Data collection related to recharging/refuelling points for alternative fuels and the unique identification codes related to e-Mobility actors

Deadline: Jul 20, 2018  
CALL EXPIRED

1. INTRODUCTION – BACKGROUND

The "Multi Annual Work Programme 2014-2020 for financial assistance in the field of the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) - Transport sector" adopted by the Commission on 26 March 2014 (C(2014) 1921), as last amended, offers technical assistance to the Member States for the collection of data on unique identification codes of e-mobility actors- in the priority of Innovation and Alternative Fuels of the CEF.

The "Innovation"- including the deployment of Alternative Fuels, are a horizontal priority of Annex I of the Connecting Europe Facility Programme, established by the Regulation (EU) 1316/2013 (thereafter the "CEF Regulation").

This Programme Support Action supports relevant authorities in Member States in collecting and making available data related to the location of the charging and fuelling infrastructure for Alternative Fuels and a process to set-up an effective, EU-wide coordination mechanism to assign unique identification codes to Charging Point Operators and e-mobility service providers.

 

2. OBJECTIVE(S) – THEME(S) – PRIORITIES

The Programme Support Action, in the meaning of Article 5(2)(a) of the CEF, aims at providing the Technical Assistance to the Member States to:

- develop an approach to set up e-mobility Identification Codes (thereafter the e-mobility ID codes) for Charging Point Operators and e-mobility service providers and collect the codes already in use;

- develop an approach and implement "a common ID registration repository" for exchanging information on these e-mobility ID codes across the Member States and for cross-referencing the assignment of new unique ID codes;

- compulsory, gather missing data and ensure that all data of infrastructure for electricity and hydrogen are made available through the National Access Points, which are defined in the Directive 2010/40/EU on Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS Directive) and the Commission Delegated Regulations in the format specified therein;

- optional, gather missing data for compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied natural gas (LNG), liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and high blended bio fuels and ensure that all data are made available through the National Access Points, which are defined in the Directive 2010/40/EU on Intelligent Transport Systems and the Commission Delegated Regulations in the format specified therein;

- set out a strategy to ensure that the activities described above (collection of data on location/availability of alternative fuels infrastructure and ensuring unique e-mobility codes) can continue beyond the time-period of this PSA.

The final objective of this Programme Support Action is:

- to support better consumer awareness and buy-in to the use of alternative fuels through better information about the location/ availability of alternative fuel infrastructure.

- to support a structured market development by helping to develop an EU-wide approach for the assignments of ID codes to e-mobility actors.

 

3. TIMETABLE FOR SUBMITTING INDIVIDUAL APPLICATIONS FOR GRANTS

a) Deadline for submitting applications
At the latest: Friday 15 June 2018, at 5:00 p.m.

b) Indicative time for evaluation of proposals, clarifications with beneficiaries on outstanding issues and award decision
July 2018

c) Information to applicants
Within maximum of 6 months from the deadline of the submission of the application.

d) Preparation of the individual Grant Agreements
Indicatively September 2018

e) Signature of grant agreements
Within maximum of 9 months from the deadline of the submission of the application.

 

During the period for submitting grants and until Friday 8 June 2018, if a need for clarification arises, a written question should be sent to the email address: MOVE-PSA-B4@ec.europa.eu

The responses will be sent to the applicant with a copy to the CEF Transport Committee Members and Alternative Fuels Committee in order to respect the equal treatment and transparency principles.

 

4. INFORMATION TO APPLICANTS ON BUDGETARY ASPECTS

4.1. Budget available

Budget available for this Programme Support Action is up to EUR 3.000.000

At least 9 Member States shall participate, including a representative number of the Cohesion Member States (see admissibility requirement under point 5).

The Commission reserves the right not to award all the funds available or to modulate the proposed funding of eligible activities based on Article 10(6) of the CEF Regulation.

4.2. Non- retroactivity of grant funding

The costs related to the eligible activities of the Programme Support Action shall be eligible as of the date of signature of the Grant Agreement by the last party.

 

5. ADMISSIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

Participation of at least 9 Member States is required for this Action, including a representative number of the Cohesion Member States.

The application form (Annex II) and the budget form (Annex III) must be sent no later than the deadline for submitting applications referred to in section 3.

Annex II- application form, should be submitted as one single document by the Coordinator Member State. However, specific information in that application form should be filled in by each Member State's authorised representative.

Annex III "budget form" should be filled in by each Member State individually. The Application form and the budget form must be submitted in writing (see section 14), using the appropriate forms.

 

6. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

6.1 Eligible applicants

 

The Grant Agreement will be signed with the participating Member States and budget of the grant will be directly awarded to the Member States/or relevant bodies designated under their authority.

• –  Due to technical nature of the activities (see below in section 6.2- eligible activities), legal entities having a legal or capital link with the Member States, which is neither limited to the action nor established for the sole purpose of its implementation, may take part in the action as:

  an Affiliated Entity may declare eligible costs as specified in section 11.2,

  or be designated as an Implementing Body.

