CFCD, as horizontal body within the Operating Structures, has implemented the Project “Enhancing the quality assurance and verification of expenditures functions in Central Financing and Contracting Department (CFCD) in the Ministry of Finance as Contracting Authority for programmes financed under IPA Components I, III and IV” which started in December 2015 and was supported with the funds allocated under TAIB 2011. The project was solely intended for CFCD staff and its specific objective was to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the quality control function and verification of expenditures of Grant contracts in CFCD for improving the management, implementation and monitoring of the portfolio of projects financed under the IPA instrument (IPA Components I, III and IV).

The assignment was related to provision of technical assistance (expert help) to the staff within the CFCD to review and assess the quality of the draft tender documents received from the beneficiary institutions and submitted to EUD for “ex-ante” approval and in improving the quality analysis for increasing the absorption of the IPA funds. Second component of the project was providing support to the CFCD staff for improvement of the functions in verification of the expenditures process.

As a final output of this project a Workshop was organised for the CFCD staff, which took place in Mavrovo, on 2-4 November 2017, on which the expert’s work, recommendations and other outputs were presented and discussed. On this workshop, a representative from the EU Delegation participated as well, which contributed to a more fruitful discussion in order to strengthen the collaboration and to diminish further challenges for the CFCD staff.