project management and finance

URBACT II – Training Session

Project Management

Introduction

Structure of the session – 3 main blocks

1. Key actors2. Contractual Documents

Subsidy Contract Joint Convention Audit Trail

1. Administrative procedures

Reporting Activities Reprogramming

Thursday 30 January 2014

Project Management, key actors


Lead Partner: Responsible for the overall organization and implementation of the network’s work plan (including account, progress and financial report, internal handling and transfer of ERDF, fulfillment of communication requirements)

Partner (s): Each partner shall commit to the success of the project and contribute to its implementation and completion. Moreover, each partner remains liable for the sound financial management of its own expenditure.

Managing Authority/Secretariat: Responsible for the overall implementation of the Programme, for supporting the Beneficiaries (including verification of the evidence of the activities implemented and the reimbursement of the costs incurred)

Main contractual documents

› Subsidy Contract

› Joint Convention

› Audit Trail


Subsidy Contract

The Subsidy Contract includes:

1. The maximum amount of the ERDF subsidy and total eligible budget as presented in the approved DoI and budget proposal.

2. Rules, eligibility of expenditure› Project start and end date

3. Request for Payment› Annual allocation

4. The main duties and responsibilities of the Lead Partner and Project partner.


Subsidy Contract – Next Steps

Due to the French legislation, the Subsidy Contract shall be bilingual FR/EN

The URBACT Secretariat will send the PDF version by email

The Lead Partner checks and confirms the information included in the contract

The Secretariat sends 3 signed bilingual copies to the Lead partner

The Lead Partner signs 3 copies of the contract

The Lead Partner returns 2 bilingual copies to the Secretariat (one for MA/Secretariat and the other for CA)


Joint Convention - Optional

Joint Convention:Legal Agreement between the Lead Partner and all the Project Partners

The Joint Convention shall include the duties, obligations and responsibilities of all the partners concerning among others:

Project management and implementation Project reporting Project closure Budgetary principles Financial management system Verification and Record Keeping Individual partner budget breakdown and confirmation of

contribution and ERDF allocation


Audit Trail document

› It is a mandatory document to be submitted by each partner

› It must be filled in and signed by each Partner, collected and checked for completeness by the LP

› The LP should send completed documents to the Secretariat

by end of February 2014 latest

› It contains basic information on :

Separation of functions at Partner level

VAT status

Financial management system

Record keeping


Audit Trail Requirements

Requirements for record keeping – end date 31/12/2020 (if there are not national rules that require an even longer archiving period)

Documents to be archived at the LP/Partner’ premises:

contractual documents (incl. audit trail doc.); bank account statements; original invoices; time records of personnel working for the project (including timesheets); copies of all contracts with external experts and/or service providers; documents relating to public procurement, information and publicity; proofs for delivery of services and goods (studies, brochures, newsletters,

minutes of meetings, participants’ list, travel tickets, etc.); calculation of administrative costs, records of costs included in overheads; etc.

THIS INFORMATION WILL BE REQUESTED FOR AUDIT!


Mandatory documentation

• Subsidy Contract

• Audit Trail documents

• FLC approvals

ATTENTION: WITHOUT, NO ERDF REFUND!


Any Questions?



Presage-CTE: Financial management and monitoring system

› On line monitoring tool https://urbact.presage-cte.org

› The system is secure and access is restricted by personal log-in and password (user types: LP, PPs, FLCs)

› Each project must undertake an official reporting using Presage–CTE :

Accounting and validation of expenditure Certification of expenditure and FLC certificates Production of a payment claim Submission of a progress report

› Monitoring project expenditure and ERDF payments

Reporting Procedure

Documents to be submitted:

Progress Report

Certificates of Expenditure

A unique Payment Claim

Closure Documents – at closure


through PRESAGE CTE


Payment Claim by LP

› What is a payment claim? Request for refund : it claims globally the expenditure

incurred by the project at the end of the reporting period It regroups the certificates produced by several partners to

make a cumulative claim for ERDF It is produced in PRESAGE-CTE and signed by the LP

ATTENTION:LP responsible for checking FLC certificates:

- correctness (“interim/final” status, FLC answers to certificate checklist, etc.)

- completeness (signature by the approved controller of the LP/Partners certificates)

WE CANNOT PAY ERDF WITHOUT IT

Progress Report

› To ensure that the project’s activities are progressing in accordance with the work plan and the budget approved by the Monitoring Committee

› The Progress Report shall be produced and submitted through PRESAGE CTE – to be signed by LP and LP FLC

› Structure of the Progress Report shaped on the work plan included in the Application Form in Presage-CTE

All expected outputs initially indicated in the Application Form shall be achieved – Subsidy contract


Reporting rounds schedule

Period Deadline

1 Dec 2013 – 30 June 2014 30 September 2014

1 July 2014 – 31 Dec 2014

28 February 2015

(claim optional, PR mandatory)

1 Jan 2015 – 31 March 2015 31 May 2015


ERDF refunds

• General refunding period:

– all projects reporting documentation will be reviewed by the JTS within 1 month after submission deadline ( ex. before 31st October 2014 for reporting period Dec 2013-June 2014)

– payments forecasted shortly after except if additional queries from the JTS or the CA and depending on the delays to provide required clarification or documents

– total estimated turn around time is maximum of 2 months for those projects submitted with no problems


Re-programming Process – General principles

Minor Changes

• change in contact information

• rescheduling of activities (calendar)

• small budget deviation (within the 20% flexibility rule)

Changes to be notified via the Progress Report

Major Changes

• Change in the partnership (withdrawal, replacement)

• Removal or addition of objective-actions with related update of the work plan and list of expected outputs

• changes in the budget in excess of the 20% flexibility rule

Changes to be approved via Re-programming process


Contact Details

Adele BUCELLA – Financial Manager

[email protected]

Tel – 01.49.17.47.36

Céline ETHUIN – Finance Officer

[email protected]

Tel – 01.49.17.47.08

Raffaele BARBATO – Project Officer

[email protected]

Tel – 01.49.17.47.52


[email protected]

project management and finance

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