FAQ on reporting�

What is the aim of reporting?�
What does the linkage of the reporting and payment system mean?�
Is there a new Reporting Tool because of the modified reporting system?�
Did it change with the new reporting system what and how the Lead Partner should describe in the Progress Report?
What kind of costs shall be reported in the Progress Report?�
Only those expenditures should be reported in a periodic Progress Report that had been paid by a project partner within the respective reporting period (e.g. January-June 2007)? What to do with costs paid in previous periods (e.g. 2006), but certified later (e.g. in 2007)?�
Only those activities and deliverables should be described in a Progress Report that were carried out and achieved in a certain reporting period?�
How to report about an activity that has been carried out in a reporting period (e.g. January � June 2007), but the related expenditures could not be certified by the deadline of submitting the Progress Report and Payment Claim (e.g. 1st October 2007)?�
How to report about an activity that has been carried out in the reporting period January � June 2007, and the related expenditures have already been certified and requested in the Payment Claim submitted by April 2007)?
In case a project does not submit a Payment Claim for a period, because there were no new certifications of expenditures for any of the project partners, should the Lead Partner still submit a Progress Report for that period?�
Since in previous Progress Reports certain activities and/or costs have already been reported that had been completed, but not certified at that time, should the Lead Partner report these activities and expenditures once again when those are certified? Will the �double reporting� not cause problems in the course of checking the Progress Reports?�
Should the Lead Partner report about a certain activity period after period, if the different� project partners get their related costs certified in different periods?�
How to report and select in the reporting tool the implementation status of an Action and the achievement status of a Milestone?�
Why fixed reporting periods?�
In case a project submits a Progress Report and Payment Claim for the deadline (e.g. October 2007), is it possible to collect those costs certified after this deadline and submit a new Progress Report and Payment Claim for the �correction deadline� (e.g. 1st December 2007)?�
Should the Lead Partner submit any additional document with the Progress Report?�
What are the consequences of incorrect reporting?��
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1.�What is the aim of reporting?

The aim of reporting is in the first place to check the proper running of the projects and assure the sound management of the Structural Funds. As additional and minor task it can be used for providing all the stockholders, EU-institution and professional and wider public with all different kinds of statistics, overviews and surveys based on the Progress Reports and informing them about reported projects� achievements.

Reporting also allows the programme institutions to be informed on a short time basis about the current developments, achievements and problems identified during the project implementation. Therefore reporting does function both as an information and control instrument for the LP and the programme institutions.��

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2.�What does the linkage of the reporting and payment system mean?

In the CADSES NP, reporting and payment system are linked to each other. This means that the Lead Partner should submit the reporting documents (defined in the Reporting Manual � Section I. of the Project Management Handbook) and the Payment Claim documents (defined in the Payment Claims Manual - Section II. of the Project Management Handbook) at the same time for the deadlines of the two reporting periods of a year. The management of the reporting system is carried out by the Joint Technical Secretariat (JTS), while the Managing Authority (MA) and Paying Authority (PA) runs the payment system, so the reporting documents should be sent to the JTS in Dresden and the Payment Claim documents to the MA in Rome (although the electronic version of the Payment Claim should be submitted to the JTS as well). This also means that the PA will execute payments to a project in a certain period only in case of a correct and concise report and payment request.�

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3.�Is there a new Reporting Tool because of the modified reporting system?

No, the reporting tool itself has not been changed, but the focus of one chapter (chapter VI. - Implementation of the Action Plan),�how the Lead Partner should report about, is different from October 2007 on. The Lead Partners should use the last Reporting Tool they have received from the JTS by e-mail. The technical details how to create a new report from the basic Reporting Tool are described in the User�s Guide � the Reporting Tool (Section I. of the Project Management Handbook).�

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4.�Did it change with the new reporting system what and how the Lead Partner should describe in the Progress Report?

Yes, but only in Chapter VI. - Implementation of the Action Plan � of the Progress Report:

-��Almost all parts of the Progress Report, the Lead Partner is going to submit by October 2007 (and in the future periods), refers to the PROGRESS of the project implementation IN THE RESPECTIVE REPORTING PERIOD and should be prepared like previous reports of previous periods - describing what the project has carried out (e.g. from January till June 2007), EXCEPT for CHAPTER VI. WITH THE FINANCIAL REPORT AND THE DESCRIPTION OF THE ACTIONS!

-� The CHAPTER VI. - Implementation of the Action Plan � in the new system is a FINANCIAL REPORT in which the Lead Partner should REPORT and describe, along the different Actions, those COSTS and the activities related to them that are INCLUDED IN THE PAYMENT CLAIM, submitted parallel with the report (e.g. by October 2007) � regardless in which period these expenditures were arisen. In this chapter exclusively those costs should be included that the project partnership managed to certify since its last Payment Claim (e.g. of April 2007), excluding any costs that were claimed in any previous Payment Claim.

