About the CFCU

The Central Finance and Contracts Unit (CFCU) operating within the "Co-operation Fund" Foundation was established by a decision of the Committee for European Integration in February 1999. Its key tasks include co-ordination and financial and contractual service of projects being a part of the PHARE Institution Building Programme and a portion of the Transition Facility Programme.   Operation of the CFCU is supervised by the Programme Authorising Officer (PAO) nominated by the National Aid Co-ordinator (NAC), who is the Undersecretary of State in the Office of the Committee for European Integration. Management and financial control of PHARE and Transition Facility funds are supervised by the National Authorising Officer (NAO), the Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of Finance. The Central Financing and Contracting Unit co-operates with all Ministries - beneficiaries of the PHARE Institution Building and Transition Facility programmes.   The mission of the CFCU is to enhance successful implementation of EU funds in Poland. The CFCU carries out tender procedures, implements and monitors projects related to institutional development and aims at the promotion and introduction of EU standards in Poland.   In relation to implementation of these programmes, particular departments of the CFCU carry out the following activities:

    Programme Division:  

• Implementation of twinning agreements, including:
  • verification and approval of Annexes and Side Letters for twinning agreements prepared by counterparts, with regard to finance and compliance with procedures of the Twinning Manual;
  • support to Resident Twinning Advisors, twinning counterparts and beneficiaries in the implementation of the covenant through direct consultations, participation in meetings, preparation of responses to letters, etc.

• Implementation of investment contracts including:
  • preparation of annexes and administrative decisions introducing changes to investment contracts;
  • ongoing monitoring of the contracts implementation, consulting with beneficiaries and contractors and participation in work meetings;
  • verification and approval of draft protocols of equipment receipt in terms of compliance with contract statements, among others regarding technical parameters, volume of supplies, representatives of the beneficiary authorised to receive, distribution lists, budget and certificates of origin;
  • agreeing with beneficiaries' statements of agreements regarding free transfer of ownership rights under investment contracts;
  • verification and approval of final protocols of receipt after expiration of technical guarantee;
  • execution of final payments to contractors;
  • verification and approval of work receipt in case of service contracts, i.e. check and submission of comments to inception, periodic and final reports according to statements of the contract
  • for construction work contracts, participation of the CFCU representatives in weekly co-ordination meetings, site visits to assess work progress and identify problems, verification of temporary and final payment certificates, invoices, change proposals, bank guarantees and insurance policies;

• Implementation of grants including:
  • verification of advance payment applications, preparation of recommendations regarding transfer of advance payments;
  • ongoing co-operation with beneficiaries regarding financial and procedural problems of project implementation, support for beneficiaries in implementation of agreements by direct consulting, information seminars, preparing answers to letters, etc.;
  • settlement of donations: accepting and verification of financial and progress reports regarding co-funding of initiatives; preparation of final payment recommendations;

• Preparation of monthly, quarterly and ad-hoc progress and financial reports, as well as contracting and spending projections for the Supervisory Council of the Foundation, Office of the Committee for European Integration, Ministry of Finance, European Commission and its Representation in Warsaw;
• Monitoring of implementation of programmes by direct working contacts with twinning agreement counterparts, preparation of reports, participation in steering committee meetings, co-ordination committee meetings, sectoral sub-committees and participation in selected activities defined in twinning agreements, as well as ongoing financial control of current status of twinning agreements and investment contracts (monitoring of supplies, equipment origin).

    Financial Control Unit:  

• Financial service of programmes:
  • approval of budgets of twinning agreements and other statements of these agreements regarding competencies of the CFCU;
  • co-operation with the National Fund in terms of defining needs for funds used for implementation of programmes;
  • approval of financial and accounting documents submitted by contractors selected as a result of tender procedures;
  • approval of financial and accounting documents submitted by contractors of EU twinning agreements;
  • carrying out transactions related to financial service of programmes;
  • execution of payments related to concluded twinning agreements and investment contracts in liaison with Project Co-ordinators in individual Ministries.

    Accounting Unit:  

• Control of the CFCU payment documentation in terms of accounting correctness and completeness of documents submitted by the Financial Control Department;
• Keeping of accounting records;
• Keeping of records and reports of VAT purchases, VAT returns, bank guarantees.

      The CFCU has been involved or is currently involved in the following programmes:  

- Transition Facility 2006,
- Transition Facility 2005,
- Transition Facility 2004,
- Phare 2003,
- Phare 2002,
- Phare 2001,
- Phare 1999,
- Phare 1998.