ITTo

GI SERIES

15

Manual on standard operating proceduresfor the ITTO project cycle

INTERNATIONAL TROPICAL TIMBER ORGANIZATIONInternational Organizations Center, 5th Floor, Pacifico-Yokohama, 1-1-1, Minato-Mirai, Nishi-Ku, Yokohama, 220-0012, Japan
Tel 81-45-223-1110 Fax 81-45-223-1111 Email itto@itto.int Web www.itto.int© ITTO 20092009
Manual on standard operating procedures for the ITTO project cycleITTo

GI SERIES

15

Manual on standard operating proceduresfor the ITTO project cycle
2009

INTERNATIONAL TROPICAL TIMBER ORGANIZATION

Manual on standard operating procedures for the ITTO project cycle1Manual on standard operating procedures for the ITTO project cycle
General Information Series #15
The International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) is an intergovernmental organization promoting the conservationand sustainable management, use and trade of tropical forest resources. Its 60 members represent about 80% of theworld’s tropical forests and 90% of the global tropical timber trade. ITTO develops internationally agreed policy
documents to promote sustainable forest management and forest conservation and assists tropical member countries
to adapt such policies to local circumstances and to implement them in the field through projects. In addition, ITTO
collects, analyses and disseminates data on the production and trade of tropical timber and funds projects and otheractions aimed at developing industries at both community and industrial scales. All projects are funded by voluntary
contributions, mostly from consumer member countries. Since it became operational in 1987, ITTO has funded more than
750 projects, pre-projects and activities valued at more than US$300 million. The major donors are the governments ofJapan, Switzerland and the United States.
© ITTO 2009This work is copyright. Except for the ITTO logo, graphical and textual information in this publication may be reproduced
in whole or in part provided that it is not sold or put to commercial use and its source is acknowledged.
ISBN 4-902045-49-4
Photo credit: CIB

2

Manual on standard operating procedures for the ITTO project cycle

Foreword
I have the pleasure to introduce herewith the Manual on Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for
the ITTO Project Cycle. The ITTO project cycle consists of the various phases through which a project
moves from first conception to completion which include project identification and formulation;
submission; appraisal; approval; funding; inception; implementation; monitoring and evaluation;completion and closure.
The Manual covers all the procedures involved in project work and guides the main implementersin the project cycle in performing their roles in the various phases of the project cycle. The Member
Country, the Contact Point, the Executing Agency, the Clearing House, the Expert Panel for TechnicalAppraisal of Project Proposals, Consultants, Project Evaluators, Independent Auditors, the ITTO
Secretariat, the ITTO Committees and the Council should adhere to the procedures and guidelines
prescribed in the Manual to effectively operate a project from beginning to end.
The Manual is brief but comprehensive consolidating all the practices and experiences gained in the
project work of ITTO which have evolved as standard procedures. The Annexes of the Manual
provide model guidelines and templates for certain key procedures and results of specific phases ofthe project cycle.
The Manual builds upon the limited provisions of the “Rules and Procedures Applying to ITTO
Projects, November 1999”. It should be used in conjunction with other procedures stipulated in theother revised ITTO manuals and guidelines and pertinent decisions of the Council related to theproject cycle.
Emmanuel Ze Meka
Executive Director
Yokohama, December 2008

Manual on standard operating procedures for the ITTO project cycle

34Manual on standard operating procedures for the ITTO project cycle

Table of Contents
Foreword. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

3

A

General Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

9BManual on SOP for ITTO project cycle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

10IIntroduction to the ITTO Project Cycle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

101

Description of the ITTO Project Cycle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

10

2

Scope of the SOP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

10

Project Identification and Formulation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

13

1

Eligibility of Countries/Executing Agencies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

13

2

Eligibility of Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

13

3

Project Formulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

14

4Software Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

14

5

Categories of Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

14

6

Regional and Global Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

15

7Projects to be Implemented in Other ITTO Member Country(ies) . . . . . . . . . . . 

15

8Emergency and Urgent Proposal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

15

Project Submission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

16

1

Contact Point. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

16

2

Check-lists for Submission. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

163

In-country Clearing House . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

18

4Number and Prioritization of Projects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

18

5Submission Deadline. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

18

6Re-submission of Approved Project. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

18

Project Appraisal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

19

1Role of the Secretariat. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

19

2Role of Expert Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

20

3Appraisal Process. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

21

4Rating Categories. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

21

5Role of Committee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

23

Project Approval . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

23

1Role of Committees and Council. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

23

2

Approval of Projects by the Executive Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

23

Project Sunset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

23

1

Approved Projects Pending Finance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

23

2Funded Projects Pending Implementation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

24

II

III

IV

V

VI

Manual on standard operating procedures for the ITTO project cycle

5VII Project Funding. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
1

Sources of ITTO Funding. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

24

2

Donor Consideration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

24

VIII Project Agreement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

25

IX

X

XI

6

24

1

Processing of the Project Agreement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

25

2Signatories to Project Agreement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

25

3

Subsidiary Agreement(s). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

25

Project Inception . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

26

1

Duration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

26

2

Inception Arrangements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

26

3

Approval of Inception Report including YPO/detailed Work Plan . . . . . . . . . . 

26

4

No Objection Letters for Core Project Personnel and Consultants . . . . . . . . . . 

26

5Requirements for First Installment of ITTO funds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

26

Project Implementation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

27

1Commencement of the Implementation of a Project. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

27

2Disbursement of Subsequent Installments of ITTO Funds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

27

3

Selection of Financial Auditors and Submission of Audited Annual
Final Financial Statements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

27

4

Selection of Consultants, Sub-contracts, Procurement of Goods . . . . . . . . . . . . 

28

5Timely Submission of Progress, Financial and Technical Reports. . . . . . . . . . . . 

29

6Continuously Maintain Project Documentation Financial Accounts. . . . . . . . . 

29

7Modification of Project Budget and Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

29

8Travel Policy and Reporting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

29

9Dissemination of Project Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

30

10Responsibilities of the Host Government . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

30

11Responsibilities of the EA and Other Parties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

30

Project Monitoring and Evaluation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

31

1Conduct of Inception Meeting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

312Internal Monitoring by the Executing Agency and the Focal Point. . . . . . . . . . 

31

3

Conduct of PSC/PTC Meetings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

32

4Planning, Preparation and Conduct of Review Missions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

32

5Mid-term Evaluation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

33

6Ex-post Evaluation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

34

7

Donor and Stakeholder Involvement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

35

Manual on standard operating procedures for the ITTO project cycle

XII Project Suspension . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

36

1

Criteria for Suspension . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

36

2Procedure for Suspension . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

36

3

Effects of the Suspension . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

37

4

Criteria and Procedure for Lifting the Suspension. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

37

XIII Project Termination. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

37

1

Criteria for Project Termination. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

37

2

Procedure for Project Termination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

37

3

Effects of Project Termination. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

37

XIV Project Completion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

37

1Completion Report and Post-project Sustainability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

37

2Technical Report(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

38

3

Field Verification of Outputs and Achievements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

38

4Role of the Committees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

38

5Technical and Financial Requirements for Project Completion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

39

XV Project Closure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

39

ANNEXESANNEX A Categories of Decision: Expert Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

40

ANNEX B Working Documents for New Appraisal System. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

41

ANNEX C Bali Partnership Fund Guidelines. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

52

ANNEX D Template for Project Agreement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

54

ANNEX E Sample Agreement between EA and Collaborating Agency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

61

ANNEX F Guidelines for Financial Audit of Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

63

ANNEX G Template for Project Financial Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

74

ANNEX H Template for Project Cash Flow Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

76

ANNEX I

Guide for PSC/PTC Meeting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

78

ANNEX J Guide in Monitoring Visits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

82

GLOSSARY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

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Manual on standard operating procedures for the ITTO project cycle

78Manual on standard operating procedures for the ITTO project cycle

A General Introduction
The Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) is a framework of practices and regulations for the ITTO
project cycle that should be followed from the start of a project to completion. These procedures
evolved as a result of Council decisions and the past experiences of various implementers of the
ITTO project cycle.
Standard Operating Procedures have been prepared to guide the actions of the main implementers in
the project cycle including the member country (contact point, clearing-house, executing agency), ITTO
(secretariat, Committees, Council), the Expert Panel, consultants and suppliers of goods and services,
and independent auditors to achieve project objectives and expected results and impacts. Their specificroles and responsibilities should be guided by applicable procedures in all phases of the project cycle.
New guidelines have been included for most aspects of the project cycle that do not haveoperating procedures. Referrals are made on the most updated procedures and Council decisions
currently used by the Organization.
The SOP Manual for the project cycle should be used in conjunction with:• Manual for Project Formulation, third edition 2008;• ITTO Manual for Project Monitoring, Review, Reporting, and Evaluation (third edition, 2008);• ITTO Guidelines for the Selection and Employment of Consultants and Guidelines for theProcurement and Payments of Goods and Services (2008);• ProTool 2008 and its Users’ Manual which are computerized tools (software) to facilitate project
proposal and budget preparation downloadable from the internet;• Financial Rules and Rules Relating to Projects of the ITTO.
Each of these manuals provide more detailed procedures and guidelines in the specific phase of the
project cycle they cover and are referred to throughout the SOP Manual.

Manual on standard operating procedures for the ITTO project cycle

9B Manual on Standard Operating Procedures for
the ITTO Project Cycle
I Introduction to the ITTO Project Cycle
1 Description of the ITTO Project Cycle
The ITTO project cycle consists of the various phases through which a project moves from first
conception to completion which include project identification and formulation; submission; appraisal;
approval; funding; inception; implementation; monitoring and evaluation; completion and closure.
Each phase has specific key actions and procedures that should be done to complete a particular phase.
The project cycle is generally sequential and the following phases can only be concluded when theprevious phase(s) have been conducted. Some key activities can be conducted in several phases as in
the case of monitoring and evaluation and financial auditing. A completed project cycle also provides
feedback mechanism to continue with a phased or follow-up project. Figure 1 depicts the generalflow chart for the ITTO project cycle.
Figure 1: The ITTO Project Cycle
ClosureIdentification/
formulation

Completion

Monitoringand Evaluation

Submission

The ITTO project cycle consistsof the various phases throughwhich a project moves from first
conception to completion

Implementation

Appraisal

Approval

Inception

Funding

2 Scope of the SOPStandard Operating Procedures (SOP) are procedures and requirements, which should be followed
throughout the entire ITTO project cycle to effectively carry out projects in all stages.
The SOP covers guidance to the main actors in project cycle implementation in performing their
responsibilities in the various phases of the project cycle. The SOP for the member countries, theContact Point, the Executing Agency, the Clearing House, the Expert Panel for Technical Appraisalof Project Proposals, consultants, the ITTO Secretariat, the ITTC and its Technical Committees
are prescribed from project identification and formulation to completion.

