Practical Guide for Twinners
Version 4.1
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Introduction
This Twinning Guide has been developed for Member States (MS) and Beneficiary institutions, MS and Croatian Project Leaders (PL), Resident Twinning Advisors (RTA) and RTA Counterparts as well as all the experts, who will actively be involved in Twinning projects, in order to guide them not only during the preparatory work of drafting of the Twinning contract but also during the implementation of the project. The aim of the Practical Guide for Twinners is to provide comments and advices to facilitate understanding of the standard requirements.
The content of this package is based on the procedures within the Common Twinning Manual (Institution Building in the Framework of European Union Policies Common Twinning Manual), the latest revision Twinning Manual Annexes A (2013). The Twinning Manual is available on the following website:
http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/tenders/twinning/index_en.htm
This guide will always be subject to modification as the operations to which it relates are further developed, modified and changed (EU policy, Twinning HQ instructions, etc.).
The content of this package does not discharge comments the CFCA may give when assessing documents submitted for their approval.
Central Finance and Contracting Agency (CFCA) Ulica grada Vukovara 284, objekt C
10 000 Zagreb, Republic of Croatia Tel: +385 1 4591 245
Fax: +385 1 4591 075 E-mail: [email protected] URL: http://www.safu.hr/
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Content
1. Preparation of a Twinning contract ... 4
1.1. Guidelines for preparation of the Annex A1: Description of the Action - Twinning Workplan ________ 6 Article 1. Background ... 6
Article 2. Acquis - Project fiche field of cooperatıon with the EU ... 6
Article 3. Mandatory results (Outputs)... 7
Article 4. Tasks (Inputs) ... 9
Article 5. Risks ... 10
Article 6. Schedule ... 11
Article 7. Resources ... 11
Article 8. Management and monitoring ... 13
Article 9. Twinning review missions ... 14
1.2. Guidelines for preparation of the Annex A3: Budget ________________________________________ 16 Remuneration of the Resident Twinning Advisor (RTA): ... 16
RTA allowances: ... 16
RTA assistant: ... 17
Project preparation: ... 17
Project coordination: ... 18
Visibility events (Kick-off / Final event): ... 18
Travel costs: ... 18
Fees: ... 19
Translation and interpretation: ... 19
Per diem rates: ... 20
Work hours: ... 20
Monitoring missions and reporting of the activities: ... 20
Costs for the publication of the advertisement for the selection of the RTA assistant: ... 21
Study visit: ... 21
MS experts: ... 22
BC resources ... 22
2. Contract signature ... 23
3. Implementation of a Twinning contract ... 24
3.1. Start of legal and workplan duration ____________________________________________________ 24 3.2. Regular project meetings ______________________________________________________________ 24 PIU Meetings ... 24
Steering Committee Meetings ... 24
3.3. Reportıng ___________________________________________________________________________ 24 4. Annexes: ... 26
Annex 1: Template for Twinning contract ... 27
-Annex 2: Template for CVs ... 141
Annex 3: Example of a template for minutes ... 143
Annex 4: Example of expert timesheet ... 144
Annex 5: Example of RTA timesheet ... 145
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1. Preparation of a Twinning contract
Please find below the table containing main phases and corresponding timeframe relevant for
preparation of a Twinning/Twinning light contract:
ACTIONS TWINNING TWINNING LIGHT
Twinning (TW) / Twinning light (TWL) Project Fiches circulated to Member States (MS)
Deadline for delivery of proposals: 8 weeks from the date of circulation of the Twinning fiche
Deadline for delivery of proposals: 6 weeks from the date of circulation of the Twinning light fiche Evaluation process / MS
selection (including meeting at CFCA and approval procedure within CFCA)
3 weeks following the Selection Meeting
2 weeks following the meeting of the Evaluation Committee
First draft of TW Contract submitted to the CFCA together with:
Salary slip of the RTA
Financial identificationform (FIF) of the MS institution
Operative side letter (OSL)(if applicable)
Mandate (if applicable)Max. 6 weeks after issuance of the Notification of selection
Note: If the MS and BC partners do not produce a draft Twinning contract for submission to the EU Delegation, the CFCE or the AO within six weeks of the MS partner(s) being informed of their selection, the BC may review its choice of partner or re-circulate the Twinning project fiche.
Annex A1 of the TWL contract contains Twinning light Fiche and selected MS proposal
CFCA comments on the first draft of TW contract (approx. 2 weeks)
Revision of TW contract by TW partners in line with the CFCA comments (approx. 1 week, please note that additional comments are possible)
Submission of the Final version of the TW contract (approved by the CFCA) to the HQ Steering Committee for compulsory and binding opinion
Up to 4 months after the issuance of the Notification of selection
Warning:
Tight schedule!
CFCA comments on the Annex A3: Budget of the TWL contract and revision of the budget in line with the CFCA comments (please note that additional comments are possible)
HQ Steering Committee opinion
received Up to 4 weeks n/a
Signing of TW/TWL contract (Notification of signature signifies start of the legal duration of the contract)
Approx. 3 weeks
Note: Signature of TW contract by all parties must be before the Programme contracting deadline
Approx. 3 weeks
Note: Signature of TWL contract by all parties must be before the Programme contracting deadline
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Twinning contract is prepared by MS and BC Twinning partners, and with the assistance of the CFCA, in one of the two versions:
a) Standard version
Twinning Workplan (Annex A1), together with corresponding budget (Annex A3) is elaborated for entire duration of the project implementation.
b) Abridged version
Twinning workplan (Annex A1) is prepared by listing only denomination of components and activities and budget (Annex A3) foresees only total expenditure per activity and component. Initial operative side letter, a document which contains details of the activities and of the corresponding costs for at least the first six months of project implementation is to be prepared as well.
Please note: Initial operative side letter is to be signed by the MS and BC Project Leader at the same time of signature of the TW contract. It is the responsibility of the Project Steering Committee to update the detailed description of activities, issuing successive operative side letters.
In the course of preparation of the TW contract it might be helpful to insert a list of abbreviations at the beginning of the contract. A reasonable level of application of abbreviations is appreciated. Please pay attention to the uniform and coherent use of the applied abbreviations.
