PlanCoast Procedures for EU - Partners

1. PlanCoast Procedures for EU - Partners Angela Schultz-Zehden PlanCoast Coordinator Workshop: PlanCoast Procedures for EU-Partners Angela Schultz-Zehden, Ancona, 14th July 2006

2. Common Project Coordination Tasks • Regular Half-Year Reporting to CADSES about activities carried out and finances used by all partners • Issueing of Payment Claims to receive EU Co-Finance • Management of Trustee Account for EU Co-Finance • Management of Common Project Activities and Costs • Co-organisation of half-yearly PlanCoast workshops • Coordination and maintenance of PlanCoast WebSite • Production and dissemination of other common promotional and informational material • Maintenance of contacts with interested parties of PlanCoast • Correspondence with CADSES Joint Secretariat Workshop: PlanCoast Procedures for EU-Partners Angela Schultz-Zehden, Ancona, 14th July 2006

3. Some Basic Facts • Application Form dated 7th Nov 2005 is the BASIS to everything! • Changes only possible with great difficulty! • Furthermore EU Regulations / CADSES Programmes / etc. • Subsidy Contract: • Between Lead Partner and Management Authority • Stipulates rights & duties of Lead Partner / Amounted of granted funds / Application Form and Joint Conventions PART of subsidy contract • Joint Convention: • Legal relation between Lead Partner and all Project Partners • Rights, duties, responsibilities, field of co-operation • Most Important: 15% reserved as common costs - but individual invoices • Division on procedures: • Reporting to Joint Technical Secretariat • Payment Claim for ERDF Funding to MA • But: Non-fulfilment of reporting obligations can result in suspension of payments • EU Cofinance on Retrospective Basis! Workshop: PlanCoast Procedures for EU-Partners Angela Schultz-Zehden, Ancona, 14th July 2006

4. General Project Reporting / Invoicing Timetable Workshop: PlanCoast Procedures for EU-Partners Angela Schultz-Zehden, Ancona, 14th July 2006

5. Our Project Reporting / Invoicing Timetable Workshop: PlanCoast Procedures for EU-Partners Angela Schultz-Zehden, Ancona, 14th July 2006

6. Partner Project Activity Reporting • Common / Summary Information: • Man achievements, outputs and deliverables, management, info activities, partnership, non-EU PPs • Brief, coherent, comprehensive description • Not simply listing of Activities & Results • Detailed Action specific information: • Action No, Start. End, Description, Involved Partners, Location, Output / Deliverables, Planned Costs => Already pre-filled from application form! No changes possible! • Description of how action was implemented during reporting period • Description of concrete outputs / deliverables achieved • Justification of any deviation and envisaged solutions • Table of expenditures incurred within this action • The descriptions should provide evidence that planned activities were carried out, milestones achieved and outputs delivered! Workshop: PlanCoast Procedures for EU-Partners Angela Schultz-Zehden, Ancona, 14th July 2006

7. Principle of Comparison Comparison between envisaged activities and milestones foreseen in the project application and activities and milestones actually carried out or finished in the respective period • All deviations will need to be explained, justified and solutions offered => • MA / SC / MC may decide on possible consequences Workshop: PlanCoast Procedures for EU-Partners Angela Schultz-Zehden, Ancona, 14th July 2006

8. Partner Project Finance Reporting I • Project Costs split according to • Actions / Partners / Budget lines • Moment of payment of NO relevance: • All partners report about physical implementation of the Action carried out so far and the connected costs • Actions which start in in one period and finish in another period have to be reported with corresponding description and part of costs in first progress report and then be mentioned again in next Progress Report with remaining part of costs and description • Source of the value of delivered goods / services • Certification of Expenditure • Paid out invoice / salaries (payrolls) / timesheets • Received invoices, bills or similar documents • Contracts, confirmed orders • Received delivery notes, costs estimations... • Reports from subcontractors, consultants, suppliers • Informal information of subcontractors, consultants, suppliers, • Personal estimatioons of the Project Partners / Lead Partner Workshop: PlanCoast Procedures for EU-Partners Angela Schultz-Zehden, Ancona, 14th July 2006

