Part-financed by the European Union (European Regional Development Fund) PartiSEApate: Project administration … a formal side of the project under BSR

Part-financed by the European Union (European Regional Development Fund)

PartiSEApate:

Project administration … a formal side of the project

under BSR Programme 2007-2013

Joanna PrzedrzymirskaThe Maritime Institute in GdańskPartiSEApate Lead Partner

Kick-off meeting, Riga, 6th September 2012



Content

1. Some basic principles2. EPCO3. Project Reporting 4. Partnership Agreement, incl. cost-share5. Detailed financial rules (specifics of budget lines)


Some basic principles1. Lead Partner principle: responsibility = trust2. ONE project – but:

• each partner with OWN budget (no budget shifts) • many type of activities:

• Individual activities = individual budgets• Joint activities (with ONE coordinator while all are contributing)• Jointly financed activities (common work financed from shared costs)

4. TRULY TRANSNATIONAL project = consuming resources for constructive dialog not for exchange of experience => joint BSR wide activities (i.e. MSP Expert Group, Pilots, Compendium, Stakeholder workshops, Recommendations)


EPCO

EPCO = External Project Coordination OfficeJOINT tasks related to: WP 1 = Project Administration and WP 2 = Project CommunicationSUPPORT needed due to:• EU Regulations / JTS reporting requirements• Transnational character of the BSR Programme’s project (numerous partners and activities but …

separate budgets)For the benefit of ALL Project Partners Coordinated by the Lead Partner (MIG) and supervised by BSH – an implementing partnerEPCO is expected to:• Ensure compliance with BSR Programme 2007-2013 requirements = keeping everything “on track”:

reporting, Work Plan, Milestones, Outputs, Indicators• Communicate – Moderate – Motivate• Create Room for Content EPCO is NOT expected to:• Replace/ substitute/ relieve partners in their roles on content side in the project:

Stakeholder workshops ≠ Partner Meeting MSP Expert Group ≈Partner Meeting BUT Content comes from Partners


Joint (EPCO) versus individual activities

Joint activities

• WP1• Overall reporting (incl. pre-checks of

individual PPs reports)• Financial management (incl. budget

changes)• Preparation & documentation of partner

meetings• Project Portal & Helpline (also towards JTS)

• WP2• Website & Project Contact Point• Communication Plan• Project Identity Kit• Project Messages & Articles• Editing of Project Newsletters / Fact

Sheets /Workshop Documentations etc.• Management of Dissemination (Mailing)

Lists

Individual activities

• WP1• Documentation of own costs & activities• Certification of expenditure (FLC)• Public Procurement • Responses to specific clarifications

• WP2• Participation in events• Press Conferences • Radio / TV interviews• CONTENT Elaboration of Newsletter,

Fact Sheets, etc.• CONTENT Elaboration of Minutes for

Stakeholder Meetings• CONTENT Main Products / Reports• Collection of dissemination / mailing lists

& contacts


Project Reporting - RULES

Retrospective paymentsApplication shows ideal budgetsNow: first work = spending money co-finance backNo check on what you do with money received back as already justified

Half-yearly reporting (link activity – finance)Based on Application => flexibility, but ultimately always link back to application

Co-Finance - but not „in cash” Everything invoiced 100% – co-finance on ALL budget items

Staff (also in public institutions) => based on timesheets, NOT overheads

External => strictly based on Public Procurement Rules in each country


Project Reporting: process

Joint

Technical

Secretariat

ProgressReport

Control

on partner level

2 months

Control

on project level

1 month LP

FLCreport and

confirmation

FLC

FLC

PP2

FLC

PP1

FLC

PP3

Validation

of expenditure

FLC

repo

rt a

nd

confi

rmat

ion

EPCO


8

Reporting timelineAnticipated….as no grant contract yet….

First Reporting Period 1: • 12 Jun 2012 – 31 Mar 2013• Individual PP Report due: 31 May 2013• overall Progress Report due: 15 Jun 2013• Payment: approx. 4 months later Oct 13• Often clarifications => Aim – as little as possible

Reporting Period 2: • 01 Apr 2013 – 30 Sep 2013• Individual PP Report: 30 Nov 2013• overall Progress Report: 10 Dec 2013

Reporting Period 3: • 01 Oct 2013 – 31 March 2014• Individual PP Report: 31 May 2014• overall Progress Report: 15 Jun 2014

Final Reporting Period 4: • 01 Apr 2014 – 12 Sep 2014 – 12 Dec 2014• Individual PP Report due: 30 Dec 2014 / overall Progress Report due: Jan 2015


Partnership agreement

Content:• General “contract” – pre-format by JTS

• Duties / rights of PP and duties / rights LP• Decision-making rules

• Grant Contract (JTS-LP)• Project Data Form / Application• Cost-Share Agreement• Work Plan with activities / budgets of all PPs

Defines relationship LP–PPs

To be signed

BEFORE submission of Report No. 1

Same agreement for all !