10

Manual on standard operating procedures for the ITTO project cycle

Table 1 below summarizes the SOP and guidance for each stage of the project cycle.
Table 1: Summary Matrix of SOP and Guidance
PROJECT CYCLE STAGESSTANDARD OPERATINGPROCEDURESGUIDANCE

1. Identification andformulation

Members identify priority
project proposals

National and ITTO priorities
and action plans/guidelines
Project idea

EA formulates project proposal Manual on project formulation
Members encouraged to use
software tools
2. Submission

Users’ manual and softwaretools for formulation

Contact points submit proposals Only 1 focal point accreditedby ITTO
National clearing house screens Checklist for submission
and prioritizes project
Limit submission to 3 new
proposals
proposals per country

3. Appraisal

4. Approval

5. Sunset

Secretariat screens project
proposals

Checklist for appraisal

Expert Panel technicallyappraises project proposals

Criteria and appraisal system
as approved by the Council

Technical Committees
recommend decision on
project proposals

Expert Panel Appraisal Report

Council makes final decisions
on project proposals

Final appraisal by Committees

Council declares sunset
provisions on projects

Projects approved by Committee
can be revised (within limits)and resubmitted directly to
Council within 20 months
Committee approved projects
are eligible for funding for
26 months; after which they
become sunset if not funded

6. Funding

ITTO selects project and funds Donors should consider generalfrom various sources e.g. special criteria for funding
account and BPF

7. Project Agreement

ITTO prepares project agreement
for approved/funded projects

Model template for PA
Review provisions in draft PA

Signing of PA by authorized
representatives of ITTO, member
country, EA and collaborating
agencies as appropriate

Manual on standard operating procedures for the ITTO project cycle

11

PROJECT CYCLE STAGES
8. Inception

STANDARD OPERATINGPROCEDURES
The EA submits an inception
report to ITTOGUIDANCE
After approval and funding,the
EA confirms that it is ready tostart project with office facilities,
opens a separate account or
sub account in internationallyrecognized bank preferably
in dollars, arrangements for
professional management staff
and consultants to be engaged,
agreement reached with any
collaborating agency, and a YPO1or detailed work plan attached,and holds a launching meeting
to approve the inception report
as appropriate
Use format in manual for projectmonitoring, review, reportingand evaluation

9. Implementation

Release first installment of
ITTO funds

Submission of inception report for
release of first payment of funds

The EA commences
implementation
ITTO disburses subsequentinstallments of ITTO funds

Submission of bi-annual
progress reports, YPO, andjustification for funds release

EA submits yearly/final
audited financial statements

Guidelines in selection of
independent auditors andmodel template for financial
audit statements

EA selects consultants/project ITTO Guidelines on selection
management staff and procure of consultants andgoods and other services
procurement of goods
10. M onitoring andevaluation

The EA submits progress,
subsequent YPOs, financial,
and technical reports
PSC/PTC holds meetings
for review and evaluation

11. Suspension

12

Deadlines and format asindicated in the manual for
project monitoring, review
and evaluation

Conduct internal and externalmonitoring by EA and ITTO
respectively

TOR and guidelines for
PSC meetings

Conduct mid-term and ex-post
evaluation as appropriate

Guidelines in manual for
project monitoring, review,
reporting and, evaluation

The ITTO may suspend a
Funds being used contrary to
project due to non-compliance PD and cases of fraud, waste,with PAneglect, or mismanagement

Manual on standard operating procedures for the ITTO project cycle

PROJECT CYCLE STAGESSTANDARD OPERATINGPROCEDURESGUIDANCE

12. Termination

Council may terminate aproject upon recommendationof the secretariat based on
criteria for project termination

Rule 31 of Criteria in “ITTO
financial rules and rules
relating to projects”

13. Completion

The EA submits a completion
report and final audited
financial statement

Model templates forcompletion report and final
audited financial statement

Council formally declaresa project completed uponrecommendations of theCommittees

Approval of the completion
report and the final financial
audit statement from the EA

ITTO secretariat initiates
closure of the project accountApproval of completed projects
by Committees and receipt offinal audited financial
statements and unused funds
from the EA

14. Closure

II Project Identification and Formulation
1 Eligibility of Countries/Executing Agencies
ITTO member countries are eligible to submit project, small project, and pre-project proposals. They must
be in good standing without any outstanding arrears in payment of membership fees for the last three years.
Several member countries can submit proposals jointly as in the case of transboundary or regional
projects. If projects of this nature are submitted by only one country then the consent and supportof the other participating countries must be manifested in writing.
Government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector of a member country
are eligible to be executing agencies for ITTO projects. The ITTO Contact Point in a member
country should have a system of accreditation for executing agencies proposing projects. They
should consider as main criterion: the financial and management capability of these agencies to carryout the project, the agencies’ past similar experience with activities proposed in the relevant project,previous record in implementing ITTO projects; and current project load.

2 Eligibility of Projects
Project proposals submitted to ITTO should be consistent with the current ITTO Yokohama Action
Plan and the national forestry policy of the submitting member countries [Decision 4(XXV), Annex A].
The proposals should also consider relevance to ITTO objectives and adherence to the organization’svarious policy guidelines developed which are available at the ITTO website.
Bearing in mind the needs of developing countries, members may submit pre-project and project proposals
to the Council in the fields of research and development, market intelligence, statistics, further and increased
wood processing in producing member countries, and reforestation and forest management. Pre-projects
and projects should contribute to the achievement of one or more of the objectives of ITTO.

Manual on standard operating procedures for the ITTO project cycle

133 Project Formulation
The project proposals submitted by member countries should follow the guidelines and format prescribedin the ITTO Manual for Project Formulation (2008). Full guidance on project formulation is provided
in this Manual. It elaborates on the procedures and guidelines the member country and executing
agency must follow in identifying and formulating a project for submission to ITTO.
This manual is available on the ITTO web site. In addition, to facilitate drafting of the proposal andto secure consistency in the logical framework flow and required inputs and budget, computerizedsoftware tools have been developed and made available to proposal developers on the ITTO web site
to assist in the formulation of the proposal.

4 Software Tools
Project proponents are encouraged to use the ITTO Project Formulation Software Tool to facilitate
formulation of proposals. It is a user-friendly package of several software tools that will assist theformulation process based on the “Manual for Project Formulation”. The “Users’ Manual for the ITTO
software tools provides guidance on operating the computerized tools to formulate a proposal.
The computerized tools will enable proponents to generate computerized outputs pertaining to thefollowing aspects of project formulation:• Analysis of the Key Problem and Creating Problem Tree
• Analysis of the Objectives• Specifying the Outputs of each Objective• Creating the Logical Framework Matrix• Specifying the Activities of each Output• Creating the Work Plan Matrix• Identification of Inputs needed per Activity• Creation of budget tables• Analysis of Assumptions• Project document generation
The software tools and the users’ manual have been installed in the ITTO website. Proponents candownload both from the internet and use the saved files for project formulation.

5 Categories of Projects
ITTO projects are categorized in view of varying requirements and guidelines pertaining to a project,a small project, and a pre-project. Each type of project requires different format, contents, andpresentation. The “Manual for Project Formulation, Third Edition, 2008” specifies the format, contents,
and guides for these project types supported by samples .
A project is a concerted effort directed at the achievement of one, exceptionally two, well articulated
specific objective(s) and related to a wider Development objective. A project proposal is a document
containing all the relevant information for the implementation of a project including clearly identified
performance, time and cost characteristics usually with a request for funding.
Small projects are projects which do not exceed two years and does not require more than a specified
amount of funds from ITTO. (The amount is to be decided by the Council and was $ 150.000 at
the time this SOP was printed). Examples of small projects are studies and conventions related tosustainable forest management, forest industry or timber trade.

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Manual on standard operating procedures for the ITTO project cyclePre-project proposals are meant for doing groundwork for the formulation of a project proposal andfor drafting the project proposal. Typically the outputs of a pre-project proposal comprise results ofsurveys and studies, identification and involvement of implementing agencies and stakeholders.
The longer the implementation period of the project the less accurate activities can be described andcost estimates made. It is recommended to present projects with an anticipated total duration offour (4) years or more, in two or more phases because a phased approach of projects has proven to
mitigate this problem of long term forecasting. Presentation of a full project proposal divided in two
or more phases provides insight in the follow-up of each phase and a preliminary estimation of theentire budget. Financial commitment is sought for each phase separately, starting with the first phaseand subsequently shortly before completion of each phase. The phased approach allows for necessary
adjustments in the proposal and budget for the follow-up phase(s), which will be submitted to ITTO.

6 Regional and Global Projects
Regional and Global Projects are encouraged to have wider values and their benefits should reachbeyond those institutions and people which are directly involved in the project (i.e. words Executing
Agency, collaborating agencies and immediate stakeholders). The country as a whole and other member
countries should somehow benefit from project results and impact. This means e.g. that deliverables
may be replicated and that a dissemination strategy deliberately reaches out to the national level andto other member states, or that the project implementation has a regional or global dimension.
Global or regional proposals presented by a single country or regional organizations which are endorsed
by ITTO members should show evidence of support from the other partner countries. These proposals
should contain firm commitments from participating countries to seriously pursue common objectives
and conduct joint activities, including those currently in implementation. They should be supported
by letters of support from all participating countries signed by the Focal Point or any duly designatedrepresentative. Other supporting documents on how the project came about and designed should
also be submitted.

7 Projects to be Implemented in Other ITTO Member Country(ies)
In case where a member country has submitted a proposal some or all of the activities are planned
to take place in the territory of another member, the member country should formally seek the agreementof the country in whose territory the project, or part of the project, is to be located.
The Expert Panel should make recommendations to the Committees if the proper evidence of support
from other participating countries or organizations is sufficient and properly endorsed by theirgovernments thru authorized representatives.

8 Emergency and Urgent Proposal
In the rare event an emergency proposal rises unexpectedly and cannot follow the full Project Cycle
and its proponents wish it to be considered at the next Council/Committees session, the submitting
government ITTO official contact point must:
1) Justify to the Secretariat, in writing, within 2 weeks prior to the Council session of the emergency/
urgent reasons;2) Ensure that their proposal is in compliance with the format and contents prescribed in the
Manual for Project Formulation, Third Edition 2008;
3) Ensure that their proposal is distributed to all the members of the relevant Committee, accompanied
by a written justification of why the proposal cannot await scrutiny by the next Expert Panel meeting;

Manual on standard operating procedures for the ITTO project cycle154) Secure the verbal support of at least three producer countries and three consumer member
countries within Committee session, when the proposal is discussed [Decision 5(XII), Annex].
A recent example of this type of emergency proposal is a forest rehabilitation initiative for tsunami
devastated areas in Thailand and Indonesia.

III Project Submission
1 Contact Point
Each member country should designate a person and/or institution as national ITTO contact or focal
point to handle ITTO matters [Decision 4(XXV), Annex A, Section III]. There should only be one
contact point for a member country to prevent confusion and overlapping decisions. The Contact
Point must be registered by the ITTO secretariat and serves as the official channel of communication
between a member country and ITTO and processes the project proposals submitted by the EAs
according to ITTO procedures.
The main functions of the ITTO contact point are:• to evaluate project ideas emanating from executing agencies before a full-blown proposal is formulated.
• to provide guidance for the formulation and implementation of projects.
• to process the project proposals submitted by EAs according to the ITTO procedures• to prioritize project proposals in accordance with national priorities and ITTO objectives andaction plan.
• to submit all ITTO pre-project and project proposals. (ITTO will not accept any pre-project
and/or project proposal not channeled through the “ITTO Contact Point”).
• to monitor and review, together with ITTO representatives, projects being implemented.
• to coordinate and resolve problems with ITTO arising from project implementation such as thoseleading to suspension or termination of a project due to causes elaborated on in this SOP.
• to be a member of the PSC/PTC providing guidance and review to ITTO projects.
• to consider the advise to set up a “National Clearing House” mechanism for the screening of
project or pre-project proposals taking into account national priorities and relevance to ITTO
goals, prior to submission. (Document ITTC(XXXVI)/5 of the Expert Panel on Measures to
Improve Project Formulation and Appraisal).
The project ideas contain very basic information regarding the problem to be addressed, the objective
to be achieved, the type of anticipated outputs and, if already possible, a first estimation of costs.
Project formulators are advised to present Project Ideas in one or two pages to the attention of thenational focal point.

2 Check-lists for Submission
Project proponents (Government and Executing Agency) shall ensure that projects submitted to
ITTO should comply with the basic guidelines for submission:
1. The Project Document format must be consistent with what is required in the ITTO Manual for Project
Formulation, Third Edition, 2008. Full guidance on project formulation is provided in this Manual.
2. The proposal shall be submitted in English, French, or Spanish and duly translated by ITTO
for appraisal purposes.