9. Partner Project Finance Reporting II • Example 2: An activity is carried out in more than one reporting period, but paid in a single payment. The payment covers all costs of the activity (the moment of payment is of no relevance) • Progress Report 6 contains neither the costs nor the description of the Activity X • Progress Report 7 contains the description of the already delivered part of Activity X and the proportional part of total costs, according to the work carried out by the end of the Rep. Period 7. • Progress Report 8 contains the description of the remaining part of Activity X and the remaining part of the total costs, which had not been inserted in the Progress Report 7. Workshop: PlanCoast Procedures for EU-Partners Angela Schultz-Zehden, Ancona, 14th July 2006

10. Sample Progress Report Angela Schultz-Zehden, Ancona, 14th July 2006

11. Partner Project Payment Claim • Period normally SAME as for Activity / Financial Reporting • BUT: For payment only incurred and actually paid costs (based on REAL expenditures) • Different Budget Lines: • Co-ordination => Only Lead Partner • Personnel & Overheads (hourly basis / timesheets / payslips) • Meetings & Conference (venue, equipment, documents, interpreters, meals) • Travel & Accommodation (tickets, dails allowances, hotel) • Promotion & Publication (specify purpose, target group, copies, etc.) • External Expertise and Audit • Sub-contracting, trainers, studies, services, etc. • Not necessary to ask for approval but contracting has to follow EU / national rules! • Possible to hire subcontractor from non ERDF country • Attention! Includes 15 % common costs! • Documentary Evidence: • Keep all supporting documents (also reports on tenders, etc.) • Invoices must bear acronym of project, clear description of services, correspond to payments • First Level Control: • Expenditures must be certified by first level control body (central in Poland/Italy) • Stick to Yearly Distribution! Workshop: PlanCoast Procedures for EU-Partners Angela Schultz-Zehden, Ancona, 14th July 2006

12. ForwardingtheCertifications of Expenditures Starts ERDF Sending out the payment claims related to the projects Managing Authority Paying Authority Lead Partner ERDF circuit National Coordinator ( 1st level control certifiers ) Project Partner forwards certifies starts nationalfunding

13. Partner Project Reporting: General Remarks DO NOT WORRY! :-) • Coordination Office sends you pre-filled forms, which are AS SIMPLE AS POSSIBLE • ONLY stick to your OWN activities and costs and inputs to common tasks • WE will put together all partner reports / payment claims into ONE BIG report to be submitted by Lead Partner to JTS / MA BUT! :-O • Stick to Timing! - No exception is made for sticking to CADSES deadline • Be careful to include ALL payments into RIGHT payment claims • INDICATE immediately to any kind of PROJECT CHANGES and do NOT assume automatic approval - ask BEFOREHAND • Check fit to regulations yourself - LP is NOT responsible for non-payment by CADSES • Regulations, implementation rules, etc. all to be found under www.cadses.net Workshop: PlanCoast Procedures for EU-Partners Angela Schultz-Zehden, Ancona, 14th July 2006

14. Partner Project Promotion / Dissemination Input Main Communication Tool: www.plancoast.eu PlanCoast Corporate Identity • ALWAYS use PlanCoast Logo (to be found on PlanCoast website) • ALWAYS use SAME PlanCoast main description (as in flyer) • ALWAYS use also EU & CADSES Logo (to be found on www.CADSES.net) Make www.plancoast.eu a success! • Provide regular input (minimal requirement: half-year reporting) • Provide us with links to other useful websites • Create links FROM other websites to PlanCoast • Send as much info as possible on own organisation / sub-projects / etc. • Provide us with any kind of reports, photos, etc. (also from other sources) for download section on ICZM / maritime spatial planning • If wanted: Translation of www.plancoast.eu in national languages (but from own funds) • Maintenance of www.plancoast.eu exclusive with project coordination Workshop: PlanCoast Procedures for EU-Partners Angela Schultz-Zehden, Ancona, 14th July 2006

15. Final Remarks • We are there for you! • We want to make your project work as easy as possible so that you can concentrate on content rather than formalities • BUT: Please communicate with us! • We can only advice or solve problems, if we know about them! • The earlier we receive information - the better we can help! • If we indicate limiations, it is NOT because we do not want to help, it is because we want to avoid problems with EU and risk EU - Cofinance • If there are delays, it is NOT because we do not want to work, but due to procedural limitations! Angela Schultz-Zehden / Kasia Scibior info@plancoast.eu or asz@sustainable-projects.eu Workshop: PlanCoast Procedures for EU-Partners Angela Schultz-Zehden, Ancona, 14th July 2006