Please find here some suggestions:
BC Beneficiary Country
CFCA Central Finance and Contracting Agency
EC European Commission
MS Member State of the European Union
PAO Programme Authorizing Officer
RTA Resident Twinning Advisor
PL Project Leader
SC Steering Committee
STE Short-term Expert
First draft of TW contract should be submitted to the CFCA in electronic format within 6 weeks of the Notification of selection. Draft contract documentation should include draft Twinning Workplan (Annex A1), draft budget (Annex A3) in Excel format as well as the following doucments:
RTA's salary slip (most recent)
Financial Identification Form (signed, dated and stamped by bank) and Mandate (in a case of consortium)
First ten pages of the Twinning Workplan (Annex A1) must be initialed by both MS and BC Project Leader (scanned version to be sent) once the draft contract has been finalized.
In Twinning light contract Annex A1 consists of circulated Twinning Light Fiche and Member State Proposal. If needed corrections are to be made in documents during contracting phase.
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1.1. Guidelines for preparation of the Annex A1: Description of the Action -
Twinning Workplan
(for Standard and Abridged Twinning contract)
Article 1. Background1.1. BC policy developments in the sector
Describe briefly the sector of the project in the BC and present the current situation and the
reform programme paying special attention to gaps and needs which the project will address
(contextual and conceptual overview).
Background information on the Beneficiary institution as well as the latest and most important developments in the sector concerned should be provided. The content should not just be copied and pasted from the Twinning project fiche.
1.2. Beneficiary institutions and other parties involved
Spell out the ministries and agencies of the BC, which will participate in and benefit from the
project. Indicate the contact person in each of the beneficiary institutions, as well as the
contact details.
Main Beneficiary institution should be clearly stated. The contact details of the BC Project Leader and the RTA Counterpart should be provided as well as contact person/contact details for each stakeholder participating in the project.
1.3. Parallel or related projects in the field
Indicate any parallel actions / projects (including e.g. investment components of the same
project), which contribute to the same Overall Objective. Specify how co-ordination will be
assured between the project and those actions.
This section should contain updated list of linked projects (EU, national or bilateral projects, etc.). For each project please indicate the achieved/expected project purpose and results. Co-ordination between the Twinning project and linked projects should be also explained in order to avoid any overlapping.
Article 2. Acquis - Project fiche field of cooperatıon with the EU
All the relevant EU legislation related to the field of the project should be listed by providing the reference number and the full title. Please pay special attention to the directives whose transposition is the objective of the project.
Please note that a reference to the documents from the point 2.3 of the Twinning project fiche (Accession Partnership / Stabilisation and Association Agreement / Programme of the Government of the Republic of Croatia for the Adoption and Implementation of the Acquis Communautaire / Accession Treaty) is not applicable in this section.
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Article 3. Mandatory results (Outputs)
Intervention
logic
Benchmarks
Sources of
information
Assumptions
(external to
project)
Overall
Objective
Project
Purpose
Mandatory
Results
(Components)
Activities
Clarifications to columns in the table
Intervention Logic
OVERALL OBJECTIVE: Objective beyond the immediate scope of the project, to which the
project contributes.
PROJECT PURPOSE: The immediate objective that will be entirely achieved through the
implementation of the twinning project.
MANDATORY RESULTS: Results that will be achieved as a result of groups of actions within
the project (limit this to 5-10 relatively high-level results).
ACTIVITIES: Numbered lists of activities, each of them contributing to the achievement of
one of the mandatory results.
Benchmarks
How will the achievement of the results at each level of the project (i.e. from overall objective
down to activities) be measured?
Make sure that the benchmarks always define the following:
1. Quantity
2. Quality
3. Target Group
4. Time
5. Place
Sources of Information
How will the Project partners and the Administrative Office/Programme Administrative
Office know that the benchmarks have been met? For every level, list sources of information
(e.g. reports, surveys, Official Journal, Commission Regular Report).
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Assumptions
Specify at each level the external conditions related to the project that must be fulfilled in
order to guarantee its success. The table should be read as follows: if these assumptions are
fulfilled and the activities are carried out, then the relevant mandatory results will be
achieved
A clear, comprehensive intervention logic which unites all project components, must be visible. The nature of the structure/framework of the project is guided by the mandatory results. It must also be clear how the chosen intervention logic is aimed at achieving the mandatory results. The table provided in the Twinning Manual should be fully filled in e.g. benchmarks, sources of verificiation and assumptions should be defined for each activity/mandatory result.
Mandatory results
Each result should be in passive form and its achievement (in conjunction with achievement of the other results) should consequently lead to fulfillment of the project purpose. The mandatory result must be well defined, focused and achievable. It must be concrete and clearly measurable for control purposes.
Each project component corresponds to a mandatory result (depending on the respective Twinning project fiche, more than one mandatory result can also form a component). Each mandatory result consists of a group of activities which lead to its achievement.
Benchmarks
Benchmarks are actually indicators which measure achievement of tasks and results. Please note that at least one benchmark should be defined per activity, while set of benchmarks for activities should represent benchmarks for the corresponding mandatory result. Benchmarks should be realistic, objective and quantifiable.
Examples of proper benchmarks are:
o International auditing procedures prepared;
o Completed (gap and/or legislative) analysis and results/recommendations presented;
o Developed action plan submitted for approval to the respective authorities of the Beneficiary; o Implementation of action plan initiated, initiation report provided;
o Training/workshop for 10 BC officials concuted and subsequent reports of the participants produced;
o Study visit for 5 BC official completed with subsequent reports of the participants; o Template to prepare analysis of current systems developed.
Bad example: Licencing department procedures are strengthened. Activities
Each activity should be in active form and should contribute to the achievement of the corresponding mandatory result.
Kick-off and Final event should be planned and added to Article 3, Article 4 and Article 6 of the
Twinning Workplan (Annex A1) and relevant budget sections (Annex A3).
Article 3 should be in principle fully in line with the circulated Twinning project fiche (there
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Article 4. Tasks (Inputs)
Describe each of the activities, providing as a minimum the information required in the form
below. The logic is that each component (corresponding to a mandatory result) is broken
down into several activities. Each activity constitutes a separate unit in the project design and
corresponds to one budget entry.
Under IPA, information can be provided in an abridged version, i.e. listing only the
denomination of components and activities.