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Manual on standard operating procedures for the ITTO project cycle

3. Proponents should ensure that all relevant contents for a project, pre-project, and small projects
are complete as appropriate (format varies as indicated in the Manual for Project Formulation,
Third Edition, 2008) including appendices, maps, and terms of references.
4. All pre-project and project proposals must be submitted directly by the “official contact point”
of an ITTO Member [Decision 4(XXV), Annex A, Section III]. Any pre-project and/or project
proposal not channeled through the “ITTO Contact Point” will not be accepted. Transmittal
letter should be duly signed by the contact point.
5. Project proposals should be submitted on time following the project cycle announcement of theITTO, Japan time, before each Council Session for submission of projects commended to theCommittees, and new and revised proposals.
6. In view of the limited number of project proposals that the Expert Panel for Technical Appraisalof Project Proposals can appraise, it is desirable to limit submission of new project proposals to
no more than three per Expert Panel meeting and provide a list of project proposals in order ofpriority for consideration by the Expert Panel,
7. It is desirable that official contact points should consider the recommendations made by theExpert Panel on Measures to Improve Project Formulation and Appraisal [Document
ITTC(XXXVI)/5], particularly with regard to the advise to set up “National Clearing House”
mechanism for the screening of project or pre-project proposals taking into account national
priorities and relevance to ITTO goals, prior to submission.
8. Members who decide to withdraw project proposals after submission should be aware that substantial
translation costs and handling time will already have been expended on these proposals. The
government must make a firm decision to support any proposal before submitting it consideringthat amendments will not be accepted after the deadline, since proposals are immediately
processed and sent to Expert Panel members.
9. The quality of language of the proposal should be clear and adequate for assessment.
10. All Project proposals should not exceed 30 single sided pages, while pre-project proposals should notexceed 15 single sided pages (Reference: ITTO Manual for Project Formulation, Third Edition 2008)).
11. Proponents should also consider that large number of proposals, unduly lengthy proposals, anderrors of spelling, syntax, and calculation within proposals impose an unmanageable burden on
ITTO’s translators and on the Secretariat owing to the time constraints of the twenty-two week cycle.
12. Proposals should be prepared in A4 page size format using “Arial” font, size 10.
13. Members should dispatch by courier a clean copy of a proposal, free of hand-written amendments,
together with an electronic version on a CD – ROM in MS Word 2003 format for Windows or lower.
A Proposal should be submitted only as one integrated electronic file including tables, maps, and annexes.
14. If an Expert Panel recommends a proposal to be revised, the submitting Member must highlight all
additions, deletions, or amendments in the revised version for the benefit of translators. Suchhighlighting may take the form of underlining, for example, or use of bold type, highlight ink.
Highlighted sections should be clearly distinguishable from the original text. Explanatory notes on thechanges made should be attached to the proposal. Resubmitted project proposals whose revised
sections are not highlighted will not be considered by the Expert Panel and/or Technical Committees.
15. Proposals that have been rejected by ITTO after 3 submissions, i.e. two revisions, cannot be re-submitted.
16. Regional proposals should contain firm commitments from participating countries or seriously
pursue common objectives and conduct joint activities, including those currently in
implementation.
17. Incomplete proposals will not be accepted.

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17

ITTo

3 In-Country Clearing House
Member countries are strongly encouraged to establish a National Clearing House in accordancewith recommendations made by the Expert Panel on Measures to Improve Project Formulation andAppraisal and adopted by ITTC (XXXVII/Decision 3).
Function
The “National Clearing House” mechanism will assist the contact point with screening of project or
pre-project proposals taking into account national priorities and relevance to ITTO goals, prior to
submission. This mechanism shall serve as the technical secretariat of the country Contact Point for
detailed evaluation and prioritization of proposals. It should also evaluate project ideas from
Executing Agencies if these are submitted to the Contact Point prior to a full-blown project proposal.
It should also screen the completeness and format/contents of the proposal to assure proper appraisal.
Composition
The National Clearing House shall consist of officials and staff from the Country’s Contact Point
associated with activities on sustainable forest management and timber trade. It is ideal that key
members are conversant with ITTO rules and procedures in the project cycle. Representatives of
ITTO Executing Agencies and collaborating agencies can also be invited as members as well as fromacademe or professional organizations. It shall conduct its work through evaluation meetings, review
of pertinent country and ITTO documents, interview with stakeholders, and field visits if necessary.
As an initiative of a member country, the National Clearing House shall be supported with adequate
resources by the member government. ITTO through a Council Decision can provide some assistancein organizing and operating this institutional mechanism.

4 Number and Prioritization of Projects
In view of the limited number of project proposals that the Expert Panel for Technical Appraisal of Project
Proposals can appraise, member countries are encouraged to limit submission of new project proposals to
no more than three per Expert Panel meeting and the Focal Point should provide a list of project proposals
in the order of priority for consideration by the Expert Panel, if the Member is submitting more than one(pre)project proposals [Decisions 4(XXV), Annex A, Section III and 3(XXXVII)].
For revised projects submitted back to the Expert Panel, member countries with more than one
submission should also prioritize considering the comments of the panel particularly on relevanceto ITTO objectives and action plan and other guidelines, and the criteria of countries.

5 Submission Deadlines
The timetable for the ITTO Project Cycle calendar establishes that the deadline for the submissionof Project and Pre-Project proposals for consideration at the following Council Session is two weeks
after the end of each Council Session.
The exact dates of submission of proposals are announced to all member countries in the project
cycle calendar for a particular Council Session as an information document. The calendar is also
posted in the ITTO website.
Proposals not submitted within the given deadlines by the ITTO will not be considered for appraisal.

6 Re-submission of Approved Projects
Council approved projects which have not been funded within a validity period of 20 months may
be revised and resubmitted to the (Committee) Council. Failing resubmission, the Project will lose
its status as an approved Project. [Decision 2(X)] and fall under the sunset provision.

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Manual on standard operating procedures for the ITTO project cycleIV Project Appraisal
1 Role of the Secretariat
The ITTO Secretariat should assure that the proposal submitted by member countries can beproperly appraised by the Expert Panel by evaluating the following:• The proposal was submitted by member country through its ITTO official contact point. (usecontact point not focal point.
• It was submitted on time based on the project cycle calendar for submission of projects basedon the Project Cycle approved in Decisions 7(XXI) and 3(XXXVII).
• It follows the contents and format prescribed by the Third Edition of the ITTO Manual on
Project Formulation (2008).
• It is written in proper and understandable language.
• The project is properly categorized as to being a project, small project and a pre-project.
• The Secretariat should also provide the Expert Panel with a Project Brief of the Proposal
highlighting the origin and objectives of the project and summary of other relevant details
necessary for appraisal such as the outcome of preceding projects or pre-projects.
• The Secretariat gives Members early details of the Project Cycle Calendar for each Session of the
ITTC. The Calendar is based on the Project Cycle approved in Decisions 7(XXI) and 3(XXXVII).
• It recognizes all the rules and procedures applying to ITTO Projects approved in Decision 8(XXVII).
Aside from screening of proposals prior to submission to the Expert Panel, the Secretariat undertakes
the following tasks:• to provide administrative and secretarial services to the Expert panel.
• to translate of proposals into English.
• to make the necessary arrangements for the timing, duration, and data needs of the Expert Panel Meeting.
• to convey official communications from member countries and Focal Points to the Expert Panelsuch as prioritization of projects.
• to categorize proposals as to what ITTO divisions the proposal falls and whether these are new
projects and the number of revisions for revised projects.
To support the appraisal procedure, the secretariat allocates the projects and pre-projects submitted toprimary and secondary evaluators from a consumer and producer member country amongst the 12
members of the Expert Panel. In this way, detailed introductions and appraisal of projects are done
prior to overall assessment by all members and reaching decisions. The allocation process should consider
objectivity of evaluators such that member of the Panel coming from a country whose proposals being
appraised cannot make primary and secondary introductions in appraising proposals. As standardpractice, principal evaluators should not be assigned to several projects emanating from the same countries.
ITTO officials and staff attend meetings of the Expert Panel to provide clarifications and backgroundinformation on any aspects of the proposal. They also record discussions of the overall and specific assessments,
recommendations, and decisions of the Panel on specific proposals. A summary of the appraisal for eachproject considered in a particular Expert Panel meeting is prepared by the concerned official/staff ofthe secretariat and finalized by the Expert Panel. The summary results are appended to the Appraisal Reportof the Expert Panel and circulated to member countries for appropriate revisions and other actions.
The secretariat should provide technical support to the EP without bias to decision-making.

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2 Role of the Expert Panel
The Expert Panel for Technical Appraisal of Project Proposals (EP) was established by Decision
6(IX), and continued by Decision 2(X), considering the increase in the operational activities of theOrganization and the need “to strengthen the capacity of the Secretariat in the technical appraisalof Project proposals prior to their presentation to the Committees.”
Composition
The Expert Panel members are appointed by the Council on the basis of their technical expertisewith due regard to the principles of geographic balance and rotation of Panel membership. Six members
are from producing countries and six members from consuming countries. The appointment ofmembers to the Panel is for a period of two years with the possibility of extending to three years if desiredby the relevant region [Decision 7(XXI) and Decision 7(XXII)]. Due consideration is taken of thebenefits of some continuity in Panel membership. Member countries are encouraged to have a rosterof experts where EP members can be selected from.
Terms of Reference of the EP
The Revised Terms of Reference of the Expert Panel are as follows:(i) Assess new Project and Pre-Project proposals submitted to the organization. The recommendations
for amendments to these proposals shall be made by the Expert panel exclusively for the purposeof ensuring their technical soundness;(ii) Screen the Project proposals for their relevance to ITTO’s Action Plan and Work Programs (inthe areas of Economic Information and Market Intelligence, Reforestation and Forest
Management, and Forest Industry), and consistency with ITTO decisions and policy guidelines,
but not otherwise prioritize them;(iii)Where reformulation involving major amendments is recommended, request to carry out a final
appraisal of the revised versions of Project and Pre-project proposals, prior to their presentation
to the relevant ITTO Committees;(iv)Report on the results of the technical assessment of Project and Pre-project proposals to submitting
governments and to the ITTO Council and Committees, through the ITTO Secretariat;(v) The Expert Panel shall take into consideration previous Expert Panels’ reports.
The Expert Panel, in assessing Projects and Pre-projects, shall also take into account:(a) their relevance to the objectives of the ITTA, 1994, and its successor agreement and therequirement that a Project or Pre-project should contribute to the achievement of one or moreof the Agreement objectives;(b) their environmental and social effects;(c) their economic effects;(d) their cost effectiveness;(e) the need to avoid duplication of efforts;(f ) if applicable, their relationship and integration with ITTO policy work and their consistency
with the ITTO Objective 2000 and ITTO approved guidelines including:– ITTO Guidelines for Sustainable Management of Natural Tropical Forests, 1990;– Guidelines for the Establishment and Sustainable Management of Planted Tropical
Production Forests, 1993;– Guidelines for the Conservation of Biological Diversity in Tropical Production Forests, 1993;

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Manual on standard operating procedures for the ITTO project cycle

– ITTO Guidelines on Fire Management in Tropical Forests, 1996; and– Other ITTO Guidelines such as those on criteria and indicators, mangrove action plan,
rehabilitation of denuded and degraded secondary forests, landscape assessment.

3 Appraisal Process
The Panel is expected to “screen the Project proposals for their relevance to ITTO’s Objectives,
Action Plan and Work Programs, but not otherwise prioritize them.
As standard practice for appraisal each proposal is introduced by two members (one Producer and
one Consumer) after which the Panel holds an open discussion to decide on a proposal whether tocommend to the Committees or send back to the submitting governments for necessary revisions
taking into account the comments of the Panel.
Project Proposals requiring essential modifications or reformulation will be subject to a reassessmentby the Expert Panel for Technical Appraisal of Project Proposals. [Decision 7(XXII), Annex]. The
Panel will forward to the Committee only those proposals requiring minor or no amendments. The
only exception to this will be in case of Proposals where the proponent is unable to agree with thePanel after three revisions [Decision 4(XXV), Annex A].
If reformulations involving major amendments or reformulation are recommended, (the Panel shall)request to carry out a final appraisal of the revised versions of Project and Pre-project proposals, prior
to their presentation to the relevant ITTO committees.” [Decision 7(XXII), Annex].
Where proposals have been revised, the Panel assesses whether the recommendations from earlier
Panels have been followed satisfactorily.
For revised proposals submitted back to the Expert Panel for re-appraisal, the Panel should be guided
by the general and specific revisions to address the comments of the Panel. Such revisions should bepresented in matrix form showing the comments/recommendations of the Panel and the appropriate
revisions made and attached to the revised proposal. The proponents should highlight in specific sectionsof the proposal where the changes have been made.
Immediately after the meeting of the Expert Panel, a brief report on each Project proposal is forwarded
by the Secretariat to the submitting Government. The submitting Government may subsequently amendor revise its Project proposal(s) as recommended by the Expert Panel before consideration by theCommittees or reconsideration by the Expert Panel.

