to this article of the Help Portal. a. A new Timelines’ Task list NEW FEATURE A Timelines’ task list has been added to the Task Overview Dashboard b. A ‘refresh’ option NEW FEATURE c. Customizing the Task Overview dashboard NEW FEATURE You can choose to hide, show or set as default view the task lists by clicking on [Customize Task List]. In the pop-up window, tick the boxes of the task lists’ names to select them. Then click on one of the three different options: Set as default: this will configure the selected task lists as appearing by default on your GMS homepage, Refresh: This will temporarily configure your dashboard as per your selection. However, to set this configuration as permanent, you will need to click on [set as default]. Cancel: click on this button to close the pop-up window, this will have no impact on the dashboard.​ d. The Quick Access The Quick Access tool, accessible on all pages of the GMS, enables users to quickly access specific pages in the GMS. To access the Quick Access tool, click on this icon  on the right-hand side of the menu bar e. The Advance Switchboard The Advance Switchboard is by default shown in the homepage, unless it has been unticked from the [Customize Task List] pop-up window.  In this case, it is accessible on prompt of the button [search]. 3. YOUTUBE CHANNEL LAUNCH  We are proud to introduce the YouTube channel of the GMS! You can access our channel by clicking here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCl39F0LRxeFx8oaOf-j9FBQ  Please read our blog post HERE to learn more about this new feature, including the list and links of all available videos and playlists. You can also subscribe to the channel to be notified of any new content! 4. RECORDING AND Q&A SESSION   You can view and listen to and download the recording of the training done on October 12th by clicking HERE; The Q&A Session of both trainings: Is it possible to perform a bulk approval of the timelines? No, each project has to be validated single-handedly as the HFU should be held accountable for the OCHA Assurance data, which is taken from the Timelines tab. Moreover, it is important for the Timelines to be reviewed before validation since they are reflected in the Annex B of the Grant Agreement. If an OM-compliant monitoring instance is waived in the Timelines (deleted or cancelled), where will it be shown in the OCHA Assurance dashboard? All waived monitoring instances will be reflected in the OCHA Assurance dashboard under the line “[monitoring instance] visits not required”, as per the below screenshot. To learn more on the impact of the Timelines on OCHA Assurance, please refer to this section of the Help Portal article and this tutorial video. Can the HFU provide waivers for projects already closed? The GMS team is working on inserting waivers for missing instances of projects that were approved prior to the initial Timelines release (pre-February 2020). The team has shared an extract with the HFUs to be filled out with the corresponding justifications and waivers which will then be inserted from the back-end on GMS. If you wish to have access to this document, please contact GMS Support.  Can we apply disbursement tranches that are stricter than our OM requirements without adding a waiver on GMS (this provision is already in our Operational Manual for high risk locations)? e.g 40-20-20 instead of 80-20. The system will not block a user from inserting disbursement tranches that mismatch the OM required ones. From a GMS technical point of view, there will hence be no need to add  a waiver for the disbursement section.  However, please be aware that the Finance teamchecks the disbursement tranches saved in the Timelines tab and compares them with your Operational Manual’s requirements. If there are discrepancies, they might contact you and ask for justification before signing the Grant Agreement. In the Timelines tab, can we edit the Due date/Active date at any time? Yes, it is possible to edit the Active date, provided the instance has not been activated. To edit the active date of an activated instance, you will first have to deactivate the instance, and then edit the date. The Due Date can also be edited at any time, provided the instance has not been approved. To learn more on how to edit the dates, please refer to this section of the Help Portal article. Can we change Monitoring visit to remote call monitoring ? Yes, such a change in the instance’s type is possible. However, it is not possible to change a programme monitoring type by a Financial Spot check, and conversely, it is not possible to change the type of a Financial Spot check to a field visit. To avoid the setting up of wrong timelines, once the OM is authorized by the Fund Manager, could the GMS automatically populate the disbursement tranches, reporting and monitoring schedules? It will help us hugely in terms of efficiency and effectiveness.  These changes will be part of our next release on the Timelines. Do all waivers have to be signed by EO or the FM has the authority to waive requirements? Waivers need to be signed by the EO and uploaded on GMS by the Fund Manager. What is the difference between Interim and Category Interim? In the Category Financial report, IPs have to report at budget category level. This type of report is only requested for UN Agencies. In a regular Financial Report, IPs have to report at budget line level.

