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ProjectManagement Manual

QSF Quality of Service Fund

New edition

(April 2006)


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Table of contents

Page

Preamble ...................................................................................................................................... 5

Chapter I General overview

Article 1 Role of the Board of Trustees of the Quality of Service Fund (QSF) in project

management matters.................................................................................................. 5

Article 2 Applicability of the Manual......................................................................................... 5

Article 3 Guiding principles ...................................................................................................... 6

Chapter II Development and submission of project proposals

Article 4 Responsibilities of postal administrations................................................................... 7

Article 5 Procurement of material and services ......................................................................... 8

Article 6 Proposals of postal administrations with insufficient QSF funds................................. 9

Article 7 Design of project proposals Project Application Form............................................... 9

Chapter III Verification and approval of project proposals

Article 8 General provisions.................................................................................................... 11

Article 9 Preliminary verification by the QSF Team................................................................. 12

Article 10 Verification by the Board of Trustees ........................................................................ 12

Article 11 Approval and project clearance................................................................................. 13

Article 12 Disagreement with Board decisions.......................................................................... 14

Chapter IV Implementation of projects

Article 13 Principles ................................................................................................................. 14

Article 14 Prescribed reports .................................................................................................... 15

Article 15 Treatment of final reports by the Board of Trustees .................................................. 15Article 16 Communication, press ............................................................................................. 16

Chapter V Evaluation of project results


Article 18 Implementation of project review .............................................................................. 16

Chapter VI Global, regional and joint projects

Article 19 Global projects ......................................................................................................... 17

Article 20 Regional projects ......................................................................................................17

Article 21 Joint projects ........................................................................................................... 18Article 22 Principles .................................................................................................................18

Article 23 Role of the UPU and the Restricted Unions............................................................... 18

Article 24 Responsibilities of the UPU, Restricted Unions and postal administrations............... 19

Article 25 Procurement of materials and services ..................................................................... 19

Article 26 Design of project proposals Project Application Form.............................................19

Article 27 Approval and project clearance................................................................................. 20

Article 28 Implementation of projects ....................................................................................... 20

Article 29 Prescribed reports .................................................................................................... 20

Article 30 Treatment of final reports by the Board .................................................................... 21

Article 31 Evaluation of project results..................................................................................... 21

Article 32 Rules applicable to global, regional and joint projects............................................... 21


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Chapter VII Responsibilities of various bodies involved in the management of projects


Article 34 Postal administrations.............................................................................................. 22

Article 35 QSF Team ................................................................................................................ 22

Article 36 UPU Regional Advisors ............................................................................................. 22

Article 37 Board of Trustees ..................................................................................................... 23

Article 38 Postal Operations Council ........................................................................................ 23

Chapter VIII Recommendations and remedial measures

Article 39 Recommendations .................................................................................................... 24

Article 40 Obligations, sanctions.............................................................................................. 24

Chapter IX Final provisions

Article 41 Effective date............................................................................................................ 24

Annexes

Annex 1 Project Application Form

Annex 2 Statement of Commitment

Annex 3 Inception report

Annex 4 Interim report

Annex 5 Final report

Annex 6 Project Change Request

Annex 7 Request for payment

Annex 8 Acknowledgement of receipt of the funds


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Preamble

The Beijing Congress approved the terminal dues system comprising the Quality of Service Fund

(QSF) and the Bucharest Congress adjusted and maintained this mechanism.

Projects to be supported by the QSF shall be carried out in countries benefiting from QSF funds,under the responsibility of the national postal administration (Creditors).

The Board of Trustees1 shall be responsible for the management of the QSF. The rules, terms and

conditions to manage the QSF are laid down in the following documents:

the Deed of Trust and its supplemental agreement (Statutes of the QSF),

the Project Management Manual,

the Financial Management Manual.

The Deed of Trust (DoT) describes the legal framework of the QSF, stipulating the rights and

obligations of all parties involved. The Financial Management Manual (FMM) describes the billing

and payment procedures, the fund management, the accounting procedures as well as general

financial matters.

Chapter I General overview

Article 1

Role of the Board of Trustees of the Quality of Service Fund (QSF) in project management matters

1 The execution of the QSF management is entrusted to the Board of Trustees. In accordance

with the terms of article 1 of the Deed of Trust, the responsibilities of the Trustees shall includethe approval of proposals submitted by Creditors, the ongoing evaluation and audit of project

management and execution, and management and administration of the Secretariat (QSF Team).

Article 2

Applicability of the Manual

1 This Manual, the Project Management Manual (PMM), describes the terms and conditions

for the development and submission of project proposals, the project approval procedure, the

implementation of projects and the process and procedures for monitoring and evaluating

projects. Further, this Manual provides the templates to be used for all project managementmatters. The provisions of this Manual comply with the principles laid down in the Deed of Trust.

The Deed of Trust shall take precedence over this Manual.

2 The Board may modify, amend or depart from any provisions other than those concerning:

Article 1 Role of the Board of Trustees of the Quality of Service Fund (QSF) in project

management matters

Article 2 Applicability of the Manual

Article 3 Guiding principles

Article 5 Procurement of material and services

Article 7 Proposals of postal administrations with insufficient QSF funds

Article 9 Preliminary verification by the QSF Team

____________

1 Hereinafter referred as the Board


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Article 10 Verification by the Board

Article 12 Disagreement with Board decisions

Article 13 Principles

Article 14.2 Prescribed reports

Article 18 Implementation of project review

Article 19 Global projects

Article 20 Regional projects

Article 21 Joint projectsArticle 22 Principles

Article 23 Role of the UPU and the Restricted Unions

Article 25 Procurement of material and services

Article 31 Evaluation of project results

Article 34 Postal administrations

Article 35 QSF Team

Article 36 UPU Regional Advisors

Article 37 Board of Trustees

Article 38 Postal Operations Council

Article 40 Obligations, sanctions

Article 41 Effective date

3 Notwithstanding point 2 concerning the powers of the Board to effect immediate

modification, amendment or departure from the provisions of the Deed of Trust, the Board has

the right to recommend to the POC any change to the provisions it considers appropriate.

