“…the process could evaporate off their technical staff…”
Is it healthy for us to absorb one of our collaborators/competitors as a simple donor to our projects/partners?
On the one hand:
· it could reduce our cumulative bureaucratic load,
· it is a positive sign in an all-too-often cynical and fragmentary world,
· it could allow them to focus on core skills of fund-raising and us on programme delivery.
On the other hand:
· we have lower field supervision expectations than they presently do; can they accept this as ‘progress’ or will they want us to increase our supervisory intensity?
· will they maintain their technical inputs to projects they support as supernumerary to our overheads, or will they attempt to subtract them from our overheads – in effect removing our leeway to manage as we see fit; who will end up controlling whom?
· the process could evaporate off their technical staff; and if this happens, will we have won or lost?
· will the process also drive away their own current partners, unwilling to partner us now, or unhappy at not having been consulted?