-�The descriptions of the Actions in Chapter VI should refer only to the reported (certified and claimed) costs. No activity, carried out between January-June 2007, should be described in this (but only in this) chapter without reporting also its related costs (that has been certified and claimed at the same time).

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5.�What kind of costs shall be reported in the Progress Report?

The Lead Partner shall report about those expenditures that have been - Paid out by the project partners until the end of the given Reporting Period (June, or December); - Certified by the respective National First Level Control Body of each project partner; - Not claimed in any previous Payment Claim of the project; - Claimed in the Payment Claim submitted for the same period; The reported amounts must be identical with the amounts inserted in the Payment Claim.�

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6.�Only those expenditures should be reported in a periodic Progress Report that had been paid by a project partner within the respective reporting period (e.g. January-June 2007)? What to do with costs paid in previous periods (e.g. 2006), but certified later (e.g. in 2007)?

The "timeframe" of the reporting period (e.g. January - June) does not really bind the costs to be reported and claimed. The Lead Partner can claim and report those expenditures that a project partner paid in a previous reporting period (e.g. August 2006), but managed to certify only in the reporting period in concern (e.g. July 2007). In fact, such costs that were certified in previous periods (e.g. November 2006), but somehow not have been claimed before, can also be reported, in case those costs are claimed at the same time.�

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7.�Only those activities and deliverables should be described in a Progress Report that were carried out and achieved in a certain reporting period?

Not exclusively: - In most chapters of the Progress Report the development of the project implementation and those milestones that were achieved within the given Reporting Period should be described; - In chapter IV. Executive summary - a brief, coherent, summary article about the overall project implementation from the start of the project till the end of the latest reported period should be provided; - In chapter VI. Implementation of the Action Plan - where the certified expenditures should be inserted as well - the description of activities and outputs must explain and refer exclusively to these certified and claimed expenditures, presented in the given report, regardless in which period the activity have actually been carried out, or the output delivered. This means that activities and outputs of pervious periods should be reported only in the period when the related expenditures were certified.�

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8.�How to report about an activity that has been carried out in a reporting period (e.g. January � June 2007), but the related expenditures could not be certified by the deadline of submitting the Progress Report and Payment Claim (e.g. 1st October 2007)?

In case no related costs are going to be reported (because not certified and claimed) for an activity, in chapter VI. Implementation of the Action Plan, just a short notification is needed under the specific Action that the related activities are under implementation / have been carried out, but will be described in detail in a following Progress Report when the related certified costs are reported and claimed. No detailed description of the activity is needed! - In case the activity has a high relevance in the course of the overall project implementation, it should be included in the brief summary description in chapter IV. Executive summary regardless, if the related costs are claimed at the same time, or not; - In case the activity is connected to one of the Milestones, it should be described briefly what has been carried out, under the related Milestone in chapter VI. Milestones completion, once again regardless, if the related costs are claimed at the same time, or not.�

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9. How to report about an activity that has been carried out in the reporting period January � June 2007, and the related expenditures has already been certified and requested in the Payment Claim submitted by April 2007)?

-��The Lead Partner should not include in the financial report (chapter VI.) those costs that have already been included in the April Payment Claim, even, if these costs are related to activities that were carried out between January-March 2007 - part of the respective reporting period.

-��In such case the Lead Partner should not insert these amounts in the financial table (6.9) of the specific Action.

-��In the description field (6.3) of that Action the Lead Partner should describe briefly what activity has been carried out between January-March 2007, quoting the related total expenditures (here and not in the financial table) with a brief notification that these amounts have already been included in the Payment Claim submitted by the project in April 2007.

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10.�In case a project does not submit a Payment Claim for a period, because there were no new certifications of expenditures for any of the project partners, should the Lead Partner still submit a Progress Report for that period?

Yes, indeed, the Lead Partner should submit a Progress Report about each reporting period, regardless, if a Payment Claim has been submitted parallel, or not. - In such case in most chapters of the Progress Report the development of the project implementation and those milestones that were achieved within the given Reporting Period should be described; - In chapter VI. Implementation of the Action Plan the financial tables of the different Actions should remain empty, since there are no certified expenditures for that period. - Once again, in the same chapter, a short notification is needed under the specific Action that the related activities are under implementation / have been carried out, but will be described in detail in a following Progress Report when the related certified costs are reported and claimed. No detailed description of the activity is needed!�

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11.�Since in previous Progress Reports certain activities and/or costs have already been reported that had been completed, but not certified at that time, should the Lead Partner report these activities and expenditures once again when those are certified? Will the �double reporting� not cause problems in the course of checking the Progress Reports?