Article 3

Guiding principles

1 The exclusive aim of the QSF is the improvement of the quality of the letter-post service, in

particular the speed, reliability and security of international mail exchanges. Projects involving

services not connected to terminal dues, such as hybrid mail service, parcels, EMS and financial

services are not eligible for QSF funding.

2 Projects may be designed to improve the quality of the universal postal service, as defined

under paragraph 7.2.1 of the DoT, in the following fields: access to services; speed and reliability,

security; liability and treatment of inquires; customer satisfaction; design and implementation of

costing and pricing systems and quality development plans. The Creditors may define the specific

objectives for each of these fields, however, any such specific objective and proposal respectively

should relate directly to the macro-objectives stated. The Creditors shall also set goals for each of

the established objectives, providing details about the timeframe, etc.

3 The project proposals of the postal administration(s) should not include recurring or follow-

up costs (operations, etc.), except the costs regarding systems (such as tracking systems) for

measuring the quality services.

3.1 Funds for the operational costs (licence fees, software, labels and telecommunication fees) of

systems for measuring quality of service may be obtained only for the first year of the

systems operation. However, the Board of Trustees may decide, on a case-b- case basis, to

extend the financing of operational costs within the framework of a QSF project beyond the

first year of the systems operation.

4 All projects and activities should include the active involvement (in cash and/or kind) of the

postal administration(s) submitting the application. Unless otherwise indicated in Chapter VI of

this Manual, the same rules apply to global, regional and joint projects.


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5 Postal administrations should ensure that the QSF budget requested for its project does not

exceed 96% of the QSF assets available. This reserve will allow provision for any withdrawals of

QSF assets relating, for example, to the Trust's project evaluation costs or administrative costs.

This percentage may be revised each year by the Board of Trustees.

6 Postal administrations of countries benefiting from the QSF, and to whom funds are

available, are entitled to submit applications. By agreement with the postal administrations

concerned, applications for global, regional and joint projects may also be submitted by groups ofpostal administrations or on their behalf by the UPU (International Bureau) or a Restricted Union

as stipulated in Chapter VI Global, regional and joint projects of this Manual.

7 It is recommended that a quality development plan (QDP) or an abstract of it be submitted

to the Board along with the project proposal. The purpose of this recommendation is to ensure

that each individual project is an integral element of an overall improvement in quality of service,

and that subsequent and preceding projects progress logically. Where a QDP does not exist in a

creditor postal administration, it is recommended that one be prepared as an initial QSF project.

It is understood that QDPs are strategic documents which should remain valid for several years

and that QSF cannot fund updating of an ongoing quality development plan.

7.1 Postal administrations whose projects involve the preparation of a quality development planmust ensure that any future QSF proposals they submit should fit within the parameters of

that plan. A postal development plan or a strategic plan is to be considered the equivalent of

a quality development plan.

7.2 Project proposals that do not fit within the parameters established by the QDP should be

properly justified.

8 Projects must follow a logical development concept. A sustainable improvement of the

quality standard may be achieved only if the individual projects are based on the quality status

achieved to date (in operational, technological and organizational terms).

9 All project objectives and results must be realistic, achievable, quantifiable and sustainable.

Monitoring and evaluation must be performed during and after project implementation in line with project plans and when recommended by the Board. Only recognized and appropriate

evaluation and measuring procedures shall be applied. Postal administrations are asked to define

specific and quantified quality indicators directly relating to the projects objective, with which to

monitor progress made on implementation of the project.

9.1 For projects aimed at improving the speed or reliability of the postal service, postal

administrations will be obliged to participate in UPU quality of service measures,

particularly continuous and sequential quality testing. Relevant results should be

submitted to the Board together with the final report, once the QSF project has been

completed.

10 As a general rule, the information required, the approval process and the project monitoringand evaluation shall be in proportion to the size of the project.

Chapter II Development and submission of project proposals

Article 4

Responsibilities of postal administrations

1 The responsibility for the development of project proposals rests with the postal

administration applying for funding. However,postal administrations are at liberty to utilize the


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expertise of their Regional Adviser, Restricted Union or a consultancy firm to assist them in their

project design and proposal.

1.1 If a postal administration requests the UPU Regional Adviser support in drafting a project

proposal, the travel costs related to the mission may be included in the project budget. The

same rule applies if a postal administration requests the support of another postal

administration to draft a project proposal.

2 The postal administration shall nominate a National Coordinator authorized to negotiate

with the QSF Team and the Board.

3 The postal administration must ensure that project proposals, reports and other documents

are submitted in either English or French only.

Article 5

Procurement of material and services

1 Any procurement must support the aim and objectives of an individual project.

2 Procurement of material purchases of material equal to or lower than 50,000 USD shall be

made by obtaining pro forma invoices from three suppliers. Purchases above 50,000 USD shall be

made by open national/international tender.

2.1 When a proposal provides for the procurement of different types of equipment (e.g. vehicles,

computer equipment, letter boxes) for a total amount, all types of equipment combined,

exceeding 50,000 USD, it will be necessary:

to launch an open national/international tender for each category of equipment whose

budget exceeds 50,000 USD, for example when the "vehicles" budget on its own

exceeds 50,000 USD;

to obtain pro forma invoices from three potential suppliers for each category of

equipment whose budget taken in isolation is below 50,000 USD.

