Best practices for verifications and audits for ESIF 2021-2027 – keeping the EU funded Public Procurement free of irregularities and conflict of interest, establishing Risk Based Verifications and taking the maximum from Simplified Cost Options while minimizing the risks.

  • 5-6 December 2024
  • Berlin, Germany
  • Regular -> 1399 EUR (excl. VAT)
  • Early booking -> 1299 EUR (excl. VAT) – no later than one month prior the event
  • Group offer -> 999 EUR (excl. VAT) – minimum 4 people per institution

Overview

How to effectively follow the Public Procurement principles in planning and execution the procurement so that all the legal and technical requirements are met? How to avoid restrictive and discriminative criteria and conditions? How to assess the feasibility and necessity of requirements set for the bidders? How to ensure transparency and equality in evaluating tenders and selecting the successful bidder? How to avoid substantial modifications? How to limit fraud and corruption risks?

What are the key challenges for setting up Risk Based Management Verifications? How to establish where the risks are hidden? Best practices for risk management? What are the obligations and responsibilities in audit and financial control for 2021-2027? How to confidently set up Simplified Cost Options? How Simplified Cost Options help to reduce risks and irregularities.

What will you learn?

  • The main principles of Public Procurement and how to get them right.
  • Why has EU established a long list of procurement irregularities that bring financial corrections.
  • Planning the procurement to avoid mistakes and irregularities.
  • Keeping things simple – how not to over-complicate the Procurement Procedure.
  • How to control public procurements under RRF?
  • Composing and amending the Contract Notice and respecting the time limits.
  • Avoiding restrictive and discriminative requirements and qualifications.
  • Ensuring fair and transparent evaluation and selection.
  • Avoiding significant contract modifications.
  • Practical rules for conflict of interest principles for members of evaluation and selection committees.
  • Detecting and avoiding procurement related fraud and corruption risks.
  • Simplified Cost Options: legal basis, types, off the shelf methodologies, preparation of methodologies, practical cases, verification.
  • Financing Not Linked to Costs vs RRF.
  • Risk Based Management Verifications – how to approach the concept, how to set it up and keep it effectively functioning.

 

Who is this course for?

Public staff and other experts dealing with the implementation, management, certification and control of all EU Funds, especially from:

  • Managing Authorities
  • Intermediate Bodies
  • Certifying Authorities
  • Audit Authorities
  • Beneficiaries of EU Funds
  • National and Investment Banks
  • Regional Governments and Development Agencies
  • International, national and local associations and networks
  • Other stakeholders dealing with implementation, management and control of EU Funds

 

 

The Conference will take place in bustling Berlin
Hotel Amano Eastside
Stralauer Pl. 30-31,
10243 Berlin

 

Next to the training materials the training fee is covering:

a) the catering during the training (coffee breaks and a lunches included);
b) Berlin Tour
c) delicious diner;
d) family photo and some souvenirs for active participants.

Thursday, 5th of December 2024

 

8:30-9:00                    Registration and Welcome Coffee

 

9:00-10:30                  Effective approach to Public Procurement

  • The main principles of Public Procurement and how to get them right
  • Keeping things simple – how not to over-complicate the Procurement Procedure
  • Why has EU established a long list of procurement irregularities that bring financial corrections.

 

10:30-10:45                Coffee Break & Networking

 

10:45-12:30                Planning and conducting procurement

  • Planning the procurement to successfully avoid mistakes and irregularities.
  • Choosing the procedure
  • Composing and amending the Contract Notice
    • How to plan the carefully to reduce the risk of making substantial changes during the contract performance.
    • The feasibility and necessity of requirements that they would be realistic and relevant for the procurement and to avoid setting too high or too low standards.

 

 

12:30-13:30                Lunch time

 

13:30-14:30                Risks related to selection and evaluation during procurement

  • Ensuring fair and transparent evaluation and selection
  • Practical rules for conflict of interest principles for members of evaluation and selection committees.
  • Avoiding restrictive and discriminative criteria and conditions
  • Procurement manipulations
  • Evaluating tenders and selecting the successful bidder

 

14:30-14:45                Coffee Break & Networking

 

14:45-16:00                Implementing the contract, avoiding substantial modifications

  • Significant contract modifications – what is allowed and what not
  • Extending the contract; additional works
  • Detecting and avoiding procurement related fraud and corruption risks
  • Real life examples of possible irregularities
  • Overview of what kind of mistakes will bring financial correction and how

 

16:00-16:30                Q&A session and the main first day’s discoveries

 

 

Friday, 6th of December 2024

 

8:30-9:00                    Warmup Coffee

 

9:00-10:30                  Set-up of management and control systems

  • Obligations and responsibilities in audit and financial control for 2021-2027
  • How to set up simple management and control systems
  • Risk based management verifications
  • Practical considerations and challenges

 

10:30-10:45                Coffee Break Inspirations

 

10:45-12:30                Effective use of Simplified Cost Options

  • Benefits of SCO-s
  • Steps to develop SCOs
  • Creating the SCO – approach and calculation methodologies
  • Flat rate financing
  • Standard scales of unit costs
  • Lump sums
  • Financing Not Linked to Costs vs RRF

 

12:30-13:30                Lunch time

 

13:30-14:15                 SCO in practice

  • Case studies and examples
  • Achieve maximum use of SCOs
  • Examples of gold-plating
  • How SCO-s can prevent irregularities
  • Irregularities that can happen with SCO-s

 

14:15-14:30                Coffee Break Reflections

 

14:30-16:00                Monitoring and Auditing SCOs

  • Ensuring compliance and accountability
  • Simplified audit trails
  • Best practices for monitoring and evaluation

Expert

Kaur Siruli had more than 17 years of experience as the head of Audit Authority for EU Funds in Estonia and working in cooperation with OLAF. This has brought him in contact with wide spectrum of irregularities and fraud attempts – ineligible costs, procurement irregularities, conflict of interest, corruption risk, fraud schemes, double financing and so on. Kaur knows how to set up effective management and control system, look for "red flags", prevent and detect irregularities and fraud and how to handle the detected cases. His openness to vividly explain the risks and modus operandi have made him valued lecturer both in Estonia and abroad.

Kaur Siruli

Former Head of ESIF Audit Authority

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Berlin, Germany

This course will take place in the vibrant city of Berlin, providing an inspiring backdrop for an immersive learning experience.

 

Next to the training materials the training fee is covering:
a) the catering during the training (3 coffee breaks and a lunch every day);
b) the walking tour in a good company in Berlin (the evening of the first day of the training);
c) delicious diner;
d) family photo and some souvenirs for active participants.

ENROLL

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