4 Rating categories
The Expert Panel adopts standard Categories of Decision to make recommendations to the Committees
on the Projects and Pre-Projects. At present the Panel uses seven categories of decision in keepingwith Decisions 4 (XXV) and 8 (XXV) taken by the Council during its 25th Session in Yokohama
in November 1998. These are explained in Annex A.
The ‘categories of decision’ have been amended to take into account Decision 4(XXV) ‘Further
Strengthening and Streamlining the Work of the Committees’, Annex A, IV. Appraisal and approval,
where the Expert Panel is requested only to forward to the Committees those projects requiring
minor or no modification; and Decision 8 (XXV) ‘Management of the Bali Partnership Fund’,
where in (4) the mandate of the Expert Panel is expanded to identify projects, pre-project andactivities eligible for consideration for financing from the Bali Partnership Fund based on the criteria
in the Annex of the Decision.
New Appraisal System
Starting from the XXXth ITTC session, Council approved the use of a new appraisal system based on
quantitative award criteria with indicators and thresholds. This appraisal system is used on all newincoming projects. To ensure fairness, all proposals submitted prior to the XXXth Panel session andresubmitted with revisions will be appraised according to the old appraisal system.

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21

For those interested, the basic “tools” and framework of the new quantitative appraisal system isshown in Annex B.
The categories of decisions based on the new quantitative award criteria are as follows:
1) Proposal commended to the Committee with incorporation of amendments.
2) Proposal requires essential modifications and will be returned to the proponent.
3) Proposal not accepted because a pre-project proposal is required and according to the indicationof the EP to be submitted to the EP or directly to the Committee.
4) Proposal not recommended but submitted to the Committee with the recommendation not toapprove the project proposal. Justification should be given to the proponent and the Committee
e.g. not passing thresholds (in case of rev.2 project proposals), not relevant, insufficient
information, etc.
The revised Manual for ITTO Project Formulation, Third Edition, 2008 has taken into account the
proposed new appraisal system. On this basis, Member Countries can prepare project proposals inline with the proposed new system as adopted by the Council.
The actual use of appraisal systems will be decided by the Council. The ITTO secretariat can provide
further information on what is currently being used for appraisal of new and revised projects.
Figure 2. Procedures for Project Appraisal
Country Submits

ITTO Secretariat
Screen (Checklist)

No

Yes, Valid Proposal

Expert Panel
Appraisal

Needs
revision

Commended to Committee

Committee Final
Appraisal
Yes, Country
may re-submit
Funded?

No

Project Implementation

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Sunset?

5 Role of Committees
Final appraisal of Projects, Pre-Projects and Project Ideas is the responsibility of the Committees[ITTA 1994]. During each council session, the Committees evaluate the response to comments
made by the Expert Panel on projects (pre-projects) it commended to the Committees for approvalor disapproval. The ITTO secretariat should provide the Committees with a brief report. Decisionsof the Committees are presented in the ITTC for final decision.

V Project Approval
1 Role of Committees and Council
ITTA 1994 states that final approval of Project and Pre-Project proposals is a function of the International
Tropical Timber Council. The Council as the highest governing body of ITTO can amend or reverse
any appraisal or recommended decision of the Committees pertaining to project approval.
The Council in approving pre-projects and projects, shall take into account:(a) their relevance to the objectives of this Agreement;(b) Relevance to national objectives(c) their environmental and social effects;(c) the desirability of maintaining an appropriate geographical balance;(d) the interests and characteristics of each of the developing producing regions;(e) the desirability of equitable distribution of resources among the fields referred to in paragraph 1of this article;(f ) their cost-effectiveness; and(g) the need to avoid duplication of efforts.
ITTA 2006 allows more flexibility in the way the Council will carry out its responsibility for projectapproval. The council shall establish a procedure for appraisal and approving projects and pre-projects.
The current procedure has been established under the provisions of ITTA 1994.

2 Approval of Projects by the Executive Director
Small Project or Pre-Project proposals of US$ 75,000 or less can be approved by the Executive Director
with the proviso that these proposals are submitted to the Expert Panel and via Committees arereported on at the next Council Session [Decision 5(XII), Annex]. Otherwise all projects (pre-projects)
are subject to final appraisal by the Committees and final approval by the ITTC.
The Executive Director can recommend to the Committees for appraisal and approval urgent
proposals which rise unexpectedly and therefore cannot follow the full Project Cycle provided they
are supported by at least three producer and three consumer member countries, are justified by awritten proposal conforming to the Project document format, and are accompanied by reasons why
the proposal cannot await scrutiny by the next Expert Panel meeting [Decision 5(XII), Annex].

VI Project Sunset
1 Approved Projects pending FinanceCouncil Approved Projects which have not been funded within a validity period of 20 months may
be revised and resubmitted to the Council. Failing resubmission, the Project will lose its status as an
approved Project.

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2 Funded Projects Pending Implementation
Council Approved Projects for which funds have been committed, but for which implementation
has not yet begun, shall be valid for a period of 26 months [Decision 2(X), Annex 2].

VII Project Funding
1 Sources of ITTO Funding
ITTO project funding to support Council approved projects (pre-projects and activities) are sourced
from its Special Account, the Bali Partnership Fund and also from the Administrative Account as
stipulated in the International Tropical Timber Agreement.
The sources of finance for Special Account are voluntary contributions from Members, the Common
Funds from Commodities (CFC), and from regional and international financial organizations andother sources for any project, pre-project, and other activity approved by the Council.
The Bali Partnership Fund was established for sustainable management of tropical timber producing
forests and is sourced from voluntary contributions of donor members, fifty percent interest earned
as result of activities related to the Special Account, voluntary contributions from other public andprivate sources, and interest earned from all deposits in this fund. In allocating resources of thisfund, the Council takes into account the needs of Members (i) for assistance in achieving exportsof tropical timber and timber products from sustainably managed sources; (ii) to establish andmanage significant conservation programs in timber producing forests; and (iii) to implement
sustainable forest management programs. The Council, for the management of the resources of thefund, established a Panel and also determined the criteria for eligibility through its Decision 4(XXX)
as attached in Annex C.
The Administrative Account, in addition to financing the expenses necessary for the administrationof the Agreement, also finances projects and activities related to the policy work of the Organization;
statistics, studies and information; and Annual Report and Biennial Review. The Administrative
Account is sourced through assessed contribution of Members.

2 Donor Consideration
Donor should consider the following general criteria in funding projects:• Relevance to ITTO Objectives, Action Plan, Objective 2000
• Member country priorities• Geographic representation/allocation• Wider value of regional/global projects• Discussions at the Technical Committees on new and pending projects for funding• Scores/recommendations of the Expert Panel• Eligibility to the Bali Partnership Fund
• Results of mid-term and/or ex-post evaluation of phased or follow-up projects; results of preprojects formulated unto a full-blown proposal• Specific donor’s priorities

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VIII Project Agreement
1 Processing of the Project Agreement
The project agreement is prepared by the ITTO secretariat immediately after a project has been
approved and funded by the ITTC. Such agreement specifies the roles and responsibilities of themember government, the executing agency, and ITTO in implementing a project (pre-project)based on the project document and appropriate manuals and guidelines of ITTO.
The government through its focal point and executing agency reviews the agreement and if
acceptable signs it and forwards to ITTO for signature of the Executive Director. The Project
Agreement becomes effective with signatures by all the parties concerned. A template for a projectagreement specifying the contractual obligations and other pertinent provisions is shown in Annex D.
The Project Agreement among other provisions includes detailed procedures with regard to:• Execution of the project• Financing• Use of funds• Accounts, records, and reports• Publication and technical reports• Disposal of capital goods• Responsibilities of the government• Suspension• Termination• Settlement of disputes• Modification of the agreement

2 Signatories to Project Agreement
The duly appointed representatives of the International Tropical Timber Organization, the governmentof the ITTO member country, and the Executing Agency for the project are the accepted signatories
to the project agreement. Specifically, these signatories are the Executive Director of ITTO and theheads of the governments’ designated Focal Point and Executing Agency. The project agreement shallenter into force upon signature by all the contracting parties.

3 Subsidiary Agreement(s)All collaborating agencies identified in the project document shall execute a subsidiary agreementwith the executing agency to establish the relationships amongst them in project implementation.
Such agreement shall define the roles of each agency, the amount and schedule of their counterpart
contributions, and reporting and monitoring requirements. This should be submitted to ITTO asa requirement for the release of the first payment for implementation. A sample agreement (modelfor guidance) between an Executing Agency and a collaborating agency is depicted in Annex E.

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IX Project Inception
1 Duration
The Executing Agency should submit an inception report within 2 months of the approval andfunding of a project (pre-project) and after conclusion of Project Agreement as pre-requisite for the
first disbursement. The official starting date of the project is the day that the first installment has
been received by the Executing Agency and has notified ITTO of such receipt.

2 Inception Arrangements
The Inception report provides the necessary information that preparatory activities are in place forproject implementation. The Executing Agency must confirm in the report that adequate office facilities
are in place, a US dollar account has been opened for the project, core project personnel have been
designated including counterpart staff, agreement has been entered into with any collaborating agencies,
and a Yearly Plan of Operation for the first year (YPO 1) has been prepared and attached to the report.
The YPO for the first year will most likely not differ from the activities, workplan, and budget in the
project document other than the starting date and some minor adjustments.
Further, the EA should notify ITTO in writing that the Project is ready to commence formally withthe completion of preparatory activities for implementation as contained in the inception report.
The Inception report should follow the format as attached in Annex A of the ITTO Manual for
Project Monitoring, Review, Reporting and Evaluation (Third Edition, 2008).
For pre-projects and small projects the Executing Agency must only confirm in the inception reportthat adequate office facilities are in place, a US dollar account has been opened for the project, core
project personnel have been designated including counterpart staff, and agreement has been forgedwith any collaborating agencies,
For projects of greater complexity with duration of 24 months or more and a budget in excess of $400,000, a first Yearly Plan of Operations (YPO 1) should be attached to the inception report andapproved along with the report. The YPO should follow the format in Annex B as attached to the
ITTO Manual for Project Monitoring, Review, Reporting and Evaluation (Third Edition, 2008).

3 Approval of Inception Report Including YPO/Detailed Work Plan
The concerned Projects Manager of ITTO divisions and the Financial Officer shall review the
inception report to ascertain the preparedness of the executing agency in commencing with the
project. For ITTO projects with duration of 24 months or more and a budget in excess of $ 400,000
the YPO 1 shall also be evaluated and approved together with the inception report.

4 No Objection Letters for Core Project Personnel and Consultants
The YPO 1 for projects to be approved with the inception report shall specify the core personnel
and consultants to be hired for the first year of operations enclosing their curriculum vitae, duties
per TOR in the project document, duration of services, and rates for services.
After review by the concerned Projects Manager, the ITTO Executive Director if acceptable shallissue a no objection or concurrence letter to the hiring of these personnel and consultants.

5 Requirements for First Installment of ITTO funds
The approval of the inception report with YPO 1 shall be the basis for the first installment of ITTO
funds to commence a project. In addition the EA should notify ITTO that it is ready to commencewith the project.

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Manual on standard operating procedures for the ITTO project cycle

X Project Implementation
1 Commencement of the Implementation of a ProjectA project formally commences, after the signing of the Project Agreement by duly authorized
representatives of the member government, the Executing Agency (EA) and the ITTO Executive
Director, and supported by the first installment of funds for mobilization and initial activities of the
project based on an approved inception report which include procurement and hiring of consultants
and project management staff. A valid Project Agreement and the receipt of the first disbursementby the EA means the project commenced implementation.
The EA should submit an inception report after signing of the project agreement as pre-requisite
for the first disbursement. Further, the EA should notify ITTO when the Project is about to commence.
The ITTO secretariat will record the actual commencement of every project for management andmonitoring/evaluation purposes and other activities related to the implementation until thecompletion phases of the project cycle.