2.2 The equipment components for which a procurement application is submitted must be

specific in terms of their intended use, their technical quality, and cost. All details regarding

the number of items/components required, prices, delivery terms and possible transport

costs, together with an estimate of any follow-up costs, such as operating costs, repair

costs, maintenance costs, and availability of spare parts, shall be supplied to the Board

prior to the final Board approval concerning the procurement.

2.3 As regards the acquisition of equipment, the postal administration may make use ofUPU/UNDP procurement services, if available and applicable, according to their specific

rules, subject to approval by the Board; in such cases, the management costs incurred bythe implementing agency should be charged to the project budget.

3 Procurement of services in case of procurement of services, a statement of the objective(s)

pursued is necessary. The reasons for appointing a consultant must be detailed in the proposal.

3.1 Consultancy services may be purchased under the following conditions:

up to a limit of 10,000 USD providing at least one bid;

for amounts higher than 10,000 USD, shall be made by open national/international tender, with no less than three bids. In this instance, the Board shall include in its projectnotification an authorization to publish terms of reference and may set a limit on the

contract value.


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3.2 When a postal administration wishes to mandate the UPU or a Restricted Union to carry out

consultancy services, or to recruit a consultant seconded by another postal administration

through the UPU or a Restricted Union, the Board may, at the request of that postal

administration, authorize the awarding of the services contract with only one bid. However,

the hiring of such consultants will need to follow the procedures set by the International

Bureau, including the awarding and signing of contracts.

3.3 The conditions, estimated contract amount, and outline terms of reference must beincluded in the project proposal, as well as cost and duration of the assignment.

3.4 Procedures relating to the granting of service contracts also apply, under the sameconditions, to procurement of training services from external service providers.

4 The postal administration submitting the proposal is obliged to consider and observe allapplicable rules regarding procurement.

5 The thresholds above which procurement of equipment and services should be put out to

competitive tender must be respected by all countries, including those whose national rules do

not require such tendering.

6 In certain cases, QSF funds might be used to finance not only purchases of equipment and

consultancy services, but also infrastructure work. This is only possible if this work is fully

justified within the framework of a project which also meets the QSF objectives. The Board will

decide on a case-by-case basis as to the eligibility of such "work" expenses for QSF funding.

7 In cases where tendering proves genuinely impossible or where the adjudication or

tendering procedure has not produced the results hoped for, the Creditor is asked to supply the

Board of Trustees with all necessary explanations and justifications.

8 In cases of projects linked to previous ones, where the same provider is likely to be used,

the Creditor is asked to include such information in the project proposal, for the consideration of

the Board of Trustees.

9 In cases where the Board of Trustees places special conditions on purchasing procedures,

for example, the procurement of consultancy services, these conditions must be set out in the

project approval notification.

Article 6

Proposals of postal administrations with insufficient QSF funds

1 If a postal administration has insufficient QSF funds available to complete a project, it may

submit a proposal to the QSF Team provided that, by means of a written statement, one or morepostal administrations of the same region, or in any other region or subregion, assign

contributions from their QSF funds to the postal administration submitting the application in

accordance with paragraph 7.1.10 of the Deed of Trust. Postal administrations may also fund part

of a QSF project from other sources such as their own resources, government contributions and

other funding agencies.

Article 7

Design of project proposals Project Application Form

1 All project proposals should be submitted in writing (typed on A 4 paper) and in English

and/or French only. All proposals must be sent to the QSF Team by mail, preferably by EMS orequivalent, with a copy by e-mail.


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2 Only original project proposals, dated, stamped by the postal administration and signed by

the QSF National Coordinator and the Postmaster/Director General can be registered by the QSF

Team.

3 The proposal will be drafted following the headings and contents detailed below using the

templates shown in annex 1.

4 The front page will state:

the title of the project;

the full name of the postal administration sending the proposal;

the name of the National Coordinator (including communication details).

5 The section "Aim, objectives and expected results" will consist of:

Description of the aims and general objectives: short description of the project being applied

for and what it is designed to achieve, in other words, the general objective.

Detailed objectives and expected results: a detailed description of the project objectives,

including a description of the quality of service situation expected following projectimplementation, and of the other economic benefits that it is hoped the project will bring, is

required. This will also include the results expected in terms of improvement of quality of

service and the time scale during which these improvements are expected to take place.

Complementary projects: Further it is recommended to detail how the project objectives

relate to a Quality Development Plan.

Proposed quality of service indicators: information about the current level of performance

for each indicator, level of performance on completion of the project, date to achieve this

objective, and monitoring method.

6 The section "Current Situation" will detail the background with regard to quality of service

in the postal administration(s) applying for the funds. It will cover the factors affecting quality ofservice provided by the postal administration; past measures which have been taken locally to

improve quality of service, including previous assistance from the UPU or other bodies; current

systems in place for measuring quality of service.

7 The section "Methodology" represents the central part of the proposal and details the "How?"

"When?" "Where?" and "Who?" of the project. This section will be broken down into the following

sub-sections:

Approach A description of the general method being used and why.

Tasks/Work plan A description of the major tasks to be carried out presented in the

sequence they will occur, details of who will carrying out the tasks and when. If appropriate,

the project schedule should be attached to the project proposal.

Project control A description of the project stages/phases, the project reports which will be

produced and when and any project control mechanism intended to be implemented.

Project organization Shows the structure of the project team and details responsibilities of

each team member.