• –  For that purpose, Member States shall identify such an Affiliated Entity or an

  Implementing Body in the application form.

• –  In all cases, the beneficiary Member States, assume the responsibility for the oversight and execution of the activities and for the final deliverables to the Commission.

 

6.2. Eligible activities

Activity 1- Overall scope: coordination of ID registrations of e-mobility actors

Overall purpose of Activity 1:

The identification codes (e-mobility IDs) allocated to Charging Point Operators and to electric mobility Service Providers need to be unique. While these e-mobility codes are not visible to end-users – they ensure that each e-mobility actor can be uniquely defined at the digital level.

The overall objective is to support:

• the development of a common ID Registration Repository

• its institutional underpinning that can function as a central reference and validation mechanism for the assignment of new codes

• organisational mechanisms to support:

  • an easy and timely provision of ;

  • access to;

  • and exchange of information.

For more background information regarding such e-mobility identification codes can be found in Deliverable 'Guideline for a harmonized ID registration process in Europe', which is attached in Annex VI.1 to this grant procedure. This deliverable was developed within the Sustainable Transport Forum sub-group on electro-mobility services (SGEMS).

E-mobility IDs follow the syntax described in the ISO/IEC 15118 international standard. These codes consist of up to 31 digits that uniquely identify either a Charging Point or the account of an e-mobility user (note: e-mobility user accounts are managed by the e-mobility Service Providers).

Only the first 5 digits should be allocated by an ID Registration Organisation to:

• –  a Charging Point Operator which manages a network of charging points

• –  an e-Mobility Service Provider which provides services to e-mobility users and therefore provides them with an e-mobility user account

Assigning a 5-digit e-mobility code as referred to in activity 1.2 below – in practice amounts to assigning a "number block" to a service provider or charge point operator. The Charging Point Operators and e-Mobility Service Providers will then allocate the remaining digits thereby ensuring each ID is unique.

Activity 1.1 Format of e-mobility codes – proposal for an EU-wide/ coordinated approach

To ensure that the way the e-mobility codes are formatted follows a common agreed logic across the EU, the consortium participating in this Programme Support Action needs to propose a format for the establishment of these new 5-digit e-mobility codes.

For the remaining digits of the e-mobility codes – although the allocation of those is the responsibility of Charge Point Operators and e-mobility Service Providers – the usefulness of having an EU wide format needs to be explored by the consortium.

 

Activity 1.2: Setup of ID registration organisations (IDRO) at national level within each participating Member State:

Setup of an ID registration organisation (IDRO) within each participating Member State. This organisation is tasked with ensuring the uniqueness of e-mobility IDs (i.e. "number blocks") allocated to Charging Point Operators and e-mobility Service Providers within their territory. An IDRO can be set up in form of a new organisation or the task can be assigned to an existing organisation.

The IDRO shall:

• -  Collect information on e-mobility codes (i.e. number blocks) that are already in use in the participating Member States;

• -  Issue new e-mobility codes (i.e. number blocks), where needed, to:

  • o Charging Point Operators;
  • o e-mobility Service Providers;
• - Allow to exchange & verify the uniqueness of these e-mobility codes via a "common ID registration repository- see activity 1.3".

The ID Registration Organisation should only manage and transfer to the “common ID registration repository” these first 5 digits that were allocated to either the Charging Point Operators of the e-Mobility Service Providers (as well as those organisations' name and contact details (phone, mail, address).

Activity 1.3: Establishment of a "common ID Registration Repository" allowing for exchanging with national ID Registration Organisations (national IDROs)

In order to avoid national ID registration organisations allocating the same 5-digit code in different countries – a "common ID Registration Repository" is needed.

This common ID Registration Repository should contain only:

• these 5-digit codes

• as well as relevant meta-data (e.g. contact details) allocated by the IDROs across Europe.

  Before allocating a new code, a national IDRO needs to check with this repository that this code is unique.

  In order to ensure the uniqueness of the 5-digit codes allocated by a national IDRO, the common ID Registration Repository should have the functions of:

• -  Search existing ID-codes & find contact-details related to the ID-code (care should be taken to respect the provisions of the General Data Protection Regulation)

• -  Allocate new ID-codes via national IDRO's

• -  Upload new ID-codes and the relevant metadata that have been assigned after the validation check

• -  For those Member States which have not yet established their own IT-system for

managing their national (5 digit) ID-codes; the functionality of the system should allow those Member States to allocate & manage the issuing of new 5-digit ID codes (e.g. via a web-interface).

The consortium should develop and appraise options on how a management support structure for a common ID Registration Repository can be set up that allows its extension to other and potentially all Member States even those that are yet to set up an IDRO.

Activity 1.4: Developing an approach to ensure the continuity of the common ID Registration Repository

In order to allow this registration system to continue beyond the period of this PSA, the consortium should provide information on resource requirements once the system is up-and- running. This includes resource requirements for the IDRO at Member State level and for the common European ID Registration Repository.