The GMS Support Team is happy to announce the launch of our YouTube channel! Coming now with multiple tutorials on how to navigate in the GMS, intended for Partners and HFU, our revamped YouTube Channel is accessible to all at this address: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCl39F0LRxeFx8oaOf-j9FBQ All the videos that are published on the YouTube Channel can be found on the Help Portal. An introduction to GMS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbF7e_j6siQ&t=1s  You will find the following playlists: A Welcome Package for new or prospective Implementing Partners: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rExSF5F8YSE&list=PLiMju_Wm2Qf5MyLJFypILmxIL4fTvJUM0 Featuring: How to register in the GMS The GMS Home Page How to fill out and Submit Due Diligence An Introduction on how to Fill out and Submit a Project Proposal Tutorials for Implementing Partners: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Beuk-iOolU0&list=PLiMju_Wm2Qf7z3Vmddx_oZciJ0TpLTI-N Featuring: How to add a budget location in the Project Proposal Template The locations' tab errors explained Tutorials for HFU: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6dU00YNkTc&list=PLiMju_Wm2Qf4GuAaq1hRyPdC4YIDvUZKR Featuring: How to register in the GMS (all users) How to set up and launch an allocation on the GMS How to create a Strategic Review Committee Scorecard Special Playlist on Timelines validation and management:  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiMju_Wm2Qf7rDrgtP4xcs09sjYTyggR- Introduction to Timelines management: https://youtu.be/tWK6AFk5ghU Special case: Duration/budget out of range:  https://youtu.be/48znW6eDj1M How to add waivers and validate the Timelines (FM and PO): https://youtu.be/ER7L_MmTGww How to manage the Timelines’ instances after validation: https://youtu.be/sBjcF5sEz_Q How to edit and delete the waivers after Timelines validation (FM and PO): https://youtu.be/cJMdqry5Ipg Tutorials on how to read and interpret the CBPF Data Hub infographics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StORlfJnCGs&list=PLiMju_Wm2Qf6yZr6GWf7F_oYnsWDz31y_  Featuring: What is the CBPF Data Hub? The COVID-19 Allocation Map Allocation Flow Allocations Overview Contributions Allocations CBPF VS HRP The Pooled Fund Data Hub Do not hesitate to share this content. The Welcome Package for Partners for instance can be a great asset to organizations wishing to get started on the GMS. To be informed of the publication of a new video on the channel, you can subscribe to the OCHA Pooled Fund GMS YouTube channel by clicking on ‘Subscribe’. You have ideas for new tutorial content, a question or feedback on the videos? Do not hesitate to leave a comment: In the comment section of the YouTube videos; or You can send an email to gms-suppor@un.org We read everything and will be happy to provide the best-suited tutorials to GMS users!  