CVs shall be submitted for team members recruited from other administrations or

consulting companies.

8 The section "Financial Proposal" details in US dollars - how much the project will cost and

how the money will be spent. It will be broken down into the following sub-sections:


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8.1 Overall project funding: fill out the information observing the following: Cost Summary:

"Labour": includes the actual salary costs of staff members from the postal

administration or external experts recruited specifically for the project; the costs of

consultants involved in contracts signed with service companies are excluded. Thesalary costs of staff members from the postal administration, including the QSF

Project Manager, must be borne by the postal administration under its own

contribution to the project budget.

Allowances and travels costs: cover any allowances and travel expenses incurred by

members of the postal administration recruited specifically for the project or external

experts, including UPU consultants; excluding allowances and travel expenses

provided for in the budget of contracts signed with service companies.

Office & communication costs: cover only operational expenditure strictly linked to

project implementation. In principle, these costs are to be borne by the postal

administration own resources.

Services: comprises the total cost of the contract(s) signed with consulting firms, inparticular consultancy services, consultants' travel and residential expenses, and

other expenses, as appropriate.

Equipment: contains particulars, together with cost, of all equipment to be bought

within the framework of the project.

Training: covers training expenses related to project implementation.

Others: includes any other possible expense related to the project, which does not

appear in the previous summary charts.

Cost breakdown: in the field Source of the all table: Labour, Allowances, Travel cost, Office

and communications, Services, Equipment, Training and Others, please mark:

"A" if this amount is provided by the applicant and considered as own resource

"B" if this amount shall be provided by the QSF

"C" if this amount will be provided by external funds

8.2 Monitoring and evaluation Follow-up costs

Administrations need to provide an estimate of follow-up costs arising from proposed project

activities (mention only costs that will be incurred once the project is completed and which

do not feature in the project budget). If the project budget includes the costs of maintaining

and servicing equipment procured within the framework of the project, or software licence

costs, the postal administration should undertake to bear these costs for the duration of

their use.

Post-project evaluation

Administrations need to provide an outline of any project evaluation mission, which it

considers appropriate, following project completion, giving an aim, anticipated objectives

and costs. It should also detail any other follow-up activity which is considered a natural

progression of the current project proposal.

8.3 Project Budget Plan where tendering for technical equipment and consultancy under the

terms of the QSF is required, the budget plan should also include, if possible, information

such as pre-quotes from potential suppliers following the stipulations of Article 5.


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Chapter III Verification and approval of project proposals

Article 8

General provisions

1 Project proposals, together with the documentation required, will be submitted to the QSFTeam. The project proposal will be subjected to a preliminary verification by the QSF Team, and, if

the proposal is considered complete, it will be submitted to the Board for final verification and

approval.

2 In accordance with paragraph 5.1 of the DoT there will be meetings of the Board no less

than four times per year. At least two of these meetings shall be held during the annual meetings

of the Council of Administration and Postal Operations Council. The other two meetings shall take

place, in principle, in mid-January and in early July.

3 Project proposals should be submitted to the QSF Team no later than 60 days prior to the

next meeting of the Board.

Article 9

Preliminary verification by the QSF Team

1 The QSF Team checks the project proposals for completeness and compliance with the

applicable rules. Although applicant postal administrations will be asked to provide information

where it is missing, inaccurate or incomplete, the QSF Team will ensure that answers to the

following questions are provided:

Does the project proposal comply with the aim and purpose of the QSF and will it make a

contribution to achieving the QSF objectives?

Does the project proposal refer to the principles of the national Quality Development Plan as

far as its design and objectives are concerned?

Has any experience been gained regarding the objectives pursued with the project based on

comparable projects of UPU technical cooperation projects and/or previous projects

financed by the QSF, and does it appear to be helpful in making a sustainable contribution

to quality improvement with regard to the planned effort?

Did the UPU carry out or fund projects with similar objectives in the country submitting the

application (in the case of regional projects in the corresponding region) in the three (3)

years prior to submission of the present project proposal? How are the results of these proj-

ects to be evaluated? Was any funding used for these projects (from the Universal Postal

Union, the World Bank or any other financial institution)?

Has the postal administration enough QSF funds available?

Does the project proposal define quantified performance indicators relating to the project

objectives?

Any further information suitable for the verification of the proposed project.

2 To clarify matters requiring further explanation, the QSF Team may request supplementary

or more detailed information from the respective postal administration, Restricted Union or the

UPU. If the information requested by the QSF Team is not received within four weeks, the

consideration of the proposal will be deferred to the following Board meeting.


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Article 10

Verification by the Board of Trustees

1 The Board will consider the project proposal and, if available, the QDP, answers to the QSF

Team questions and any other comments related to the project submitted by the QSF Team

relating to the project.

2 The Board will verify whether the project description is clear and the project objectives

unambiguous according to the type of project (e.g. study, implementation of a procedure,

training). The project description will become part of the project notification upon approval of the

project proposal.

3 The Board will verify whether the objective complies with the fundamental objectives of the

QSF and whether it makes a sustainable contribution to quality improvement. The Board will also

verify that the quality of service criteria, which have been included in the project proposal, can be

measured throughout the life of the project against stated quality improvement goals. All

questions concerning a project proposal must be clarified between the postal administration(s),

Restricted Union(s) or the UPU submitting the proposal and the Board prior to approval of the

project.

4 The Board will verify whether the project proposal is based on an assessment of the current

situation by the postal administration concerned and whether there is a logic development of the

projects according to the QDP or the description relating to the complementary project necessary

for achieving the final objective of improving quality.

