Pre-qualification for Output Based Grants aims to ensure that the applicant has the capacity required to deliver quality assured products service and after sales service to customers and will have the internal integrity and rigor to cope with the reporting and audit requirements attached to the grant.

Interested applicants can register via the link provided on the REA website. Login details to the Odyssey application platform will be sent via e-mail following registration.

The evaluation process of the Output Based Fund (OBF) consists of evaluating the company and the product. The company evaluations are divided into 9 sections detailing various aspects of their company and its business model.

In addition, all the products to be accepted into the program must be quality verified, products must pass the Quality Verification Framework for the NEP and be certified by either Lighting Global (LG) or International Electro-technical Commission (IEC).

It is important to know that for the OBF evaluation, firms are not ranked but rather admitted or rejected subject to either passing or not passing the minimum average score of 70%, across the criteria below.  However, companies are allowed to re-apply to the program. Provided they are able to address the issues raised by the evaluation committee.

The NEP team will be available to provide all necessary support and guidance to companies applying to the program.

SECTION	REQUIREMENT
Company	Identify company, governance structures, and key personnel. Confirm regulatory compliance. Financial standing.
Customer Tracking	Evidence of the ability to meet the requirement to identify, track and report customers and SHS.
Customer Services	Evidence of ability to effectively provide pre- and after- sales service to those customers that are acquired, including easy and practical warranty service.
Operational scale	Evidence of ability to achieve the minimum required level of sales.
Skills and experience	Relevant experience or company and key people for building scale in the private SHS market.
Product	Identify SHS products, verify Lighting Global quality certifications (from independent laboratories)
Environmental Management	Evidence that environmental and social risks are mitigated.
Gender Inclusion	Evidence of promoting gender inclusion in all the company’s programme.
Background Checks	Consent to conduct background checks on the applicant company, associated companies, and key individuals.
Declarations	Declarations to comply with key terms. Consent for background checks on company and key people.

Market Scale Up Challenge Fund Sub-component

In addition to the pre-qualification criteria applied to the Output-based grants, access to the Challenge Fund will require strong evidence that the applicant possesses all of the capabilities necessary to scale massively and rapidly.

Solar companies that bid for the grants will have to show that they have been able to /are in the process of leveraging equity or debt financing to support their growth in their core market.

Additional criteria will emphasize business plan that is investment worthy and of international standard; senior management team that is deep and capable across all key disciplines including consumer marketing, consumer finance, IT, logistics, financial management, business process management; commitment to high sales targets; credible pathway to mobilizing the substantial capital required to grow.