Content: WHAT IS THE MILESTONES MODULE ON GMS? HOW TO USE AND READ THIS TOOL? Country Averages tab  Filtering data  What information does this table provide? Country Dashboard tab Filtering data What information does this table provide? Disbursement Fund Process Report EXTRACT RAW DATA  (Excel format) WHAT IS THE MILESTONES’ MODULE ON GMS?                                                                                                                                             Navigation: Click on the Country Funding Process icon in the Quick Access-Dashboard on the right-hand side of your GMS Home Page OR Go to Report > Report > CBPF Milestone. The Milestones Module (or Country Funding Process) provides an overview of the different milestones which a project goes through during its lifecycle on GMS. The module highlights the achievements and marks the performance of each Country-Based Pooled Fund (CBPF) by providing a detailed accounting of the funding chronology, including the review of the projects’ stages, funding milestones, specific time-related and performance indicators, and duration averages. HOW TO USE AND READ THIS TOOL?  Country Averages tab  These fields allow HFUs to track progress, identify lags, and support efficient review, disbursement, reporting and audit processes. Filtering data                                                                                                                                                                                                                The default view for the Country Averages tab displays figures for the current year, and all Agency Types. However, you can filter the data related to the Agency/Partner’s type and the previous allocations year by ticking the filters’ boxes in the drop-down lists. After selection, click on [Click to filter]. Filters’ Field Description • Agency type:  Users can select a specific agency type using the drop-down list. • Allocation year: Users can select one or multiple Allocation year using the drop-down list. What information does the Country Averages table provide?  The “Country Averages” tab gives a general overview of all stages, milestones and indicators and provides the average duration between important milestones crossed by a project through its life cycle for a both Standard Allocations (SA) and Reserve Allocations (RA). For instance, in Yemen in 2019, it took on average 54 days for SA projects to go from Project Proposal Submission to IP signature.                                         *For this Blog post’s purposes, we used Dummy data. The example above does not reflect the reality. Country Dashboard tab  Filtering  data  The default view displays figures for the current year, and all Agency Types, clusters, Standard Allocations and Reserve Allocations (Only applicable if no filters have been selected on the Country Averages tab). However, the filter section of the dashboard tab enables users to select multiple variables that will be applied to the visual appearing below the section. Filters’ Field Description • Agency type:  Users can select a specific agency type using the drop-down list. • Allocation year: Users can select one or multiple Allocation year using the drop-down list. • Allocation type: Users can select one or multiple Allocation type using the drop-down list. • Cluster: Users can select one or multiple clusters using the drop-down list. • Agency: Users can single out one or multiple Agencies/Partners by using the drop-down list, • Allocation Source: Users can select one or multiple allocation source using the drop-down list. • Project code: Users can single out specific project(s) by entering their project codes in this field. This allows for a complete overview of the project’s milestones chronology! • Milestones completed: Users can select one specific milestone in the drop-down list. Only the data related to the selected milestone will appear in the visual. The milestones are the following: Project Proposal Submission; Strategic Review Completed; Implementing Partner Signature; Exexcutive Officer Signature; 1st Tranche Disbursed; Interim Financial Report Submitted; Interim Financial Report Certified; Final Narrative Report Submitted; Final Financial Report Submitted; Final Financial Report Certified; Audit Triggered; Audit Finalized; Project Closed Furthermore, you can select a specific stage of the project workflow by ticking its box in the ‘Stages’ section at the right-hand side of your screen. The possible stages are: 0: Milestones - when selecting the first stage box, the visual will provide an overview of ALL stages. 1: Review and Approval, 2: Disbursement, 3: Progress Narrative Report, 4: Interim Financial Report, 5: Monitoring, 6: Revision, 7: Final Financial and Narrative Report, 8: Audit and Closure. When selecting one or several stage(s), all related milestones will be displayed in the visual. For instance, to see the data related to the monitoring stage, including the related milestones, dates and indicators, select the monitoring stage in the Stage box. After selection, click on [Click to Filter]. What information does this tab provide?  The Dashboard tab displays all submitted projects on the GMS and their respective Agencies/Partners and provides the dates of each milestones’ completion, as well as the number of days between two milestones, including the milestones’ respective indicator(s). This visual’s characteristics are provided below for the Milestones (all stages overview), i.e. when users DO NOT select a specific stage:  Project code Project current workflow status Implementing Organization’s name Stages Milestones Date of milestone completion (a blank space could mean that the project has not yet reached this milestone. However, it could also mean that the GMS has not yet been updated as per the project’s current status) Indicator’s description (hover over the info tooltip  to access it) Indicator’s value Total number of projects which reached the Milestone. If you previously selected stage filters, for instance, if you selected the ‘3.3: monitoring’ stage in the Stage filter Box, all projects’ monitoring milestones and data will appear. Disbursement Fund Process Report  The Disbursement Fund Process Report page provides an overview of the different disbursement milestones, including dates and length averages. It is accessible from the dashboard tab of the Country Funding Overview page. To access the Disbursement Process Report page, click on [Disbursement Fund Process Report]. On the Disbursement Fund Process Report, select your variables using the filter options at the top, and click on [filter] to access all available information on the disbursement of funding per project, including: - The project’s budget; - The EO’s signature of the GA date; - The first disbursement date; - The first financial Report certification date; - The second disbursement date; - The second Financial report certification date; - The third disbursement date Similar to the milestones’ modules, time indicators are also shown in this table. GMS TIP: EXTRACT RAW DATA (Excel format)  You can extract the raw data of all the aforementioned modules by clicking on the [Export Report] button located in the top right corner of the module’s visual.  We recommend to extract the data as an Excel sheet, especially if you applied filters, as the extracted excel document includes more information than what is provided in the visual on the GMS.     You can find more information on the GMS milestone module on the GMS Help Portal by clicking HERE.