The consortium should therefore evaluate options on how to ensure an institutional structure and support for the IT operations beyond the period for this PSA.

Specifically for what concerns the cost of funding of the common ID Registration Repository different options should be presented, including allocating this task to one or several Member States, to a private organisation, etc.

In their assessment, members of the consortium should take into account a broad range of possible options, including also a fees-based approach, whereby a fee could be charged to operators and Service Providers. Note that these fees should be only cost-covering such as not to act as a barrier to the further enablement of e-mobility across the EU.

For the Commission to evaluate what the requirements are to extend the approach of a common ID Registration repository to all Member States the consortium is asked to provide input on what the needs would be to support this ( this could including the option of having the IT operations supported by a central service of the Commission).

Related findings and recommendations should be subject to discussion with the Commission, other Member States and market actors in a workshop setting (see activity 3).

Activity 2 – Data collection & data availability related to Alternative Fuels Infrastructure

The objective of this activity is to collect missing data on the location of recharging and refuelling points for electricity, LNG, CNG and hydrogen. Information should be collected on all public accessible recharging points and refuelling stations in the format specified in activity 2.2.

The consortium needs to clearly line out which data is already available and how additional gaps will be filled.

Since the aim is to ensure better information to consumers, a feedback mechanism should be foreseen allowing users to notify additional or wrong information. Additionally it should be considered to enable end-users to contribute to the data collection itself (i.e. via crowdsourcing).

Information regarding the type/format of the data fields relevant for electric charging infrastructure can be found in Annex VI.2 to this grant procedure in a Deliverable from the Sustainable Transport Forum sub-group on electro-mobility services (SGEMS).

The members of the consortium are required to take into account all relevant legislation at EU level, particularly:

• Under Directive 2010/40/EU on Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS Directive) the Commission Delegated Regulations addressing:

  • o priority action A: MMTIS1

  • o and priority action B: RTTI2

    are relevant for this activity.
    These Delegated Regulations define the relevant static and dynamic data that must be made available through the National Access Point.

• Under Directive 2014/94/EU on Alternative Fuels Infrastructure 3 Member States shall ensure that, when available, the data indicating the geographic location of the refuelling and recharging points accessible to the public of alternative fuels covered by this Directive are accessible on an open and non-discriminatory basis to all users. For recharging points, such data, when available, may include information on real-time accessibility as well as historical and real-time charging information.

Activity 2.1 – Data collection
Activity 2.1.1 Data Collection on the physical electric charging points Data that must be collected:

• Static data:

• o Location
  • GNSS coordinates
  • Address (street name, zip code, city,...)
• o List of available charge-solutions (Power, Modes)
• o List of available connectors (plugs, sockets, induction plate...) o Opening hours, identification and payment methods,
• o Contact info for owner/operator
• o Full e-mobility code of the charging point

 

• Dynamic data: (note: this requires charging points to be digitally connected to a central system)

• o Availability (if the station is operational/ non-operational) and o Occupation status (free, occupied)
• o Price for ad-hoc charging

 

Activity 2.1.2 data collection on the hydrogen stations Data that must be collected:

• Static data:

• o Location (GNSS coordinates/ street name)
• o Opening hours, identification and payment methods, o Contact info for owner/operator

• Dynamic data:

• o Operational Status (if the station is operational/ non-operational)

 

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Activity 2.1.3 Data collection on the physical LNG filling stations
Optional data- that may be collected:

• Static data:

• o Location (GNSS coordinates/ street name)
• o Opening hours, identification and payment methods, o Contact info for owner/operator

• Dynamic data:

• o Operational Status (if the station is operational/ non-operational)

Activity 2.1.4 data collection on the physical CNG filling stations Optional data- that may be collected:

• Static data:

• o Location (GNSS coordinates/ street name)
• o Opening hours, identification and payment methods, o Contact info for owner/operator

• Dynamic data:

• o Operational Status (if the station is operational/ non-operational)

Activity 2.1.5 data collection on the LPG stations Optional data- that may be collected:

• Static data:

• o Location (GNSS coordinates/ street name)
• o Opening hours, identification and payment methods, o Contact info for owner/operator

• Dynamic data:

• o Operational Status (if the station is operational/ non-operational)

Activity 2.1.6 data collection on the high blended biofuels Optional data- that may be collected:

• Static data:

• o Location (GNSS coordinates/ street name)
• o Opening hours, identification and payment methods,
• o Contact info for owner/operator

• Dynamic data:

• o Operational Status (if the station is operational/ non-operational)

 

Activity 2.2 Provision of data through the National Access Point

The data collected under the activity 2.1 must be made accessible through the National Access Point described in the 2010/40/EU on Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS Directive) and the Commission Delegated Regulations in the format of DATEX II (CEN/TS 16157 and subsequently upgraded versions) or any machine-readable format fully compatible and interoperable with DATEX II.

The data categories need to be harmonised across the participating Member States. A description of the data categories related to e-mobility charging infrastructure can be found in a Deliverable attached as Annex VI.2 (developed by the Sustainable Transport Forum sub-group on electro- mobility services (SGEMS).