In case of an abridged version of TW contract, details of activities for at least first six months of implementation of the project should be provided in the Initial operative side letter, which has to be prepared and submitted to the CFCA toghether with the draft Contract. Initial operative side letter is signed by MS and BC Project Leaders at the same time of the signature of the contract, of which it is not an integral part. It should be updated at quarterly intervals by the Project Steering Committee.
Attention should be paid to the direct correlation with the logframe from Article 3.
Component 1
(Specify here, as described in Mandatory Results in Article 3)
Activity 1.1
(Specify here, as described in Article 3)
Method
- Brief description of activity (what will happen: MS STE mission, study visit, training,
consultation, etc), how will it be implemented, by whom (clear share of responsibility MS/BC)
and when.
Please introduce means of implementation (training, workshop, meetings, study visit, etc.) and elaborate relevant details (e.g. list of legislation which will be analysed, BC responsibilities to provide translated documents and designate members of the working group).
Resources
- MS human resources needed (number of experts and man/days)
Please note that pool of experts can be introduced instead of specifying particular expert who will implement activity, e.g. Pool of STEs (Mr. xx, Ms. yy), 20 working days in total.
- Beneficiary Administration human resources (number of people and their home institutions)
E.g. 8 experts from Ministry XX.
- Other resources (translation, interpretation, training materials)
Please note that interpretation costs are eligible only for the purpose of workshops and seminars. Moreover, up to 7% of the Contract amount can be used for translation and interpretation purposes. Printing of training materials should be in principle covered by the Beneficiary institution.
Where applicable and deemed necessary, local travel costs may be also introduced.
Activity 1.2
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Method
- Brief description of activity (what will happen: MS STE mission, study visit, training,
consultation, etc), how will it be implemented, by whom (clear share of responsibility MS/BC)
and when.
Resources
- MS human resources needed. (number of experts and man/days)
- Beneficiary Administration human resources. (number of people and their home institutions)
- Other resources (translation, interpretation, training materials)
Please include description of activities regarding visibility events (within Article 4 of the Twinning Workplan in case Standard version of TW contract, or within Article 2 of the Initial operative side letter).
Please find hereafter an example for description of the Kick-off meeting (Final event should be described following the same principle):
Component 0
Activity 0.1. Kick-off meeting
Method
The aim of this meeting will be to raise public awareness on the project and its objective. In order to guarantee the project visibility from the beginning and promoting the aims and objectives of the project, a kick-off meeting will be carried out. This activity will start with the organisation of the event, invitation will be sent to the main actors, stakeholders and press agencies. Leaflets will be produced and disseminated (...)
MS Human Resources: MS PL, RTA
Beneficiary Administration Human Resources: BC PL, RTA counterpart, representative of Ministry XX, Civil Society Organisation XX, other relevant stakeholders
Other resources: translation, interpretation
Article 5. Risks
Specify the internal conditions related to the project that must be fulfilled in order to guarante
its success.
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Article 6. Schedule
Under IPA, activities can be grouped by quarter instead than by month.
Project Month
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Project coordination
SC meetings
X
X
X
X
Component 0
Activity 0.1. Kick-off
X
Activity 0.2. Final event
X
Component 1
Activity 1.1
Activity 1.2
Activity 1.3
Component 2
Activity 2.1
Activity 2.2
Activity 2.3
Article 7. Resources 7.1. Human Resources7.1.1. Member State(s)
Name the MS institution(s) participating in the project, as well as those providing experts.
Indicate their status (Administration or Mandated Body).
The regularly up-dated list of mandated bodies can be found on the following website:
http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/tenders/twinning/index_en.htm
Identify and briefly describe the tasks of the key positions in the project, including as a
minimum: the MS Project Leader, Junior MS Project Leader (in case of a consortium) and
the RTA.
Please note that MS Project Leader, Junior MS Project Leader (in case of a consortium) and the RTA should be identified and their tasks should be described in line with the Twinning project fiche.
For more complex projects (especially those involving a consortium of MS) identify also the
Component Leaders (key experts). For the MS Project Leader specify additionally how much
of his/her time will be spent in the MS and how much in the BC.
Provide career details of individuals performing each of the functions above as well as the
key short-term experts who will be involved in the project, using the table below.
Name Present
position Employer
Years of
experience Nationality Education
Specialist knowledge
BC
experience Languages
Please note that the table above in case of standard TW contract should contain list of
all the STEs participating in the project
(please list the STEs in alphabetical order). In case12
of an abridged version of TW contract, all the STEs participating in the project should be included in Article 5 of the Initial operative side letter.
Only STEs who are in line with the provisions of the Twinning Manual and who fulfil requirements for one of the profiles defined in the Twinning project fiche should be included in the pool of experts. Any introduction of STE with a profile not defined in the TW project fiche should be duly justified by the MS.
Please also describe tasks of the RTA assistant under this section of the Twinning contract as well as the Language assistant (if additional assistant is necessary and envisaged).
7.1.2. Beneficiary country
Please identify and briefly describe the tasks of the key positions in the project, including as a
minimum: the BC Project Leader, RTA Counterpart and key contacts in each of the
beneficiary institutions. For more complex projects, identify also the BC counterparts for the
component leaders.
For more complex projects, the BC counterparts for the MS component leaders should be identified as well.
The commitment of the beneficiary country to take appropriate action both within the project and on its results must be made clear. Besides mentioning the contact persons on the beneficiary country side, the active role of its staff in the project should be specified and their presence guaranteed throughout the duration of the project.
7.1.3. Curricula Vitae
Please attach the EU format CVs of the following persons:
(1) MS Project Leader,
(2)
Junior MS Project Leader (applicable in case of consortium)(3) BC Project Leader,
(4) RTA,
(5) RTA Counterpart in the BC,
(5) Key STEs from the MS (Component Leaders
, if applicable)(6) STEs (applicable in case of Standard version of the Twinning contract; in case of an abridged version of TW contract CVs of short-term experts should be provided as an annex to an operative side letter)
Please note that the above CVs should be provided in Annex A8 (or Annex A9 in case of consortium) to the TW contract.
7.2. Material Resources
Please insert the following provisions:
“The BC commits itself to cover the costs of the following provisions:
Adequately equipped office space for the RTA and the RTA assistant for the entire duration of their secondment
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Adequate conditions for the STEs to perform their work while on mission to the BC Preparation and photocopying of materials for seminars and workshops, etc.
Training and conference venues, costs of catering, as well as presentation and interpretation equipment
Costs for travel by BC officials from their capitals to a Member State or between Member States (study visits).”
