Costs

Salary top-ups and travel-related costs

Allowances for salary incentives, top-ups, travel per diems and transportation costs are not paid from grant funds unless provided for in the funding request and grant agreement. If such schemes are indispensable for service delivery, applicants should include a valid funding rationale for such incentives as part of the funding request. The assumptions tabs in the Global Fund budget template are used for this justification.

Shared costs

Shared costs are expenses that can be allocated to two or more funding sources (government, the Global Fund, other donors etc.) or different Global Fund grants based on shared benefits and administrative efficiency. These costs are allowed when they are:

• verifiable from implementers’ records with evidence on “fair share” principle;
• necessary and reasonable for proper and efficient accomplishment of grant and programme objectives;
• included in the approved budget when required; and
• expensed during the grant implementation period.

The apportionment method must be clearly stipulated in the budget assumptions.

Budgeting for Project Management Unit (PMU) and other staff costs

The Global Fund budget template contains three types of assumption tabs:

1. Travel-Related Cost grouping of cost-inputs;
2. Human Resources grouping of cost inputs; and
3. All others.

The related assumption tab is used for each detailed unit cost.

Staff costs are calculated and budgeted as follows:

• UNDP’s Pro-forma Costs 2024 for Fixed Term Appointment (FTA), Technical Assistance positions either on Temporary Appointments or Personnel Service Agreements.

Note that all information related to the procurement of health products – i.e., the list of health products, unit costs, quantities, and associated procurement and supply management (PSM)-related costs – are captured in the Health Product Management section of the Manual.

Practice Pointer

All relevant common services costs such as common premises (shared office costs, PMU that are collocated with UNDP Country Office), security costs, common communication costs, or medical facilities (UN dispensary) must also be included in the budget.

Additional guidance to support this area of work are also available resources listed below:

• Global Fund Health Product Management Template User Guidelines