5 On the basis of the detailed description of task and structure of the project (milestones), the

Board has to verify the feasibility of the project for which an application for funding has been

made.

6 The Board has to verify whether the QSF funding requirement applied for (and any third

party funds which may have been planned for) have been clearly explained and justified. The

Board must also verify whether sufficient funds are available and whether this sum is sufficient tofulfil the project objectives. If third party funds are included in the plan, the utilization of

QSF funds must be described in clear terms. In the case of mixed funding, the availability of third

party funds must be verified prior to unconditional approval of the project proposal.

7 The Board will consider the expected follow-up costs relating to the project, which have to

be borne by the postal administration.

8 The Board will also consider the involvement of the postal administration in the project in

accordance with article 7.1.5 of the Deed of Trust.

Article 11

Approval and project clearance

1 Once a project proposal has been approved by the Board, the postal administration is

informed accordingly by the Chairman, within 30 days of the meeting, by means of a project

notification, which could be unconditional, permitting an immediate start of the project, or

conditional, requiring clarifications as noted prior to the beginning of the project or specifying a

number of conditions which need to be fulfilled before the project may be launched. It may also

detail any special conditions for project implementation such as monitoring and reporting

processes.


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2 This notification will confirm the approval of the project execution, and clear the provision ofthe funding. The Board has the sole and absolute discretion to decide whether funds of theapproved volume may be provided in a single sum or in instalments upon receipt of projectreports.

2.1 In general, the sums allocated by the Board under the QSF should be paid in instalments.

In the case of small projects, an instalment of 80% of the sums requested should be

paid at the start of the project, once the inception report had been submitted andapproved. The balance should be paid, in the light of all the supporting documents,after approval by the Board of the final report.

In the case of large projects (more than USD 180,000.00), the payment plan should bedecided by the Board on a case-to-case basis. In general, an instalment should bepaid for each project phase or batch, with a final payment due at the approval of thefinal report by the BoT.

3 If the Board finds itself unable to approve a project proposal, it shall postpone its decision

and return the proposal to the postal administration, stating the reasons and giving

recommendations regarding reformulation and resubmission of the application.

4 If a project proposal is rejected, the reasons for such a decision must be transparent andcomprehensible to the postal administration. The reasons for rejecting a project must be treated

confidentially by the Board, the QSF Team and the postal administration.

5 A project may only be commenced upon receipt of the notification and/or when the Board

receives confirmation of compliance with any conditions detailed in the notification. Projects

should commence within four (4) to eight (8) weeks of receipt of the project notification. Any

deviation from this guideline shall be explained by the postal administration within 4 weeks.

Article 12

Disagreement with Board decisions

In the event that a postal administration which has submitted a project proposal disagrees with

the Boards decision regarding the conditional approval or non-approval of that proposal, the

postal administration or the leading postal administration may lodge an appeal with the Postal

Operations Council or its mandated body following the provisions of article 7.2.2.3 of the Deed of

Trust.

Chapter IV Implementation of projects

Article 13

Principles

1 Projects must be carried out in compliance with the project plans and objectives as

described in the approved project proposal. Any deviations or changes from or changes to the

project, in particular its objectives, must be submitted in writing by means of a Project Change

Request (PCR) (Annex 6) and must have the approval of the Board. The Board may delegate this

decision to the Chairman and/or the QSF Project Manager in specific cases.

1.1 In cases where the PCR involves an increase in the budget of more than 25%, a new project

proposal must be submitted to the Board for approval.


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2 Projects have to be executed and implemented in accordance with the clauses and

conditions in the project approval notification.

3 If any problems occur during the execution of the project in connection with personnel

resources, the time schedule or the budget, the postal administration responsible for the project

is obliged to report immediately to the Board via the QSF Team. This report can be made at any

time by means of the PCR form (Annex 6).

4 The responsibility for project execution and implementation, i.e. for its objectives, financial

control and reporting, rests with the postal administration responsible for the project. The

delegation of authority, e.g. to a national quality representative, a project manager or a consulting

firm, does not exonerate the postal administration from the responsibility of ensuring that

QSF funds are administered and applied correctly.

5 The postal administration nominates the Project Manager. If the Project Manager is a

member of the staff of the postal administration, he or she should be released from regular duties

or given sufficient time and resources to implement the project. In this case the postal

administration will assume the staff costs (having regard to its own contribution). The Project

Manager may also be a staff member of a contracted consultancy firm or the National Coordinator

(see article 7.8.1).

6 The Project Manager must have appropriate and proven qualifications and experience in line

with the content of the project. He or she should be given sufficient authority to implement the

project. The Project Manager is responsible for all aspects of project implementation.

7 During project implementation, the Board may suggest changes in the project team. Any

such request shall be the subject of mutual agreement between the respective postal

administration and the Board.

Article 14

Prescribed reports

1 Reports are an essential tool for keeping track of the project by the Board. At the same time,

they also serve as an important project control mechanism for the postal administration

responsible for the project.

2 The complexity and the level of detail to be provided by the reporting postal administration

and required by the Board will be proportional to the size of the project.

3 Reports will be drawn up in writing according to the process described by this Manual.

Reports shall be submitted to the QSF Team in English or French only. They must adhere to the

deadlines and must be complete. Reports can be sent by email, fax or mail. However, original

invoices, vouchers and request for payment must be sent by mail, EMS or equivalent.

4 There will be three types of reports: the inception report, the interim report and the final

report.

4.1 The inception report has to be submitted immediately upon project start, specifying the

exact starting date of the project, explaining the activities taken in particular with regard to

personnel and commenting the time schedule, including dates for submission of any other

reports, and any other information requested by the Board.