7.3. Indicative Budget
Provide the total budget here, as documented in the detailed breakdown of costs in Annex A3.
E.g. the following formulation may be stated: “The total budget of this project is ... (please insert the
Contract amount), as documented in the detailed breakdown of costs in Annex A3 to the Twinning
contract.”
7.4. Management of Private Sector Input
Provide clear annotation of who will be responsible for management of private sector inputs, e.g. “The Lead Member State project partner will be fully responsible for the management and implementation of the private sector input.”
Article 8. Management and monitoring
8.1. Language
The official language of the project will be [English/French/German]
*. All formal
communication regarding the project, including all reports will be produced in the agreed
language.
Some of the STE inputs may be produced in [name any official language of the EU different
than the ones above] and will be translated into the BC language. Adequate provision has
been made in the budget for this purpose.
8.2. Project Steering Committee
At quarterly intervals, the Project Leaders, the RTA and where applicable, representatives of
the administrative office and/or the EU Delegation will meet to discuss the progress of the
project, verify the achievement of the outputs and mandatory results and discuss actions to be
undertaken in the following quarter. The Project Steering Committee will also discuss the
draft of the quarterly report submitted to it beforehand, recommend corrections.
The responsibility for the organisation of the Project Steering Committee meeting lies with
both Project Leaders.
Under IPA, it is the responsibility of the Project Steering Committee to update the detailed
description of activities in a six month perspective, issuing successive operative side letters,
as described in section 4.1 of the Common Twinning Manual.
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In addition to the standard provisions from the Twinning Manual, additional PIU meetings should be envisaged within Article 8.2. Please add the following provisions:
“Project Implementation Unit (PIU)
A Twinning Project Implementation Unit (PIU) will also be set-up to implement and coordinate project activities as well as monitor the progress of the project activities. Every month a Twinning PIU meeting will be held at which representatives of the Beneficiary institution for relevant component, EC Croatia Transition Office (if applicable), Central Finance and Contracting Agency, Ministry of Regional Development and EU funds, RTA, RTA counterpart and BC Project Leader will be present.”
8.3. Reporting
Every three months, the MS Project Leader in co-operation with the BC Project Leader will
submit interim quarterly reports to the respective institution identified in section 6.4 of the
Common Twinning Manual. Each report will cover a three months period calculated from the
date of notification of the contract.
The interim quarterly reports will be prepared and distributed to all the participants in
advance of the meetings of the Project Steering Committee. The template of the report is
detailed in Annex C4 to the Twinning manual.
The first report will be due in the fourth month counting from the date of notification of the
Twinning contract. Failure to submit satisfactory reports in time may lead to the decision to
suspend EU financing for the project.
The MS Project Leader shall submit the final report before the end of the legal duration of the
Twinning contract.
The final report will be accompanied by a verification expenditure report.
8.4. Visibility
Please also add the article 8.4. as follows:
“8.4. Visibility
The Twinning partners must take the necessary measures to ensure the visibility of the EU financing or co-financing. Such measures must be in accordance with the applicable rules on the visibility of external action laid down and published by the Commission. These rules are set out in the Communication and Visibility Manual for External Actions available from the EuropeAid website at
http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/work/visibility/index_en.htm.”
Article 9. Twinning review missions
Each Twinning project is in principle followed, 6 to 12 months after its finalisation, by a
Twinning Review Mission (TRM). This mission aims at reporting whether sustainable impacts
or spin offs have been observed after Twinning project finalisation.
The overall objective of a TRM is to assess if the achievements of the Twinning project are
still present and if they produced a standing impact, in particular in terms of sustainability.
Normally, a TRM should also identify lessons learned and recommend improvements for the
managing of Twinning projects in the given country and/or sector.
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A TRM shall analyse the situation in the area/sector covered by the Twinning project
concerned, comparing it to the situation prevailing when the project’s implementation ended
and taking into account the initial situation that the project was called to correct. The scope
of the analysis shall be determined by the mandatory results of the Twinning project.
A TRM shall focus on the developments intervened after the end of the Twinning project
concerned with particular regard to the legal and institutional level (legislative progress and
administrative adaptation), to capacity and skills building (further training of staff and
spreading of know-how) and to the structural changes introduced (irreversibility of the new
framework).
The Team charged with the performance of the TRM is led by the Twinning Review Expert
(TRE), a public sector (or mandated body) expert from a different MS than the Lead or Junior
MS of the project concerned, who did not participate in the Twinning project in question. In
principle and when possible the TRE is a former RTA of a similar project.
The TRE is selected by the Institution Building Unit (IBU) of the Commission, in consultation
with MS National Contact Points (NCP) and other stakeholders. He/She is directly invited by
the IBU to perform the TRM.
The TRE is responsible for preparing the Reporting Form. The Reporting Form, which the
TRE timely distributes to all members of the TRM Team, mentions the project's deliveries and
the final report's recommendations
The TRE drafts the review report.
For all or part of the TRM the TRE can be assisted and accompanied by a team of persons
who were involved in the project concerned:
• the MS RTA;
• the BC RTA counterpart;
• the MS Project Leader (when appropriate and if available);
• the BC Project Leader (or the official who might have replaced him/her in the same
position);
• the task manager from the pertinent EU Delegation who followed the project or the sector
involved (or the official who might have replaced him/her in the same position).
If the MS RTA and/or the BC RTA counterpart are not available, the selection of a
replacement is decided on a case by case basis by the IBU in close consultation with the
pertinent stakeholders.
A more detailed set of guidelines and the template of the Reporting Form are available on the
Twinning web-page:
http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/pdf/financial_assistance/institution_building/2013/guidelines
_trm.pdf
.
TRM are organised as TAIEX events whose cost is covered by the TAIEX budget. The request
to launch a TRM is initiated by the relevant EU Delegation.
The final reports produced by TRM will be included in a database of Twinning assessments
accessible to all those involved.
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1.2. Guidelines for preparation of the Annex A3: Budget
(for Standard and Abridged Twinning contract versions)
Please note that the budget must be activity-based (each activity must be presented individually within relevant budget section). Activities should be fully aligned with the Article 3 of the Twinning Workplan (Annex A1). The applied currency is Euro.
a) Applicable to Standard version of Twinning contract:
The budget must be fully elaborated and must correspond to the activities and resources identified in Article 4 of Annex A1.
b) Applicable to Abridged version of Twinning contract:
The budget should contain foreseen total expenditure per activity and component.
