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Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works of Bulgaria

Joint Small Projects Fund for Cross-Border Cooperation:

Bulgaria – Turkey

Guidelinesfor grant applicants

responding to the Call for proposalsfor 2004

Budget line: BG2004/016-715.02

Table of Contents

1. THE SMALL PROJECTS FUND PROGRAMME………………………………………3

1.1 BACKGROUND………………………………………………………………………………………….…….3

1.2 OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME AND PRIORITY AREAS………………………………………………………………………………………………………….3

1.3 FINANCIAL ALLOCATION PROVIDED BY THE CONTRACTING AUTHORITY………………………………………………………………………………………………...….4

2.1 ЕLIGIBILITY CRITERIA (CONSIDERED AS PROJECT WITH CROSS BORDER EFFECT)……………………………………………………………………….………………………….……5

2..1.1 Categories of eligible projects...........................................................................................................5 2.1.2 Eligibility of Applicants: who may apply?..........................................................................................6

2.1.3 Partnership and Eligibility of Partners…………………………………………………………………….82.1.4 Eligible actions: actions for which an application may be made……………………………………….92.1.5 Eligibility of costs: costs, which may be taken into consideration for the grant……………………..10

2.2 HOW TO APPLY AND THE PROCEDURES TO FOLLOW……………………………………………………....................................................................13

2.2.1 Application form and supporting documents………………………………………………………...…132.2.2 Where and how to send the applications……………………………………………………………….142.2.3 Deadline for receipt of applications……………………………………………………………………...152.2.4 Further Information………………………………………………………………………………………..152.2.5 Acknowledgement of receipt……………………………………………………………………………..16

2.3 EVALUATION AND SELECTION OF APPLICATIONS……………………………………………………………………………………………...16

2.4. NOTIFICATION OF THE CONTRACTING AUTHORITY’S DECISION…………………………………………………………………………………………….……….20

2.5 CONDITIONS APPLICABLE TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ACTION FOLLOWING THE CONTRACTING AUTHORITY’S DECISION TO AWARD A GRANT…………………………………………………………………………………………………...……20

3. LIST OF ANNEXES………………………………………………………………………23

ANNEX A: GRANT APPLICATION FORM (WORD FORMAT)/TO BE FILLED IN/

ANNEX B: BUDGET (EXCEL FORMAT) /TO BE FILLED IN/

ANNEX C: LOGICAL FRAMEWORK PLANNING MATRIX (EXCEL FORMAT) /TO BE FILLED IN/

ANNEX D: LIST OF PER DIEMS, PUBLISHED 12 DECEMBER 2005 (WORD FORMAT) /N.B. FOR APPLICANTS’ INFORMATION, DO NOT INCLUDE IN APPLICATION DOSSIER/

ANNEX E-VIII: CONTRACT (WORD FORMAT) /N.B. FOR APPLICANTS’ INFORMATION DO NOT INCLUDE IN APPLICATION DOSSIER/

ANNEX F: FORMAT OF CV

BG 2004/016-715.02 JSPF Bulgaria – Turkey Guidelines for Applicants 2

1. THE SMALL PROJECTS FUND PROGRAMME

1.1 BACKGROUND

With a view to strengthen cross-border co-operation in their common border region, Turkey and Bulgaria decided in 2002 to start implementing a Joint Small Projects Fund (JSPF). Turkish and Bulgarian authorities held two meetings, the first in Edirne on 25 February 2003 and a subsequent one in Sofia on 7 April 2003 at which an agreement was reached on including a JSPF scheme to this effect in the 2003 pre-accession financial assistance programme. The JSPF for 2004 will be a pilot action to introduce the 2004-2006 cross-border co-operation programme (CBC) between Bulgaria and Turkey.

The overall orientations of the CBC programme are given in European Commission Regulation No. 1628/94 of 4th July 1994, latterly replaced by European Commission Regulation No. 2760/98 of 18th December 1998 and the last Commission Regulations (EC) No 1596/2002. These Regulations make specific reference to the setting up of joint small projects funds to directly involve local and regional actors in cross-border cooperation. Such funds are to be used to enhance the capabilities of local and regional public administrations and other components of the democratic society (such as chambers of commerce, industry and agriculture, trade associations, trade unions, NGOs, schools and universities, etc.) from the border region to identify and develop joint small-scale projects with a cross-border impact. The JSPF will therefore play a key role in improving the administrative capacity of local/regional actors. Flexible funding mechanisms with a relatively quick implementation period aiming to support small-scale interventions addressing identified local needs are deemed to be an efficient instrument to foster the development of direct links between the communities, the institutions and the organisations across the border. These funds are part of a process of creating” integration-minded” border regions. The action represents thus an important element in supporting the social and economic integration within the border region between Turkey and Bulgaria.

The implementation of the JSPF under Financial Memorandum 2004 will fully respect the EU Practical Guide to contract procedures), financed by the general budget of the European Communities in the context of external action (PRAG).

The budget available for the grant scheme is 500.000 EUR per country. Within these funds, the EU may finance indirect (overhead) costs up to 7% of the total allocation (maximum 35.000 EUR per country) to cover administrative costs for supporting the JSPF operation.

The overall indicative amount made available under this call for proposals is 465.000 EUR. A similar JSPF has been granted to Turkey too.

