WORKING WITH DG ECHO AS AN NGO PARTNER | 2021 - 2027
IMPLEMENTING PARTNERS
The list of Implementing Partner included in the Single Form must be comprehensive.
ELIGIBILITY OF COSTS | DEPRECIATION
Depreciation or rental costs for the use of durable equipment may be charged to the DG ECHO funded Action in proportion to its actual use as long as the rules on eligibility in Article 6.2 (C.2) are observed. This option is foreseen for both, the Partner and Implementing Partner as far as the depreciated equipment was necessary for the implementation of the action.
The depreciation/rental costs must be reflected in the accounting system in a consistent and verifiable way. An important exception to this is if the durable equipment was bought using DG ECHO funding. In cases where DG ECHO has already covered or contributed to the purchase cost of a part of durable equipment the related depreciation or rental costs can never be charged to a future DG ECHO funded Action. This practice is contrary to normal financial safeguards and would constitute double funding. In cases where it is not possible to charge rent/depreciation to a DG ECHO funded Action it may still be possible to charge the maintenance and running costs of that durable equipment to the Action's budget.
REMAINING SUPPLIES | CONSORTIUM
The threshold for low value allowance equipment is Euro 15 000 regardless of the Action's budget or the number of the consortium members (i.e. mono- or multi-beneficiary grant).
In a DG ECHO funded Action, NGOs certified DG ECHO partners can only act as implementing partners if they cooperate with an Organisation (i.e. an International Organisation including the UN) which signs with the Commission acontribution agreement (i.e. Humanitarian Aid Contribution Agreement – HACA).
If the agreement framing the action is a grant agreement (using the model grant agreement), then all certified NGO partners will become co-beneficiaries/co-partners.
Partners should look at explanation of the standard justifications for exceeding the EUR 60 000 ceiling provided in the WWD Annex, HIP Technical Annexes and Single Form Guidelines (Financial support to third parties).
A consortium is a group of certified partners agreeing to conclude with the Commission a multi-beneficiary grant agreement. Certified partners can decide to work with IPs (based outside the EU) for the implementation of such grant agreement.
In the case of a consortium with NGOs who have been awarded different types of EU Humanitarian Certificates (i.e. EU Humanitarian Partnership Certificate, EU Humanitarian potential Programmatic Partnership Certificate, EU Humanitarian Niche Partnership Certificate) all co-beneficiaries will be on an equal footing. However, the specific NGO Partners are meant to participate in the Action within the scope of their Certificate.
No, as long as the implementing partners (IPs) directly contribute to the implementation of the action. However, should the amount allocated to the individual IPs exceed EUR 60 000 then it needs to be justified in the SF Chapter 10.6. For more information see the Single Form Guidelines.
The certification is not linked to the possibility to transfer funds to implementing partners. It is a condition to access EU Humanitarian funding (previously FPA)
MULTI-BENEFICIARY GRANTS | CO-BENEFICIARIES | CO-BENEFICIARIES | CONSORTIUM
Yes, the principle is that it will not be possible to use certified NGO partners as implementing partners: they will have to be associated to the lead certified NGO partners in the grant agreement as co-partners (co-beneficiaries). It has to be noted that International Organisations and Member State Specialised Agencies which are DG ECHO Partners can also be co-beneficiaries under the MGA (see FAQ 29).
UK is not a EU member state anymore. UK-based entities cannot apply to become certified partners. They can still work on DG ECHO’s actions as implementing partners.
Transfer between certified partners and IPs are not limited. Partners need however to remain responsible for the whole action and to perform core tasks. Transfers of funds need to be directly related to the implementation of the action
The Humanitarian Aid Regulation indeed requires Partners to be established in the EU. Furthermore, the ex-ante assessment looks at whether the applicant implements core
tasks for the implementation of the action and whether it is not acting as a mailbox (empty shell).
The MGA is, in principle, to be used with NGO partners, except for mixed consortia (between NGOs and IOs when the NGO is the coordinator (lead beneficiary)). DG ECHO works under indirect management with International Organisations and a different agreement is signed: the Humanitarian Aid Contribution Agreement – HACA.
No, under the IMDA or HACA templates signed by DG ECHOwith International Organisations, NGOs, even if certified DG ECHO partner, would be an implementing partner of the IO and not a co-partner.
Yes, a UN agency can become a co-beneficiary/co-partner under the MGA and they will need to sign an accession form. For UN agencies and other IOs (pillar assessed entities), see art. 10.2 and 10.3 of the MGA.
Yes. Partners should look at explanation of the standard justifications for exceeding the EUR 60 000 ceiling provided in the WWD Annex, HIP Technical Annexes and SF Guidelines (Financial support to third parties).