The budget sections: Resident Twinning Advisor Remuneration, Resident Twinning Advisor Allowances, RTA Training, RTA Assistant, Project Preparation and Project Coordination should contain all the costs (not only the totals).
Initial operative side letter should fully correspond to the activities and resources identified in the Article 2 of the Operative side letter. It includes fully elaborate budget sections related to RTA, project preparation and project coordiantion (in line with the contract), while activities are elaborated only if they are to be implemented in the first six months of the project implementation.
Please find hereafter clarifications on some of the points from the TW contract budget:
Remuneration of the Resident Twinning Advisor (RTA):
Basic salary and non-wage labour costs: RTA salary slip should be submitted toghether with the first draft of the TW contract. The salary slip should refer to the latest applicable month and the amount stated in the salary slip should be included in the contract, unless additional clarifications are provided in a form of a salary statement signed by an authorized person which clarifies the calculation of salary and non-wage labour costs.
RTA allowances:
Daily allowances: RTAs receive, throughout the period of their secondment, a subsistence allowance equal to 50% of the per diem rate in the BC. The applicable rate is fixed at the time of the first signature of the Twinning contract for its entire duration and is not subject to revision. Allowances for RTA for first 30 days: the applicable is current per diem rate published by
DEVCO EuropeAid website:
http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/work/procedures/implementation/per_diems/index_en.htm
and/or regularly adapted/updated for Twinning by special issue of the Twinning news.
Health insurance: subject to ceiling of 200,00 EUR per person/month. It is important to emphasise that bilateral agreements have to be taken into account when determining the costs for health insurance.
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Accomodation: RTAs are reimbursed for their housing expenses within limits set in each beneficiary country. These limits are calculated on the basis of family size and average rent paid for equivalent housing for Commission staff on posting to the delegation in the relevant beneficiary country.
The housing prices for RTAs seconded to Croatia should be considered as follows:
Family composition No of bedrooms Proposal (max)
Single/Couple (no children) 2 € 1600
Couple with 1 child 3 € 2000
Couple with 2 children 4 € 2400
Couple with 3 children 5 € 2800
Couple with 4 children 6 € 3200
Couple with 5 and more children * To be decided on a case by case
basis by the CFCA
Estate agent’s fee: The use of housing agencies is permitted but reimbursement of agency fees in
Croatia is recommended to correspond to one month rent.
Removal and storage costs: RTA may charge removal costs to the project, i.e. the removal of a selection of personal effects (minimum secondment 1 year) or of his/her entire household contents (for secondments of minimum 2 years) to the project. In all cases (i.e. for removals of personal effects, household contents, personal vehicle and storage costs), RTAs must obtain at least two quotes, preferably for ‘door-to-door’ delivery. Quotes based on volume are not accepted for removal of personal effects.
Excess luggage: up to 500,00 EUR per travel of the RTA (2 units).
Travel to and from place of duty: please note that 2 units should be budgeted since the ticket is not a return ticket.
Annual return trip: RTA and accompanying family are entitled to one annual return travel e.g. for a 16 months-project, he/she is entitled to 1 return ticket (since for the second year they will have their travel back home reimbursed by the budget at the end of the project). Only in case of a 24 month project, he/she would be entitled to claim 2 return trips under the annual leave allowance. Monthly allowance for specially economically priced return trips: applicable as from the second
month of implementation if no removal of personal belongings or any other costs related to accompanying family members are charged to the project.
School fees: School fees will be reimbursed up to a ceiling of EUR 12 000 per child and per academic year. Fees above this amount may be reimbursed on a case-by-case basis and require prior approval from the CFCA.
RTA assistant:
RTA assistant salary: recommended maximum is 1.800,00 EUR to be introduced in the budget for the whole duration of the project implementation.
If language assistant is envisaged, his/her salary should be in line with the above and introduced in the budget.
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Allocations for preparatory costs can be included. Only costs incurred by the designated Lead MS Project Leader and Junior MS Project Leader (if applicable) and RTA (no other experts authorised) can be reimbursed.
Preparatory costs can be reimbursed for a period of maximum four months starting as from the date of the official notification of selection up to the submission of the final draft Twinning contract for Steering Committee opinion at Commission Headquarters.
Project coordination:
1 Steering Committee Meeting should be envisaged per each quarter and corresponding costs (fees, Twinning Management Cost, per diems, travel costs) for Lead MS Project Leader and Junior MS Project Leader (if applicable) should be introduced in the budget. It is expected that up to 2 working days should be envisaged per each quarter on project coordination in the BC (more complex projects may require more attention).
Project coordination in the MS (a minimum of 3 days per month) should not be included in the budget since it is financed from the Twinning Management Cost compensation.
Visibility events (Kick-off / Final event):
Involvement of MS high-rank officials and/or STEs:
The MS high-rank officials, persons providing backstopping, coordination support, financial management and short-term experts can participate in visibility events, but the costs for such activities (fees, per diems, travel costs) should not be budgeted. Their work is not consdered to be a full time work even in case they deliver some activities e.g. speeches, presentations. Therefore their participation should be financed from the Twinning Management Cost compensation.
Costs of participation of Lead MS Project Leader and Junior MS Project Leader (if applicable) are eligible for financing and should be included in the budget.
Visibility budget line should be used for financing of the visibility events (leaflets, brochures, additional visibility materials, development of a project website, etc.) throughout the duration of the project implemetnation. Please note that some costs are to be borne by the Beneficiary institution: costs of venue, costs of catering (if any) as well as presentation and interpretation equipment, other BC running costs.
The costs for small catering (maximum EUR 500 per event) can be budgeted in a very exceptional situation, for which a strong justification is to be provided, subject to approval by the CFCA. For more details on visibility events and their organization please refer to the Twinning Visibility Guidelines at http://www.safu.hr/hr/twinning.
Travel costs:
Flight fee allocations should be kept as low as possible. For this reason the tickets should be
bought at least 3 weeks in advance in order to avoid high prices.
When budgeting international flight tickets, prices currently on the market should be fully taken into account. In case that flight tickets expenses would increase during the implementation of the project, the necessary amount would be financed from the provision for changes in prices (max. 2.5% of the budget sub-total), as stated in the Twinning Manual.