  Setting up a new Standard or Reserve Allocation on the GMS can seem challenging. This blog post aims to introduce tips to help smooth and ease the setup process. Links are provided under each section of this post to access the more detailed, complete guidance on the topic available on the Help Portal. Content: CONFIGURING THE ALLOCATION'S COMPONENTS Adding HRP Strategic Objectives (HRP SOs) Adding Sector Specific Objectives (SSOs) Configuring Cluster Indicators Configuring Standard Activities (Optional) Creating the Strategic Review Scorecard CREATING AND MANAGING THE ALLOCATION Creating the Allocation Linking the SOs and SSOs to the Allocation Configuring the Allocation Cluster Priorities (Optional) Adding Allocation Documents CONFIGURING THE ALLOCATION'S COMPONENTS  There are several manipulations to perform in the GMS in order to set up an allocation. We strongly advise you to enter and save your allocation details from the Macro to the Micro level, in the following order. 1- Adding HRP Strategic Objectives  Navigation: System Setup -> Allocation Management -> Manage Global HRP SO Click on [Add HRP SO]: In the pop-up window, select the year, the HRP, the SO number/prefix and add the SO description. Then, click on [Save]. To add several SOs, repeat the process. Please click here to access more detailed guidance. 2- Adding Sector Specific Objectives  Navigation: System Setup -> Allocation Management -> Manage SSO Go to the end of the SSO list, enter the SSO, select the year, select the HRP, and click on the ‘+’ icon. To add another SSO, repeat the process.  Please click here to access more detailed guidance. 3- Configuring Cluster Indicators  Navigation: System Setup -> Configuration Set up -> Clusters - > Cluster Indicators In the Cluster Indicators page, select the HRP year, the HRP, the Cluster to which the indicator pertains, enter a description of the indicator, select the beneficiaries (if applicable), enter information on specific needs (optional), and select the indicator’s unit. You have the option to lock the indicator (optional). After that, click on [Save Record]. Repeat this process for every cluster indicator you wish to add on GMS. Please click here to access more detailed guidance. 4- Configuring Standard Activities (Optional)  Navigation: System Setup -> Configuration Set up -> Manage Standard Activities In the ‘Manage Standard Activities’ page, select the HRP year, the HRP, the cluster, add a tag (if applicable), and insert a description of the standard activity. You have the option to select a specific risk level required to implement the standard activity. After that, click on [Save Record]. Please click here to access more detailed guidance. 5- Creating the Strategic Review Scorecard Before creating an allocation, it is mandatory to create the SR scorecard that will be used during the Strategic Review of projects. Each allocation should be linked to a UNIQUE Strategic Review Scorecard. It is not necessary to finish the scorecard at allocation launch, however the scorecard's template must be created on the GMS. It is possible to edit the template and finalize the scorecard after the allocation launch, up until the start of the strategic review process. To learn how to create a new scorecard, plese refer to this article of the Help Portal.    CREATING AND MANAGING THE ALLOCATION  1- Creating a new Allocation  Navigation: System Setup -> Allocation Management -> Manage Allocation Type To create a new allocation, fill all the mandatory information which is marked with a red asterisk and click on the [Save& Stay] button. The green asterisk shows the fields that will be published in the Business Intelligence (BI) platform once you click on the small "Publish" tick box. Please click here to access more detailed guidance. 2- Linking the Allocation with previously created HRP SOs and SSOs  Navigation: System Setup -> Allocation Management -> Allocation Type Configuration Click on the [Edit] button of your allocation line; then click on [Manage HRP].  In the HRP details page, add the HRP SO previously created by selecting it in the drop-down list, then click on the ‘+’ icon. Repeat the process if there are multiple HRP SOs to link to the Allocation.  At the right-hand side of the HRP SO you just added, click on [Link SSO]. In the pop-up window, select the cluster, and its corresponding SSOs that you wish to link to your allocation, then click on [Save]. You can select multiple SSOs at once for each cluster. To link the HRP SO with another cluster SSOs, repeat the process for the new cluster. Existing HRP – SSO links can be modified by clicking on the [Edit] link. Existing HRP – SSO links can be deleted by clicking on the delete icon. Please click here to access more detailed guidance. 