Erasmus Project Reports (Interim and Final) Katia DE SOUSA, Project Adviser Guido DI FIORE,...

Erasmus Project Reports (Interim and Final)

Katia DE SOUSA, Project AdviserGuido DI FIORE, Financial Coordinator

Overview of the presentation

• Purpose, structure and requirements• Assessment of the reports• Common strenghts and weaknesses• Financial reporting requirements• Checks and audits

Purpose of the reportsFor the benefit of the entire project consortium

Measure the state of progress Adopt solutions to improve certain aspects Improve visibility in the consortium and in the wider community Reinforce the dissemination strategy

For the Agency's benefit and useMonitoring by the Agency through external expertiseDecision on evaluation – next payment Identification of good practices or projects needing following upFeedback to the Commission for policy-making

Reporting period Projects selected in 2010

CONTRACTUAL DATES

Length of eligibility period

Event Deadline

24 months

Starting period of eligibility 1/10/2010

End date of period of eligibility 30/09/2012

Submission of the progress report 31/10/2011

Submission of the final report 30/11/2012

36 months





*For projects with other eligibility periods, please consult your grant agreement

Reporting period Projects selected in 2011

CONTRACTUAL DATES

Length of eligibility period

Event Deadline

12 months




24 months





36 months





*For projects with other eligibility periods, please consult your grant agreement

Structure of the reports

Public part (including executive summary)

1. Project objective2. Project Approach3. Outcomes and Results4. Partnership5. Plans for the future6. Contribution to EU Policies

Confidential part

1. Declaration Page2. Concrete Outcome / Results / Products3. Implementation of the work plan / tasks4. Impact5. Involvement of partners6. Involvement of Staff7. Management Aspects8. Dissemination and Exploitation9. Annexe 1 – Financial reporting Table

Number of copies to be sent: 1 original and 2 copies on CD or USB key

Progress and Final reports

Progress reports•Monitoring after which corrective measures

can still be applied•Allows stocktaking of the project’s

achievements up to date – stop and think!•Coincides with the project’s turning point from

preparatory stages to implementation •Allows evaluation of how the project

corresponds to original objectives and is responding to implementation realities

•Allows to EVALUATE and DO dissemination (public Part)

Final reports•Final is final!•Prove that the contractual obligations have

been fulfilled•Present project’s results for accountability

(both parts) and dissemination purposes (Public part)

•Prove that hopefully products/results are able “to live their own life” – are valid, relevant , meet quality standards and/or are transferrable to other areas/fields of higher education

Processing the reports

•Submission to the Agency: report must reach the Agency not later than the date appearing on the contract

•Eligibility check (e.g. signed by the Legal Representative, all requested documentation provided)

•Analysis of the Report: by external experts (peer review)

•Request for supplementary information on content or financial matters if necessary

•Decision and feedback on the report to the beneficiary including recommendations from the Agency

7 assessment criteria – not only results but also process

• Are results/outcomes available• Are they in accordance with aims as in original application

Objectives, results, products

• Are activities in accordance with the project’s work plan of the original application

• Have variations been justified

Coherence between workplan and activities carried out to date

• Are all partners involved• Do all of them contribute to the project• Are there any changes in partnership

Partnership

• Mechanisms used for effective monitoring• Are decision making and problem solving adequate• Internal communication strategy (video conferencing, etc..)

Project management

• Are expenditures in line with project’s activitiesFinancial management

• How evaluation strategy is being implemented (internal & and external)• How recommendations of the PR and monitoring have been

implemented Evaluation and QA

• What is the quality of dissemination activities do they start from the beginning

• How the issue of exploitation of project’s results is addressedDissemination

Common strengths and weaknesses

Weaknesses:1. Needs analysis not prominent;

2. over ambitious work programmes; 3. underestimated

accreditation; 4. Impact too vague; 5. inability to get rid of “project

speak” in web and dissemination information; 6. Standard and

loosely targeted dissemination activities ; 7. Staff costs cat. 1

Strengths: 1. balanced leadership of work

packages; 2. partners used according to their competences; 3. clear added value (countries

languages, curricula, cross sector cooperation); 4. specific

and tangible progress indicators; 5. in some cases well developed

and targeted web-site

Impact of scoring – Final report

Final AssessmentCorresponding reduction in eligible

staff costs within the final Community contribution

Grade Rating

Very Good10 0%

9

Good8

7

Acceptable6

5

Weak4 25%

3 50%

Very Weak2 75%

1 85%

A second expert opinion will be asked before reducing the eligible staff costs.

Progress report and 2nd pre-financing (1)

Projects lasting up to 18 months:

- No progress report, no 2nd pre-financing.

24 month duration projects:

- Progress report but no 2nd pre-financing. - Payment arrangement 70% - 30%.

36 month duration projects:

- Progress report and 2nd pre-financing if at least 70% of 1st pre-financing payment is reported/spent (if less than 70% of the 1st pre-financing payment is reported/spent, the 2nd pre-financing is reduced by the unspent part of the 1st pre-financing).