1.2 Objectives of the programme and priority areas

The overall purpose of the Joint Small Projects Fund is to support small scale, "people-to-people” and “soft" local development activities involving local actors from the border regions. These actions may be defined on the basis of local/regional needs, and which have a cross-border impact. The Joint Small Projects Fund (JSPF) supports the key objectives of the Turkish-Bulgarian CBC Programme, namely to help the border region to overcome specific development problems resulting from their relative isolation in the institutional framework of national economies and to remove existing disparities within the cross-border region and thus to the gradual alignment of economic and social development; the JSPF also supports the establishment and development of co-operative networks across the border and the creation of links between these networks and wider European Union networks. The JSPF objectives are as follows:


1.2.1 Overall objective:

Reducing the negative effects, resulting from living near the border; Support the further sustainable development of the economic potential of the border region.

1.2.2 Specific objective:

Strengthening of people to people co-operation across the border; Encouraging and supporting the establishment or further development of sustainable co-

operation network between local and regional stakeholders; Increasing personnel and institutional capability for co-operation and participation in future

development programmes. Supporting development particularly in the field of small-scale activities (people to people

co-operation) across the border.

1.2.3 Priority areas:

The Joint Small Projects Fund will finance small-scale people-to-people projects in the following priority areas:

Economic Development – support and co-ordination of joint activities for encouraging the conclusion of cross-border co-operation agreements, strengthening the existing relation between the region’s administrations and associations;

Tourism – support for preparation and implementation of joint projects related to the protection, recovery and popularisation of the common cultural, architectural, artistic, historic, natural and tourism resources in the Border Region;

Cultural Exchanges – support for strengthening relations and for the creation of cross-border networks between universities, schools, and research institutions, for exchanges of student, for joint sport and cultural activities among the youth, for joint training initiatives with a view to popularisation of new technologies and innovations, for joint scientific research and for joint studies on the history and traditions of the region;

Institutional capacity building at local level – support for intensifying the institutional interaction and co-operation in the Border Region by improving the skills of organizational structures in local and regional administrations and in other areas of the civil society;

Proposed activities must demonstrate a strong and evident cross-border impact.

1.3 Financial allocation provided by the Contracting Authority

The overall indicative total grants amount available under the present Call for Proposals is 465,000 EUR for Bulgaria from Phare Programme and the same amount by the Pre-Accession Programme for Turkey. The Contracting Authority reserves the right not to award all available funds.

Size of grants

The following minimum and maximum amounts apply to the grants for the individual projects, which may be financed under the programme:


minimum amount of grant requested1: 10,000 EUR

maximum amount of grant requested: projects up to a maximum of 50,000 EUR may be financed under this facility.

In addition, no grant may exceed 90 % of the total eligible costs of the action (see also 2.1.4. below). The balance must be financed from the applicant’s or partners’ own resources, or from sources other than the European Community budget.

Note: Minimum co-financing will be 10% of the total eligible costs of the action. All co-financing must be visible in the Applicant’s and/or partner’s accounts /accountancy. Co-financing must support projects in order to demonstrate local commitment. This may not be in kind. No resources, which have been assisted by other EC support, may be taken into account as own contribution (projects should not be financed by another EU sources.

2. RULES OF THE PRESENT CALL FOR PROPOSALS

These guidelines set out the rules for the submission selection and implementation of projects for the above mentioned programme and are in application of the Practical Guide to contracting procedures (PRAG), section 6 on Grants.

See also: http://europa.eu.int/comm/europeaid/tender/gestion/index_en.htm

2.1 ЕLIGIBILITY CRITERIA (CONSIDERED AS PROJECT WITH CROSS BORDER EFFECT).

There are four sets of eligibility criteria, relating to:

Categories of eligible projects; Organisations which may request a grant; Projects for which a grant may be awarded; Types of cost, which may be taken into account for establishing the amount of the grant.

2.1.1 Categories of eligible projects

Simple Projects

Projects have to be prepared by the Applicant2 in co-operation with the partners from the other side of the border, though only one application is presented. In any case, direct and clear cross-border impact should be ensured. These projects are realised on one side of the border with only one applicant organisation. As above, at least one partner from the other side of the border (which won’t be funded) is compulsory.

Complementary/Mirror Projects

11Grant requested – means the amount requested by Phare Programme under this project in this case. Not less than 10 000 euro and up to 50 000 euro.2 Applicant - organisation, legal person or administrative unit that submits an application with a view to obtain a subsidy/grant and in case their project proposal is selected by the Evaluation Committee will receive the subsidy/grant in order to realise the activities of the project. Applicant is responsible for the coordination of all involved project partners, harmonising project activities, establishing and maintaining regular contact with all project partners in each of the participating countries and preparing reporting on the project, including financial reporting.The Applicant in each country is responsible for the implementation of the project in line with the conditions and implementation modalities as outlined in the subsidy/grant contract. The contract obliges the Applicant to ensure the correct use of funds from PHARE or Pre-Accession Programme respectively, and to comply with the conditions and requirements with respect to reporting, auditing and repayment.


http://europa.eu.int/comm/europeaid/tender/gestion/index_en.htm

Complementary projects are developed in cross border co-operation. Activities should take place on both sides of the border and show strong coherence (e.g. in content, partnership, impact). Two different applications have to be submitted by the two Applicants. In this case, the two Applicants (from each side of the border) acting as mutual partners. This requirement is compulsory.

The applicant organisation may also have partnership with organisations from the same side of the border. However that is not a mandatory requirement (for detailed information see p. 2.1.3).

Project activities to be implemented on the different sides of the border are complementary. Clear reference should be made in the application referring to the mirror project, which could be either a new or mirror to already existing projects (PHARE, Pre-Accession Programme or other projects).

Complementary projects have to be realised parallel in time. Since these projects are registered independently, it is important to indicate the complementary project to facilitate the evaluation of the proposals.

Complementary projects have to be applied for separately in each partner country comprising of actions to be carried out on one side of the border, therefore only one contract will be signed for each mirror project and the project budget should not be divided by countries.

It is important that two applications have to be prepared in a way that allows even separate implementation, in case one of the projects is rejected during the selection process.

Special attention should be given to identify the cross-border impact of such mirror activities.

In case the complementary/mirror projects are approved by the Evaluation Committee, both Applicants will receive funding. The Bulgarian project part will be financed from PHARE, whereas the Turkish from the Pre-Accession Programme budget. Applicants from Bulgaria will be responsible for distributing funds to their (financing) partners in Bulgaria, whereas applicants from Turkey will be responsible for transferring funds to their partners in Turkey.

2.1.2 Eligibility of Applicants: who may apply?

Applicants must comply with the following conditions in order to be eligible for a grant:


Be non-profit-making legal persons3;

Be local and regional authorities; associations of local and regional authorities, sport associations; Euro regions; chambers of commerce, industry or agriculture; professional associations; trade union associations; non-governmental organisations (any non-profit organizations which are independent from government and typically value-based organizations that depend, in whole or in part, on charitable donations and voluntary service); schools, colleges, universities, etc.;

Be registered at least 12 months before the submission deadline of this Call for Proposals

Be located within an eligible district or province in the border region between Bulgaria and Turkey. For Bulgaria this includes the districts of Haskovo, Yambol or Burgas. For Turkey the provinces of Edirne and Kirklareli. National organisations with a branch office and a clear role in the region can be eligible. In this case a document of foundation is required, proving that the local branch has been registered and it is an independent entity with own set of accounts;

Be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the action, not acting as an intermediary;

Have at least one partner from the other side of the border, which has to be backed by a partnership statement4.

Profit-making organisations, district administrations, political parties are not eligible.

IMPORTANT: Civil servants or other officials of the central and District Governor’s administrations, regardless of their administrative situation, must not apply under this Call for Proposals either as Applicant or Partner.

Potential applicants may not participate in Calls for Proposals or be awarded grants if:

(a) they are bankrupt or being wound up, are having their affairs administered by the courts, have entered into an arrangement with creditors, have suspended business activities, are the subjects of proceedings concerning those matters, or are in any analogous situation arising from a similar procedure provided for in national legislation or regulations;

(b) they have been convicted of an offence concerning professional conduct by a judgement which has the force of res judicata (i.e., against which no appeal is possible);

(c) they are guilty of grave professional misconduct proven by any means which the Contracting Authority can justify;

(d) they have not fulfilled obligations relating to the payment of social security contributions or the payment of taxes in accordance with the legal provisions of the country where they are established;

(e) they have been the subject of a judgement which has the force of res judicata for fraud, corruption, involvement in a criminal organisation or any other illegal activity detrimental to the Communities’ financial interest;

3 For the purpose of the call non-profit making legal persons should demonstrate that their operations are strictly non-profit making by submitting a copy of the provision in the Statutes which prohibits distribution of profit to shareholders. Or alternatively the applicant should demonstrate with an audit report covering the last three years that profit has never been distributed to the shareholders and the Board of Directors should declare that profit will not be distributed to shareholders in the future. These commitments will be inserted into the eventual grant contract.4 See the Grant Application Form (Annex A; p. 12) under section 3 of thiese guidelines.


(f) they have been declared to be in serious breach of contract for failure to comply with their contractual obligations in connection with a procurement procedure or other grant award procedure financed by the Community budget;

Applicants are also excluded from participation in calls for proposals or the award of grants if, at the time of the call for proposals:

(g) they are subject to a conflict of interests;

(h) they are guilty of misrepresentation in supplying the information required by the contracting authority as a condition of participation in the call for proposals or fail to supply this information;

(i) they have attempted to obtain confidential information or influence the evaluation committee or contracting authority during the evaluation process of current or previous calls for proposals.

In the case referred to in points (a), (c), (d), (f), (h) and (i) above, the exclusion applies for a period of two years from the time when the infringement is established. In the cases to in points (b) and (e), the exclusion applies for a period of four years from the date of notification of the judgement.

Applicants must supply with their applications a sworn statement that they do not fall into any of the above categories (a) to (f).

2.1.3 Partnership and Eligibility of Partners5

Applicant organisations must have at least one action partner from the other side of the border. This is a mandatory requirement. The Turkish partner(s) must comply with the following conditions:

be non-profit-making legal organisations/bodies; be municipalities; local authorities; associations of local authorities; Euro regions; chambers

of commerce, industry or agriculture; professional associations; non-governmental organisations; schools and other educational institutions,(colleges, universities etc)., community centres, foundations, civil associations, other NGO’s etc.

be located within an eligible Turkish NUTS III regions: Edirne and Kirklareli.

The above said is valid without exclusion.

The applicant organisation may also have partnership with other Bulgarian organisations. However that is not a mandatory requirement. Bulgarian partners must satisfy the same eligibility criteria as those for applicants (see item 2.1.2).

5 Partners: organization, legal person or administrative unit that are interested in the project’s success, in attaining its objectives. Partnership shall cover the preparation, financing and implementation of the project. The Applicant/Cross border applicant must have at least one partner on the other side of the border. Partners must also satisfy the same eligibility criteria as those for the Applicants.


The applicant will be the lead organisation and, in case of selection, the contracting party (the “Beneficiary”). Partnership is not to be substantiated by legal documents. The partnership statement in the application form will need to be filled in, signed, dated and stamped in this regard. It stands for co-operation and mutual agreement to ensure that the projects have a strong cross-border impact, directly linked with the rationale of the CBC programme.

Applicant’s partners participate in designing and implementing the Action and the costs they incur are eligible in the same way as those incurred by the grant Beneficiary.

Subcontractors are neither partners nor associates, and are subject to the rules set out in Annex IV to the standard grant contract.

Other organisations may be involved in the action. So-called associates play a real role in the action but may not receive funding from the grant. Associates do not have to meet the eligibility criteria referred to in section 2.1.2.

2.1.4 Eligible actions: actions for which an application may be made

Size

Amount : there are no restrictions concerning the total cost of the action. However, the Community grant applied for must fall within the minimum and maximum amounts set out in section 1.3 above.

Duration : The duration of an action may not exceed 12 months. The commencement date will be of the day following the date when the grant contract has been signed by the last of the two contracting parties (the beneficiary and the Contracting Authority)

Sectors or themes

Small Scale non-investment “People-to people” projects-the development and enhancing of co-operation between neighbouring regions on both sides of a border with a view to joint improvement of the cultural, educational and socio-economic development, living conditions and on-going contact. Activities have to be related to the following priority areas:

1. Economic development2. Tourism3. Cultural exchanges4. Institutional capacity building at local and regional level

Location

Activities must take place in the bilateral border region between Bulgaria and Turkey, namely in the districts of Haskovo, Yambol and Burgas on the Bulgarian side and in the provinces of Edirne and Kirklareli on the Turkish side.

Activities taking part outside the above mentioned areas are not eligible for funding under this project.

Type of activities

In accordance with the Project Fiche, the Joint Small Projects Fund will finance sustainable small-scale, people-to-people actions in the following priority areas:

Economic development : Support for projects focusing on strengthening the economy of the border region. For example: encouraging the development of small-scale


enterprises, marketing initiatives, exhibitions and advertising events, the creation of cross-border co-operation structures and partnerships among supporting organisations, of information networks, the improvement of customers’ services, specific SME training and related Human Resource Development programmes;

Tourism : A range of ”soft” projects for tourism development - studies, planning, institutional strengthening measures;

Cultural exchanges : Encouraging cultural exchanges that already exist and that are being newly established between local groups on both sides of the border region. Meetings and exchanges among youth, artistic and sporting events, inter-university cultural exchanges and activities; folklore events and other projects with emphasis on preserving traditions and enhancing the common cultural heritage;

Institutional capacity building at local and regional level : Schemes helping to create and improve the skills of local and regional public administrations and other eligible organisations (chambers of commerce, industry and agriculture, trade associations, trade unions, NGOs, schools and universities, etc.). Provision of relevant training courses and information on project preparation and related procedural matters, elaboration of materials for distance learning, support to exchanges of know-how and experience through mutual visits.

The following types of actions are ineligible:

Any infrastructure/ actions involving infrastructure activities Individual sponsorships for participation in workshops, seminars, conferences, congresses; Individual scholarships for studies or training courses; Actions without real cross-border impact; Profit-making actions; Actions which fall within the general activities of competent state institution or state

administration services, including local government; Actions with provisions for financing the usual (routine) activities of the local organizations,

especially covering their current cost; Actions started before candidates have signed a contract for awarding a grant; Actions linked to political parties; Charitable donations; Actions covered by other community programmes.

Number of proposals per applicant

An eligible organization (as referred to in 2.1.2.) can participate in only one project proposal, acting as an applicant and in only one project proposal, acting as a partner. An Applicant may be awarded only one grant under the present call for proposals.

2.1.5 Eligibility of costs: costs, which may be taken into consideration for the grant

Only “eligible costs” can be taken into account for a grant. These are detailed below. The budget is therefore both a cost estimate and a ceiling for “eligible costs”. Please note that eligible costs must be based on real costs, not lump sums (except for travel and subsistence costs and indirect costs)

Recommendations to award a grant are always subject to the condition that the checking process, which precedes the signing of the contract, does not reveal problems requiring changes to the budget. The checks may give rise to requests for clarification and may lead the contracting authority to impose reductions.


It is therefore in the applicant’s interest to provide a realistic and cost-effective budget.

Costs incurred for the preparation of applications will not be covered by the grant and will not be included in the action budget

Eligible direct costs

To be eligible under the call for proposals, costs must:

be necessary for carrying out the action, be provided for in the contract annexed to these Guidelines and comply with the principles of sound financial management, in particular value for money and cost-effectiveness;

have actually been incurred by the beneficiaries or their partners during the implementing period for the action as defined in Article 2 of the Specific Conditions, whatever the time of actual disbursement by the beneficiary or a partner; this does not affect the eligibility of final audit costs;

be recorded in the Beneficiary’s or partners' accounts or tax documents, be identifiable and verifiable, and be backed by originals of supporting documents.