3- Configuring the Allocation’s Cluster Priorities  Navigation: System Setup -> Allocation Management -> Allocation type Configuration Click on the [Edit] button of your allocation line; then click on [Cluster Priorities]. Enter in the according fields the Priority Activities and Geographical area outlined in your Allocation Strategy, and click on the ‘+’ icon .  Please click here to access more detailed guidance.   4-Adding Allocation Documents  Navigation: System Setup -> Allocation Management -> Allocation Type Document In the Allocation Type Documents’ page, select your Allocation from the drop-down list. In the right-hand side box, select the type of document you wish to upload from the drop-down list, upload your document from your computer by clicking on [Search File] and click on [Upload]. You need to upload: - The Allocation Report - The Allocation Strategy - The Timelines - The Partner Allocation Documents (which are the documents that will be visible to partners on GMS. It is important to upload the Allocation Strategy Paper here) - The Scorecards Please click here to access more detailed guidance.

This Blog post is related to the two GMS Global Trainings that were given on Monday, 29th of June 2020 and Thursday 2nd of July 2020, which focused on: The new Project Signatory feature in the Project Information Authorization page Contacts email verification in the Due Diligence The new GAA generation process COVID-19 App updates A walkthrough the new BI visuals Topics for futher discussion and HFU feedback (AOB) 1.         The new Project Signatory feature in the Project Information Authorization page   From now on, partners will be able to select the contact that will be signing the OCHA Grant Agreement at Project Information Authorization stage (this stage already includes bank information and start date authorizations). Only contacts included in the “List of Active Signatories” (i.e. contacts ticked as MOU or Signatory) in the organization’s Due Diligence will appear under selectable project signatories. Consequently, the HFU will not have to select the project signatory at GA preparation phase anymore, as this will be automatically generated from the project authorization page. This update is important for the roll out of the digital signature process at a later stage. As for previous projects with GAs already generated, our team has added the signatories to the project information authorization page from the back end. There will be no need for HFUs to act retroactively. Note: Unlike the bank information and start date authorizations, which become non-editable once the GA is sent to HC for signature, the partner signatory authorization will remain editable throughout project implementation. This is to allow for enough flexibility for the partner in case the signatory needs to be changed at project revision stage for example (when generating a GAA).      2.         Contacts email verification in the Due Diligence There are currently 4,000+ email addresses inserted for organizations in the Due Diligence forms on GMS. Out of these, only 2,000 are also registered GMS users and have a verified email with Humanitarian ID. In order to ensure that all emails inserted on the system are valid, the IMSDAU team has decided to introduce the email verification concept on GMS.     -   All contacts inserted in the Due Diligence or in the Project Proposal (on the Cover Page, under focal points details) will soon have a small envelope icon next to their name: a red envelope icon means the email has not been verified by the contact, while a green envelope icon means the email has been verified by the contact.    -   In order to clean the GMS backlog and to ensure the contacts data already existing on GMS is accurate, we will send an automatic broadcast to all non-verified contacts on GMS (i.e. contacts that are not registered GMS/HID users, such as Due Diligence contacts, PP Focal Points…) requesting them to verify their email address by clicking on a link (which will be valid for 30 days). This will help us ensure that all contacts inserted on GMS have registered and verified email addresses. Please find below a screenshot of the message that will be broadcasted. HFUs are kindly requested to contact their partners to let them know that the contacts inserted in their Due Diligence Form will receive this automatic email from GMS. *This is only a template email, please disregard the date inserted.    -   If a contact email is not verified (i.e. if a contact still has a red envelope icon), the HFU will be able to send a verification link to the contact at any time for verification from the Due Diligence page or from the Project Information Authorization page.       3.         New process for generating Grant Agreement Amendments on GMS    -   The next GMS release will include a new GAA generation process, where the HFU will be able to select the articles that should appear in the GAA, based on the revised sections of the project. The GAA will hence be generated with the corresponding clauses. This release will also include the new Cost Extension article.       4.         COVID-19 App Updates    -   HFU – GMS Admin business role on GMS: This new role gives its dedicated user access and edit rights to the COVID-19 app, which were previously solely held by the user with Fund Manager business role. An Excel sheet has been circulated to Fund Managers to appoint their respective fund’s GMS Admin user.       -   New App feature: When an allocation is added on the app, a list of linked projects will be automatically generated from the system. This list will include approved projects that already have COVID-19 components, such as: A Strategic Objective linked to the COVID-19 GHRP in their Logical Framework; A Sector Specific Objective tagged with the “COVID-19” prefix or linked to the COVID-19 GHRP; A standard indicator tagged with the “COVID-19” prefix or linked to the COVID-19 GHRP; A standard activity tagged with the “COVID-19” prefix or linked to the COVID-19 GHRP. These projects’ budgets will be automatically considered 100% participating to the COVID-19 response. However, the HFU can edit the percentages and all other features manually at any time. The HFU will also be able to manually add additional projects that do not have COVID-19 components reflected on GMS but are still responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. The updated COVID-19 app guidance note can be found at this link.       5.         A walkthrough the new Business Intelligence visuals (Internal and Public)    -   Internal BI: New visuals have been developed on the Internal BI: Tracking of COVID-19 Blanket NCEs: This new dashboard provides, in real time, the full list of projects that have undergone BNCEs, per country. Pending Refunds: This new dashboard provides a full overview of all pending refunds for each fund with the corresponding information, in real time. Allocations Timelines overview  Allocation by months overview    -   Public BI: A new Net Funding infographic has been developed to reflect the funding allocated per fund and per partner type. This visual will be released soon on the PFBI.                    6.         Other topics for future discussion and HFU feedback (AOB)    -   Aggregated budget of sub-IP and verification with direct partner budget: We have faced some issues in the past where the budget dedicated to a sub-IP in the “Other Info” tab of the project (under “10. Sub-Implementing Partners”) differs from the budget dedicated to the sub-IP under Category 6 of the Budget tab on GMS (6. Transfers and Grants to Counterparts). Do you think that a system verification should be put in place to avoid such scenarios and enhance consistency across the project proposal? i.e. Should the budget in “Other Info” tab be automatically generated from the sub-IP budget line in the Budget tab?    -   Validation of sub-IP (possibility to display the sub-IP as ineligible if necessary): Currently, sub-IPs can be added by partners with no background verification whatsoever. This has sometimes led to serious issues, especially in terms of compliance. What are your thoughts on the required level of verification that should be done for the insertion of a sub-IP in a project proposal on GMS?    -   Possibility of linking specific partners to an allocation at allocation configuration stage on GMS: Several funds have suggested to include this feature on the system (especially for reserve allocations), where an allocation would only be opened/visible to pre-selected partners.    -   Possibility of linking projects to GMS system roles: This is currently done by the GMS team from the back-end for funds that have third-party monitoring: we assign specific projects to TPM users. Do you have any suggestion or recommendation on this? Do you see a need to include this feature on GMS for other system roles for example?  

