Projects

The G&MS Ltd. expert team develops and manages projects in the sphere of:

How to develop an EU Structural funds project

Putting the 7 billion euro for 2007-2013, which the EU will grant to Bulgaria, to use begins with the first project approval. Project requirements for the 7 operational programmes are similar, in spite of the differences in priority spheres for funding.

How to create a successful project

It is necessary to stick to some common steps when developing structural funds project.

Formulating the project idea

Each project should correspond to any of the 7 operational programmes priorities. The beneficiary concept should be financially, economically and socially grounded. All this means that it should be stated a clear necessity or a problem in a priority sector, for which a solution in practice is sought. The beneficent is about to prove in their project that he or she owns the necessary funds to co-finance the planned activity.

The description of the project idea should include: general purpose, specific purpose, proof of the necessity of the project, description of the project activities, action plan, expected results after implementation of the project, budget implementation, and expected financial sources.

Project ideas can also be applied before the approval of the operational programmes. This option has been achieved by the government and it allows the beneficiary to win time over the project implementation. When preparing the necessary documents for projects, it is important that the ceiling of affordable expenses for implementing the concept should be observed.

Developing and submitting the project

After the EU approves the 7 operational programmes, submitted by the Bulgarian government, the relevant governing body or intermediary section (see the table) will publish periodically on their sites and in national daily papers invitations for presenting project suggestions on a specific operational programme.

Once developed, the project is described in an application form and is submitted to the intermediary section. If an intermediary section for a given programme does not exist, the project is submitted to the governing body. The application forms must be presented in a paper and electronic version aiming at registering in the management and supervision of structural instruments information system thus avoiding doubling of processes.

Evaluation of the presented project

The road to the successful project

  1. Beneficiary
  2. Intermediary section (governing body if an intermediary section does not exist)
  3. Management and supervision information system
  4. Evaluating commission
  5. Governing body of the operational programme

The submitted project passes through several stages of approval. The first is administrative check which sees to whether the documentation is filled up correctly. Following this is the evaluation of the right to apply for the project, a check whether the project idea matches the priorities of the corresponding operational programme and a check if the expenditures are admissible. The latter includes check of the expenditures, subject to funding. If there are expected project expenditures not subject to funding, according to EU requirements, they will not be included in the candidate subsidy. The expenditures, not subject to funding, should be covered by the beneficiary or a third person.

ЗFor the projects regarding different operational programmes specific criteria for evaluation will be developed. However, all projects will be liable to evaluation according to the following criteria:

After the evaluation of the project is over, a report is made to the contracted body (intermediary section or the governing body). The list of all submitted projects is presented to the governing body. It is the last instance for project approval.

The term, in which the beneficiary will be informed for the approval or rejection of the wanted financial support, is 15 days after the contracted body has taken a decision. For the disapproved projects a detailed explanation for the causes of rejection is presented. The average duration of project selection and evaluation is 60-100 days.

The project implementation begins with contract signing between the beneficiary and the governing body. When tender procedures are required for the implementation of parts of the project, they will be done according to the Bulgarian legislation. This is provided for in the Public Procurement Law, Ordinance for the award of small Public Procurement contracts, Ordinance of the award of special-purpose public procurements. In the cases in which the beneficiary is not a contracting authority/entity of the public procurement, the last will be executed according to Decree №55 for the conditions and order of determining of a contractor from on behalf of beneficiaries of contracted free financial aid form the EU Structural funds and PHARE program.

While the process of project implementation is running, refunding the expenditures will be done after submitting an invoice and reports, according to the conditions of the concluded contract for granting free financial aid.

The degree of implementation of an approved project will be monitored periodically. This creates transparency concerning predefined terms and actions. Reports оn advancement in project implementation will be submitted periodically.

Project termination is realized by report submission, describing the achieved results and the effect it has had on improving the concerned sector. After the project approval the beneficiary receives final reimbursement.

Source: Ministry of Financе