The quality of the data is very important. To ensure that the provision of the referenced data categories is both reliable and worthwhile, a minimum level of quality should be achieved. Member States should agree to set up a definition of the relevant quality criteria, the methods of quality measurement and monitoring, ensuring that the data is accurate. End-users should be enabled to notify any discrepancies and propose modifications or up-dates, via an easy-to-use system (e.g. via a web interface).

It is expected that third parties would develop services – once the data provided through the National Access Point has proven to be a viable source of information.

The consortium should therefore indicate how third party service developers will be facilitated to access and/or re-use the data, made available through the different National Access Points. The consortium of Member States is encouraged to coordinate with other relevant activities that contribute to the harmonisation of the data categories, namely with the Programme Support Action (PSA) for Intelligent Transport Services for Road (ITS)4, specifically under the profiling of the standard for electro-mobility services.

The consortium should indicate how frequently the dynamic updating of data needs to happen, balancing the technical constraints of frequent updates with the user needs (e.g. if a charging/refuelling station becomes non-operational users should be informed swiftly). The consortium needs to set out in its proposal the technical setup of this dynamic updating through the National Access Point in order to make the information accessible to end-users is processed in a timely manner without delay.

In addition:

The consortium may evaluate whether it is useful to consider the Core Location Vocabulary5 developed under the ISA6 programme.

The consortium should explore and report on the lessons learned from the Nobil7 database solution (originally developed by Norway and now in use by other countries such as Sweden and 

Finland). This to collect good practices in terms of end-user engagement, availability of data, updating (dynamic and static) of data, etc. Consortium members should focus on how to optimize the benefits for operators and service providers and ultimately consumers in all Member States.

Activity 2.3: Sustainability and continuity of the data collection beyond the Programme Support Action

The consortium needs to set out how it intends to keep the data on the alternative fuels infrastructure up to date – beyond the period of this Programme Support Action.

Different funding mechanism need to be explored – keeping into account the requirements of the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Directive to ensure that the data indicating the geographic location of the refuelling and recharging points accessible to the public are accessible on an open and non-discriminatory basis to all users; as well as the requirements of the ITS Directive

Activity 3- dissemination of knowledge, set-up of technical solutions and best practices

• –  2 workshops at the start of the Programme Support Action:

  • o With the beneficiary Member States of this Programme Support Action to coordinate the approaches for the activities, other Member States are also invited to participate at these workshops, at their own expenses

• –  2 workshops with the participating Member States, EC and (potentially) relevant stakeholders during the Programme Support Action.

• –  Final dissemination event with the EC, stakeholders and participating Member States

 

Activity 4- Coordination:

Coordination at national level:

• designate a country coordinator, who will be the contact and coordination point with other Ministries or Implementing Bodies, stakeholders,
• ensure all technical, IT and data collection activities, also, where relevant, with or to their Implementing Bodies or contractors designated to carry out part of the activities

Coordination by the "Grant Agreement Coordinator"

• set-up appropriate cooperation structure with the Member States and/ or their Implementing Bodies participating in the Grant Agreement
• set-up monthly meetings/ video or calls/ appropriate workshops with the Member States participating
• coordinate the development of the IT system with the Member States and or/ their Implementing Bodies
• coordination of the technical activities of the Grant Agreement
• coordinate and organise the dissemination workshops and the final workshop in activity 3
• compile and review of the Quarterly Progress Reports to the European Commission compile and review the final report
• handling of the day to day Grant Agreement management

 

 

6.3. Ineligible activities

• −  Project-related activities which are eligible under CEF calls;

• −  All activities funded from the EU budget under different Programme Support Actions or from different co-funded EU Programmes;

• −  Supplies of souvenirs;

• −  Travel expenditure related to general study tours to other Member States;

• −  Lobbying.

 

7. EXCLUSION CRITERIA
7.1. Exclusion from participation:

Applicants will be excluded from participating in the call for proposals procedure if they are in any of the following situations:

• -  they are bankrupt or being wound up, are having their affairs administered by the courts, have entered into an arrangement with creditors, have suspended business activities, are the subject of proceedings concerning those matters, or are in any analogous situation arising from a similar procedure provided for in national legislation or regulations;

• -  they or persons having powers of representation, decision making or control over them have been convicted of an offence concerning their professional conduct by a judgment of a competent authority of a Member State which has the force of res judicata;

• -  they have been guilty of grave professional misconduct proven by any means which the contracting authority can justify including by decisions of the EIB and international organisations;

• -  they are not in compliance with their obligations relating to the payment of social security contributions or the payment of taxes in accordance with the legal provisions of the country in which they are established or with those of the country of the responsible authorising officer or those of the country where the grant agreement is to be performed;

• -  they or persons having powers of representation, decision making or control over them have been the subject of a judgment which has the force of res judicata for fraud, corruption, involvement in a criminal organisation, money laundering or any other illegal activity, where such an illegal activity is detrimental to the Union's financial interests;

• -  they are currently subject to an administrative penalty referred to in Article 109(1) of the Financial Regulation8.