2 Disbursement of Subsequent Installments of ITTO Funds
The disbursement of subsequent installments of ITTO funds to support projects and small projects
will be made by ITTO secretariat upon receipt of bi-annual progress reports and Cash flow statement
showing the balance of funds from the EA and a justified request for payment in terms of thetiming, amount, and costs foreseen in the Yearly Plan of Operation taking into account the stage of
implementation for the period relating to the use of requested funds.
The final disbursement will be made by ITTO upon submission of the last bi-annual progress reportand a justified request for payment considering the costs foreseen in the last YPO submitted tosuccessfully complete the project.

3 Selection of Financial Auditors and Submission of Audited Annual/
Final Financial Statements
The Project Agreement specifies that the EA should submit to ITTO annual and final audited
financial statements.
An annual audited statement will be submitted within 3 months after the end of the financial year.
For auditing purposes the financial year of the project refers to the period January 1 to December
31 of each year. In accordance with ITTC Decision 4(XXV) the annual financial audit are required
only for projects with duration of two years or more and an ITTO budget above US $ 200,000.
A final audit statement for projects and pre-projects will be submitted within 4 months of projectcompletion. The ITTO can request for a financial audit statement at any other time which may bedeemed to be exceptionally necessary by the ITTO secretariat.
The project accounts shall be audited by duly recognized independent auditors selected by the EA
in consultation with ITTO. The auditor shall be selected by obtaining and evaluating quotations
from at least three audit firms. In countries where local offices of international audit firms exist, atleast one of such firms shall be invited to submit an audit quotation.
The external auditor is expected to conduct a full scope audit in accordance with generally accepted
auditing standards. The auditor will submit an audit report which shall include the auditor’s opinion,
general information and financial statements. A financial audit management report prepared by theauditor will also be required if there are significant internal control weaknesses and irregulartransactions and activities. The EA should sign a letter of representation prepared by the auditor
stating to the best of their knowledge and belief that the financial statements contain all transactions
and that the statement of account is complete and accurate in all respects.

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The Executing Agency should ensure that that all records are available, all accounting entries and adjustments
are made, and that all other necessary steps have been conducted to enable the auditor to perform theaudit. Audit costs shall be borne by the EA, unless otherwise specified in the project document.
The guidelines for annual/final (upon completion) financial audit for projects (pre-projects) are attachedas Annex F. The template for use in presenting the projects financial statement is shown in Annex
G while the template for cash flow statement is elucidated in Annex H. These templates will be used
for the financial reporting in the “Project Progress Report” and in the “Financial Audit of Projects”.
The original amounts in these reports should be the same as in the approved Project Document.

4 Selection of Consultants, Sub-contracts and Procurement of Goods
Selection of Consultants
The “ITTO Guidelines for the Selection and Employment of Consultants, 2008” govern the selectionand employment of consultants by the Organization and by its Executing Agencies for work in any
project or other activity which is directly funded, either in whole or in part, from the Organization’s
funds. The Guidelines and will apply subject to the right of the Council to decide exceptionally uponother arrangements in any specific individual case. The duties to be performed by consultants should
be clearly specified in detail in the Terms of Reference, describing the objectives and scope of the work
to be undertaken and the functions to be carried out. These Terms of Reference should, if practicable,
be embodied in the final agreed Project Document or, failing that, in arrangements agreed thereafterwith the Organization. Proposals for services required should be invited from a short list of consultant
firms chosen solely on the basis of a detailed examination of their experience and capabilities, with theaim of achieving a minimum number of bids, normally three. Individual consultants may either be
engaged directly, or through an organization such as an academic institution, a governmental or international
agency, a non-governmental organization or a consultant firm. Firms and individual consultants selectedby the EA require the concurrence of ITTO.
Procurement of Goods
The “ITTO Guidelines for the Procurement and Payments of Goods and Services” govern the procurementof goods and services, and payment therefore, by the Organization and by its Executing Agencies, for
any Project or other activity which is directly funded, in whole or in part, from the Organization’s funds.
These Guidelines apply subject to the right of the Council to decide exceptionally upon otherarrangements in any specific individual case. A contract to the value of not less than US$25,000 will befinanced by the Organization only where it has been let as a result of public competitive bidding, open
without discrimination in accordance with these Guidelines to all firms legally operating in the country
or countries within which the Project or Pre-Project is sited; and a contract to the value of not less than
US$100,000 will similarly be financed by the Organization only where it has been let as a result ofinternational competitive bidding in accordance with these Guidelines. For contracts costing less than
US$25,000, or where specialized instruments, equipment materials, books and publications for scientificand technological projects for applied research are to be procured, or where an additional quantity ofitems procured under public or international competitive bidding is urgently required to meet theimplementation schedule of the Project or Pro-Project activity, or where there is lack of effective
competition the system employed may involve dealing with a limited number of local or international
suppliers or a particular single supplier. If a limited number of suppliers are approached the aim should
be to obtain at least three quotations. If a single supplier is invited to tender, the Executing Agency
should aim by negotiation to achieve the most efficient and economical outcome.

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Manual on standard operating procedures for the ITTO project cycle

5 Timely Submission of Progress, Financial and Technical Reports
The EA should assure the timely submission to ITTO of required progress and technical reports.
The bi-annual progress reports should be submitted not later than 28 February and 31 August in eachyear of project implementation. A completion report will be submitted not later than three months
after project completion. A Yearly Plan of Operation shall be submitted for every year of implementation.
Technical reports are to be submitted on specified dates in the YPO and project document.
The inception, progress, financial, technical, and completion reports as well as the YPO shall be preparedfollowing the guidelines, format, and models prescribed in the ITTO Manual for Project Monitoring,
Review, Reporting, and Evaluation (Third Edition, 2008). The progress reports generally presents
information that are managerial in nature such as the description of the activities started or completed
during the period covered, the percentage of the work undertaken, and the costs incurred. Technicalreports on the other hand elaborate on the technical and scientific data used, their analysis, andresults/recommendations.

6 Continuously Maintain Project Documentation and Financial Accounts
The EA is encouraged to maintain documentation and financial records of project accounts,
preferably in electronic files, after project completion.

7 Modification of Project Budget and Elements
On the advice of the Project Steering Committee, the Executive Director may modify the ITTO
contribution to the Project or Pre-Project budget with the formal consent of donors for earmarked
funds, by not more than US$ 50,000 per year or 10 % of the ITTO contribution approved by theCouncil, whichever is less [Decision 2(X), Annex 2].
Where there is no Project Steering Committee, and upon request of the submitting member, theExecutive Director has the authority to modify Project and Pre-Project budgets, with the formal consent
of donors of earmarked funds, by US$ 50,000 per year, or 5% of the Project budget, whichever is less
[Decision 5(XII)].
For internal modification of budget elements, the PSC can change up to 10% of project cost; theExecutive Director up to 20% of project cost, and above 20% should be forwarded to the Committees
for decision.
The EA can request for project extension without additional cost for consideration of the Committees.
Such request should be transmitted and signed by the Focal Point and should provide the justifications.

8 Travel Policy and Reporting
The EA should strictly adhere to the travel costs specified in the project document and the YPO for
project management staff, consultants, counterparts and other eligible personnel’. Unit costs fordomestic and international travel and associated DSA should be indicated in the project document
and the YPO.
Airfare should be limited to the most direct economy route both for in-country travel and to cases where
foreign travel is required in project implementation. The DSA provided for personnel travel should notexceed what is provided for local and international travel considering appropriate UN/local rates.
Vehicles, boats, motorcycles, and other means of transport purchased under a project should bestrictly for official use of eligible project personnel. The EA should have a record of the use and costsof travel for these travel equipment.

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The EA should also maintain a system of travel orders specifying the purpose, duration, and expected
results from travels undertaken by project personnel. Concerned personnel who went on travel
should submit a report to the EA on the accomplishments of such travels and activities undertaken
to pursue project objectives. A listing of consulted people and stakeholders, if any, should be attachedto the travel report.

9 Dissemination of Project Results
The completion and project technical reports should be the main means for the dissemination ofproject results. These and other project publications resulting from work financed by ITTO should
carry statements to disclose that they are part of the documentation produced to impart the results toall member countries and other interested parties. The EA should also provide effective means for national
level dissemination of results through press releases, and featured articles in national publications.
The EA shall also prepare, in consultation with the ITTO Secretariat, articles for inclusion in the ITTO
Tropical Forest Update or other publications, to elaborate on project progress and final outcomes andlessons learned. Project evaluations conducted by ITTO and internally by the Executing Agency arealso an important source of information for identifying and disseminating lessons learned.
The ITTO should also disseminate project results achieved through its operational activities throughits publications which include the “Tropical Forest Update”(TFU), “Technical Series”, “Policy
Development Series”, “Serial Publications”, “Information Papers”, “Report of Seminars, Workshops andother Meetings” and “Project Reports”, among others. Project reports, publications, and results ofevaluations shall be posted on the ITTO web site for wider global dissemination via the internet.

10 Responsibilities of the Host Government
The host government shall ensure that the executing agency is able to perform its prescribed obligations
under the agreement from implementation to closure stages of the project cycle. It shall promptly
provide clearance to all experts and other project personnel performing services financed by ITTO
under the project. It shall also promptly release from customs any imported equipment or otherkinds of supplies required by the project with import duties and associated applicable fees either
waived or centered in the project accounts as part of the government’s contribution to the project.
In general the government shall express its willingness to facilitate the implementation of the project
within its territory. Where applicable, countries should pay ITTO contributions on time.

11 Responsibilities of the EA and Other parties
The Executing Agency shall be responsible for implementing the project in accordance with the
project agreement, project document, a detailed work plan approved by ITTO, and any other supplementaryor subsidiary agreements which may be agreed by the contracting parties. It shall implement the
project in accordance with the ITTO Manual for SOP for the Project Cycle (2008), the Manual for
Project Monitoring, Review, Reporting, and Evaluation (Third Edition, 2008), the latest ITTO
Financial Rules Relating to Projects, and the ITTO Guidelines on the Selection and Employment
of Consultants and the Guidelines for the Procurement of Goods and Services Financed from theSpecial Account (Second Edition, 2008).
It shall comply with all the reporting requirements including monitoring and evaluation visits on
specified timetable and the proper use of ITTO funds.
It shall further ensure that the project is implemented on schedule within its budget to achieve theexpected objectives.
Further, the EA informs ITTO promptly for any cause/situation for delay or deviation that may
affect implementation adversely.

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A key factor in the success of project implementation is the performance of the Project Coordinator
who supervises and coordinates all the expected outputs and activities of a project. He/she can be
hired from outside of the Executing Agency as proposed in the project document and approved YPO
with corresponding TOR and rate for remuneration considering the national policy for such remuneration.
The Executing Agency should establish their own criteria in the choice of project management staff
particularly the Project Coordinator. The Project Coordinator whether connected with the Executing
Agency or recruited from outside must satisfy minimum requirements on educational qualification,
experience on working on similar projects, performance in other projects, knowledge of ITTO objectives,
rules, and procedures, current project involvement, proficiency in one or two of the ITTO official
languages, and present established remuneration rate, and basic knowledge of computer operations.
The Project Coordinator will be hired full-time to supervise day-to-day project activities. In somecase a Project Director is assigned to be over-all in-charge of project management.
Collaborating agencies specified in the project document shall provide the necessary support andcounterpart funds in cash or in kind to implement a project. Their roles and responsibilities shouldbe embodied in a supplementary agreement with the Executing Agency and submitted to ITTO aspart of the Inception Report.
Stakeholders particularly affected communities by an ITTO project should be consulted and participate
in almost all phases of the project cycle. Their identity and participation should be included in the
yearly plan of operation and progress/final reports of a project.