4.2 The interim report has to be submitted every six months or in the event that there is a

deviation from the project plans in any project or if otherwise required according to the

project notification.


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4.3 Within six weeks of the conclusion of the project activities, the final report has to be

submitted. In addition to detailed explanations regarding project implementation, all

application documents regarding the analysis of success, the economic concept and the

external influences have to be reviewed. The success achieved with the project has to be

described in detail referring to the quality improvement criteria and quantified performance

indicators specified in the original project proposal and in the project approval notification.

Demonstrated achievements of quality of service objectives must be stated in terms of these

criteria. Special mention should be made whether an activity, in the postal administrationsestimation, has led to, or will lead to, a sustainable quality improvement. If no direct effect

can be expected, the period within which the pursued quality improvement is expected to

materialize should be indicated.

4.3.1 The final report will include an overall budget report. This budget report must specify all

expenses and contain the necessary supporting documents. All QSF-funded expenditure

must be duly justified with invoices. Only original documents or copies certified as true by

the QSF National Coordinator, dated and bearing his/her signature and the postal

administration's stamp will be accepted.

Article 15

Treatment of final reports by the Board of Trustees

1 Upon receipt of the final report, the Board shall review and discuss it during its next regular

Board meeting. In case of unanimous acceptance by the Board, the QSF Team will, within 30

days of the Board meeting, notify the decision of the Board related to the final report.

1.1 In order to be presented to the Board, final reports must reach the QSF Team at least

30 days prior to the meeting date.

2 If the Board raises any objections to the final report, a consultation with the postal

administration responsible for the project is required.

2.1 In case of non-approval of a final report, a consultation with the postal administration is

required. If, despite consultation between the two parties, justified doubts persist which

cannot be solved by the postal administration responsible for the project, the Board will

take a decision regarding the outstanding issues and may impose conditions regarding

future projects applied for by the postal administration in question.

3 The reasons for the decisions taken by the Board have to be given in writing to the postal

administration. The postal administration may lodge its objections to the decision of the Board

with the Postal Operations Council or its Management Committee. In this case, the respective

body has to hear both parties, giving corresponding advice to the Board.

Article 16

Communication, press

If It is intended to give publicity to the QSF and/or QSF projects, it is recommended that any

such publicity should be coordinated with the QSF Team prior to publication.

Chapter V Evaluation of project results

Article 17

Principles


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The first evaluation of the results of a project will be based on the final report. In addition, in

order to ensure sustained improvement in the quality of service, monitoring of results during a

period of up to two (2) years or more after completion should reveal whether lasting quality of

service has been achieved. A post-implementation review (Project Implementation Review) may

also take place to review the results of the project.

Article 18

Implementation of project review

1 A project implementation review may be carried out, subject to a Board decision.

1.1 In the case of projects above 750,000.00 USD, the costs of the project implementation

review shall be charged to the project budget.

1.2 A fixed sum, corresponding to 1% of the QSF budget and up to a ceiling of 5,000.00 USD for

each of the projects below 750,000.00 USD approved by the Board, will be deducted by the

International Bureau from the Creditor's QSF account, following notification of project

approval.

2 The purpose of a project review is to determine whether the quality improvement pursued

by the project has actually been achieved or can be achieved. Therefore, a project review is

possible only after a certain period of time following the implementation of the activity (running-in

phase). The respective timeframe has to be determined specifically for each project and is subject

to agreement between the postal administrationresponsible for the project and the Board.

3 The project implementation review may be performed on the location where the project is

being executed, and should, in principle, not exceed two working days. For this purpose the

Board, in consultation with the QSF Team, may commission the UPU Regional Advisors or

qualified experts to undertake the project implementation review.

4 The project implementation review may involve management information reviews, testing,customer and staff interviews and surveys, as well as site visits or inspections to determine the

successful achievement of sustainable Quality of Service improvement and the effectiveness of

project evaluation.

5 Upon completion of the project implementation review requested by the Board, an

evaluation report will be submitted to the QSF Team and a copy of thereof sent to the postal

administration. The report will be treated as confidential by all parties involved.

6 The findings of these project implementation review reports must be taken into

consideration when the corresponding postal administration applies for new projects relating to

the same area.

7 The QSF Team will submit the project implementation review report to the Board with its

comments.

8 If the Board cannot accept the project implementation review report, the Board may

designate one of its members to draft a special report containing any conditions regarding future

projects that the Board considers necessary. If the special report is not accepted by the postal

administration in question, and both the Board and the postal administration are unable to reach

agreement regarding evaluation of the project implementation review report in question or the

status of future projects, the Board will not issue its confirmation notice. In this instance the

Board will refer all project documentation and findings to the Postal Operations Council or its

Management Committee, requesting advice.


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9 The Board shall consider all the circumstances arising from ongoing projects and project

implementation review missions in a particular country when evaluating a new project proposal

received from that country.

Chapter VI Global, regional and joint projects

Article 19

Global projects

1 Postal administrations may mandate the International Bureau to submit, on their behalf,

project proposals aiming to improve quality of service on a global basis.

2 Global projects can involve postal administrations of different regions. It is up to the Board

of Trustees to decide whether a project falls within the category of global projects.

Article 20

Regional projects

1 Postal administrations belonging to the same region may mandate a Restricted Union to

submit, on their behalf, project proposals aiming to improve quality of service in their region.

2 Regional projects may involve two or more postal administrations.

Article 21

Joint projects

1 Two postal administrations may decide to submit a joint project aimed at improving quality

of service in the countries of both project participants.