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.  

New releases in GMS – June 2019 1. Allocation type Business Intelligence (BI) publishing As part of OCHA’s commitment to Donors, and in order to provide different stakeholders with a better overview of the CBPF allocations timeline, the newly launched CBPF Business Intelligence (BI) platform (https://pfbi.unocha.org/) will soon start publishing the past, current and future allocation details, including the allocation strategy papers, online. With this objective, the latest release has enabled a “publish” option in the allocation type module, to be selected once the allocation planning has been finalized.  Navigation: System Setup > Allocation Management > Allocation Type New Fields: • Publish: tick box selection, to be selected once the allocation planning has been finalized. • Allocation Summary: narrative field to provide a short description of the allocation, which will allow external BI users to understand the focus of the allocation. Once the allocation is ready to be published in the BI platform, the HFU will tick the publish box. The allocation data, including the title, source, summary, year, budget, launch and HC approval dates will then be visible in the BI. Note: Once the allocation is published, HFUs will still be able to modify the allocation details if required (primary details: can be changed up to when a project is linked to the allocation, secondary details: can be changed after the project linking up to SR stage). The allocation related documents (i.e. allocation strategy) will be also available from the BI. The documents will be fetched from the Allocation Type Documents module, under the “partner allocation (visible to partners)” field. Please make sure that those documents have been uploaded for all your 2019 allocations.  Navigation: System Setup > Allocation Management > Allocation Type Document

New releases in GMS – April 2019 1. HRP project code (replacing the OPS code logic) The feature to link a GMS project to its respective HRP Project Code has now been released in the system. The user is now able to choose a project code, which will then be displayed with a link to the HRP Details in the GMS proposal.  Note: in order to enable the HRP linkage in the project proposal, the allocation will need to be configured accordingly, by ensuring that the HRP Plan is selected – if relevant. (Navigation: System Setup > Allocation Management > Manage Allocation Types)  2. Audit and monitoring reports The Audit Report excel extract is broken down into two sections: the Audit Report page, which will display all the information relevant to the audit findings and recommendations, and the Audit Closure Report, which will provide an overview of all the key dates of the project instances. • Audit Report tab: o Audit completion Date o Eligible Expenditure o Recommendation and findings (including its type and risk level) o Justifications and IP’s responses • Audit Closure Report: o Due Diligence and Capacity Assessment status o Project submission, signature dates o Tranches disbursement amounts and dates o Financial and Narrative reports submission date o Audit activation and actual completion dates Navigation: Report > Report> Audit Report  The Monitoring Report excel extract is broken down into two sections: the Monitoring details page, which will display all the information relevant to the monitoring recommendations, and the Participants details, which will provide the details of the monitoring focal points. • Monitoring Details: o Implementation progress o Monitoring Type (as per report and timelines) and Name o Monitoring End dates o Monitoring actions, and responsible o Monitoring Recommendation and notes • Participant Details: o Monitoring Start and Dates o Participant name/email/phone Navigation: Report > Report> Monitoring Report  3. Overall PI scorecard extract now available  The new PI advanced excel extract available from the partner risk dashboard will enable users to have an offline overview of the partner performance per project. The extract will display the total PI score and weightage per project, as well as the breakdown of questions/answers selected, in addition to the score associated to it. 4. Net Funding concept in the project full dump The project full dump extract was updated with a new Net Funding page which will allow the users to have a clear overview of the direct and indirect funding status for the selected projects. In this regard, direct organization and grants in will indicate how much is given for the direct use of the partner and the indirect organization and grants in will show how much is given to the sub-IPs.