The basic rule is that the Lead Partner should report all those costs that have been certified meanwhile, and are claimed parallel with the Progress Report. Based on this, unfortunately - due to the necessary change of the reporting and payment system of the programme - it may happen that the Lead Partner should indeed report some costs and activities that (partly / fully) have already been reported in previous reports.

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12.�Should the Lead Partner report about a certain activity period after period, if the different project partners get their related costs certified in different periods?

Activities of an Action should be reported in chapter VI. Implementation of the Action Plan in each period when some related, certified costs are reported (and claimed in the Payment Claim). E.g. a project conference was held in December 2006. PP1 certified its costs in May 2007, but not claimed so far. PP2 manages to certify its related costs only in November 2007: - Most probably the conference and the related expenditures has already been reported in the Progress Report, submitted for March 2007; - Nevertheless, since PP1 is going to claim its costs in October 2007, the certified expenditures of PP1 should be inserted (once again) under the relevant Action in chapter VI. Implementation of the Action Plan, together with describing (once again) the activities of PP1 explaining and justifying those costs, in the Progress Report to be submitted by October 2007; - Activities and expenditures of PP2 should not be reported in the October 2007 Progress Report, since the costs of PP2 are not certified at that time; - As PP2 can claim its certified costs only in April 2008, the certified expenditures of PP2 should be inserted and the related activities of PP2 explained under the same Action in the Progress Report to be submitted in April 2008. - In relation to chapter IV. Executive summary the activity should be included in the overall summary in the periodic report when the activity was carried out; - In relation to the Milestones, it should be described briefly under the related Milestone in chapter VI. Milestones completion only once in the periodic report when the activity was carried out. In case a Milestone is completed in a certain period, no description of the related activities is needed in later reports, not even if in a later report these activities are described among the Actions (because of later certification and claiming of expenditures).

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13.�How to report and select in the reporting tool the implementation status of an Action and the achievement status of a Milestone?

While the completion of an Action is considered on a �financial� basis, the achievement of a Milestone is still based on the �physical� completion. An Action can be selected as �completed�, in case: - All related activities have been carried out; - All related expenditures paid and certified; - The last related claim submitted in the given period (no more related claims in the future) This may cause that in case of some Actions of a project that has been reported as �complete� in a previous Progress Report, the status should be revised, according to the new system. The JTS will not compare the real �date of completion� of an Action with the planned one, as in the Application Form the �physical� completion date was defined by a project. A Milestone can be selected as �achieved�, in case: - All related activities have been carried out; - �Financial completion� of the related activities should not be considered; - A Milestone can be achieved even, if the related Action(s) are not �completed� in �financial� term.

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14.�Why fixed reporting periods?

Fixed Reporting Periods, independent from the start (end) of the project are one of the pillars of the Reporting System. The chosen solution of 2 Reporting Periods of six months each, bound to the calendar year was a compromise between the demands on programme level (check of the project progress within a reasonable time, comparable results for all projects, as detailed as possible) and between the needs of the projects (minimal workload, transparency, clear rules and ensuring liquidity).

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15.�In case a project submits a Progress Report and Payment Claim for the deadline (e.g. October 2007), is it possible to collect those costs certified after this deadline and submit a new Progress Report and Payment Claim for the �correction deadline� (e.g. 1st December 2007)?

No, it is not possible.�

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16.�Should the Lead Partner submit any additional document with the Progress Report?

Concerning reporting the following documents should be submitted to the JTS by the deadlines: - Hard copy version of the Progress Report - signed and stamped; - Electronic version of the Progress Report - sent by e-mail (not on a CD-Rom) / identical to the hard copy; - Electronic version of the Payment Claim (Demand for Reimbursement of Expenditures � MS Excel file) attached to a single e-mail, addressed at the same time to the JTS in Dresden and the Managing Authority in Rome; - Not any additional document should be sent to the JTS.

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17.�What are the consequences of incorrect reporting?

In case of problems of reporting, or inconsistency of the Progress Report and the Payment Claim the PA will not process further the payment request and the actual payments for the project. In case of problems and incorrect reporting the JTS requests the re-submission of the corrected documents. To be considered for the following payment deadline of the same period the project should deliver the corrected and concise Progress Report at the latest within the deadline of 1st July (for reporting of 1st April), or 1st December (for reporting of 1st October). Corrections missing these timeframes will be rejected and can be processed only together with the reporting and payment request of the following period.