Local travel costs in Croatia should not exceed 150 EUR (including internal flights). However, while determining the costs for local travel, the geographical distance and the actual prices (lower than 150 EUR) from base location to envisaged locations should be fully taken into account.
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Local travel costs for the RTA and STEs shall be specified and included in the budget related to each particular activity in which they are required. No lump sum for these costs can be introduced in the budget. RTA assistants may participate in activities outside Zagreb if they provide interpretation services.
For the travels to the airports the following rules apply in addition to the air fare: transport to and from the airport is generally considered city transport and thus covered by the per diem allowance. Exception is granted for flight departures before 7.00 and arrivals after 22.00 hours, in which case a taxi fare may be charged separately, however these costs should not be budgeted seprately. Where inter-city travel is required to reach the airport, the rules for travel by train apply.
Fees:
Fee categorisation for experts from mandated bodies and civil servants are stipulated in the
Twinning Manual. All experts hired for a Twining project, on a short or long term basis, must be civil servants or mandated body staff.
Attention!
Temporary public employees may exceptionally be hired by MS administration or mandated bodies, if there are not enough civil servants available to act as experts in Twinning projects. The duration of the employment of temporary public employees should as a rule not be limited or should not be identical to the duration of their Twinning Involvement. In practical terms, their employment should be pre-existing to the Twinning assignment for at least six months.
Private sector input is limited and can be introduced in exceptional circumstances and when this is properly justified that such expertise cannot be found in the public sector, where this input could be vital for the project success (e.g. software development). Ceiling for private sector services is set at €10.000 per budget item.
In case of introduction of private sector experts no Twinning Management Costs compensation can be included in the budget for this expert (Twinning Management Costs compensation is not applicable to private sector input).
As regards number of fees for each expert mission included in the budget, principles of sound financial management should be applied and missions should be planned in the most cost-effective way. Therefore, it is recommended to plan missions in duration of 5 working days; missions in duration of 3 working days or less should be combined whenever possible in order to avoid additional travel costs.
Payment of fees for STEs working during the weekends or on public holidays:
In exceptional cases, when activities are planned to take place during the weekend or on a public holiday, STEs fees can be paid, provided that the CFCA approved it in writing (an email from the MS and BC Twinning partners being sufficient) before such activity takes place.
Translation and interpretation:
Interpretation: an estimate of required number of units should be indicated in the budget. Interpretation cannot be budgeted for every activity since it is eligible only for workshops, seminars, trainings, etc. as defined by Twinning project fiche (interpretation is not eligible for activities like drafting law, bilateral visits, etc. unless a need for such services should be well justified taking into account that a full time RTA assistant is contracted).
Interpretation is to be budgeted per activity or component (in case it is budgeted per component, numbers of activities in which interpretation is envisaged should be included in the respective budget line).
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Interpretation costs may be charged at the rate corresponding to the place of the event (Croatia/MC). For events scheduled to take place in the MS, it may be more advantageous to hire BC staff (even after taking into account travel and per diem costs). Project partners are strongly encouraged to seek value for money.
Translation: an estimate of required number of units should be indicated in the budget. Translation is to be budgeted per activity or component (in case it is budgeted per component, numbers of activities for which translation is envisaged should be indicated in the respective budget line). Translation costs are only eligible if not provided before already by other resources, especially for acquis.
Approximate average prices of interpretation/translation in Croatia apply as follows:
- Translation = 15 € per page/unit cost
- Interpretation = 300 € per day/unit cost
If there is a need to allocate a significant amount of funds for interpretation and translation purposes, it is recommended to hire a Language assistant with a clear justification provided. Please note that 7% threshold of the TW contract budget applies, both for translation and
interpretation, as stipulated in the section 5. Budget of the Twinning project fiche.
The above amount is calculated by including all costs related to translation and interpretation services (e.g. including Language assistant salary, relevant fees, per diems and travel costs in the framework of a study visit, etc.).
Per diem rates:
Maximum per diem rates applied should be in accordance with those published on Europeaid website, available on the following address:
http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/work/procedures/implementation/per_diems/index_en.htm
And with any possible changes introduced through Twinning news, available on the following address:
http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/where/neighbourhood/overview/twinning_en.htm
Following a change of per diem rate, MS can decide to continue to apply throughout the budget (and interim quarterly reports) previous per diem rate, in case this rate is lower than the new one. During implementation period of the project, per diem rate of the RTA daily allowance is not
affected by changes of per diems.
RTA allowance for the first 30 days may correspond to the current per diem rate.
Work hours:
RTAs are bound by the rules on hours of work in force in the BC administration. They are not authorised to work part-time. Examples of timesheets for RTAs and STEs which can be used by the Member States are presented in Annexes 4 and 5 of the Practical Guide.
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STEs missions to monitor or assess missions or activities performed by other STE cannot be financed by the TW budget. These costs can only be covered by the MS partner through the Twinning Management Cost compensation.
In case some monitoring missions for the activities performed by STEs are performed by the respective MS (in addition to the Quarterly Steering Committee meetings), such kind of activities are not eligible for financing.
Same rule applies for the preparatory work and reporting activities of STEs which are to be financed through Twinning Management Cost compensation: e.g. preparations for seminars must be done by STEs at home institution and financed from the Twinning Management Cost compensation, the mission and delivery of action in the BC should be budgeted in Twinning contract, but the reporting of STEs on the mission performed must be carried out in MS.
Costs for the publication of the advertisement for the selection of the RTA assistant:
The RTA and the MS Project leader are responsible for the recruitment of the RTA assistant. Please note that the selection process must be competitive and in accordance with the Annex A4 of a Twinning contract. The MS is required to provide the CFCA with at least three (3) applications, (CVs, resumes, etc).
Please also note that the costs of recruitment (press advertisements, interviews, employment agency fees, etc.) cannot be refunded from the Twinning budget. They should be paid out of the Twinning Management Cost compensation and therefore, covered by the MS partner. Also, specialized sites dealing with job advertisements can be used; note that they usually charge fees for their services. Additionally, MS can ask for publication of the advertisement on the websites of the Beneficiary institution and the CFCA.