7.2. Exclusion from award:
Applicants will not be granted financial assistance if, in the course of the grant award procedure,

they:

• -  are subject to a conflict of interest;

• -  are guilty of misrepresentation in supplying the information required by the Commission as a condition of participation in the grant award procedure or fail to supply this information;

• -  find themselves in one of the situations of exclusion, referred to in section 7.1. The same exclusion criteria apply to Implementing Bodies and Affiliated Entities.

   

Administrative and financial penalties may be imposed on applicants, Implementing Bodies or Affiliated Entities where applicable, who are guilty of misrepresentation.

7.3. Supporting documents

Applicants must sign a declaration on their honour certifying that they are not in one of the situations referred to above, filling in the form attached to the application form accompanying the conditions for awarding grants.

 

8. SELECTION CRITERIA

8.1. FINANCIAL CAPACITY
As stated under Article 131 (3) of the Financial Regulation, the verification of the financial

capacity shall not apply to public bodies. 8.2. OPERATIONAL CAPACITY

As stated under Article 131 (3) of the Financial Regulation, for public bodies, the authorising officer has decided not to check the operational capacity.

 

9. AWARD CRITERIA

Eligible application from at least 9 Member States will be assessed on the basis of the following three criteria:

1. Relevance (30 points/100)

This refers to the contribution of the Application to address the objectives of the Programme Support Action to:

• –  Contribute to the development of the TEN-T Network, and in particular, through the information on the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure, to the uptake and deployment of Alternative Fuels in the Member States

• –  the EU added value - how the Programme Support Action will increase the EU added value (connectivity between the Member States)

• –  Proposal for the technical solution for the data collection in the Member States, and method for verification of data

• –  Proposal for the set-up of the IT solution

  2. Maturity (20 points/100)

  This refers to the readiness to start the implementation of the proposed activities:

• –  For activities involving IT-system, the proposed method of setting up the IT-system and

  timeline for the selection of the contractors for the implementing contracts/ IT

• –  description of existing data sources and methodology for the data collection

  3. Impact (30 points/100)

  This refers to the expected effect of the Programme Support Action on the:

• –  availability of publicly accessible data on the location of charging and fuelling

  infrastructure, through the National Access Points

• –  harmonized allocation of ID codes across Member States

• –  Analysis provided on how to continue the activities beyond the funding period for this PSA (sustainability of the activities)

4. Quality (20 points/ 100)

Under this criterion, the capacity for the Action to be completed in accordance with the proposed timeline, implementation plans will be assessed.

• -  Presentation of the human resources-principal staff involved – including the contact details of the national coordinators

• -  Clarity and presentation of the proposed budget- Member State and per Activity as required in the budget form attached as Annex III

• -  Clarity and presentation of the proposed implementing contracts/ subcontracts

• -  Presentation of timetable of the activities

• -  Presentation of the monitoring mechanisms

• -  Presentation of the key outputs as milestones to the European Commission

• -  Presentation of the key outputs to other stakeholders (beneficiaries)

The criteria 1 and 3 will be given a score between 0 and 30 points (with 30 being the maximum). The minimum pass threshold for these criteria is 18 points each.

The criteria 2 and 4 will be given score between 0 and 20 points (with 20 being the maximum). The minimum pass threshold for these criteria is 12 points each.

No grant will be awarded if the application does not meet the minimum threshold for each criterion.

No grant will be awarded if the application does not meet the minimum threshold of 70 points.

 

10. LEGAL COMMITMENTS

In the event of a grant awarded by the Commission, a grant agreement drawn up in euro and detailing the conditions and level of funding, will be sent to the successful applicant, as well as the procedure in view to formalise the obligations of the parties.

 

11. FINANCIAL PROVISIONS

11.1 General Principles

Non-cumulative award

An action may only receive one grant from the EU budget.

In no circumstances shall the same costs be financed twice by the Union budget. To ensure this, applicants shall indicate the sources and amounts of Union funding received or applied for the same action or part of the action or for its functioning during the same financial year as well as any other funding received or applied for the same action.

Non-retroactivity
No grant may be awarded retrospectively for actions already completed.

Co-financing
The maximum rate of co-financing is:

– 80% of the eligible direct costs for all Member States for all activities, except activity 4.2 carried out by the Member State acting as the Grant Agreement Coordinator

– 100% of the eligible direct for activity 4.2- carried out by the Member State acting as the Grant Agreement Coordinator

Indirect costs are not eligible (i.e in common terms, the proposal shall not include any general and administrative expenses).

4. d)  Balanced budget

   The estimated budget of the action is to be attached to the application form. It must have revenue and expenditure in balance.

   The budget must be drawn up in euros.

   Applicants, who foresee that costs will not be incurred in euros, are invited to use the exchange rate published on the InforEuro website available at http://ec.europa.eu/budget/contracts_grants/info_contracts/inforeuro/inforeuro_en.cfm.

5. e)  Implementation contracts/subcontracting

   Where the implementation of the action requires the award of procurement contracts (implementation contracts), the beneficiary must award the contract to the bid offering best value for money or the lowest price (as appropriate), avoiding conflicts of interests and retain the documentation for the event of an audit.

   Entities acting in their capacity of contracting authorities in the meaning of Directive 2014/24/EU9 or contracting entities in the meaning of Directive 2014/23/EU10 shall abide by the applicable national public procurement rules.

   Sub-contracting, i.e. the externalisation of specific tasks or activities which form part of the action as described in the proposal must satisfy the conditions applicable to any implementation contract (as specified above) and in addition to them the following conditions:

   • -  it may only cover the implementation of a limited part of the action;

   • -  it must be justified having regard to the nature of the action and what is

     necessary for its implementation;

   • -  it must be clearly stated in the proposal.

11.2. Funding forms
The grant will take the form of the reimbursement of maximum of :

– 80% of the eligible direct costs for all Member States for all activities, except activity 4.2 carried out by the Member State acting as the Grant Agreement Coordinator

– 100% of the eligible direct for activity 4.2- carried out by the Member State acting as the Grant Agreement Coordinator

Indirect costs are not eligible. The grant amount may neither exceed the eligible costs nor the amount requested. Amounts are indicated in euros.

11.3. Maximum amount requested
The overall grant to all Member States participating cannot exceed 3 M EUR.

Indirect costs are not eligible. The grant amount may neither exceed the eligible costs nor the amount requested. Amounts are indicated in euros.

 

 

11.4. Eligible costs
"Eligible costs" of the action are costs actually incurred by the beneficiary which meet the

following criteria:

1. (a)  they are incurred in the period set out in Article 2.2, with the exception of costs relating to the request for payment of the balance and the corresponding supporting documents referred to in Article II.23.2.

   Costs of contracts for goods, works or services or of subcontracts are considered to be incurred when the contract or subcontract (or a part of it) is executed, i.e. when the goods, works or services (including studies) are supplied, delivered or provided;

2. (b)  they are indicated in the estimated budget of the action set out in Annex III;

3. (c)  they are incurred in connection with the action as described in Annex I and are necessary for its implementation; in particular, for the costs of contracts for goods, the goods are supplied in a Member State or in any other countries where the action is implemented as described in Annex I; for the costs of contracts for works, the works are delivered in a Member State or in any other countries where the action is implemented as described in Annex I; for the costs of contracts for services (including studies), the services provided concern a Member State or any other countries where the action is implemented as described in Annex I;

4. (d)  they are identifiable and verifiable, in particular being recorded in the accounting records of the beneficiary and determined according to the applicable accounting standards of the country where the beneficiary is established and with the usual cost accounting practices of the beneficiary;

5. (e)  they comply with the requirements of applicable tax and social legislation; and

6. (f)  they are reasonable, justified, and comply with the principle of sound financial management, in particular regarding economy and efficiency.

The beneficiary's internal accounting and auditing procedures must permit direct reconciliation of the costs and revenue declared in respect of the action/project with the corresponding accounting statements and supporting documents.

The certificate on the financial statement required for the payment of the balance of this Programme Support Action is an eligible cost.

The same criteria apply to the Implementing Bodies and/ or Affiliated Entities. 11.5. Eligible direct costs

"Direct costs" of the action are those specific costs which are directly linked to the implementation of the action and can therefore be attributed directly to it. They may not include any indirect costs.

To be eligible, direct costs shall comply with the conditions of eligibility set out in Article II.19.1.

In particular, the following categories of costs are eligible direct costs, provided that they satisfy the conditions of eligibility set out in Article II.19.1 as well as the following conditions:

1. (a) the costs of personnel working under an employment contract with the beneficiary or an equivalent appointing act and assigned to the action, comprising actual salaries plus social security contributions and other statutory costs included in the remuneration, provided that these costs are in line with the beneficiary's usual policy on remuneration; those costs may also include additional remunerations, including payments on the basis of supplementary contracts regardless of the nature of those contracts, provided that they are paid in a consistent manner whenever the same kind of work or expertise is required, independently from the source of funding used;
   The costs of natural persons working under a contract with the beneficiary other than an employment contract may be assimilated to such costs of personnel, provided that the following conditions are fulfilled:

   1. (i)  the natural person works under the instructions of the beneficiary and, unless otherwise agreed with the beneficiary, in the premises of the beneficiary;

   2. (ii)  the result of the work belongs to the beneficiary; and

   3. (iii)  the costs are not significantly different from the costs of staff performing similar tasks under an employment contract with the beneficiary;

2. (b)  costs of travel and related subsistence allowances, provided that these costs are in line with the beneficiary's usual practices on travel;

3. (c)  the full costs of purchase of equipment and other assets shall be eligible, provided that they are treated as capital expenditure in accordance with the tax and accounting rules applicable to the beneficiary and are recorded in the fixed assets account of its balance sheet and if the asset has been purchased in accordance with Article II.9.1.