- Payment arrangement 40% - 40% -20%.


Example: Grant: 100.000 € (40% - 40% - 20%)1st pre-financing: 40.000 € (70% of 1st pre-financing = 28.000 €)

Total expenditure reported in progress report: 26.000 € (< 28.000 €)Not spent from 1st pre-financing: 40.000 € - 26.000 € = 14.000 € 2nd pre-financing (max 40%) = 40.000 € - 14.000 € = 26.000 €

If expenditure reported were 29.000 €, 2nd pre-financing = 40.000 €


• Approval of the Progress report does not imply a confirmation of the eligibility of expenditures declared in the financial reporting tables at the end of the project.

• A complete financial analysis on the eligibility of the expenditures declared will be made at the Final Report stage only.

• Comments following the analysis of the financial reporting table (annexed to the approval letter of your progress report) must be taken into consideration for the final implementation and final reporting of your project.

Final report - Financial analysis (1)• Covers full eligibility period

• Deadline for submission: end of eligibility period + 2 months

• Report all actual expenses (even if they exceed the ceiling) and revenues (costs must be incurred during the eligibility period but can be paid after but before submission of the final report)

• Use EACEA excel financial reporting 2010/2011 templates.

• Only provide supporting documents upon request by the Agency staff or in the framework of an audit.

Final report – Financial analysis (2)• Total expenditures = total revenues (i.e. sources of financing)

• Any ineligible cost will be deducted from the total amount of expenditures reported, in order to calculate the total eligible costs of the project (max 10% equipment, 30% subcontracting, 7% indirect costs will be based on this latter amount)

• Bank interests generated (bank statements should allow clear calculation) on pre-financing payment(s) must be declared if pre-financing exceeded 50.000 EUR. Interests will be deducted from the final grant

• Queries or objections must be submitted not later than 60 days after receipt of the closure letter of the final payment or pre-information letter of a recovery order.

Calculation of the final grantThe final grant is determined as follows:

Declared expenditures from the Excel financial reporting table LESS Ineligible costs found during the financial analysisEQUAL Eligible costs of the project

Final grant = Eligible costs of the project X percentage of EU co-financing stated in the agreement

Calculated Final grant is the lowest of 3 ceilings:Eligible expenditures x EU co-financing percentageMaximum EU contribution amount (agreement)Final grant cannot result in any profit (non profit rule)

Calculated final grant > pre-financing payment(s) FINAL PAYMENT Calculated final grant < pre-financing payment(s) RECOVERY ORDER

Checks and audits (1)

• The coordinator undertakes to provide any detailed information requested by the Agency or by any other outside body authorised by the Agency. In case of a multi-beneficiary agreement a co-beneficiary can also be asked directly to do so

• The beneficiaries shall keep at the Agency’s disposal all original documents (or, in exceptional and duly justified cases, certified copies of original documents), accounting and tax records relating to the agreement for a period of 5 years from the date of payment of the balance/debit note

• The beneficiaries agree that the Agency or the Commission may have an audit of the use made of the grant carried out either directly by its own staff or by any other outside body authorised to do so on its behalf

• The beneficiaries undertakes to allow Agency or the Commission the appropriate right of access to sites and premises where the action is carried out and to all information

Checks and audits (2)

• Project are selected either based on a risk analysis made by the Agency or chosen randomly, for a check or an (ex-post) audit

• An ex-post audit can result in an (additional) recovery order (even if a final balance payment was made by the Agency)

• The European Anti Fraud Office (OLAF) may also carry out on the spot checks and inspections

Original documents to be kept (examples only: please refer also to Handbooks

2010/2011)• Staff costs: pay slips and time sheets,

employment contracts;• Travel and subsistence: (e-)tickets,

(e-)boarding pass, minutes of meetings, travel agency invoices, signed receipts by travelling staff receiving an allowance;

• Equipment costs: invoices, proof that procurement rules were complied with;

• Subcontracting costs: invoices, proof that procurement rules were complied with (invitation to submit an offer, offers received, minutes of evaluation/selection of the best offer);

• Other costs: invoices.

Time sheet minimum requirements

• Time sheets to document the number of working days x person

• Title and reference number of the EU project

• For each staff member working on the EU project

• Minimum on a monthly basis

• Mention the hours and project activities spent on the EU project

• Signed by the staff member and by an authorised person

• Dated

CONTACTS

[email protected] GERVAIS, Natalia RIESGO, Alba PRIETO GONZALEZ, Misia COGHLAN, Mireia FABREGA-IGLESIAS, José MATOS MARTINS, Magalie [email protected]

Katia DE SOUSA

[email protected] Natalia RIESGO

María Luisa GARCIA MINGUEZ (coordination)

mailto:[email protected]




Erasmus Project Reports (Interim and Final) Katia DE SOUSA, Project Adviser Guido DI FIORE,...

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