European Structural and Investment Funds: preparing for closure – best practice guide and key deadlines

Grant standard conditions - compliance

You will have been ensuring compliance with the conditions of grant set out in the Offer of Grant Letter (and any subsequent variation of grant letters which amend the offer of grant) throughout the life of the operation as this is the contractual agreement between the Lead Partner and Scottish Government. As you approach the end date and closure you should double check that all pertinent evidence and actions have been identified, put in place or are being carried out to ensure this. Failure to comply with the full range of conditions in the Offer of Grant letter (i.e. the contractual agreement) can result in claw back of grant from the Lead Partner.

You will also have ensured that all the expenditure and activity is eligible. It is advisable to double check the National Rules on Eligibility and other operation monitoring and financial guidance published on the ESIF webpages at the end of the operation to identify any possible anomalies. If something is identified, you should speak to your Portfolio and Compliance Manager as this may impact on your final claim and indicator results reporting.

Special conditions

All operations need to ensure that any special conditions of grant included in the Offer of Grant Letter have been complied with, signed off by the Managing Authority, and that the relevant evidence is retained as part of the operation records.