   The costs of rental or lease of equipment or other assets are also eligible, provided that these costs do not exceed the depreciation costs of similar equipment or assets and are exclusive of any finance fee

   Only the portion of the equipment's depreciation, rental or lease costs corresponding to the period set out in Article 2.2 and the rate of actual use for the purposes of the action may be taken into account.

4. (d)  costs of consumables and supplies, provided that they are purchased in accordance with the first subparagraph of Article II.9.1 and are directly assigned to the action;

5. (e)  costs arising directly from requirements imposed by the Agreement (dissemination of information, specific evaluation of the action, audits, translations, reproduction), including the costs of requested financial guarantees, provided that the corresponding services are purchased in accordance with the first subparagraph of Article II.9.1;

6. (f)  costs entailed by service contracts, including costs of environmental studies on the protection of the environment and on compliance with the relevant Union law, provided that the corresponding services are purchased in accordance with the first subparagraph of Article II.9.1 and costs entailed by subcontracts within the meaning of Article II.10, provided that the conditions laid down in Article II.10.2 are met;

7. (g)  costs of financial support to third parties : not applicable;

8. (h)  duties, taxes and charges paid by the beneficiary, notably non-deductible value added tax (VAT), provided that they are included in eligible direct costs, and unless specified otherwise in the Agreement.

 

11.6. Ineligible costs
In addition to any costs not fulfilling the conditions enumerated above in the section "Eligible

direct costs", the following costs shall not be considered eligible:

1. (a)  return on capital;

2. (b)  debt and debt service charges;

3. (c)  provisions for losses or debts;

4. (d)  interest owed;

5. (e)  doubtful debts;

6. (f)  exchange losses;

7. (g)  costs of transfers from the Commission charged by the bank of a beneficiary;

8. (h)  costs declared by the beneficiary in the framework of another action receiving a grant financed from the Union budget (including grants awarded by a Member State and financed from the Union budget and grants awarded by other bodies than the Commission for the purpose of implementing the Union budget); in particular, indirect costs shall not be eligible under a grant for an action awarded to a beneficiary which already receives an operating grant financed from the Union budget during the period in question;

9. (i)  contributions in kind from third parties;

10. (j)  excessive or reckless expenditure;

11. (k)  deductible VAT;

11.7. Payment and reporting arrangements

11.7.1. A pre-financing

A pre-financing to each beneficiary Member State participating will correspond to 50% of the maximum grant amount and will be paid within 30 days after the reception of the signed Grant Agreement by the Commission.

11.7.2. Payment of the balance on the final grant amount

Within 90 days of the approval of the request for payment of the balance, the Commission shall establish the amount of the final grant and pay the balance of the amount due for the Action to each of the beneficiary Member States.

The request for payment of the balance shall be submitted to the Commission and accompanied by the following documents no longer than within 90 days after the completion of the Action:

1. a) the final report coordinated by the Coordinator containing the following:

   1. (i)  the Agreement number, the action number, the transport mode and the project of

      common interest it relates to;

   2. (ii)  the name and contact details of the author of the report;

   3. (iii)  the objectives of the action (if any deviation is reported);

   4. (iv)  technical information on how the action was implemented and fulfilled its objectives;

   5. (v)  information on the contracts awarded for the implementation of the action and on compliance with the requirements set out in Articles II.9 and II.10;

   6. (vi)  environmental information;

   7. (vii)  information about measures taken to publicise the action;

   8. (viii)  information on other sources of Union funds (CEF, ERDF, Cohesion Fund, H2020, TEN-T, EIPA, etc.) that have been used for the global project (e.g. previous or subsequent phases not covered by this Agreement).

      Article 4.4 of the Special Conditions of the Grant Agreement defines specific technical information to be included in the Final Report.

2. (b)  the final financial statement containing a statement of the eligible costs incurred by the beneficiaries, its affiliated entities and its implementing bodies for the implementation of its activities under the Agreement since the eligibility date of the Action;

3. (c)  the certification by the beneficiary that:
   i) the information provided is full, reliable and true and
   ii) the costs declared in the final financial statement are real and eligible in accordance with this Agreement; and that the request for payment is substantiated by adequate supporting documents that can be produced in the context of the checks or audits.

   In addition, it shall certify that all the receipts have been cleared.

4. (e) By way of derogation from Article II.23.2, the beneficiaries that are public bodies or international organisations shall not submit a certificate on the financial statements together with a request for the balance payment.

Where applicable, when incurred eligible costs by the beneficiary and its implementing bodies for the implementation of the Action are at least EUR 750 000 and when the Commission's contribution to the reimbursement of the eligible costs is of at least EUR 325 000, a certificate on the financial statements and underlying accounts should be provided (“certificate on the financial statements”).