Questions: Members of the Project Steering Committee? ALL PPs ? Majority Decision or Unanimously ?


Detailed financial rules

1) First Level Control2) Eligibility of Cost3) Public procurement4) Cost Sharing5) Reporting


11

Designation of FLC

• Centralized system (Poland, Latvia & Sweden): No need for designation, no need to pay for FLC

• Decentralized or mixed FLC systems (Germany, Lithuania): Need for • Identifying FLC and • Obtaining a certificate of the national designation body

• Get your country-specific info from the BSR website: http://eu.baltic.net/Country_Specific_Information.1397.html


Content



Budget lines

BL 1 – PersonnelBL 2 – External servicesBL 3 – Travel and accommodationBL 4 – Equipment and investmentBL 5 – Other direct costs

Budget flexibility rule


Personnel costs of project staff

• Directly employed by project partners listed in the application form

• Basis: employment/labour contract

• Carrying out project activities

• Gross salary + employer’s obligatory contributions on a monthly basis!

NON-ELIGIBLE

• Any voluntary remuneration and employer contribution

• Administration costs

14

BL 1 – Personnel


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BL 1 – Personnel

Time Sheets• Calculation methods and tools of the BSR programme

• Time sheet for full time employee• Time sheet for part-time employee

• Requirements for Time Sheets• Separate Time Sheet for each employee (signed)• Recording of hours on a monthly basis (for part-time

employees also hours worked on other tasks)• Briefly state the activities performed (remark “WP 3. 2” or

“Activity 3.2.2” would be sufficient) – reference to WP is important !!!


Budget lines




• Expenses paid by project partners to external providers External = not employed by project partner institutions

• Basis:• Contracts of work, supply contracts, service contracts• Invoices/requests for reimbursement.

• Public procurement!• NON-ELIGIBLE:

• Contracting between project partners• Recoverable VAT is not eligible

(status was declared in the Application Form)

17

BL 2 – external services


Budget lines




• Travel and accommodation + subsistence allowances

• IMPORTANT for PartiSEApate !!!! also for SPEAKERs if NO other payment BUT better check with EPCO PRIOR to event….

• Essential for project activities• Most economic way of transport• Observe national and institutional internal rules!• Prior approval of travels outside the programme

area and the EU! 19

BL 3 – Travel and accomodation


Budget lines



NOT RELEVANT IN PARTISEAPATE !!! => no budget.....


Budget lines




BL 5 – other direct costs

Eligible• Transnational transfer charges

and bank charges

• Participation fees for external events

• Direct office running costs

NON-ELIGIBLE:• Overheads!

• Any general costs allocated on a percentage or pro rata basis

• Debit interest and exchange rate losses


Budget lines




Reallocated amount (cumulated since project start) ≤ 20% or 40,000 EUR, whichever is higher

NOT POSSIBLE:

• Changes of equipment/investment items

• Changes between project partners’ budgets

BL1 BL2 BL3 BL4 BL5 Total

WP1 Flexibility

WP2 Flexibility

WPn Flexibility

Total Flexibility Flexibility Flexibility Flexibility Flexibility Total budget




Questions please!


Content



27

Public procurement

• Launch your tenders at an early stage –procurement takes time!

• Programme requirements: • Transparency, equality, objectivity• You have to obey institutional, regional, national and EU

regulations• In any case: For contracts above € 5,000 apply the

“Bid-at-three rule” (applicable mainly for BL 2 & BL 4) • Only if public procurement procedures are observed

costs for goods, services and works will be considered eligible by the FLC for funding under the BSR Programme!