2 In line with article 7.1.10 of the Deed of Trust, a Creditor may assign its entitlements, in

whole or in part, to fund joint projects, provided that the projects involve all parties concerned.

Article 22

Principles

1 Postal administrations wishing to benefit from QSF funds may submit applications for

global, regional or joint projects

2 In case of global, regional or joint projects, the participating postal administrations are to

take on the responsibilities involved and determine the administration or organisation that will

act as the project authority (UPU, Restricted Union or leading postal administration). Postal

administrations should therefore appoint a Project Coordinator and/or a Project Manager.

3 If postal administrations intend to implement a global, regional or joint project, the following

additional requirements shall apply:

3.1 In the case of global or regional projects, postal administrations must agree in writing that

that the UPU or the Restricted Union should act as the project leader responsible.


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3.2 In the case of joint projects, postal administrations must agree in writing that one postal

administration is selected as the project leader with responsibility for implementing the

project.

3.3 The UPU, the Restricted Union or the postal administration selected as the project leader

shall appoint a Project Coordinator authorised to negotiate with the QSF Team and the

Board of Trustees.

3.4 The QSF funding of all the administrations taking part in a global, regional or joint project

will be treated as a single lump sum for the purposes of budgeting and project planning. All

postal administrations taking part in the project must agree in writing to relinquish their

contribution to the project budget to the UPU, the Restricted Union or the lead country

regardless of the differing levels of contribution which are likely to be made. Participating

postal administrations must therefore formally agree to the inclusion of the other postal

administrations and approve the level of their contribution to the project budget.

3.5 All participating postal administrations must indicate, in writing, their commitment to

support the project financially, and specify the amount of funds to be used for this purpose

by completing the form reproduced in Annex 2.

Article 23

Role of the UPU and the Restricted Unions

1. In addition to their role of project leader in the case of global and regional projects, the UPU

and the Restricted Unions may also assist postal administrations in developing quality

development plans (QDP) and individual projects and in monitoring their implementation, if

requested.

2 If a postal administration, a Restricted Union or the UPU requests the assistance of the UPU

Regional Advisor to draft a joint, regional or global project proposal, the travel costs relating to the

mission may be included in the project budget. The same rules will apply if the assistance ofanother postal administration is requested for drafting a joint, regional or global project proposal.

Article 24

Responsibilities of the UPU, Restricted Unions and postal administrations

1 In the case of global, regional or joint projects, the UPU, the Restricted Unions and each

postal administration concerned are bound to the responsibilities stipulated in article 4.

2. The selected leader shall act as the nominated Project Coordinator authorised to negotiate

with the QSF Team and the Board of Trustees.

Article 25

Procurement of material and services

1. The procedures regarding procurement of material and services shall comply with the

provisions of article 5.

2 Each postal administration participating in a global, regional or joint project may, with the

Boards approval, independently and directly purchase the material or services it needs within the

framework of the project. In this case, the thresholds included in articles 5.2 and 5.3.1 for the

procurement of material and services may apply not only to the total global, regional or joint

project procurement, but also to each postal administrations individual procurement. The


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reason(s) for independent and direct procurement shall be mentioned in the project application

form (Annex 1).

Article 26

Design of project proposals Project Application Form

1 The preparation and submission of global, regional and joint project proposals shall follow

the rules and procedures established in Article 7.

2. The project application form shall be dated and stamped by the UPU, the Restricted Union

or the leader postal administration, as appropriate, and signed by the QSF Project Coordinator.

3 In accordance with article 7.8.2, the Project leader or the Project Coordinator, as

appropriate, shall calculate and sum up follow-up costs concerning each participating postal

administration.

4 Postal administrations wishing to participate in a global, regional or joint project shall

complete and sign the Statement of Commitment (annex 2). The allocation of QSF funding mustbe indicated in the form.

Article 27

Approval and project clearance

1 Once a global, regional or joint project proposal has been approved by the Board, the UPU,

the Restricted Union or the postal administration selected as the project leader is accordingly

informed by the Chairman, within 30 days of the meeting, by means of a project notification as

stipulated in Article 11.

1.1 The Project Coordinator or the Project leader shall notify the result of the Board decision tothe participating postal administrations in an appropriate manner.

2 If a project proposal is rejected, the reasons for such a decision must be transparent and

comprehensible to the UPU, the Restricted Union or the postal administration selected as project

leader. The reasons for rejecting a project must be treated confidentially by the Board, the

QSF Team and the UPU, the Restricted Union and the postal administrations concerned.

Article 28

Implementation of projects

1 Projects must be carried out in compliance with the project plans and objectives as

described in the approved project proposal and in accordance with Article 13. In line with article

13, any deviations or changes from the project objectives must be submitted to the appraisal of

the Board.

2 The responsibility for project execution and implementation, i.e. for its objectives, financial

control and reporting, rests with the UPU, the Restricted Union or the postal administration

selected as the project leader. The delegation of authority, e.g. to a national quality representative,

a project manager or a consulting firm, does not exonerate the UPU, the Restricted Union or the

leading postal administration from the responsibility of ensuring that QSF funds are administered

and applied correctly.

3 The UPU, the Restricted Union or the postal administration selected as the project leader

nominates the Project Manager in line with article 13.6. If the Project Manager is a member of the


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Article 32

Rules applicable to global, regional and joint projects

1 Unless otherwise stipulated in Chapter VI, all the provisions of the Project Management

Manual apply to global, regional and joint projects.

Chapter VII Responsibilities of various bodies involved in the management of projects

Article 33

Principles

1 In accordance with the policies and provisions defined for the management of projects, the

following agents are involved in the development, approval, implementation and evaluation.