This certificate shall be produced by an approved auditor or, in case of public bodies, by a competent and independent public officer. It shall certify that the costs declared in the final financial statement by the beneficiary concerned, its affiliated entities and its implementing bodies for the categories of costs reimbursed on the basis of actual costs are real, accurately recorded and eligible in accordance with the Agreement. It shall also certify that all the receipts referred have been declared.

EU grants may not have the purpose or effect of producing a profit within the framework of the Action of the beneficiary its affiliated entities and its implementing bodies. Profit shall be defined as a surplus of the receipts over the eligible costs incurred by the beneficiary its affiliated entities and its implementing bodies, when the request is made for payment of the balance.

In this respect, where a profit is made, the Commission is entitled to recover the profit corresponding to the Union contribution to the eligible costs actually incurred by the beneficiary its affiliated entities and its implementing bodies to carry out the Action.

 

11.8. Reporting:

From the date of entry into force of the Agreement (month 1), until the completion of the implementation of the Action, the Grant Agreement Coordinator will provide a Quarterly Progress Report (one pager), covering:

• -  the progress in the implementation of the Action with regard to the achievement of its objectives with regard to all Activities described above;

• -  information on any delays in the achievement of the objectives of the Action,

• -  mitigation actions undertaken

The first Quarterly Progress Report shall cover, in addition to above:

• -  the methodological and working assumptions

• -  identify any additional need for information to be collected during the Grant Agreement

• -  Present data collection methodology and tools, along with a preliminary list of contacts to be consulted.

• -  The Quarterly Progress Report shall not exceed 20 pages (annexes excluded).

On the basis of the outcomes of the Programme Support Action stated in the Quarterly Progress Reports, the Commission could organize meeting with the coordinator and/or the consortium to discuss the main problems encountered.

 

12. PUBLICITY

12.1. By the beneficiaries

Beneficiaries must clearly acknowledge the European Union’s contribution in all publications or in conjunction with activities for which the grant is used.

In this respect, beneficiaries are required to give prominence to the name and emblem of the European Commission on all their publications, posters, programmes and other products realised under the co-financed project.

If this requirement is not fully complied with, the beneficiary’s grant may be reduced in accordance with the provisions of the grant agreement.

12.2. By the Commission

With the exception of scholarships paid to natural persons and other direct support paid to natural persons in most need, all information relating to grants awarded in the course of a financial year shall be published on an internet site of the European Union institutions no later than the 30 June of the year following the financial year in which the grants were awarded.

The Commission will publish the following information:

• –  name of the beneficiary

• –  address of the beneficiary when the latter is a legal person, region when the beneficiary is a natural person, as defined on NUTS 2 level11 if he/she is domiciled within EU or equivalent if domiciled outside EU,

• –  subject of the grant,

• `–  amount awarded.

Upon a reasoned and duly substantiated request by the beneficiary, the publication shall be waived if such disclosure risks threatening the rights and freedoms of individuals concerned as protected by the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union or harm the commercial interests of the beneficiaries.

 

 

13. DATA PROTECTION

The reply to any call for proposals involves the recording and processing of personal data (such as name, address and CV). Such data will be processed pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data by the Community institutions and bodies and on the free movement of such data. Unless indicated otherwise, the questions and any personal data requested are required to evaluate the application in accordance with the specifications of the call for proposal will be processed solely for that purpose by the Commission. Details concerning the processing of personal data are available on the privacy statement at: http://ec.europa.eu/dataprotectionofficer/privacystatement_publicprocurement_en.pdf.

Your personal data may be registered in the Early Detection and Exclusion System (EDES) if you are in one of the situations mentioned in Article 106 of the Financial Regulation. For more information, see the Privacy Statement on http://ec.europa.eu/budget/explained/management/protecting/protect_en.cfm .

 

14. PROCEDURE FOR THE SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS

Proposal must be submitted in accordance with the formal requirements and by the deadline set out under section 3.

No modification to the application is allowed once the deadline for submission has elapsed. However, if there is a need to clarify certain aspects or for the correction of clerical mistakes, the Commission may contact the applicant for this purpose during the evaluation process.

Applicants will be informed in writing about the results of the selection process. Submission

Application forms are attached to the present document.

Applications shall be submitted on the correct form, duly completed, dated, showing a balanced budget (revenue/expenditure), submitted in three copies (one original clearly identified as such, plus two copies), and signed by the person authorised to enter into legally binding commitments on behalf of the applicant Member State.

Where applicable, all additional information considered necessary by the applicant can be included on separate sheets.

Applications must be sent to the following address:

Grant Procedure:

"Data collection related to recharging/refuelling points for alternative fuels and the unique identification codes related to e-Mobility actors"

European Commission Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport – Unit B.4 DM 28 - 0/110 – Archives
B-1049 Brussels
Belgium

- by post, date as postmark;
- in person, date as receipt,
- by courier service, date of receipt by the courier service. Applications sent by fax or e-mail will not be accepted.

Contacts

Contact person:
Mr Alain Van GAEVER, Unit B4, DG Mobility and Transport

MOVE-PSA-B4@ec.europa.eu

Public link:   Only for registered users