Subject to those conditions and where relevant to the contract-award procedures are respected, the following direct costs are eligible:

the cost of staff assigned to the action, corresponding to actual salaries plus social security contributions and other remuneration-related costs; salaries and costs must not exceed those normally borne by the Beneficiary or his partners;

travel and subsistence costs (allowances/per diems) for staff taking part in the action, provided that they correspond to market rates and do not exceed those normally borne by the beneficiary or his partners. Any flat reimbursement must not exceed the scales, approved twice a year by the European Commission;

local office expenses - only in case of justified need that an office is to be established especially for the purposes of the project. Administrative expenses for handling existing office of the beneficiary and/or its partners may be eligible only as indirect costs.

the cost of purchasing equipment (new or used) and services (e.g transport ,etc.), provided they correspond to market rates;

the cost of consumables and supplies directly linked to the implementation of the action;

subcontracting expenditure;

costs arising directly from the requirements of the Contract (dissemination of information, evaluation specific to the action, audit, translation, printing, insurance, etc.) including financial service costs (in particular the cost of transfers and financial guarantees).

Procurement of supplies

Eligible expenses cover only purchase of small equipment items and small supplies, if these form an integral part of the project. However these costs must not exceed 20% of all eligible costs.

In addition, either PCs or laptops can be procured under supplies, while the procurement of laptops should be properly justified for the purpose of the specific action and will be eligible only if such have not already been procured under other PHARE/Pre-Accession Programme - funded projects.


If the implementation of grants involves the procurement of services or supplies by the grant beneficiary, contract award procedures, set out in Annex IV to the contract must be applied.

Procurement of services

Procurement of services could be applied only where Applicant and its partner/s do not cover the provision of these services by its/their own sources.

Eligible indirect costs

A lump sum not exceeding 7% of the direct eligible costs of the action may be claimed as indirect costs to cover the administrative overheads incurred by the Beneficiary and its partners for the action. Indirect costs are eligible provided that they do not include costs assigned to another heading of the contract budget.Indirect costs are not eligible if the Beneficiary and its partners receive in other respects an operating grant from the European Commission.

Ineligible costs

The following costs are not eligible:

debts and provisions for losses or debts;

interest owed; items already financed in another framework;

purchase of land and buildings,; currency exchange losses; taxes, including VAT, unless the Beneficiary (or the Beneficiary’s partners) cannot reclaim

them and the applicable regulations authorise coverage of taxes; costs of preparatory studies or other preparatory activities for projects to be financed from

other budgets.

Contributions in kind

Any contributions in kind, made by the Beneficiary or the Beneficiary’s partners, do not represent actual expenditure and are not eligible costs. They may not be treated as co-financing by the Beneficiary. However, if the grant is awarded, the Beneficiary must undertake to make such contributions as stated on the application form.


2.2 How to apply and the procedures to follow

2.2.1 Application form and supporting documents

Applications must be submitted with the full application package including the application form and its standard annexes together with supporting documents. The Application Form and its standard annexes are annexed to the present Guidelines (Annex A) also available on the web site of the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works:

http://www. mrrb.government.bg

Please carefully respect the application format and follow the page order.

Applicants must apply in English language.

Please complete the application form carefully and as clearly as possible in order to facilitate its evaluation. Be precise and provide sufficient details to ensure clarity, particularly concerning how the aims of the action will be achieved, the benefit that will flow from it and the way in which it is relevant to the programme’s objectives.

Hand-written applications will not be accepted.

Please make sure that the Declaration by the Applicant, Partnership Statements and Budget with annexes are signed (Partnership Statements must be signed by the legally authorised representatives of the applicant and all the partners).

Supporting documents

Applications must be accompanied by the following supporting documents:

1. For all Bulgarian NGOs acting as Applicants or Partners:

Statutes or articles of association (notary certificated copy);

Court registration (notary certificated copy);

Present Legal Status (original or notary certificated copy issued not later than 6 months prior the date of application);

Copy of Tax and VAT registration;

Copy of BULSTAT registration;

Annual Balance Sheet and Profit and Loss Accounts for 2005;

Certificates issued by National Social Security Institute and Regional Tax Administration Office for lack of obligations (issued not later than 6 months prior the date of application) or plan for rescheduling of the debts in case of existing such (original or notary certificated copy);

CVs of the Project Leader and Coordinator – only for the applicants;

Information for the certified auditor - copy of the diploma and the registration number of the auditor with the Institute of the Certified Public Accountants in Bulgaria and copy of the court registration in case of auditing companies.


2.For all Bulgarian Public Bodies ( municipalities, universities, schools, etc.) acting as Applicants or Partners:

Documentary evidence for the statute of the applicant (Copy of State Gazette, etc.);

Copy of Tax registration;

Copy of BULSTAT registration;

Annual Balance Sheet and Profit and Loss accounts for 2005;

CVs of the Project Leader and Coordinator – only for the applicants;

Information for the certified auditor - copy of the diploma and the registration number of the auditor with the Institute of the Certified Public Accountants in Bulgaria and copy of the court registration in case of auditing companies

3. For all Turkish NGOs acting as Partners:

Court registration (notary certification is not necessary);

Statutes or Articles of association (notary certification is not necessary);

Partnership statement (signed and stamped in original);

Copy of Special Conditions, Description of Action, latest report if applicable (only in case of already existing mirror projects)

4. For all Turkish Public Bodies ( municipalities, universities, schools, etc.) acting as Partners:

Documentary evidence for the statute of Bulgarian and Turkish partners (notary certification is not necessary);

Partnership statement (signed and stamped in original);

Copy of Special Conditions, Description of Action, latest report if applicable (only in case of already existing mirror projects)

Note: Documents of Turkish partners should be accompanied by legalized translation into English language.

The supporting documents requested must be supplied in the form of originals or photocopies certified as true by an authorized independent body (if requested). Where such documents are in a language other than the language of the call for proposals, a faithful translation into English must be attached and will prevail for the purpose of interpreting the proposal.

