Process description and steps

The general concepts of the Grant Management Services system also apply to the amendments process. 

Step 1: The Coordinator logs in to the Funding & Tenders  Portal. 

Please click here to find out how to log in to the Funding & Tenders Portal. 

Step 2: The Coordinator launches the amendment request, prepares all data and sends to the EU for review

The Grant Management Services analyses the validity of the request to be able to sign and submit it. Once it is considered valid, the coordinator can lock the data for review, which triggers the generation of a PDF. The amendment request is considered as prepared and the metro line consequently moves to the status "prepared".

a. Launching a new interaction with the Service.

 Only the Coordinator Contact Person can perform this action.

Then choose the relevant option:

a) launch a new amendment request based on the latest legal data (option selected by default): 

b) or launch a new amendment request based on a previous amendment (for the same project):

This will create the request for amendment. Please wait for the reference number to appear.

An amendment request reference number, containing the project number, is being created. This number is important, because it will allow you to trace the amendment. 

Finally, the task Amendment preparation will be available, as soon as the button Lock for Review appears. 

Once officially requested, the person launching the amendment request can cancel the request at any point before the signature of the PLSIGN. 

 Only the Coordinator Contact Person can perform this action. 

 Please refresh the page regularly to move the process forward!

After these steps, the amendment request is launched

Please note that the amendments are not supported for Grant Certificate, Hop-on/Top-up or Prize calls. Hence when clicking on the button, there will be no options available:

b. Preparing the amendment data.

The Amendment Preparation task, allows you to prepare the amendment information. 

 All beneficiaries can perform this action.

Clicking on the Amendment Preparation task will open a new browser window.  Please click on the  Amendment Information tab and start preparing the amendment data. 

The data displayed are similar to the Grant Preparation. You can browse the tabs and modify the Grant Agreement data, e.g. go to the tab "General information" and change the duration.

 Please click here for an overview of how to modify the Grant Agreement data. 

In the amendment information tab, you can see an overview of the modifications. The different amendment types presented are in line with the amendment guidelines.

 To select/unselect a manual Grant Agreement option or a manual amendment type (e.g. change of Annex 1 and change of Annex 2), you have to ask the EU Officer. Please click here for an overview of which types are manual or automatic and for an overview of how to modify the Grant Agreement data. 

As soon as you have saved your modifications, you can review the amendment document (which will be signed electronically): go to the Documents tab and click the amendment icon next to Amendment core. In the case of the addition of a new beneficiary, the Accession Form will be available as soon as the modifications have been saved. 

Assistance for amendment preparation is foreseen: 

• Automatic selection of the relevant amendment types, based on which Grant Agreement information is modified
• List of relevant supporting documents
• Better overview and tracking of all changes 
• Note: An amendment consists of a number of possible types which are predefined

c. Locking the amendment request for review

The amendment request can be locked for review (the data are locked, a pdf is generated ready for electronic signature), in order to assess the request. This means that nobody can edit any data any more at this point.

 Only the Coordinator Contact Person can perform this action. 

Keep refreshing the process until the Amendment is generated. 

and until the buttons "Unlock to draft" and "EU review" become visible.

After this step, the amendment request is in step 

d. Sending the amendment request for review by the EU

After having reviewed the amendment request, the Coordinator Contact sends the amendment request for review to the EU (mandatory) by clicking on "EU Review". 

Note: "Unlock to draft" will make the amendment request editable again. 

After clicking the "EU Review" button, the process will be in the hands of the EU. 

Option: cancel amendment

At any point before the signature of the PLSIGN, the Coordinator can cancel the amendment by clicking the "Cancel amendment" button.

Step 3: The EU Services review the amendment request (mandatory)

The EU officer(s) reviews the amendment request and will, if approved, validate it and send back to the PLSIGN. 

 If the EU officer sends the amendment back for revision to the Consortium, the Coordinator is notified via a PNS (Participant Notification System) message that the Project Officer has rejected the amendment. Then a second PNS message follows, explaining him/her what changes are requested from the consortium side. All PNS  messages are available under the Communication Centre section.

Step 4: The Project Legal Signatory signs and submits the amendment request to the EU Services after the EU review 

The amendment is ready for signature as soon as:

• The EU officer has reviewed the request and validated it
• The documents are correct (Amendment core and Amendment request letter), and 
• there are no blocking issues for the submission of the amendment, i.e. there's no yellow triangle next to the Amendment Preparation task. 

• in the case of the addition of a new beneficiary, the amendment request can only be signed when all Accession Forms and all Declarations of Honour are signed. 

 Clicking on the yellow triangle, shows you whether there's blocking issues for the submission of the amendment. 

  A Participant Notification System (PNS) message is sent to the LEAR of each partner in order to remind him/her to nominate a PLSIGN in case no PLSIGN has been assigned to the project. This PNS is sent at the same time as the one requesting new partners to sign the Declaration of Honour and the Accession Form.

  If a beneficiary is terminated due to non-accession or other reason and it re-enters in the project via an amendment, then it should (re-)sign the Accession Form and the Declaration of Honour.

The Project Legal Signatory (PLSIGN)  logs in to the Funding & Tenders Portal and reviews the request. He then Signs and submits the amendment request to the EU.  In case he would like to make some changes to the request he can click the Unlock to draft button and send it back to the people who prepare the amendment request (Coordinator Contact Person).

 Only the Project Legal Signatory can sign and submit the amendment request. 

 Please be aware that in case of a change of the Coordinator, it is the PLSIGN of the current Coordinating Organisation who has to sign and submit it to the EU Services.

 Please be aware that in case new beneficiaries have been added, they will have to sign their Declaration of Honour and Accession Form electronically, before you can sign and submit. 

At this point, the amendment request is officially submitted and the document is registered.

 Please note that it is not possible to sign a new amendment when an existing one is waiting to be countersigned. Should this be the case, an error message will be displayed when clicking on the Sign & Submit button:

 Please note that once an AMD request is submitted by the Coordinator to the EU Services, there is no correction possible anymore but the AMD must either be officially rejected by the EU Services or withdrawn by the Consortium.

The submission of Amendments without the Coordinator's Legal Signature is blocked; to unblock the submission, go back to the Project Representatives screen and select the check box for the Coordinator Legal Signatory. 

Option: withdraw amendment 

After signing and submitting the amendment request, the PLSIGN can withdraw it at any point before the counter-signature of the EU. 

 Only the PLSIGN can perform this action. 

Step 5: The EU Services assess the amendment. 

During the assessment of the amendment request by the EU, no task is available for the external user and they only have access to the submitted and registered documents. The EU Services have 45 days to assess the request. 

If the EU deems it necessary to extend the 45 days deadline, the coordinator will be notified via the Participant Notification System about the extension. The EU comment on the reason for the extension will be displayed in the Process communications list.

Once the request has been assessed, the process goes to the status Admissible .

This status does not apply for new instances launched from the 12th of August 2020.

Step 6: The EU Services accept (countersign the amendment) or reject (make available a rejection letter). 

On completion of the assessment, the amendment is accepted or rejected and countersigned by the EU. The metro line moves to the status decision  in both cases and the process is closed and the process box will turn black.

In case the amendment request is rejected, a letter motivating the rejection will be available.