XI Project Monitoring and Evaluation
1 Conduct of Inception Meeting
Immediately after a project has been approved by the ITTC and funded, the Executing Agency should
conduct an inception meeting amongst key management staff, the focal point, collaborating agencies
if any, and other concerned parties of the government. The meeting shall discuss the necessary
arrangements and reporting to mobilize the project for commencement. These include adequate
office facilities for the project, opening a US dollar account, designation of core project personnel
including counterpart staff, forging agreement with any collaborating agencies, and the preparationof Yearly Plan of Operation for the first year (YPO 1). The agreements in the meeting and resulting
outputs will be incorporated in the Inception Report to be submitted to ITTO. The inception meetingcan be classified as a mobilization venue for the Executing Agency to satisfy the necessary arrangementsfor project commencement.

2 Internal Monitoring by the Executing Agency and The Focal Point
All agencies involved in the implementation of the project, i.e. Executing Agency and Collaborating
Agencies, should have internal monitoring system in place to secure successful implementation of
the project. Implementation of this monitoring system must be part of the planned activities in theworkplan. The internal monitoring system is a management tool that should be effectively utilized
to improve project performance. The Manual for Project Monitoring, Review, Reporting and
Evaluation (Third Edition, 2008) provides detailed guidance for monitoring.
The country’s Contact Point is mandated by the ITTO project cycle to also conduct monitoring of
the results and outcomes of a project as implemented by the EA. It serves as the national assessment
for ITTO funded projects. The Contact Point should convey its findings and recommendations to
the PSC/PTC meetings for policy direction and appropriate action.

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Results of internal monitoring by the EA and Contact Point provide basis for corrective actions andenhancing performance of the EA. These are incorporated in progress reports submitted to ITTO whose
structure and format should be compatible with the monitoring system, and discussed in PSC/PTC
meetings. They also provide useful data and guidelines to any ITTO conducted external monitoring.
Internal monitoring by the EA and Contact Point should be conducted annually preferably
immediately prior to schedule of PSC/PTC meetings (Annex 1). It consists of review of pertinent
progress and other reports of a project, interviews with project management and stakeholders, andfield visits to validate accomplishments. Prior planning must be done to identify the documents tobe reviewed, who to interview for results and problems, and specific areas where reported accomplishments
can be validated on the ground.

3 Conduct of PSC/PTC Meetings and Review Missions
There should be a Project Steering Committee (PSC) for all Projects in which the ITTO share is at least
US$ 400,000 and with an implementation period greater than 24 months.
Composition of the Project Steering Committee includes one representative of the ITTO, at least one
representative of the government or government(s) which implement(s) the Project and optionally arepresentative of the government(s) providing funds to the Special Account of the ITTO.
The PSC will meet once or twice each year to review progress in project implementation. The date
at which meetings are to be held should be determined after consultation among all the concerned
parties. The PSC can hold special meetings even without an ITTO representative to tackle urgent
issues that should be resolved immediately.
Decisions by the Project Steering Committee shall be taken by consensus and subject to review by
the Council at the option of any Committee member or members [Decision 2(X)]. Decisions will
be recorded by the relevant ITTO participant in one of the Organization’s official languages, together
with minutes or records of their review. These records shall be circulated promptly to ITTO, to the
Executing Agency, to the host government and to the relevant donors. The reasons for any recommendations
or decisions by a Project Steering Committee shall be set out in its minutes by detailed reference to its
findings on the situation of the Project on the ground, in the light of the Executing Agency’s Project
Progress Reports.
The Secretariat shall submit to the relevant Committee or Committees a list of any reports containing
decisions taken by Project Steering Committees. Any Committee member may then ask for theCouncil to review a decision by a Project Steering Committee and the Secretariat shall make arrangements
accordingly to deal with such decision.
All Project monitoring and review, both by the Executing Agency and by ITTO, as well as by any
Project Steering Committee, will use the Logical Framework Matrix and its associated Work Plan as
the main frame of reference. Monitoring and review should in particular examine systematically the
Indicators of achievement of each of the Project elements - Outputs, Specific Objective(s) and
Development Objective. For the contents of the Logical Framework, monitoring and review teams
should refer to the ITTO Manual for Project Formulation (Third Edition, 2008). Guidelines forplanning and conduct of PSC/PTC meeting including formats for agenda, minutes, and reportingare shown in Annex I.

4 Planning, Preparation and Conduct of Review Missions
The Project Monitoring Review Missions (PRM) of ITTO consists of a PSC/PTC meeting and a
project site visit. For each on-going project regardless of its size, a PRM should be carried out at least
once a year (pre-projects will generally not be visited). In principle, each PRM should include a32

Manual on standard operating procedures for the ITTO project cycle

project site visit; in cases where this is not possible (i.e. remote project sites or under high securityrisk), the project site should be visited at least once during the life of the project.
The Executing Agency is responsible for providing adequate transport to the project site and assures
the presence of stakeholders and/or project participants.
The Project Steering Committee will undertake Project Review Missions for Projects whose implementationis planned to last longer than 24 months, and where ITTO is contributing at least US$400, 000, reviews
will be made by a Project Steering Committee. The mission will normally consist of one ITTO
representative and at least one representative of the government(s) in whose territory the Project is being
executed; it may also include a representative of the contributor(s) providing funds to the Special
Account for the project.
Review missions for smaller or shorter Projects will be conducted by ITTO staff, in cooperation with
the Executing Agency and host government(s) as appropriate. Review missions by ITTO are conductedby designated Projects Manager of the concerned divisions where projects are operating. They are
assigned primarily for monitoring and review of projects in the geographic areas of Asia Pacific, Africa,
and Tropical South America. They also serve as ITTO representatives to PSC/PTC meetings.
Members of a Review Mission shall assess project progress at the project site; meet with stakeholders/project participants, verify infrastructure and allocation and condition of capital items purchased withITTO funds, and to take photographs for progress documentation and for the ITTO photo library.
Annex J elaborates on the guidelines for field monitoring visits.

5 Mid-term Evaluation
Detailed Guidance on evaluation is provided in Part B of the Manual for Project Monitoring, Review,
Reporting and Evaluation.
Mid-term or on-going evaluations will be carried out in those situations which demand decision
beyond the authority level of the Project staff, and when guidance is needed and sought from independent
experts. These situations may arise either due to problems in Project implementation or because ofa previously foreseen need for a wider review before decision taking at a certain point during Project
implementation. In both cases, the monitoring of the Project by ITTO’s representatives or by the Project
Steering Committee will establish whether a mid-term evaluation is needed. For large, complex or lengthy
projects, it is advisable to foresee a mid-term evaluation at a moment when assumptions made at theplanning stage will require closer examination in the light of experience so far, and possible Projectrevisions will be made.
The Project Evaluation Report resulting from mid-term evaluation is intended to summarize theinformation gathered, the findings of the mission, its conclusions and recommendations, to provide
evidence on the key evaluation elements and to register its results. The Report should not have morethan 30 pages, format A4, typed in space 2. Relevant information, data and documents, which should
be kept in a file for eventual future consultation, should be included as an Annex to the Report. It
will also be useful, in appropriate cases, to illustrate aspects of the Report by audio-visual means.
Project evaluators should follow the outline of contents of a model Project Evaluation Report asgiven in Annex B of Part B of the Manual for Project Monitoring, Review, Reporting and Evaluation.
It highlights some basic issues which should be present in the evaluators’ report to guide the decisionmaking process, without the intent of covering all topics. It will be the evaluators’ task to include
additional issues which they feel may further clarify the project proposal, indicate progress of
implemented projects or the impact of a completed project.

Manual on standard operating procedures for the ITTO project cycle

33Composition of the Evaluation team
Ideally the team of an external evaluation mission should be composed of at least two external
evaluators assisted by two or three persons from the project appointed by the EA and ITTO. One
consultant should come from a producer member country and the other one from a consumer
member country of ITTO.
Independent consultants will be engaged to conduct mid-term evaluation. The TOR for the external
consultants should be in accordance with the contents of the Project Evaluation Report prescribing
the scope and focus, methodology, lessons learned and findings/recommendations.
The independent consultants to conduct mid-term evaluation are selected by the ITTO secretariat
in accordance with the “ITTO Guidelines for the Selection and Employment of Consultants, 2008”
which govern the selection and employment of consultants by the Organization and by its Executing
Agencies for work in any project or other activity (including evaluation) which is directly funded,either in whole or in part, from the Organization’s funds, and will apply subject to the right of theCouncil to decide exceptionally upon other arrangements in any specific individual case. It is idealthat consultants for mid-term evaluation should consist of 2 members representing the producer
and consumer member countries of ITTO.

6 Ex-post Evaluation
Detailed Guidance on evaluation is provided in Part B of the Manual for Project Monitoring,
Review, Reporting and Evaluation.
After Project completion an external ex-post evaluation may be conducted aimed at establishing thegeneral effectiveness and efficiency of projects. It will also assess the Project’s impact on sectoral
objectives as stated in the Project Document, and draw out lessons and recommendations useful for
future projects.
Decision 4(XXV), Annex A, Section VII requires the Secretariat to prepare for each Committee adocument on completed pre-projects and projects. The document will consist of a report of not
more than two pages per completed pre-project or project based on the reports and information
received from the implementing agencies and the project steering committees. The Committee will
decide upon the necessity of ex-post evaluation on the basis of the document prepared by the
Secretariat which will include mentioning the financial resources available for ex-post evaluation.
The committees may decide to engage independent consultants to conduct ex-post evaluation fora specific project or for a thematic group of projects e.g. community based forest management,
biodiversity, data base, market transparency, or criteria and indicators projects.
Composition of the Evaluation team
Ideally the team of an external evaluation mission should be composed of at least three external
evaluators assisted by two or three persons from the project appointed by the EA and ITTO. At least one
consultant should come from a producer member country and one from a consumer member countryof ITTO. The third consultant could be from either one producer or consumer member country.
Donor countries can participate as observers in the evaluation of Projects (co-)financed by them.
The evaluation team should report its findings to the Council through the relevant Committee. The
Secretariat should ensure that lessons learned, both positive and negative, are made available toMembers. As minimum requirement consultants for ex-post evaluation can consist of 2 members
representing the producer and consumer member countries of ITTO.

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Manual on standard operating procedures for the ITTO project cycle

The independent consultants are selected by the Committees thru the ITTO secretariat in accordancewith the “ITTO Guidelines for the Selection and Employment of Consultants, 2008” which govern
the selection and employment of consultants by the Organization and by its Executing Agencies.
The TOR for the consultants will follow the contents of the Project Evaluation Report for ex-post
evaluation prescribing the scope and focus, methodology, lessons learned and findings/recommendations
as shown in Annex B of Part B of the Manual for Project Monitoring, Review, Reporting and Evaluation.
Preparation
It is recommended that the Executing Agency should have at least one month to prepare for theevaluation of its Project. This period should be sufficient for the Project staff to organize thenecessary information and the logistics involved in the conduct of the evaluation mission.
The representative of ITTO should contact the Executing Agency manager with the intent of jointly
establishing the evaluation procedures and the work plan, including a list of the institutions to be visited,persons to be interviewed, dates and local support to be provided. The related information, as wellas copies of the relevant documents available, should be transmitted to whoever will participate in
the evaluation mission.

7 Donor and Stakeholder Involvement
Project donors and stakeholders should be involved or consulted in project monitoring andevaluation. The donors can be invited to attend PSC/PTC meetings and other monitoring visits attheir own expense to ascertain the progress of work and provide policy directions to the projects
they are supporting. Likewise stakeholders affected by the project should be part of internal andexternal monitoring and reviews conducted by the Executing Agency and ITTO. In some cases, key
stakeholders are invited as member of PSC/PTC.
Sustainable forest management will be much more probable if there is consultation with stakeholders,
particularly local communities, which are likely to be affected by the project. Consultation should
aim to develop a working consensus on forest use and management priorities, which ensures theirco-operation. It is essential that local communities take part in, and are consulted about, theformulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of all relevant projects, recognizing as
interested parties the representatives of the communities concerned or, if they consist of groups thatare not organized, the entity that they designate as their representative. This consultation should bedone in a formal and verifiable way.
All monitoring by Executing Agencies should involve a check on whether the working participationachieved with local communities, and their resulting co-operation, are as originally foreseen. If not,this may signal that the impact on local communities and any measures to deal with them have been
unexpectedly negative or inadequate. Where unexpected negative effects have become apparent, thiswill give the opportunity to explore possible steps to counteract them.

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Figure 3: Project Inception, Implementation, Monitoring, Review, and Reporting
Project Agreement

Inception Report(e.g. bank account,YPO/WP, MOUs)

1st Disbursement

PSC / PTC

Bi-annual Program Report/
YPO/Financial Statement

Next Disbursements

Implementation
Activities Completed?

Project Completion
ClosureNo

Final Report &Financial Statement

XII Project Suspension
1 Criteria for Suspension
In cases where any violations of Project Agreement becomes apparent, or where it appears that theconditions surrounding the Project have changed to such an extent that, in the opinion of the
Executive Director, the successful completion of the Project is unlikely, ITTO may, by written
notice, suspend all further disbursements of funds pending a review.

2 Procedure for Suspension
The Executive Director may suspend disbursement of the Organization’s funds to a pre-project or
project if they are being used contrary to the project document or in cases of fraud, waste, neglect
or mismanagement. The Executive Director will provide to the Council at its next session a reportfor its consideration. The Council shall take appropriate action on such report and it may, by special
vote, terminate its sponsorship of any pre-project or project. The ITTO will then formally informthe government’s focal point of the Council’s decision to suspend a project.

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3 Effects of the Suspension
If ITTO funding of the Project is suspended the Executing Agency shall not incur any further
expenditures on activities, goods or services financed by such funds unless and until such funding
is resumed, except with the previous written approval of ITTO. The Executing Agency shall keep
all assets and values previously funded by ITTO for the Project in safe custody, and shall give notice
immediately to any sub-contractor whose services are being paid for from ITTO’s funds to suspend
its activities as soon as possible, so as to minimize the cost to the Project4 Criteria and Procedure for Lifting the Suspension
The government through its ITTO Focal Point can request lifting of a project suspension if satisfied
that the Executing Agency has satisfactorily addressed the reasons for suspension and ready toresume project operations. The Council can then decide to lift the suspension upon recommendationof the relevant committees and the secretariat.

XIII Project Termination
1 Criteria for Project Termination
In accordance with Rule 31 of the “ITTO Financial Rules and Rules Relating to Projects”, the ITTC
may, by written notice, terminate its approval and funding of the Project, in particular in cases
where it is satisfied that the following criteria have been violated:(a) the financial resources provided for the Project are being misapplied to an extent which
compromises the fulfillment of the objectives of the Project; or(b) the technical means and/or personnel being used for the implementation of the Project are being
misapplied to an extent which compromises the fulfillment of the objectives of the Project; or(c) its continued approval and funding no longer serve the objectives of the Project.

2 Procedure for Project Termination
Based on the criteria for project termination, the ITTO secretariat will present to the ITTC during its
session a proposal for termination of a project (pre-project). The ITTC by special vote can terminate
such project based on recommendation of the ITTO secretariat. The government and the Executing
Agency will be informed by ITTO of the ITTC decision to terminate a project.

3 Effects of Project Termination
In case of a decision to terminate ITTC approval and funding the project shall stop operations uponreceipt of the termination letter from ITTO and the unused part of the resources contributed by
ITTO to the Project shall be returned to the ITTO together with a final audited statement within
three months after the date of termination.

XIV Project Completion
1 Completion Report and Post-project Sustainability
Upon completion of the Project, the Executing Agency shall make an early assessment of its outcomes
and accomplishments and submit to ITTO a completion report. The completion report is the final
project report summarizing, upon project completion, all planned project elements versus actual
implementation, as well as the impact and the expected sustainability of the project in the post project
period, focusing particularly on the most critical differences between planned and actual implementation

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37and lessons learned. The completion report summarizes the activities, inputs and expenditures, achieved
outputs and objectives, during the entire implementation phase and highlights differences between
planned and realized project elements using the original project document as reference. The reportreflects in retrospect on the project identification process, the set objectives and the chosen implementation
strategy.
Such completion report will be used as the basis for the ITTO Secretariat’s reports to the Committees
and the Council on completed projects. If it is decided subsequently to arrange an ex-post evaluation,or such an evaluation has already been specifically provided for in the Project Agreement, the completion
report will be one of the inputs provided to such an evaluation, which will be carried out in accordancewith the guidelines on Project Evaluation presented in Part B of the ITTO Manual for Project
Monitoring, Review, Reporting, and Evaluation (Third Edition, 2008). A model template for thecompletion report is presented in Annex E of the manual.

2 Technical Report(s)The Executing Agency shall submit to ITTO the results of various research, development, anddemonstration topics as technical reports. The necessary technical reports shall be specified in the
project document and project agreement as to their topic, scope, and dates of submission.
The contents of a technical report are technical and scientific in nature. It presents procedures andmethodologies adopted, the data established, the results achieved and the conclusions reached. The
purpose such a report is to transmit to other persons and institutions the technical and scientificknowledge acquired through the projects financed by ITTO. The dissemination of information
requires that the related data be made available in a clear and concise way. Technical reports may
also be presented as digital files installed at and downloadable from the ITTO web site. Annex Dof the ITTO Manual for Project Monitoring, Review, Reporting, and Evaluation (Third Edition,2008) shows a model for preparing a Technical Report.

3 Field Verification of Outputs and Achievements
Both ITTO and the country’s Focal Point should conduct field verification of outputs andachievements of a project as part of their review, monitoring, and evaluation functions. It is particularly
crucial at completion stage of the project cycle to validate accomplishments and impacts indicatedin the completion report and technical reports. They can use field reconnaissance observations,sampling, and interview with key stakeholders on project site, and review of pertinent project reports.
The findings and recommendations can provide the Executing Agency with opportunity for corrective
measures before a project formally closes or continue with another phase or follow-up projects.

4 Role of the Committees
The ITTO committees are responsible for the evaluation of the requirements for project completion
before presenting to the Council for decision to formally declare such project as completed. They
can initiate further evaluation review by ITTO on the stated accomplishments and impacts of the
project or an audit by ITTO financial officer if necessary to assess supporting documents for
disbursements.

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5 Technical and Financial Requirements for Project Completion
A project (pre-project) can be considered completed upon review and approval by the respective
Committees of the completion report and final audited statement submitted by the Executing Agency.

XV Project Closure
The ITTO Secretariat initiates the closure of the account of the project in the financial records of
ITTO after: (i) approval of the completed project by the respective Committee; (ii) receipt of satisfactory
final audited financial statements; and (iii) receipt of the unused funds from the Executing Agency(if any).
The remaining funds in the completed project account of ITTO (if any) would comprise ofremaining unused funds from: (a) ITTO Monitoring and Evaluation budget; and/or (b) otherremaining funds not used by the Executing Agency.
Within the financial records of ITTO, the account of the completed project is closed after thetransfer of these unused funds from this account as follows [Decision ...(XXXVIII)]: (a) unused
ITTO Monitoring and Evaluation funds to the “Pooled Ex-post Evaluation Account” subject to theconsent of the respective donor member(s), for the subsequent financing of the regular program for
ex-post evaluations as approved by the respective Committee; and (b) the other remaining funds to
the respective donor member(s)’ account (usually these funds are subsequently reallocated by donor
members for financing approved projects).

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39

ANNEX A CATEGORIES OF DECISION: EXPERT PANEL
The ‘categories of decision’ have been amended to take into account Decision 4(XXV) ‘Further
Strengthening and Streamlining the Work of the Committees’, Annex A, IV. Appraisal and approval,
where the Expert Panel is requested only to forward to the Committees those projects requiring
minor or no modification; and Decision 8 (XXV) ‘Management of the Bali Partnership Fund’,
where in (4) the mandate of the Expert Panel is expanded to identify projects, pre-project andactivities eligible for consideration for financing from the Bali Partnership Fund based on the criteria
in the Annex of the Decision.
1. The Panel concluded that, with the incorporation of any minor amendments noted, the (pre-)project proposal could be commended to the Committee for final appraisal. (In the view of the
Panel, this (pre-) project proposal is eligible for consideration for financing from the Bali
Partnership Fund in accordance with Decision 8 (XXV).)
2. The Panel concluded that the (pre-) project proposal requires essential modifications (which arenecessary for the project to succeed) and the Panel will need to assess the modified (pre-) project
proposals before it can commend it to the Committee for final appraisal.
3. The Panel concluded that a re-formulation of the (pre-) project proposal is essential and the Panel willneed to assess the re-formulated proposal before it can commend it to the Committee for appraisal.
4. The Panel concluded that a pre-project (not exceeding US$ ……) is necessary in order to assess thesituation and the viability of the proposed work and the possible formulation of a project
proposal.
a: (Such a pre-project proposal could be commended to the Committee for final appraisal.)b: (The Panel will need to assess the pre-project proposal before it can commend it to theCommittee for appraisal.)
5. The Panel concluded that it could not commend the modified or revised (pre-) project proposal
and submits it to the Committee for further appraisal.
6. The Panel concluded that the (pre-) project proposal (,in its present form,) is not sufficiently
relevant to the mandate of ITTO. (The Panel encourages the submitting agency to seek othersources of project support.)
7. The Panel concluded that there is insufficient information to assess the (pre-) project proposal
adequately.

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ANNEX B W
 ORKING DOCUMENTS FOR NEW
APPRAISAL SYSTEMAppendix B I
Revised Table Award Criteria ITTO Project Proposals
Relevance
Relevance to ITTO

Quality Indicators:(i) contribution to the implementation of
the objectives of ITTA and ITTO Action
Plan, notably to its priority areas, i.e. directcontribution to achieving objective 2000;(ii) project proposal explains what conditions
it will create to promote sustainable
management of timber producing
forests, efficient wood processing,and enhancing market intelligence;(iii) wider value, i.e. project can be replicatedand deliverables are also meaningfulfor other member countries than the
proponent of the project proposal.

Conformity with
relevant country’s
national policies

Quality indicators:(i) evidence of contribution to implementing
national policies/programs or to support
the development of such programs;(ii) capacity building and training
component.

1: Project proposal development process (creating ownership)
1.1 Origin and usedsources of information

Quality indicators:(i) relevant outcomes of any preceding(pre-) projects are clearly stated;(ii) quality and diversity of information sources.

1.2 Stakeholders
involvement andproblem analysis

1.2.1 Stakeholder
identification andanalysis

Quality indicators:(i) description of the identification processof stakeholders. e.g. collaborating
government agencies, organizations,companies, NGO’s or communities;(ii) analysis of dependency for project
implementation on stakeholders;(iii) description of the potential role ofidentified stakeholders.

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411.2.2 Involvement of
key stakeholders inproject formulation andimplementing stage

Quality indicators:(i) reference to opinions and input
from representatives of the various
stakeholders, and the way this input
has been considered;(ii) level of consensus on the desirabilityof the project clearly stated in the
project proposal;(iii) description and evidence of how
all stakeholders have influenced thedevelopment process and the content
of the project proposal;(iv) description and evidence of how all
stakeholders will be involved in theimplementation of the project.
(see also 2.6.1.);(v) evidence of early involvement andcommitment of CA’s;(vi) as to local communities, compliancewith Annex B of ITTO project
formulation manual.

1.2.3 Sound problem
analysis

Quality indicators:i)

Logic and understandable problem
analysis, addressing causes and not
only symptoms;(ii) Sound problem tree.
2: Project proposal design and content
2.1 Implementation
strategy and strategic
value

Quality indicators:(i) approach and implementation strategy
clearly defined and justified;(ii) complexity of the project proposal(project management structure, policy
and administrative environment);(iii) site importance, situation and accessibility;(iv) socio-economic situation of project location;(v) choice of project partners.

2.2 Technical andscientific aspects

Quality indicators:(i) reference to a literature and document
survey, data sources and prevailingtechnologies;(ii) proper analysis of technical andscientific state of the art;(iii) appropriate use of technologies andscientific methodologies.

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2.3 Consistency:
logical framework
and budget

2.3.1 logical frame
work soundQuality indicators:(i) Coherent and logic linkage between theidentified problems and the development
and specific objectives;(ii) precision and relevance of thedevelopment and specific objectives;(iii) specific objective well focused andachievable;(iv) consistency between identified problems
and objectives, between specific objectives
and outputs and between outputs andactivities;(v) proper indicators in the logical frameworkfor specific objectives and outputs.

