Technical Assistance Office 1 Contract, Reports and errors to avoid! GRANT AGREEMENT 2005 Comenius coordinators’ meeting, 17/10/2005 Maryline Fiaschi, Comenius Project Officer (12/10/2005)

2 Your contract  Read it carefully!  What is the contract? (which documents?)

3 Contractual relationship  Commission / Beneficiary organisation  Duration of the grant agreement (12, 24 or 36 months)  Beneficiary obligations - to carry out the project as foreseen in the Application - informing of changes - information on results & use of Community grant (Progress Report + Final Report)

4 Contractual Timetable Project start: 01/10/ Project End of eligibility Progress Final duration period report report 12 months01/10/ /01/ months01/10/200701/07/ /01/ months01/10/200801/01/ /01/2009

5 Payment of the grant  Signature of grant agreement: - 1 year projects: 80% grant (pre-financing) - 2 & 3 years projects: 40% grant (first pre-financing)  Progress report: - 2 & 3 years projects: 40% grant  Final report: - Payment of balance

6 Reports  Qualitative and quantitative assessment (products/results  expenditure) Progress Report for 2 & 3 years projects Final Report

7 Progress report I  A single Progress report for 2 and 3 years projects  Fulfil formal requirements: standard report form (annex III of the agreement) duly signed by the legal representative 3 copies of the report and 1 copy of products

8 Progress report II  Progress report cannot be submitted before the deadline unless 70% of the first pre-financing has been used and all activities foreseen for the period have been achieved  The deadline for the submission of the Progress report cannot be extended !!!!  If < 70% of pre-financing was declared at Progress report stage: As soon as 70% is spent submit a separate payment request, using “ Declaration of beneficiary” and “Section 2 Declaration of Expenditure“ of the Progress Report Form. Do not send the entire Progress Report again.

9 Evaluation criteria Purpose of the progress report  To provide a clear « state of affairs » of the project, at a certain moment  To allow visibility on potential problems/difficulties  To seize the opportunity to update the workplan, budget and partnership  To declare real expenditure incurred in the first part of the project life

10 Final report  To be submitted 3.5 months after end of eligibility period  Fulfil formal requirements: standard report form (annex III of the agreement) duly signed by the legal representative 3 copies of the report and 3 copy of products

11 Evaluation criteria Purpose of the final report  to allow an overall evaluation of the project. All work must be completed  The final products and outcomes are compared with what was planned in the application taking into account the progress report and the amendments  To declare the real expenditure incurred during the life of the project

12 Errors/Problems in Final Reports DESCRIPTION OF ACTIVITIES I  WORKPLAN: Not carrying out the project as originally planned(remember your initial workplan!)  OUTCOMES: incoherent with the workplan All products mentioned in the reports should be clearly identified and copies must be submitted Socrates co-financing

13 Products and publicity  Indicate on all products that the project has received funding from the European Commission  Sole responsibility of the product lies with the beneficiary and not the Commission  Recommended phrase: "This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication [communication] reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein."

14 Logos Available on the TAO website MODEL:

15 DESCRIPTION OF ACTIVITIES II  DISSEMINATION: accessibility to the information (structure of your website & links to other websites related to the project!)  PARTNERSHIP: Effective involvement of partners (remember your initial partnership!)  AMENDMENTS: Amendments not submitted in time or not submitted at all

16 Financial analysis  Staff and Direct Costs will be assessed by individual budget headings to see if there any ineligible items  Eligible Staff and Direct costs plus the amount declared for General costs = Total eligible costs of the project  The contract percentage of funding will be applied to the total eligible costs to arrive at the final grant. The latter cannot exceed the maximum stated in the Grant Agreement

17 Errors/Problems in Final Reports FINANCES I  Expenses outside of the Eligibility period  Travel & Subsistence: Travel outside of countries eligible to participate Declaration of collective costs Subsistence costs in excess of the limits

18 FINANCES II  Equipment: - Date of purchase missing - Wrong depreciation rate applied or not adjusted to real use  Sub-contracting: not being able to provide formal contracts and/or an exact description of sub- contractors’ role  Expenditure not evidenced by invoices

19 Frequently asked questions  Can we pay our partners or sub-contractors after the end of the eligibility period?  Do we have to provide any invoice or proof of payment related to general costs?  Can a participant from the country where the event takes place benefit from the per diem?  Can we invite a external expert to participate to a projec’s event?

20 THANK YOU For any information please contact: