Ref. Hercule II –Anti-fraud Training -2013
Hercule II Programme – Training in the area of the fight against fraud
Grant Programme 2013
DEADLINE
6th March 2014
ELIGIBILITY PERIOD FOR ACTIVITIES
15th September 2014 - 15thSeptember 2015
The English version of the call is the original.
TABLE OF CONTENTS1.BACKGROUND......
1.1European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF)......
1.2Hercule II Programme......
2.OBJECTIVES......
2.1Purpose......
2.2Specific actions: training priorities......
2.3Specific results......
3.TIMETABLE......
4.FUNDING AVAILABLE......
5.START AND DURATION OF ACTIVITIES......
6.EVALUATION PROCEDURE......
7.EVALUATION CRITERIA: 4 STEPS......
8.ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA......
8.1Eligible Applicants......
8.2Eligible dates and formal requirements......
9.EXCLUSION CRITERIA......
9.1Exclusion from Participation in the grant award procedure......
9.2Exclusion from award......
9.3Supporting Documents......
10.SELECTION CRITERIA......
10.1Financial Capacity......
10.2Technical Capacity......
11.AWARD CRITERIA......
12.LEGAL COMMITMENTS......
13.FINANCIAL PROVISIONS......
13.1Funding
13.2Eligible Costs (See guidelines and grant agreement for further details)......
13.3Non-Eligible Costs......
13.4Payment arrangements......
14.AMENDMENTS TO THE GRANT AGREEMENT......
14.1Amendment request......
14.2Type of changes and supporting documents......
15.HOW TO SUBMIT AN APPLICATION......
16.PUBLICITY......
16.1By the European Commission......
16.2By the beneficiaries......
17.DATA PROTECTION......
18.EARLY WARNING SYSTEM - CENTRAL EXCLUSION DATABASE......
19.QUESTIONS......
20.COMPLAINTS TO THE EUROPEAN OMBUDSMAN......
21.ANNEXES......
1.BACKGROUND
1.1European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF)
The European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) was established by Commission Decision of 28 April 1999[1].OLAF is operationally independent but is nevertheless part of the European Commission and as such is bound by the administrative and legal provisions of the EU institutions.
The mission of the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) is threefold:
- to protect the financial interests of the European Union (EU) by investigating fraud, corruption and any other illegal activities;
- to detect and investigate serious matters relating to the discharge of professional duties by members and staff of the EU institutions and bodies that could result in disciplinary or criminal proceedings;
- to support the European Commission in the development and implementation of fraud prevention and detection policies.
1.2Hercule II Programme
This call for proposals is based on the decision establishing the Hercule II Programme which is an EU action programme designed to promote activities for protecting the EU's financial interests in the field of revenues and expenditure for the period 2007-2013[2].
The Hercule II annual work programme for 2013 which combines the priorities as well as the resourcesavailablefor2013wasadoptedon 7 February 2013[3].
It relates to line 24.02.01 of the General Budget of the European Union for 2013.
2.OBJECTIVES
2.1Purpose
The training actions supported by OLAF through the award of grantswill help prevent fraud against the Union’s financial interests, including the fight against cigarette smuggling and counterfeiting, by encouraging exchanges of experience between the authorities of the Member States and the dissemination of general and operational knowledge in the fields concerned.
They are also intended to create networks between Member States, accession countries, candidate countries and third countries in order to facilitate exchange of information, experience and best practices, while respecting the traditions of each Member State.
The participation of representatives of third countries provided for in the Programme is also encouraged[4].
These activities should encourage the exchange of experience between Member State authorities and the dissemination of general and operational knowledge in the fields concerned.
A further aim of these activities should be to introduce OLAF to the widest possible audience and thereby improve cooperation at both national and international levels via a better understanding of the relationship between the European Union and national bodies.
2.2Specific actions: training priorities
The Commission (OLAF) will award grants for the organisation of:
–Training in the form of conferences, seminars, colloquia, courses, e-learning and symposia, workshops, hands-on training,
–exchanges of best practices (including on fraud risk assessment).
The following training priorities have been identified for this call:
Training actions needed for installing, operating and maintaining technical equipment needed to support and strengthen the operational capacity of law enforcement agencies in their activities to protect the financial interests of the EU.
Training of law enforcement staff to operate x-rays scanners purchased in order to inspect vehicles, containers and trucks at the EU's internal and external borders to detect illicit consignments of tobacco, cigarettes and other smuggled goods;
Training of law enforcement staff for the correct interpretation of the images generated by x-rays scannersused in the detection of illicit goods, in particular smuggled or counterfeited cigarettes and tobacco, or in other operations undertaken by law enforcement agencies;
Activities undertaken by trainers of animals (such as sniffer dogs, rats, pigs or bees) used in the detection of illicit goods, in particular smuggled or counterfeited cigarettes and tobacco, or in other operations undertaken by law enforcement agencies.
2.3Specific results
In the context of effective and efficient use of the funds provided, the following results are expected:
Enhanced cooperation and exchange of information between the various partners at national, international and EU level;
Improved knowledge of OLAF and its working methods in the Member States, acceding countries and candidate countries;
Identification of shortcomings in the systems for preventing and combating fraud, with a view to rectifying them;
Improvement of the expertise of those involved in the prevention and detection of fraud;
Optimal dissemination of the results among a broader public.
Grant beneficiaries will be asked to report on the implementation and the achievement of the training action's objectives.
This report will contain qualitative and quantitative indicators on the overall impact of the training activity organised. Examples of qualitative indicators are the acquisition of new skills; exchange of information; creation of new partnerships and networks or the launching of innovative methodologies. Quantitative indicators provide information on for example the number of participants attending an event; the number of website visits or the number of publication distributed to stakeholders.
3.TIMETABLE
Stages / Date or indicative periodPublication of the callfor proposals / December 2013
Deadline for submitting applications / Thursday 6th March2014
Evaluation procedure (indicative period) / Three months following deadline
Information to the applicants on the outcome (indicative period) / End of July 2014
Signature of grant agreements
(indicative period) / one month after informationto the applicants
Earliest possible date to startprojects / 15th September 2014
Latest date to finish projects / 15th September 2015
4.FUNDING AVAILABLE
The total budget available for the co-financing of projects is estimated at EUR 1 000 000. The financial contribution from the Commission cannot exceed 80 % of the total eligible costs.The remaining costs will have to be funded by the applicant out of own resources or third party resources. Applicants must provide a minimum cost share of at least 20% of the total estimated eligible project costs.
The European Commission reserves the right not to award all available funds.The level of grants awarded varies depending on factors such as the type of the project, the number of participants and countries involved.
5.START AND DURATION OF ACTIVITIES
The activities under this call for proposals must relate to a project starting on 15th September2014at the earliestand finishing on or before 15th September 2015at the latest[5].
The projects cannot start before signature of their respective grantagreements.The period of eligibility for costs and activities starts and finishes on the dates indicated in the grant agreement.
6.EVALUATION PROCEDURE
The European Anti-Fraud Office will establish an evaluation committee for the purpose of analysing and evaluating the projects. The assessment of each proposal will be based on the information provided by the applicants in the proposal submitted in response to this call for proposals. All the information will be assessed in the light of the exclusion, eligibility, selection and award criteria set out in the call for proposals (see section 'evaluation criteria' below).
Where, due to an obvious clerical error on the part of the applicant, the applicant omits to submit evidence or to make statements, the evaluation committee or where appropriate, the authorising officer responsible shall, except in duly justified cases, ask the applicant to provide missing information or clarify supporting documents. Such information or clarifications shall not substantially changethe proposal or alter the terms of the application.
Upon completion of its work, the authorising officer will draw up a list of beneficiaries and amounts approved. The authorising officer shall inform applicants in writing of the decision on their applications.
7.EVALUATION CRITERIA: 4 STEPS
Applications are assessed against four types of criterialisted below:
8.ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
The eligibility criteria determine the basic requirements concerning the applications that are eligible for financial support from the European Commission. They will be checked on receipt of the proposals. Failure to comply with these criteria will result in the proposal not being evaluated further.
8.1Eligible Applicants
All national or regional administrations of a Member State or in a country outside the Union[6] which promote the strengthening of Union action to protect its financial interests.
Required supporting documents to prove that the applicant meets the required above-mentioned eligibility criteria: the statutes or articles of association of the applicant organisation sent as annex with the requested legal entity form.
8.2Eligible dates and formal requirements
Applications must fulfil the following formal requirements:
be sent (dispatched) no later than 6th March 2014;
The proposed training project must start on or after 15th September2014 at the earliest, and finish on or before 15th September 2015 at the latest;
be submitted in writing, using the official application form (without alterations) published on the OLAF Website and include all supporting documents requested;
drawn up in one of the official languages of the European Union;
Only one proposal per applicant.
Failure to comply with those formal requirements will lead to the rejection of the application.
9.EXCLUSION CRITERIA
9.1Exclusion from Participation in the grant award procedure
Applicants and affiliated entities will be excluded from participating in the call for proposals if they are in any ofthe following situations:
a)is bankrupt or being wound up, is having its affairs administered by the courts, has entered into an arrangement with creditors, has suspended business activities, is the subject of proceedings concerning those matters, or is in any analogous situation arising from a similar procedure provided for in national legislation or regulations;
b)has been convicted of an offence concerning professional conduct by a judgment of a competent authority of a Member State which has the force of res judicata;
c)has been guilty of grave professional misconduct proven by any means which the contracting authorities can justify including by decisions of the European Investment Bank and international organisations;
d)is not in compliance with all its obligations relating to the payment of social security contributions and the payment of taxes in accordance with the legal provisions of the country in which it is established, with those of the country of the contracting authority and those of the country where the contract is to be performed;
e)has been the subject of a judgement which has the force of res judicata for fraud, corruption, involvement in a criminal organisation, money laundering or any other illegal activity, where such activity is detrimental to the Union's financial interests;
f)is a subject of an administrative penalty for being guilty of misrepresentation in supplying the information required by the contracting authority as a condition of participation in a procurement procedure or failing to supply this information, or having been declared to be in serious breach of its obligations under contracts covered by the Union's budget.
9.2Exclusion from award
Applicants will not be awarded a grant if, during the grant award procedure, they:
- are subject to a conflict of interest;
- are guilty of misrepresentation in supplyingthe information required by the contracting authority as a condition of participation in the procurement procedure or fail to supply that information;
- find themselves in one of the situations of exclusion, referred to in Article 106(1) of the Financial Regulation[7].
Administrative and financial penalties may be imposed on applicants who are guilty of misrepresentation pursuant Article 107 (1) point b of the Financial Regulation or are found to have seriously failed to meet their contractual obligations under a previousgrant award procedure.
9.3Supporting Documents
In order to assess the exclusion criteria, applicants must also sign the declaration of honour enclosed to the grant application Form (see check list below) certifying that they are not in any of the situations referred to in Articles 106(1)and 107 to 109 of the Financial Regulation.This is not required for low value grants[8], or when such certification has recently been provided in another award procedure.
10. SELECTION CRITERIA
The applicants must have financial and operational capacity to carry out the proposed action. They shall demonstrate they have stable and sufficient sources of funding to maintain their activity throughout theperiod during which the action is being carried out and to participate in its funding. The applicants musthave the professional skills and qualifications required to complete the proposed action.
Failure to comply with these criteria will result in the proposal not being evaluated further. Applicants may be asked by the European Commission to provide additional proof or to clarify the supporting documents related to the selection criteria within a specific time limit.
10.1Financial Capacity
Applicants must have the stable and sufficient sources of funding necessary formaintaining their activity throughout the period during which the proposed project is tobe carried out and for participating in its co-funding.
Applicantsmust submit and sign the following documents attesting to their financial capacity:
For grants below or equal to EUR 60000:
Adeclaration on the honour on the selection criteria (enclosed to the application form).
For grants exceeding EUR 60000:
a declaration on their honour(enclosed to the application form);
one copy of the profit and loss account for the last financial year for which the accounts were closed;
one copy of the balance sheet for the lastfinancial year for which the accounts were closed.
The assessment of financial capacity will not apply to public bodies[9].
Subject to the outcome of the assessment of the application and the examination of theapplicant's financial capacity in relation to the grant application, the applicant may beawarded a grant agreementwith an obligation to provide a guarantee for pre-financing,a grant agreement without pre-financing or a grant agreement with pre-financingpayments in several instalments. Such guarantee is notrequired forlow value grants.
10.2Technical Capacity
Organisations must demonstrate that they have the operational resources (technical, management) and the professional skills and qualifications needed to successfully implement the proposed action.
The applicant must have a strong track record of competence and experience in the field and in particular in the type of action proposed.
This needs to be demonstrated by:
-The updated CVs (max 2 pages[10]) of the staff (internal and subcontracted) responsible for carrying out the action, showing all relevant professional experienceas indicated here below:
Staff team responsible for implementing the action shall havetwo years of experience with similar tasks (accounting, secretary, training assistant …);
Training managers: should have at least three years of experience in training organisation in an international and multi-disciplinary environment;
Project managers should have at least three years of experience in (project) management in an international and multi-disciplinary environment.
The Commission strongly recommends that CVs be presented in the Europass[11] CV format. Any CV should clearly indicate1) job role/function in the project, 2) the contracting organisation for which person works and 3) relevant years of experience; the names indicated shall be reflected in the budget form to be enclosed.
-A list of projects carried out by the applicant related to the objective of the Hercule II Programme.
-An organisation chart showing thestructure of the organisation.
For low value grants, applicants are required to sign the declaration on the honour on the selection criteria enclosed to the application form.
11.AWARD CRITERIA
Only projects which have satisfied the requirements of the eligibility, exclusion and selection criteria will be considered for further evaluation by the evaluation committee on the basis of the award criteria.
Special attention will be paid to the clarity and precision of the budget estimate submitted, the transnational character of the activity and the level of detail of the programme.
Grants will be awarded from the available budgeton the basis of the following criteria:
Consistency of the proposed activity with the objectives of the Hercule II programme;
Transnational character and European Union added value;
Degree of preparation and organisation of the project, and the clarity and precision of its objectives, design (including timetable) and planning;
Proportionality between the proposed activity's costs and benefits;
Feasibility of the proposed activity, i.e. the practical prospects of carrying it out using the proposed resources;
Cost-effectiveness: the project's costs should be consistent with its objectives. Its cross-sector and cross-border aspects will be taken into consideration;
Complementarity between the proposed activity and the other activities for which grants are awarded;
Compatibility with the work carried out or planned in connection with the European Union's policy priorities for preventing fraud against the EU budget (especially the fight against corruption, enlargement of the Union);
Possibility that the results can be used (e.g. through targeted distribution) to enhance cooperation and effectiveness in the field of fraud prevention.
If several projects have equal merit in the light of these award criteria, OLAF will:
–give priority to measures relating to the specific training actions mentioned in section 2.2;
–endeavour to ensure a fair geographical distribution of all the projects;
–give priority to applicants who have not already received a grant from OLAF in previous years for a similar measure (subject, target audience).
12. LEGAL COMMITMENTS
In the event of a grant awarded by the European Commission, a grant agreement drawn up in euro and detailing the conditions and level of funding, will be sent to the beneficiary, as well as the procedure in view to formalise the rights and obligations of the parties and specifying the maximum financial resources which will be allocated for the project.