Study visit:
All study visits, must have a proper justification (especially showing the advantage comparing the STE visit to BC, giving an indicative programme and list of participants), unless the study visit is required by the respective Twinning project fiche. A comparative qualitative and economic advantage of a study visit compared with the activity taking place in the beneficiary country should be duly justified and is crucial for its eligibility.
RTAs participation in study visits (even if not organized in his/her home country) should remain exceptional (as it is the responsibility of the MS PL to organize and host the study visit) and must be well justified.
In case their participation is justified, the RTAs should combine their monthly travel with their participation to the study visit. The RTAs in their home country cannot be paid any per diems unless justification is provided to the CFCA. Fees cannot be paid to the RTA participating in the study visit. RTA assistant participation in the study visit is eligible only in case he/she will provide interpretation services.
Both, incidental costs and internal travel expenses for the BC participants, for the study visits in MS could be budgeted. The incidental costs (max. 10 EUR/participant/day) must be budgeted reflecting the working days of the study visit but not the total stay in MS.
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Costs for expert fees of MS experts (including transport, per diem, expert fees) accompanying study visits cannot be charged to the project separately, but are deemed to be included in the Twinning Management Cost compensation.
In principle, MS experts and their organization may not receive any expert fees for the days spent outside the Beneficiary Country.
MS experts:
Involvement of Commission Staff - Commission staff exceptionally involved in the activities of a TW project shall be included in the budget with no fees. Only flight ticket and per diem can be charged to the budget.
Universities - RTA, PL and short term experts must be administrative practitioners. University scholars and professors even from public universities, researchers or private lawyers do not belong to the administration services entrusted with legal implementation of the acquis and must therefore normally be excluded (from being TW experts). They can only be proposed in very exceptional cases (for instance in highly specialized and technical fields) for ad hoc Twinning mandates and surely not for general mandated body status. Therefore, this will be examined on a case by case basis by the Contracting Authority. Professors from private universities can be involved in TWs only if the University they come from is a mandated body.
Retired experts: They may be involved in TW projects if recently retired (max 2 years from the start of the TW project) and providing a new contractual link is established between the administration/mandated body.
In a situation where there is a doubt about artificial employment of STE through mandated
bodies in view of involving them in TWs, the employment contract between the proposed expert
and the institution, as well as the organisation chart of the structure reflecting the position of the STE, should be provided to the Contracting Authority with the purpose to check if they are structurally integrated into the mandated body organization.
BC resources
None of operational costs of BC administration is eligible (e.g.: heating, lighting, photocopying, printing, mailing, office supplies)
Costs of production of training materials (e.g. for seminars, trainings, workshops) to be financed by BC, unless specifically envisaged by the TW project fiche/TW contract and duly justified.
Annex A1 (Twinning Workplan) and Annex A3 (Budget) of the Twinning contract is to
be initialed by MS and BC Project Leaders.
Operative side letters should be also initialed on each page by MS and BC Project
Leaders.
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2. Contract signature
a) Steps for the signature of Twinning contract (standard and abridged version):
1. Approved final contract in 3 originals (in case of abridged contract version, 3 originals of Initialoperative side letter should be prepared in addition to the contract).
2. CFCA: Authorized signatory signs + authorized person initials all the contract’s pages.
3. BC: Croatian Project Leader signs and initials all pages of the Annex A1 (Twinning Workplan) and Annex A3 (Budget); in case of abridged contract version, BC PL also signs and initials all the pages of the operative side letter.
4. MS: person(s) entitled to sign the contract signs Twinning contract Special Conditions + MS Project Leader signs and initials all pages of the Annex A1 (Twinning Workplan) and Annex A3 (Budget); in case of abridged contract version, MS PL also signs and initials all the pages of the operative side letter.
b) Steps for the signature of the Twinning light contract:
1. Approved final contract in 3 originals (as for regular Twinning).2. CFCA: Authorized signatory signs + authorized person initials all the contract’s pages.
3. BC: Croatian PL signs Annex A1 and Annex A3 (Budget) and initials all pages of the budget + Endorsement by a person entitled to sign the Twinning light contract Special Conditions on behalf of the Final Recipient of the Action.
4. MS: person(s) entitled to sign the contract signs Twinning light contract Special Conditions + MS Project Leader signs Annex A1 and Annex A3 (Budget) and initials all pages of the budget.
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3. Implementation of a Twinning contract
3.1. Start of legal and workplan duration
The start of the execution period of contract (legal duration) is marked by notification by the Contracting Authority (CFCA) of the contract signed by all parties.
The implementation period of the action (workplan duration) of a Twinning contract shall start on the date of the arrival of the RTA. His/her arrival has to take place at the latest within one month following the notification of the Twinning contract.
The implementation period of the action (workplan duration) of a Twinning light contract shall start on the date of the notification of the Twinning Light contract.
Note that no expenditures incurred prior to start of the implementation period of the action can be reimbursed (except those related to preparation of the contract in the limit of their eligibility as defined by the Twinning Manual).
3.2. Regular project meetings
PIU MeetingsTo be held on a monthly basis with the purpose of discussing monthly project’s implementation and any potential issues. Participants to these meetings are defined in the article 8.2 of the Annex A1 of the TW contract.
Steering Committee Meetings
SC meetings should be held on a quarterly basis as stipulated in the Article 8.1. of Annex A1 of the TW contract. Participation of MS and BC Project Leaders is mandatory. It is recommended to organise the SC meeting as soon as the respective quarter is finished.
Draft quarterly report should be sent to all members of the Steering Committee by email approximately 5 working days before the meeting in electronic version in order to assess the draft report before the meeting. The draft report will be discussed by the members of the SC during the meeting; their observations/comments should be taken into account while revising the draft report. Minutes of the meetings are to be prepared by RTA Assistant and should be sent to all participants of these meetings.
The responsibility for the organisation of the project SC meeting lies with the two Project Leaders.
In case the contract is prepared in an abridged version, each subsequent operative side letter should be approved and signed in the course of SC meeting.
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Interim Quarterly Reports should be submitted duly signed by the MS and BC Project Leaders during the month following the quarter under consideration. The final/signed version of the report is subject of the approval by the CFCA.
Final report should be submitted duly signed by the MS and BC Project Leaders at the latest before the end of the execution period of the contract (legal duration).
Reports for both Twinning and Twinning light projects shall be submitted to the Beneficiary institution, the Central Finance and Contracting Agency, the Ministry of Regional Developement and EU funds and the EC Croatia Transition Office in a form of 4 hard copies and an electronic version. All reports should be written in English.