1.1 Postal administration; National Coordinator; Project Manager; QSF Team (including theRegional advisers); Board of Trustees; Postal Operations Council or its Management

Committee.

1.2 In this chapter the responsibilities of each one of these agents are described, following the

rules and activities detailed in this manual.

Article 34

Postal administrations

1 The postal administration entitled to the funds will be responsible for the formulation and

submission of the project proposal and its implementation, in accordance with the provisionsdefined in this Manual.

2 The National Coordinator is the postal administrations representative for the project,

undertaking the management coordination, while the Project Manager is in charge of the projects

technical coordination assuming the corresponding responsibility. A postal administration may

decide to appoint the National Coordinator as the Project Manager as well.

Article 35

QSF Team

1 The QSF Team should give all necessary support to the Boards activities.

2 The QSF Team is responsible for the following:

receiving the project proposals from postal administrations or Restricted Unions or the UPU,

undertaking a preliminary verification and providing the Board with comments and

responses as requested;

registering the project proposals and assigning project numbers;

clarifying project proposals and the corresponding documentation with the applicant postal

administration, Restricted Union or the UPU, if required;

instructing the Regional Advisers to support, if requested, postal administrations in pre-

paring project proposals and assist, if requested, in the implementation of projects, accord-

ing to the policies established in this Manual;


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supporting the Board in monitoring the results attained by postal administrations in the

areas supported by the project, and keeping the information on the development of the

quality indicators, even after the conclusion of the projects;

monitoring timely submission of the project reports and giving the Board its opinion on the

reports, particularly the final report;

supporting the Board regarding project implementation review missions;

receiving the requests of reconsideration to be submitted to the Postal Operations Council

or its Management Committee, in accordance with the provisions established in this

Manual;

supporting the Postal Operations Council or its Management Committee in activities

relating to the postal administrations appeals concerning Board decisions.

approving PCRs as authorised by the Board.

Article 36

UPU Regional Advisors

1 The Regional Advisers subject to an agreement with the International Bureau should be

responsible for the following:

supporting postal administrations in preparing project proposals, if requested, including

checking project application forms for compliance and details;

assisting postal administrations in the implementation of projects, if requested;

supporting the Board in the implementation of project implementation review missions.

1.1 Where a postal administration requests the assistance of a Regional Adviser to prepare a

project proposal, the costs of the mission can be included in the projects budget.

Article 37

Board of Trustees

1 The Board is responsible for safeguarding the quality of service funds and ensuring their

proper management.

2 The Board is responsible for all QSF project matters.

3 Its responsibilities regarding project management are to:

verify and approve project proposals related to the application of funds;

guide postal administrations, Restricted Unions or the UPU with regard to the required

alterations and additions, when necessary, in order to make approval possible;

verify and approve if justified alterations to the original project plans, if requested by the

postal administrations, the Restricted Unions or the UPU;

communicate the reasons to the postal administration, Restricted Union or the UPU, if a

project proposal is not accepted;

monitor the execution and implementation of the projects by means of the reports

submitted by postal administrations, Restricted Unions or the UPU, giving the required

orientation when necessary;

review the results of the projects, on the basis of the final reports submitted by postal

administrations, Restricted Unions or the UPU, and any other reports published by the


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UPU, carrying out a project implementation review, when necessary, according to the

provisions of this Manual;

promote the QSF and ensure that it is made known to postal operators,

give advice to postal administrations regarding suitable follow-up measures; the shifting the

focus to other QSF projects; project organization and management; the use of funds and the

selection of project experts.

Article 38

Postal Operations Council

1. The Postal Operations Council or its Management Committee will be responsible for the

following:

considering appeals from postal administrations related to project proposals, upon

disagreement or inconclusive negotiations between the postal administration(s)/Restricted

Unions/ UPU and the Board and providing necessary comments and advice;

providing the Board with advice in case of unaccepted project review reports.

Chapter VIII Recommendations and remedial measures

Article 39

Recommendations

The postal administration is not bound by the recommendations expressed by the Board. The

Board, however, must take its recommendations and auditing reports into consideration when

evaluating subsequent project proposals.

Article 40

Obligations, sanctions

1 In certain cases the Board will make recommendations regarding remedial measures to be

imposed on projects, whether current or future.

2 If deadlines relating to the achievements of project targets or the submission dates of

reports approved in the proposal document or subsequently by the Board are repeatedly missed

by a postal administration, then the Board may impose additional obligations and conditionsrelating to any future project which the postal administration in question may apply. These

obligations may take the form of additional project reports or audits with imposed submission

dates or the phased release of project funds, once reporting or evaluation obligations have been

met.

3 If the project budget is exceeded without the prior approval of the Board, the Board will

recommend sanctions. These may range from the phased release of project funds for the present

project and for subsequent projects to the imposition of more robust financial management

techniques and, depending on the severity of the overspending, the phased accrual of the

overspent portion of the project funds.

4 If QSF funding is misappropriated or used for purposes not approved by the Board, then

sanctions may also be applied, including repayment of the funds in question or exclusion from

future use of QSF funding.


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5 When the start of a project is subject to conditions set by the Board, the postal

administration must fulfil these conditions within six months of the project notification. If this

deadline is not met, the project will be cancelled by the Board.

6 When a project approved by the Board does not start within the timeframe set in article 11,

the Board may impose a new deadline. If this new deadline is not met, the project will be

cancelled by the Board.

Chapter IX Final provisions

Article 41

Effective date

1 The Project Management Manual shall come into force on 1 June 2006.

Adopted at Berne, 5 April 2006.

Project Management Manual En

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