Question 8

For the hard projects

1. If one project partner will subcontract the position of a staff member (e.g. project manager or financial manager) is it still necessary to submit a job description for it? Or anything else instead?

2. Due to the fact that procurement and execution of works can take significant amount of time, does the maximum project duration for hard project has to be at least 30 months?

3. The Programme allows procurements to be done and contracts signed before the Grant contract is signed. In this case what type of procurement procedure has to be used by public authorities from Moldova: PRAG or national legislation? The Programme states that PRAG procedures shall be used, but there is a potential problem – local authorities in Moldova are allowed to use the procurement procedures of external donors instead of national procurement legislation only if a project is selected for funding and a grant contract is signed. There will be no official document (grant contract, notification for provisional project selection etc.) when such procurements mentioned above will be done. Could you please clarify this issue with the National Authority in Moldova?

4. At section 2.6.7 Additional documents to be submitted in Stage II, point e., paragraph 2, there is a requirement to present ”documents showing registration in the relevant public registers…”. Does this statement mean that cadaster documents should be presented for the infrastructure to be rehabilitated?

5. Do public authorities have to submit the same supporting documents as other potential beneficiaries (section 2.6.3)? (Usually the public authorities are not required to submit Statutes (or equivalent) and financial report)

For the soft projects

1. Taking into consideration Priority 4.1 – “Support to the development of health services and access to health”, are NGOs eligible to do small scale investments aiming to enhance the access to health such as integrated social intervention, prevention etc.? (The presented indicative eligible activities focus more on public institutions although NGOs are eligible as well)

2. Is it eligible for a project beneficiary to transfer equipment procured in the framework of a project to local public authorities which are the target group in a project but not project partners?

For both HARD and SOFT projects:

Could it be possible to indicate the maximum number of characters for the sections of the online application form if there will be such limitations?

Answer:

For the hard projects

1. Yes, it is mandatory to submit the job description for any kind of position within the project staff. Staff means any person assigned to the project and for whom, on the basis of a labor contract, the organization pays a gross salary that includes social security charges and other remunerated-related costs (section 2.5.1 Eligible direct costs). The project team should include, as a minimum, a project manager and a financial manager (section 2.3.2 Eligibility requirements for the project partnership) assigned by each project partner and for whom job descriptions are necessary.

Please note that project partners have to demonstrate the necessary competencies required in the field of the project. Moreover, there are better scored those projects that do not subcontract the management of their share of the project (please check also the Annex J3 Evaluation Grid. Technical and financial evaluation). In case of a person not working for the respective partner, but subcontracted to perform various project activities following procurement procedure, he/she is not considered as “staff” and does not need a job description. It will be included in budget within the chapter 5 Services.

2. As it is mentioned in the Applicant’s Guideline, chapter 2.4.3, page 22, the maximum duration for the implementation of the project is set at 24 months. No changes of this provision are envisaged.

3. This issue will be clarified and potential beneficiaries will be informed in due time.

4. In line with the Programme rules and according to section 2.6.7 Additional documents to be submitted in Stage II, point e., paragraph 2, the evidence of ownership by the Applicant and/or Partners and access to the land, is demonstrated by documents showing registration in the relevant public registers of each location (land/building/space) where the infrastructure is foreseen to be executed AND/OR equipment over EURO 60,000 is to be installed/ used.

5. All Partners participating in the projects have to submit relevant documents, as they are listed in section 2.6.3 of the Guidelines.

The exception can be made for international organizations and ETC groupings.

For the soft projects

1. NGOs are eligible under the priority 4.1. However, the project partners have to demonstrate the necessary competencies required in the field of the project. Please check also the Annex J3 Evaluation Grid. Technical and financial evaluation

2. All equipment purchased within a project has to be owned and maintained by the partner in charge of the expenditure. This situation is applicable during the implementation period and also during the sustainability period. In case the target group is represented by a legal entity or by individuals that are not partners within the project, a bailment agreement has to be established between the partner in charge and the representative of the target group. This means the equipment is still under the ownership of the responsible partner, but the equipment can be used by the target group if the project proposal referred to such an activity (e.g., if a project proposal includes equipment for agriculture – a tractor to be used by a target group, in certain conditions specified in the project – the equipment remains the property of the project beneficiary/partner, but it will be possible to be used by the targeted entities which were not partners in the project; in a waste management project waste bins are bought by the city hall, bins that – when the project is completed – are offered for free usage to each household in the city).

For both HARD and SOFT projects:

The pdf. application form provides this information where the case may be.