• Value of purchase below the institutional, national and Community thresholds

but• Value of purchase above 5,000 EUR excl. VAT

• Collection of 3 offers• Proper documentation

28

Public procurement: bid-at-three


29

Public procurement: thresholds

• Thresholds vary a lot, Community threshold for service contracts is € 200,000 (net)

• Below that threshold numerous national, regional and institutional thresholds exist

• Thus normally national, regional and institutional regulations need to be applied

• If none is applicable bid-at-three



Questions please!


Content



32

Extern. Service

From the cost sharing agreement to the financial note

Cost sharing


33

Reporting of shared costs and settlement of cost shares between PP

Cost sharing

Payment WITH cost-share

ImplementingPartner

WITHOUT cost-share



Questions please!


Content



Reporting: every six months

Joint

Technical

Secretariat

ProgressReport

Control

on partner level

2 months

Control

on project level

1 month LP

FLCreport and

confirmation

FLC

FLC

PP2

FLC

PP1

FLC

PP3

Validation

of expenditure

FLC

report

and

confirm

ation

EPCO


37

Once more: Reporting timelines

Anticipated….as no grant contract yet….First Reporting Period 1:

• 12 Jun 2012 – 31 Mar 2013• Individual PP Report due: 31 May 2013• overall Progress Report due: 15 Jun 2013• Payment: Hopefully approx. 4 months later Oct 13• Often clarifications => Aim – as little as possible

Reporting Period 2: • 01 Apr 2013 – 30 Sep 2013• Individual PP Report: 30 Nov 2013• overall Progress Report: 10 Dec 2013

Reporting Period 3: • 01 Oct 2013 – 31 March 2014• Individual PP Report: 31 May 2014• overall Progress Report: 15 Jun 2014

Final Reporting Period 4: • 01 Apr 2014 – 12 Sep 2014 – 12 Dec 2014• Individual PP Report due: 30 Dec 2014 / overall Progress Report due: Jan 2015


38

Reporting: timeline

• The BSR Programme is strict with the deadline as they fear de-commitment of funds for the Programme

• EPCO offers pre-check of your cost-itemisation list and financial report before you submit it to your FLC (ideally 2 weeks after end of reporting period)


39

Every Partner needs to submit by 31 May 2013 to EPCO / Financial Manager the following docs – in electronic format AND scans/hard copies !!:

• Cost Itemisation List• Confirmation of Control • Activity Progress Report • Internal Control Report (FLC must use BSR template)• Control Checklist (FLC must use BSR template)

Project Partner Report

Reporting: obligatory documents from every PP


40

Reporting: what do you need to keep?

Please do not send supporting documents such as:• Time Sheets• Invoices• Travel expense reports etc.

They are checked by your FLC and need to be kept by you until the end of 2025 for a possible second level audit!

• Please always keep copies of the “FLC docs” that you have submitted to the LP


41

Reporting: principle

• Your FLC controls your expenditure, thus it is not a pure audit

• The FLC compares the planned activities and related budget (as per Application Form) with the realized activities (activity report) and expenditures (financial report)

• Thus Progress Reports should relate to the original work plan / budget even if there is some flexibility

• The FLC is not a qualitative control


Reporting: templates

• The template for the Project Partner Report, which comprises the templates for the Cost Itemisation List, the confirmation of control and the activity report, will be developed by EPCO individually for each partner and sent to you by February / March 2013

• Templates for control report and control checklist are not individualized and don’t change and will be send to you only once


Template: cost itemisation list

• List all expenditure (all BL)• Use this to submit your supporting docs to your FLC• VAT: only if it cannot be recovered by any means (check your Partner

Declaration)• National currency: official currency code • Exchange rate: monthly accounting exchange rate of the European

Commission (4 digits after decimal point)• WP & BL: drop-down list


Template: confirmation of control

• Do not include your cost share in eligible own expenditure that you declare to your FLC!

• Only the Implementing Partner needs to obtain a separate confirmation of control for the cost sharing scheme

• Your cost share is included at LP level


45

Other useful tools

• Time Sheet Template

• Bid@3 sheet for documenting procurement of external services

• Your normal travel expense reports (according to institutional / national requirements)



Questions please!


Sources of information / contacts

• Programme Manual: Download from the BSR

websitehttp://eu.baltic.net/Programme_document.98.html

• For country-specific questions: your national

contact point http://eu.baltic.net/Country_Specific_Information.1397.html

• Soon: the PartiSEApate website

• Soon: EPCO

Documents

Part-financed by the European Union (European Regional Development Fund) PartiSEApate: Project administration … a formal side of the project under BSR