We recommend developing a table where all the recommendations made in the various quarterly reports will be reflected and their status at the time of each SC meeting updated in order to keep track of the progresses made and of the recommendations taken on board or not by the Beneficiary Administration.
Relevant outputs should be delivered to the CFCA. Evaluation sheets and attendance list of trainings should be provided to the CFCA upon request.
During the implementation period of the project, the RTA is obliged to keep record of the missions of the project team in Croatia by filling RTA Timesheet. Timesheets for the short-term experts are also recommended to be prepared. The timesheets need to be presented upon request from the CFCA.
4. Annexes:
Annex 1: Template for Twinning contract Annex 2: Template for CVs
Annex 3: Example of a template for minutes Annex 4: Example of expert timesheet Annex 5: Example of RTA timesheet Annex 6: Project Identity Card
Annex 1: Template for Twinning contract
Contracting Authority
(CFCA-Central Finance and Contracting Agency)
IPA 2010
Twinning Contract
“(please introduce the name of the project)”
Contract Number: (to be decided by the CFCA)
Twinning Number: (please introduce the number)
Name of Beneficiary:
(please introduce)
Name of Final Recipient of the
TWINNING CONTRACT No. ...
Central Finance and Contracting Agency (CFCA) in Croatia with its office at Ulica grada Vukovara 284, objekt C, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia, represented by the Director of the CFCA Ms. Nataša Mikuš Žigman, ("the Contracting Authority")
of the one part, and
[Full official name of [Lead] MS partner + acronym where relevant] with its office at [full official address] [where relevant legal status, official registration name and VAT number], ("the Lead Member State Partner" - MSP),
and
[Full official name of Junior MS partner + acronym where relevant] with its office at [full official address], [where relevant legal status, official registration name and VAT number] who have conferred powers of attorney for the purposes of the signature of the agreement to the Lead Member State Partner
collectively referred to as “Member State Parties” where a provision applies without distinction to the Lead Member State Partner and the Junior Member State Partner(s)
of the other part, (the "Parties")
have agreed as follows:
Special Conditions
Article 1 - Purpose
1.1 The purpose of this contract is the award of a Twinning grant, consisting of
reimbursement of expenditures, by the Contracting Authority to finance the implementation of the Action entitled: “(please introduce the name of the project)” ("the Action") described in Annex A1.
1.2 The Member State Partners shall be awarded the Twinning grant on the terms and
conditions set out in this Contract, which consists of these special conditions ("Special Conditions") and the annexes, which the Member State Partners hereby declares it has noted and accepted.
1.3 The Member State Partners accept the Twinning grant and undertakes to be responsible
for carrying out the Action.
1.4 The Final Recipient of the Action is: (please introduce the name of the beneficiary
Article 2 – Execution and Implementation period of the Action (legal and work plan duration)
2.1 The execution period of the contract (legal duration) shall enter into force upon the date
of notification by the Contracting Authority of the contract signed by all parties. The execution period of the contract shall end 3 months after the implementation period of the Action as stipulated in art 2.2.
2.2 The implementation period of the Action shall take ... (please introduce number of
months) months and shall begin on the date of the arrival of the Resident Twinning
Advisor (RTA). His/her arrival has to take place at the latest within one month following the notification of the Twinning contract.
Article 3 - Financing the Action
3.1 The total cost of the Action eligible for financing by the Contracting Authority is estimated at EUR ... (please introduce the Contract amount) as set out in Annex A3 of which ... % (please introduce percentage from the Twinning project fiche) is paid by IPA and ... % (please introduce percentage from the Twinning project fiche)is paid by the national co-financing.
3.2 The Contracting Authority undertakes to finance a maximum amount of EUR X. The
final amount shall be established in accordance with Article 17 of Annex A2 except where Annex A7 applies. The Action is co-financed as per article 3.1 and Annex A3 by the Final Recipient of the Action.
Article 4 - Payment arrangements and technical and financial reporting
4.1 Payment shall be made in accordance with Article 15 of Annex A2 option no. 2, as set
out in Article 15.1.
Initial pre-financing payment: EUR ... (please introduce)
Further pre-financing payment(s): EUR ... (please introduce)
(subject to the provisions of Annex A2)
Balance of the final amount of the Twinning contract - Forecast final payment:
(subject to the provisions of Annex A2): EUR ... (please introduce)
4.2 Technical and financial reports shall be produced in compliance with Articles 2 and, 15.1 and 15.3 of Annex A2, using the relevant twinning templates.
Financial section of these reports shall comply with the requirements defined in paragraphs 4, 5 and 6 of Article 15.7 of Annex A2 (requirements for a detailed breakdown of expenditure).
In addition to these reports, the Lead Member State Partner shall send additional interim reports in compliance with article 2.1 of Annex A2 on a quarterly basis. The specific reporting procedure shall follow the provisions spelled out in Annex A7 to this contract.
Article 5 - Contact addresses
5.1 Any communication relating to this Contract shall be in writing, state the number and
title of the Action and be sent to the following addresses: For the Contracting Authority
Payment requests and attached reports, including requests for changes to bank account arrangements shall be sent to:
Ms. Nataša Mikuš Žigman, Director
Central Finance and Contracting Agency (CFCA) Ulica grada Vukovara 284, objekt C
10000 Zagreb, Croatia Tel: +385 1 4591 245 Fax: +385 1 4591 075
E-mail: [email protected]
A copy of the reports referred to in Article 4.2 must be sent to the concerned service of the European Commission at the following address:
European Commission - DG Enlargement Unit D.2 - Institution Building
Twinning Co-ordination Team
E-mail: [email protected]
For the Lead Member State Partner Lead MS Project Leader
(please add contact details)
For the Junior Member State Partner Junior MS Project Leader
(please add contact details if applicable)
For the Final Recipient of the Action BC Project Leader
(please add contact details)
Article 6 - Annexes
6.1 The following documents are annexed to these Special Conditions and form an integral
part of the Contract:
Annex A1: Description of the Action (including Work Plan)
Annex A2: General Conditions applicable to European Union-financed grant
contracts for External Actions
Annex A3: Budget for the Action (including co-financing part by the Final
Recipient of the Action)
Annex A4: Contract-award procedures