2.2.2 Where and how to send the applications

Applications must be received in a sealed envelope by registered mail, by private courier service or Applications must be submitted in a sealed envelope to the Contracting Authority:

EITHER by recorded delivery (official postal service) to:


Ministry of Regional Development and Public WorksPhare CBC Implementing Agency,Small Projects Fund Secretariat,17-19 “Cyril & Methodius” Street,Sofia,Bulgaria

OR hand delivered (including courier services) directly to the Contracting Authority in return for a signed and dated receipt to:

Ministry of Regional Development and Public WorksPhare CBC Implementing Agency,Small Projects Fund Secretariat,17-19 “Cyril & Methodius” Street,Sofia,Bulgaria

The Contract title and the Publication reference (JSPF BG-TR 2004/016.715.02) must be clearly marked on the envelope containing the application and must always be mentioned in all subsequent correspondence with the Contracting Authority.

Applications submitted by any other means (e.g. by fax or by e-mail) will not be considered.

Applications (application form and annexes) must be submitted in one original, 2 printed copies (each bound) and 1 copy in electronic format. Each hard copy should be marked with “ORIGINAL” (“ОРИГИНАЛ”) or COPY” (“КОПИЕ”) respectively.

The outer envelope must bear:

the reference number of the notice of publication for the Call for Proposals the full name of the applicant, the address of the organisation the words "Not to be opened before the opening session" and in Bulgarian “Да не се

отваря преди откриването на търга”.

Applicants must verify that the application is complete on the basis of the checklist for “Administrative compliance” 2.3 (1)

2.2.3 Deadline for receipt of applications

The deadline for reception of applications is 2 June 2006 at 16.00 pm. (local time). Any application received after the deadline will be automatically rejected, even if the postmark indicates a date preceding the deadline or if the delay is due to the private courier service.

2.2.4 Further Information

Information sessions (info-days) with the aim of informing and assisting potential applicants will be held by the Secretariat, in order to ensure a high level of transparency and good quality of proposals. (Information sessions shall be held in Haskovo, Yambol and Burgas). During the info-days, a 1-2 hours presentation will be held on the conditions for applying for grants. After the presentation, a questions and answers session will be held. Questions may be sent by e-mail or by fax to the addresses listed below, indicating clearly the reference of the Call for Proposals:

e-mail: [email protected]: 00359/ 2/ 987 07 37


Applicants may submit questions of substance in writing up to 21 days before the deadline for submission of proposals.

The Secretariat will provide reply no later than 11 days before the deadline for the submission of proposals.

Questions that may be relevant to other applicants, together with their answers, will be published on the internet site: http://www.mrrb.government.bg

2.2.5 Acknowledgement of receipt

Following the session for opening of proposals, the Contracting Authority will send an acknowledgement of receipt to all applicants, indicating whether or not the application was received prior to the deadline and informing them of the reference number of the application, which the applicants have to quote in any further correspondences with the Contracting Authority.

2.3 Evaluation and Selection of ApplicationsApplications will be examined and evaluated by the Contracting Authority with the possible assistance of external assessors. All actions will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

(1) Administrative compliance

All applications will be evaluated according to the criteria set out in Administrative Compliance and Eligibility grid.

In case of unclear information in the application, the Contracting Authority may ask the Applicant to submit clarification during the time of the Administrative compliance check (Applicants will be given normally 48 hours for submitting this clarification).

Applications, which do not meet all of the Administrative compliance criteria, will not be further evaluated. Those, which pass the Administrative compliance check, shall move on to the Eligibility check.


ADMINISTRATIVE COMPLIANCE CHECK LIST Yes No1. The application form is complete.2. The proposal was submitted in one original and two copies in one envelope. 3. The proposal is in the standard format for applications.4. An electronic version of the application has been provided.5. The proposal is typed in English.6. The Applicant has signed the partnership statement and has submitted in original. 7. The statements of partnership are signed by all partners.8. The Applicant has signed the declaration by the Applicant and has submitted in original.9. The Applicant has signed the budget breakdown and has submitted in original.10. The budget breakdown and expected sources of funding are presented in the format of the application form is complete and in EURO.11. The logical framework has been completed and is enclosed.12. The Statutes or articles of association of the Applicant are included. 13. The Statutes or articles of association of all partners are included.14. The Applicant’s most recent annual report is enclosed.15. The Applicant’s most recent accounts (profit and loss account, balance sheet for the last financial year for which the accounts have been closed) are included.16. The other supporting documents required are included:

Notary certified copy of the present legal status Notary certified copy of the Legal Status Copy of Tax and VAT registration Copy of BULSTAT registration Certificates issued by National Social Security Institute and Regional Tax

Administration Office for lack of obligations (issued not later than 6 months prior the date of application) or plan for rescheduling of the debts in case of existing such (original or notary certificated copy)

CV of the Project Leader and Coordinator Information for the auditor - copy of the diploma and the registration number of the

auditor with the Institute of the Certified Public Accountants in Bulgaria and copy of the court registration in case of auditing companies.

(2) Eligibility of the applicants, partners and projects

Verification that the applicant, the partners (and the associates where applicable) are eligible according to the criteria set out in sections 2.1.1, 2.1.2 and 2.1.3 (see checklist below).

