If one thinks deeply, all project proposals submitted have the aim and the hope to act a change, whether it is in the target population, in the environment, in the community, in the educational system, etc. On the contrary, there is stability which all project managers and consortia coordinators wish to experience: the steadiness of all key elements which characterise the start-up of a project implementation. From the partnership to the budget, from the timeline to deadlines.
Unfortunately, not all projects run smoothly with regards to stability. During the delivery of a project several aspects might require a change which is not always under the control of the lead partner and its manager. What can happen so to require changes during project operation?
Here’s a list of possible modifications. Alterations might refer to the participating organisations, where the contact person might be replaced, the legal representative might be substituted due to planned or sudden reasons, the legal address could change as well as even the name of the company for internal business reasons. Referring to the partners, also their bank account might be changed, and it is important to notify on time this change so as not to incur frustrating time loss for money transfers.
We have all heard about the eligibility period of the project that might undergo mutation: this is what many projects have experiences in the last couple of years due to Covid 19 situation which implied the extension of operational duration leading to the postponement of the end date of the project. This implies the rescheduling of the final reporting activity and, consequently, the transfer of the final budget instalment to the consortium.
Talking about finances, adjustments might also refer to the budget breakdown. This can happen at the very beginning of the project, before signing the agreement with the Executive Agency, which perhaps has made cuts to the provisional budget lines. On the other side, the consortium could be in the position to ask for variations in the budget allocation. Money not spent for travelling purposes, the need to cover staff expenses for activities which required an increased engagement of human resources on specific deliverables, the unexpected need to address emergency expenditures shifting from one budget chapter to another the available fund, all need to require the filing of a request for amendment to the Executive Agency.
The most relevant change, in our opinion, is the one that refers to the partners of the consortium. One of the organisations might express the need to withdraw from the project. Without getting into the several reasons why this can happen we shall say that if the withdrawal happens in the initial phases of the project delivery it is wise to substitute the partners asap with a similar organisation of the same country. If the departure happens in the final stage of the project and very few tasks are left to be delivered it might be wiser to share the remaining activities within the consortium and not bother to search for a substitute.
All the above must be agreed upon by the Executive Agency. As soon as a reason for the amendment is due communication to alert the referent project officer is mandatory so to ask for guidance and obtain the necessary endorsement. For this reason, preparing all the necessary documentation to be submitted is the first mandatory aspect to take care of. Any of the changes which we have listed in this article need to be formally requested, via a letter of amendment, by the coordinating organisation to the Executive Agency which, on its side, will officially formalise its decision in a signed document that represents a further annex to the partner’s agreement.
Keeping all this in mind might not make amendment procedures easier but enables project managers to keep things in control when necessary.