Central Financing and Contracting Department The Central Financing and Contracting Department (CFCD) is a Department within the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Macedonia, responsible for sound financial management of the projects financed under the following IPA Components:

  • IPA Component I – Transition Assistance and Institution Building,
  • IPA Component III – Regional Development,
  • IPA Component IV – Human Resources Development.

CFCD acts as a Lead Body in the Operating Structures per IPA Component, as well as Contracting Authority having sole responsibility for tendering, contracting and payments concerning EU funded projects.

The Head of CFCD is also designated as Programme Authorising Officer for IPA Component I, and as Head of the Operating Structures (HOS) for IPA Components III-IV.

Tasks regarding programming, technical implementation and monitoring of contracts implementation are delegated to the respective Line Ministries/ Beneficiary Institutions with the Operational Agreements signed between PAO/HOS and Senior Programme Officers (SPO)/ IPA Coordinators.

CFCD supervises the overall implementation of the projects and PAO/HOS retains overall responsibility for the projects implementation and shall ensure the effective supervision of the proper implementation of the tasks delegated to the SPO/ IPA Coordinators.

 

Confidentiality and Impartiality

Although the work of CFCD respects the EC transparency, publicity and visibility rules, it is of confidential nature and must not be discussed with third parties, neither during the procurement and contracting phase, nor afterwords.

 

The main goal of CFCD is to ensures proper, effective and efficient implementation of the IPA funded projects, while respecting the principles of sound financial management and adequate controls. The effective use of EU pre-accession assistance in the Republic of Macedonia will support the Country to align itself with the accession criteria on the road towards membership

CFCD commits itself to a set of principles based on core values of honesty, integrity, and respect for people and the promotion of trust, openness, teamwork, professionalism and pride. CFCD organises its activities in accordance with the principles of modern management which provides for an efficient control system of the entire organisation, in close connection with the importance, magnitude and complexity of the EU programmes performed under its own authority.

CFCD successfully reaches what is set as its main goal trough the following:

  • The management and staff aim for highest quality standards in all activities they manage or perform;
  • An adequate number of qualified staff is provided at all levels;
  • Top management ensures that the established ethics and culture are understood throughout the organisation, by providing clarity when making decisions;
  • Staff competence – the management and staff define the knowledge and skills required for each position, and review training needs in the context of the annual staff appraisal, ensuring that identified training needs are met as soon as possible through training benefit to the staff;
  • Sensitive functions potentially open to undue influence that could be detrimental to the Communities’ and national budget financial interests are identified and proper actions through enhanced control and supervision are taken;
  • Delegation – responsibilities and authority limits are clearly defined, assigned and communicated in writing and delegation is appropriate to the importance of the decisions to be taken and the risks involved, and no member of staff is in doubt as to the extent of their responsibilities;
  • Appropriate arrangements to ensure the continuity of operations at any moment are established;
  • Recording and correction of internal control weaknesses is applied.

Central Financing and Contracting Department (CFCD) as part of the Operating Structure for decentralised management of the funds allocated under IPA Components I-IV is responsible to perform its activities in accordance with the provisions of the following regulation:

  • IPA Implementing Regulation,
  • Framework Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Macedonia and the Commission of the European Communities on the rules for co-operation concerning EU financial assistance to the Republic of Macedonia in the framework of the implementation of the assistance under IPA , and
  • Decree on Determining Mutual Relations between Bodies and Structures of the Decentralised Management of the First Four Components under the EU Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA).

According to this, CFCD acts as Contracting Authority for IPA Components I-IV and is in charge of tendering, contracting, and payments concerning EU funded projects under DIS in the Republic of Macedonia.

CFCD has the following responsibilities (list not exhaustive):

  • Tendering;
  • Contracting;
  • Contracts Administration;
  • Monitoring;
  • Management of CFCD Bank Accounts;
  • Payments;
  • Accounting;
  • Reporting;
  • HR management;
  • Management of Irregularities;
  • Risk Management;
  • Quality Control;
  • Supervision over the SPOs / IPA Coordinators in the Line Ministries/Beneficiary Institutions
  • Respecting Publicity and Visibility Rules.

The Head of CFCD is designated as Programme Authorizing Officer (PAO) for IPA Components I and II, and at the same time as Head of Operating Structure for IPA Components III and IV. PAO/HOS is responsible for the implementation of projects funded under IPA Components I-IV, but delegates tasks to the Line Ministries/ Beneficiary Institutions regarding the technical implementation and monitoring of the contract implementation. The delegation of tasks is regulated with Operational Agreements signed between PAO/HOS and SPO/IPA Coordinators.

IPA Implementation System Chart