ELIGIBILITY CHECK LIST Yes No1. The applicant is eligible (organisation/body is from one of the eligible regions)2. Partner 1 is eligible (organisation/body is from one of the eligible regions)3. Partner 2 is eligible (organisation/body is from one of the eligible regions)4. Partner…is eligible (organisation/body is from one of the eligible regions)5. The action (project) relates to the priority areas covered by the programme6. The type of action (project) is eligible.7. The project duration does not exceed the maximum allowed (12 months)8. The requested contribution is not lower than the minimum allowed (€ 10,000)9. The requested contribution is not higher than the maximum allowed (€ 50,000)10. The requested contribution is maximum 90% of the total eligible budget (a minimum 10% co-financing must be provided by the applicant)

Applications that pass the Eligibility check shall proceed to further evaluation. The ineligible applications shall not be considered for further evaluation.


(3) Evaluation of quality of proposals and financial evaluation

An evaluation of the quality of proposals, including the proposed budget, will be carried out in accordance with the evaluation criteria contained in the Evaluation Grid shown on the page 18. There are two types of evaluation criteria: selection and award criteria.

The selection criteria are intended to help evaluate the applicants’ financial and operational capacity to ensure that they:

have stable and sufficient sources of finance to maintain their activity throughout the period during which the action is being carried out and, where appropriate, to participate in its funding;

have the professional competencies and qualifications required to successfully complete the proposed action. This also applies to any partners of the applicant.

The award criteria allow the quality of the proposals submitted to be evaluated in relation to the objectives and priorities set, and grant to be awarded to actions that maximise the overall effectiveness of the call for proposal. They cover such aspects as the relevance of the action, its consistency with the objectives of the call for proposals, quality, expected impact, sustainability and cost-effectiveness.

Please note the following important information:

Scoring:

The evaluation criteria are divided into sections and subsections. Each subsection will be given a score between 1 and 5 in accordance with the following guidelines: 1 = very poor; 2 = poor; 3 = adequate; 4 = good; 5 = very good. Priority will be given to applications, which have obtained the highest scores.

Note on Section 1. Financial and operational capacityIf a total score lower than “adequate” (12 points) is obtained for section 1, the proposal will not be evaluated further.

Note on Section 2. Relevance If a total score lower than “good” (20 points) is obtained for section 2, the proposal will not be evaluated further. Evaluation Grid / Section Maximum

ScoreApplication Form

1. Management Capacity and Expertise 201.1 Do the applicant and partners have sufficient project management experience?

5 II.4.1 & III. 1

1.2 Do the applicant and partners have sufficient technical expertise? 5 II.4.1 & III. 1CVs of the Project Leader and Coordinator

1.3 How satisfactory is the current management capacity of the applicant (including staff, equipment and its ability to handle the action budget)?

5 II.4.1 & III. 1

1.4 Does the applicant have stable and sufficient sources of finance? 5 II.4.2Balance sheets, income statements

2. Relevance 302.1 How relevant is the proposal to the objectives and one or more of the themes of the call for proposals? (Including avoiding duplication and creating synergies with other EC initiatives.)

5 I.1.6 (a) (b)

2.2 How relevant is the proposal to the needs and constraints of the target region and how does it show CBC impact?

5 I.1.6(c)


2.3 How relevant and strategic are the selected partners? 5 I.1.6 (d) (e)2.4 How clearly defined and strategically chosen are the target groups (intermediaries, final beneficiaries)?

5 I.1.6 (d) (e)

2.5 Have the needs of the target groups proposed and the final beneficiaries been clearly defined and does the proposal address these appropriately?

5 I.1.6 (c) (f)

2.6 To what extent does the proposal contain specific elements of added value, such as innovative approaches, models for good practice, promotion of gender equality and equal opportunities, environmental protection?

5 Passing

3. Methodology 253.1 Are the activities proposed appropriate, practical, and consistent with the objectives and expected results

5 I.1.7

3.2 How coherent is the overall action design? (Does it reflect an analysis of the problems involved, take into account external factors and anticipate an evaluation?)

5I.1.8

3.3 How satisfactory is the level of involvement and participation of the partners? How satisfactory is the level of involvement and participation of the target groups and beneficiaries?

5 I.1.8 (e)

3.4 How clear and feasible is the plan of action? 5 I.1.93.5 Does the proposal contain objectively verifiable indicators for the outcome of the action?

5 Logframe

4. Sustainability 154.1 To what extent is the action likely to have a tangible impact on its target groups?

5 I.2.1

4.2 To what extent does the proposal contain potential multiplier effects? (Including possibilities for replication and extension of action outcomes and of dissemination of information.)

5 I.2.2 & I.2.3

4.3 To what extent are the results of the proposed action sustainable: - financially (how will the activities be financed after the EC funding ends?) - institutionally (will structures allowing the activities to continue be in place at the end of the present action? Will there be local “ownership” of action outcomes?) - at the policy level (where applicable) (what will be the structural impact of the action – e.g. will it lead to improved legislation, codes of conduct, methods,?)

5 I.2.4

5. Budget and Cost-effectiveness 105.1 Is the ratio between the estimated costs and the expected results satisfactory?

5 I.3

5.2 Is the proposed expenditure necessary for the implementation of the action?

5 I.3

Maximum total score 1002.4. Notification of the contracting authority’s decision

Applicants will be informed in writing of the Contracting Authority's decision concerning their application. A decision to reject an application or not to award a grant will be based on the following grounds:

The application was received after the closing date; The application is incomplete or otherwise non-compliant with the stated administrative

conditions; The applicant or one or more of its partners are not eligible; The action was ineligible (e.g. the activity proposed is not covered by the programme, the

proposal exceeds the maximum duration allowed, the requested contribution is higher than the maximum allowed, administrative costs exceeding 7% of total eligible costs, etc).

