Project Implementation Manual

The Project Implementation Manual has been updated on the 6th of September 2021.

The updated version provides specifications and clarifications to instructions and rules which may not have been presented clearly enough.

The updates in the manual are about: 

    • New chapter about finalising the project was added. See the chapter 6.3.
    • Archiving info was updated. See the chapter 6.4.
    • Please note that from now on, the projects shall use the same logo as the Managing Authority. A separate logo for projects is not in use anymore. Read more about the updated communication instructions on the chapter 7.1. of the Manual
    • Instructions concerning last interim report, see the chapter 9.2.
    • Instructions about financial reporting for Norwegian partners, see the chapter 9.3
    • Instructions concerning final report, see the chapter 9.4. Templates for obligatory annexes are available on this site.
    • Possibility to use a simplified format for proposing budget changes when applying for prolongation of project implementation time. See the chapter 11.2 of the Manual. The model for marking budget changes is available on this site.
    • Instructions for final reporting to Micro Projects, see the chapter 13.
    • Former chapter 13 (closure of project) with similar information to the chapter 6.4 was deleted.
    • Annexes: checklists updated.

    The updated manual will be valid from the 7th of October onwards.

  • NOTE! On 1 December instructions to Norwegian micro project partners about payment requests was added to the page 83.

Manuals for projects>>


NEW (ADDED ON 25TH AUGUST, 2021):  INSTRUCTIONS  FOR A BUDGET CHANGE

Some project budgets need major changes. For these cases, the Managing Authority has made instructions for how the project should prepare their proposal for budget changes, to be submitted to the MA. The Excel file here:  Instructions and template for budget change 25 August 2021  includes the instructions and an example.

Grant contract

After the JMC has approved a project to be financed and the Grant Contract negotiatios are done  the contact person of the project in the Managing Authority drafts a Grant Contract. Each signed Grant Contract will be in PROMAS when it is signed.

The following annexes are in every Grant Contract:

  • Annex I: Project Plan
  • Annex II: Conditions applicable to Grant Contracts financed by Kolarctic CBC programme
  • Annex III: Project budget
  • Annex IV: Terms of Reference for an expenditure verification of a grant contract
  • Annex V: Contract-award procedures
  • Annex VI: Award of procurement contracts by Russian private beneficiaries

Depending on project, other annexes may be necessary.

Grant Contract and its annexes >>

Reporting

Projects have to provide the reports to the Managing Authority during the implemetation time. A central topic to assess is: has the project delivered what it has planned? This is possible to assess when the deliverables and other outputs are clearly defined at the beginning of the project, and when the project, in its reports, pays attention to describing the activities and outputs according to the work plan given in the application. The Managing Authority will see if the project will keep its promise about delivering results to the target groups.

Following project’s report are filled in and submited in PROMAS:

  • Project update
  • Interim report (narrative and financial parts)
  • Final report (narrative and financial parts)

Documents for reporting >>

Auditing

The expenditure of a project shall be verified by an external auditor. Criteria for choosing the auditor, and instructions for the expenditure verification procedure, are presented in Annex IV to the Grant Contract; Terms of Reference for an Expenditure Verification (EV1 Expenditure and Revenue verification procedure).
 
As a result of the verification, it should be possible to conclude that the costs declared by the beneficiary and the revenue of the project are:
  • real (expenditure was really incurred and revenues are identified and quantified)
  • accurately recorded (amounts are stated and recorded according to the supporting documents)
  • eligible (in line with eligibility criteria) in accordance with the Grant Contract.

Documents for Expenditure and Revenue verification >>

Communication & Visibility

 
The project must carry out communication and visibility activities which raise public awareness of:
  • The objectives, activities, outputs, results or/and impacts of the project, and
  • The Kolarctic CBC and the participating countries’ support to the project.

The Managing Authority has published a Communication and Visibility insructions to projects, which gives advce and hints about communication of projects in general, and formal requirements set by the programme. You can download it here: Project communication guide April 2022  (updated in April 2022)

Visibility material: Kolarctic CBC logos to be used by projects>>

 

Collecting and reporting Kolarctic CBC Indicators

Kolarctic CBC projects have in the application phase included in their plan some indicator info: figures on mostly quantitative targets for outputs and results. The MA has collected instructions for collecting and reporting the indicator data – and what the indicators are for. You can see them in this file:  Collecting and reporting Kolarctic CBC Indicators

Promas

PROMAS is an electronic Programme Management System, which project partners use during the whole Project cycle.

The system is used for submitting Payment requests, Interim and Final reports, Project updates, Amendment requests etc. to the Managing Authority.

Log in >>

Delivery of signed documents

Due to the COVID-19 epidemic, the original signed Annex 7 of the Financial report shall be submitted latest with the last Interim report (final payment will not be paid before receiving of the originals). Same rule applies for the singed Interim report (print from PROMAS) and Payment request. Although all scan copies of the signed documents have to be submitted to the Managing Authority in order to approve the Interim report. If you are having difficulties getting signatures to the documents to be provided to the Managing Authority, please be in contact with your project contact person, or the person checking your report in the Managing Authority. Instructions will be given on a case by case basis. In cases where you need to contact the Managing Authority, the partners first contact the Lead partner, after which the Lead partner contacts the Managing Authority.

Documents for the Narrative part of Interim Report