Link to the study - European Parliament - Europa

Policy Department D: Budgetary Affairs
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an international consultant. The PMU is responsible for all aspects of program and project
management from planning and engineering to procurement, contract management and invoice
control. It draws on expertise from other departments in the recipient’s organization and advises the
recipient’s management on strategic issues. The PMU liaises with the Bank on all aspects of project
implementation through regular reviews and the formal 'non objection process' (see project
implementation).
The services of the international consultant are procured through open tender. The scope and
structure of the consultant’s involvement can vary significantly, essentially depending on the
resources and competencies available in the recipient organization. The consultant should
complement the recipient’s skills and provide, in particular, state-of-the-art technical, procurement
and project management expertise.
The Bank works in partnership with the recipients, and initially it is for the recipient to identify the
areas in which support is required. The Bank reviews specifications for these consultancy services as
diligently as for any other project. The Bank does however carry out capacity assessments, in
particular with regard to procurement capabilities (which covers a broad range from the preparation
of technical and commercial documents for tendering to contract management) and it may employ
external experts to assess project management arrangements when necessary. PMU organisational
structures and interfaces with the recipient are constantly under review and are periodically amended
to introduce improvements based on the analysis of past experience, in order to adapt to different
requirements at different stages of the decommissioning process and to take into account the
transfer of knowledge from consultant to recipient.
To date, all three recipient organizations have undergone significant organizational changes during
implementation of the decommissioning programs. All three started as operating organizations and
were at times responsible for shutdown and operating units. In Kozloduy and Bohunice,
organizations responsible for closed units have been separated from operating utilities (something
that is not required in Ignalina where all units are closed). The necessary changes are, of course, a
responsibility of the organizations and national authorities concerned. However, the Bank, as
manager of the decommissioning support funds, takes an active interest in any changes that may
impact the implementation of programs financed from the PP&R 26 apply with the limitation that
tenders are open only to companies from donor countries (in this case including all member
countries of the European Union) or the Bank’s countries of operation IDSFs. In cases where the
recipient’s organization changes, the Bank engages in discussions with the recipient to assess
whether the organization still fulfills all requirements, and encourages both the use of experience
from international best practice and input from the PMU Consultant to ensure that efficient
decommissioning management structures are being put in place and maintained. The Funds also
finance training programs for recipient’s staff in project management, procurement and other
relevant disciplines, with a particular emphasis on decommissioning.
The recipient enters into contracts with suppliers on the basis of the Grant Agreement with the Bank.
The Bank is not a party to these contracts and the recipient is fully responsible. The PMU processes
invoices, certifies that all contractual requirements are fulfilled and requests the Bank to pay. The
Bank reviews invoices against contracts and against the, provisions of the Grant Agreement (and in
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PP&R apply with the limitation that tenders are open only to companies from donor countries (in this case
including all member countries of the European Union) or the Bank’s countries of operation
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