The proposal was not relevant enough or the applicant’s financial and operational capacity was not sufficient, or the proposals selected were considered superior in these respect;

The technical and financial quality of the proposal was considered lower than that of the selected proposals.

The Contracting Authority's decision to reject an application or not to award a grant is final.


The date, on which the Contracting Authority plans to announce the decision following the completion of the award procedure is 31 July 2006, this date is indicative only.

2.5 Conditions Applicable to the implementation of the action following the contracting authority’s decision to award a grant

Following the decision to award a grant, a contract will be proposed to the Beneficiary according to the Contracting Authority’s standard contract annexed to the present Guidelines (Annex E) in requirements of the rules of the new PRAG, came into force 1.02.2006. See internet address:http://europa.eu.int/comm/europeaid/tender/practical_guide_2006/index_en.htm

The date planned for the start of actions, following the signing of the contract by the parties is 1 August 2006, this date is indicative only.

This contract will, in particular, provide the following rights and obligations:

Final amount of the grant

The maximum amount of the grant will be stipulated in the contract. As mentioned under 2.1.4 above, this amount is based on the budget, which is itself only an estimate. Therefore this amount only will become final after the completion of the action and the approval of the final report by State Planning Organisation and the Contracting Authority and also the presentation of requests for payments (see articles 17.1 and 17.2 of the General Conditions).

Failure to meet the objectives

If the Beneficiary fails to implement the action as undertaken and agreed in the contract, the Contracting Authority reserves the right to suspend payments, and/or to terminate the contract (cf. article 11 of the General Conditions). The Contracting Authority’s contribution may be reduced, and/or the Contracting Authority may demand full or partial repayment of the sums already paid, if the beneficiary does not fulfil the terms of the contract. (see Articles 11.4 and 17.4 of the General Conditions).

Amendments to the contract and variations within the budget

Any modification of the contract must be set out in a written addendum to the original contract (see Article 9.1 of the General Conditions). However, some small amendments (addresses, bank account, etc.) may simply be notified in writing to the Contracting Authority (see Article 9.2 of the General Conditions).

Variations within the budget

Budget items may vary from the original figures provided that the following conditions are met:

(1) the variation does not affect the basic purpose of the action; and

(2) the financial impact is limited to a transfer within a single budget heading or to a transfer between budget headings involving a variation of less than 15% of the original amount of the budget heading.

In such instances, the Beneficiary may make amendments to the budget and must inform the Contracting Authority without delay.

This method may not be used to amend the heading for overhead costs.


In all other cases, a written request must be made in advance to the Contracting Authority and an addendum is required.

Reporting

Reports must be drafted in English. Technical and financial reports are to be supplied together with payment request. A work plan and budget for the next period of implementation must accompany reports submitted for further payments of pre-financing.

All deliverables presented by the Beneficiary should be prepared both in hard copy and in electronic version and should be submitted to the Contracting Authority.

Additional information

In accordance with Article 2.1 of the General Conditions, the Contracting Authority may request additional information.

Payments

The Beneficiary will receive pre-financing, which will be 80% of the grant amount.

The final balance will be paid upon submission by the beneficiary and approval by the Contracting Authority of the final report (see article 15.1 of the General Conditions).

Payments will be made to an Action-specific bank account or sub-account, which identifies the funds paid by the Contracting Authority.

Records and accounts of the Action

The Beneficiary must keep accurate and regular records as well as separate and transparent accounts of the implementation of the action (see article 16.1 of the General Conditions). The Beneficiary must keep records for seven years after the payment of the final balance.

Audit firm

The name and address of the auditor/audit firm who/which will carry out the expenditure verification(s) referred to in article 15.6 of Annex II to the standard grant contract, if such verifications are required, will have to be included in Article 5.2 of the contract.

Expenditure verification

A report on the verification of the Action’s expenditures, produced by an approved auditor must be attached to the request for final payment. The associated audit costs should be included in the project budget and must not exceed EUR 1000.In an expenditure verification report conforming to the model attached at Annex VII to the contract, the auditor will certify that the costs declared by the Beneficiary are real, exact and eligible in accordance with the Contract (see Article 15.6 of the General Conditions).The contract will permit the Commission, the European Anti-fraud Office and the European Court of Auditors to carry out both record-based and on-the-spot inspections of the action (See Article 16.2 of the General Conditions).Publicity

Appropriate visibility and credit must be given to the fact that the Action was co-financed by the European Union, for example, in reports any dealings with the media, to beneficiaries and


publications stemming from the Action or during public events associated with the Action, etc. (see Article 6 of the General Conditions).

Implementation contracts

Where implementation of the action requires the Beneficiary to award procurement contracts, it must award the contract to the tender offering the best value for money, that is to say, the best price-quality ratio, in compliance with the principles of transparency and equal treatment for potential contractors, care being taken to avoid any conflict of interests. To this end, the beneficiary must follow the procedures set out in Annex IV of the contract.


3. LIST OF ANNEXES

Annex A: Grant Application Form (Word format)/to be filled in/

Annex B: Budget (Excel format) /to be filled in/

Annex C: Logical Framework Planning Matrix (Excel format) /to be filled in/

Annex D: List of Per diems, published 12 December 2005 (Word format) /N.B. For applicants’ information, do not include in application dossier/

Annex E: Draft Contract (as per new PRAG) (Word format) /N.B. For applicants’ information do not include in application dossier/

Annex F: Format of CV


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