New releases in GMS – December 2018 - January 2019 1. New Common 8+3 Project Proposal Template  Main changes: New Harmonized Template: With its simplified and streamlined requirements, the new template which follows the 8 core + 3 additional questions, allows for a more harmonized project proposal. The new proposal is aligned with the 8+3 report templates available in GMS. Affected Persons: New terminology for the beneficiaries targeted and a feature to add a customized “other” category, as well as the addition of a “Persons with Disabilities” field within the affected persons. Cash Tracking: New option to display a cash tracking measure and details against the budget of the project proposal. Locations: Updated page concept, with a map feature of the project’s locations, and a more detailed tracking of the budget, affected persons, and activities per cluster and locations. Note: It is now possible for HFUs to customize the minimum Admin level location required for the targets and reporting from the allocation type configuration page. For a detailed description of each of the 8+3 project proposal template pages and fields, please refer to the Help Portal: /content/project-proposal-submission . 2. Partner Risk Enhancements  Introduction of the multiplier concept: The “multiplier concept” is a tool, specific to each country, that allows to accurately reflect the CA country range into a Partner Risk equivalence. It translates the CA country range (score) into its weight equivalence at the global level (Adapted CA) without changing the risk level. With this concept, CA country scores and risk levels are better preserved.  Implementation of the New Eligibility Threshold: The Partner risk formula has now been updated in the system in order to reflect the Global Risk range and the new eligibility threshold, which is now of 50.  Synchronization of the PPI & Partner Risk Range: The Partner Performance Index formula has also now been updated in the system. The scores now reflect the harmonized range, which is better aligned and coherent with regard to the Partner Risk range.  3. OCHA Assurance Updates In order to align the OCHA Assurance report with the requirements agreed upon at the Global Pooled Fund Workshop, the module was partially updated. In addition to some of the descriptions, the formulas for the three following fields were updated as follows: Audits: Report due date is now project end date + 7 months. Monitoring visits: Monitoring due date is now considered as the project end date. Financial Spot Checks: Financial Spot Checks due date is now considered as the project end date. For a detailed description of each of the OCHA Assurance labels, please refer to the Help Portal: /content/reports-0#OCHA_Assurance .

New releases in GMS – October 2018 1. Project information authorization module To ensure that the start date and the bank details are updated ahead of the Grant Agreement creation, a validation will be required from the partner. The authorization will happen from a specific page, which will be accessible from the project proposal and the partner home page, where the status of the authorization will be displayed by a red or green checkbox tooltip.   Upon clicking on the tooltip, the users will be redirected to the authorization page, from where they will be able to edit the bank account details as well as the project start date. For more transparency, a history log of the changes will be kept and displayed.  2. Organization Management Module The organization registration requests will now be managed online, through the new organization management module. The module, held in a separate application, is accessible from the GMS menus (System Setup> Organizations> Manage Organizations) HFUs will be required to fill out the application form, and upload the required documentation, before pushing the workflow to GMS support for approval. The mandatory fields remain the same as in the past offline system, except for the introduction of the “Global Organization” concept.  The online form will be associated with a new workflow that will facilitate the tracking of the requests.  3. Budget Line locking HFU and Finance users will now be able to lock specific budget lines in the project proposal. Once the the locking feature has been used and the project returned to the partner, the partner will be able to edit only the lines that have been left unlocked. The user will have the possibility to manage the locking/unlocking at three levels: Page level; Category level; Budget line level.  In addition, a new feature will allow the users to add comments at the line level from the “comments” tooltip. Once a comment has been added, a notification will appear on the icon. The comments will be visible at the bottom of the page next to the related budget line.  4. Due Diligence Updates The following mandatory fields have been added to the due diligence “add contact” pop ups: Nationality; Date of Birth; Document Details.  5. Allocation Management Type Enhancement The page has been divided into two sections “Primary Details” and “Additional Details” for the purpose of allowing HFU to edit some fields, even after a project has been linked to the allocation. Primary Details: the section will be locked to HFU after the launch of the allocation. Additional Details: the section will be editable by HFU even after the launch of the allocation.  The field “Project Submission Start Date and Time” has been added to facilitate the configuration of the allocation window, which will now entirely take place from the Allocation Management Type page. The Allocation Window module will therefore be removed from the menus and be replaced by the concept of “Project Submission Start/Block Date and Time”.