2.3.2 Activities,
inputs and budget

Quality indicators:(i) consistency between outputs and activities;(ii) the resources allocated to the project
are sufficient to deliver the outputs;(iii) budget items consistent with activities;(iv) fair unit costs;(v) realistic assessment of contributions bypartners and funding agencies.

2.4 Assumptions
and risks

2.4.1 Assumptions
and risks

Quality indicators:(i) estimation is made on the probability
that assumptions will hold;(ii) risks are related to assumptions andwell defined and elaborated.

2.4.2 Mitigating
measures are taken
to reduce risks

Quality indicators:(i) Conditions have been created toprevent or reduce risks;(ii) risk analysis in planning phase leads
to strategies for ongoing monitoring
during implementation (see also 3.3.2
Monitoring and reporting).

2.5 Impact

2.5.1 Environmental
impactQuality indicator:(i) project improves/protects theenvironment or is likely to be neutral,i.e. no impact. If not, reference toenvironmental impact analysis andmitigating measures should be made.

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43

2.5.2 Social impacts

Quality indicators:(i) description of potential benefits forstakeholders and on how their interest
might be affected;(ii) project improves social conditions oftarget beneficiaries. If not, reference tosocial impact analysis and mitigating
measures should be made.

2.5.3 Economic impacts

Quality indicators:(i) description of potential benefits forstakeholders and on how their interest
might be affected;(ii) project improves economic conditionsof target beneficiaries. If not, reference
to economical impact analysis andmitigating measures should be made.

2.6 Uptake andsustainability

2.6.1 Short term
uptake and applicationof outputs by target
beneficiaries, (e.g.
government, local
population, private
sector).

Quality indicators:(i) degree of actual participation of
stakeholders in project proposal
formulation and implementation.
(see also 1.1.2.);(ii) measures to be proposed to ensure a
positive effect and uptake of knowledge
and results of the project;(iii) information dissemination strategy,
realistic and tailor made for different
target groups;(iv) training and extension component in
the project proposal.

2.6.2 Sustainability(long term
implementation)

Quality indicators:(i) a post-project strategy is being
presented containing elements such as:(ii) overview of activities to be executed after
project completion e.g. maintenance ofequipment and facilities, implementationof new procedures and concepts etc;(iii) indication of actors/stakeholders whichshould be active in the follow up process;(iv) indication of the needed capacityand number of these actors;(v) indication of the qualitative capacity andresources available to continue the activity;(vi) availability of social, financial andinstitutional instruments to guarantee
sustainability.

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3: Management aspects
3.1 Experience,
reliability and quality of
the Executing Agency,subcontractors andcollaborators

3.1.1 Executing Agency

Quality indicators:(i) EA has a good track record of project
management and/or is assisted by anexperienced project leader;(ii) evidence of staff having been involvedin project formulation.

3.1.2 Subcontractors
and collaborating
Agencies

3.2 Management
structure of the project;

Quality indicator:(i) project proposal states clearly whichstakeholders are involved in theimplementation and shows evidence of
their commitment and (management)
capacity to fulfil tasks.
Quality indicators:(i) clear division of responsibilities
and organizational chart showing
responsibilities and authorities;(ii) blocks to be implemented under the
responsibility of the EA and eachcollaborating agency;(iii) specific management arrangements,
coordination, steering committee.

3.3 Work plan, YearlyPlan of Operations(YPO), monitoring/action and reporting.

3.3.1 Work planand Yearly Plan ofOperations (YPO)

Quality indicator:

3.3.2 Monitoring,action and reporting

Quality indicators:(i) sound time schedules, logic chronology
and sequence of activities. For projects
longer than 24 months, a YOP must exist(not necessarily to be presented inproposal)(i) (internal) monitoring action plan is acomponent of the work plan;(ii) effective monitoring and reporting
systems for internal and external risks
and appropriate and timely response to
manage risks and opportunities;(iii) performance evaluation.

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45Appendix B II
1. Relevance of Prospective Project (main output)
1.1 Development
objective, and specificobjectives of theprospective project
relevant to ITTO andsubmitting country

Quality indicators:(i) the project will contribute to theimplementation of the ITTA objectives
and ITTO’s Action Plan, notably to its
priority areas, i.e. direct contribution
to achieving objective 2000;(ii) the envisaged project proposal will
explain what conditions it will create
to promote sustainable managementof timber producing forests, efficientwood processing, and enhancing market
intelligence;(iii) wider value i.e. project deliverables arealso meaningful for other member
countries than the proponent of the
project proposal;(iv) evidence of contribution to implementing
national policies/programs or to support
the development of such programs.

1. Problem analysis
1.1. Preliminary
problem analysis

Quality indicator:(i) logic and understandable preliminary
analysis of problems to be addressedby the prospective project.

2. Filling information gaps and creation of ownership (main activity)
2.1 Involvement oftarget groups andanticipated collaborating
agencies

Quality indicators:(i) sound procedures to identify and consult
relevant stakeholders e.g. local communities,
collaborating agencies, government,
private sector, NGO’s;(ii) description of methods to build ownershipand achieve commitments and indicatorsof evidence of impact of these consultations
on the project proposal.

2.2 Literature survey
and studies

Quality indicators:(i) analysis of information need;(ii) quality and diversity of information sources.

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3. Consistency: sound logical framework/budget/work plan of the pre-project proposal
3.1 Logical frame work

Quality indicator:(i) consistency between identified problems
to formulate the project proposal andspecific objectives of the pre-project
proposal (these are not the preliminary
specific objectives of the project proposal
itself), between pre-project proposal
specific objectives and outputs andbetween outputs and activities.

3.2 Input and budget

Quality indicators:(i) the resources allocated to the pre-project
are sufficient to deliver the outputs;(ii) budget items consistent with activities;(iii) fair unit costs;(iv) realistic assessment of contributions
by partners and funding agencies.

3.3 Work plan

Quality indicators:(i) sound time schedules, logic chronology
and sequence of activities;(ii) consistency
with activities and available funds andcapacity.

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47

Revised Scoring Table – ITTO Project Proposal PD:
Expert panel: Date:
Assessor Name:
Profession/education:
Country:PD
Title:

Marks

ScoresThresholdThresholdachieved?
Yes/NoRelevance
Relevance to ITTO

Yes/NoConformity with relevant country’s policies

Yes/NoAspect 1 Project development process
(20)
1.1 O
 rigin and used sourcesof information
1.2 S takeholder involvement andproblem analysis

10

Yes/No2.3.1 logical framework

4

Yes/No2.3.2 Inputs and budget

3

Yes/No7

Yes/No1.2.1 S takeholder identification
and analysis
1.2.2 Involvement of stakeholders
1.2.3 Problem analysis
Aspect 2 Project proposal content (55)
2.1 Implementation strategy
2.2 Technical and scientific aspects
2.3 Consistency: logical framework
and budget

2.4 Assumptions and risks
2.4.1 Assumptions and risks
2.4.2 Mitigating measures are taken
to reduce risks
2.5 Impact
2.5.1 Environmental impacts
2.5.2 Social impacts (beneficiaries)
2.5.3 Economic impact
2.6 Sustainability
2.6.1 Short term uptake andapplication of outputs
2.6.2 Sustainability (longterm implementation)

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PD
Title:

Marks

ScoresThresholdThresholdachieved?
Yes/No7

Yes/No75

Yes/No4 = good

5 = excellent

Aspect 3 Management aspects (25)
3.1 Experience, reliability/quality
of EA and CA’s
3.1.1 Executing agency
3.1.2 Subcontractors and collaborators
3.2 Management structure of the project
3.3 Work plan, monitoring/action
and reporting
3.3.1 W ork plan and yearly planof operation (YPO)
3.3.2 Monitoring action and reporting
Entire project proposal (100)Marks indicate:
0 = fails/missing

1 = very poor

2 = poor

3 = moderate

Rating according to rating schedule:
1) proposal commended to the Committee with incorporation of amendments.
2) proposal requires essential modifications and will be returned to the proponent.
3) proposal not accepted because a pre-project proposal is required and according
to the indication of the EP to be submitted to the EP or directly to the Committee.
4) proposal not recommended but submitted to the Committee with the recommendation
not to approve the project proposal. Justification should be given to the proponent andthe Committee e.g. not passing thresholds (in case of rev.2 project proposals), not relevant,insufficient information, etc.

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Revised Scoring Table – ITTO Pre- Project Proposal PPD
Expert panel: Date:
Assessor Name:
Profession/education:
Country:
PPD
Title

Marks

ScoresThresholdThresholdachieved?
Yes/NoRelevance of prospective project(main output)
Relevance to ITTO and country

Yes/NoAspect 1 Problem analysis (5)1.1 Preliminary problem analysis
Aspect 2 Filling information gaps andcreation of ownership (main activity) (10)
2.1 Involvement of target groups andcollaborating agencies

4

Yes/No3

Yes/No23

Yes/No4 = good

5 = excellent

2.2 Literature survey and studies
Aspect 3 logical framework, budget
and work plan (15)
3.1 Logical framework sound3.2 Input and budget
3.3 Work plan
Entire pre-project proposal (30)Marks indicate:
0 = fails/missing

1 = very poor

2 = poor

3 = moderate

Rating according to rating schedule:
Category 1: 	The Panel concluded that the Pre-Project proposal could be commended
to the Committee
Category 2: 	The Panel concluded that the Pre-Project proposal requires essential
modification and will be returned to the proponent. The Panel will needto assess the revised Pre-Project before it can commend it to the Committee.
Category 3(a): 	The Panel concluded that the Pre-Project proposal requires essential
modification and will be returned to the proponent. The Panel willneed to assess the revised Pre-Project proposal for appraisal.

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REVISED FLOWCHART FOR RATING OF PROJECT PROPOSALS

Relevance to ITTO
threshold is met

NY

Total Score ≥ 75%

N

Total Score ≥ 50%

Y

All minus maximum 2
thresholds are met

N

Y

N

Stakeholders
involvement and problem
analysis thresholds
are met

Y

N

Y

1

2

Threshold failed should not be:– Stakeholder involvement/
problem analysis and,– Sustainability

Optional 1
specific justification
required3

4

Optional 2
specific justification
required

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ANNEX C DECISION 4(XXX)
MANAGEMENT OF SUB-ACCOUNT B OF THE BALI PARTNERSHIP FUND
The International Tropical Timber Council,
Recalling Decision 9(XXVII) on the prioritization and monitoring of actions, pre-projects and projects
funded by Sub-Account B of the Bali Partnership Fund and Decision 6(XXVI) on the managementof the Bali Partnership Fund and funding of actions defined by the current ITTO Action Plan;
Noting that the mechanism for prioritization and monitoring of actions, pre-projects and projects
funded by Sub-Account B of the Bali Partnership Fund as was established under Decision 9(XXVII)
is due for review at the Thirtieth Session of the Council;
Taking note of the report of the Inter-Sessional Working Group on Financial and Administrative
Matters [CFA(IX)/7], in which the recommendation was made to form a Sub-Committee of SubAccount B of the Bali Partnership Fund as a Working Group of the Council and be re-designated as “Panelon Sub-Account B of the Bali Partnership Fund (BPF)” and to report directly to the Council;
Also noting the recommendations made by the Committee on Finance and Administration at its
Ninth Session regarding its review of the report of the Inter-Sessional Working Group on Financialand Administrative Matters;
Decides to:
1. Build upon Decisions 6(XXVI), 9(XXVII) and recommendations of the Inter-Sessional Working
Group on Financial and Administrative Matters, by implementing the following mechanism:(i) Establish, at each Session, a Panel on Sub-Account B of the Bali Partnership Fund (BPF)
that will report directly to the Council;(ii) The Panel shall be chaired by the Chairperson of the CFA, and composed of:(a) three consumer member representatives that are main contributors to the Bali
Partnership Fund;(b) three producer member representatives, one from each geographic region; and(c) the Executive Director;(iii) During Council Sessions the Panel shall consider actions/activities, pre-projects and projects
that are eligible for funding under Sub-Account B of the Bali Partnership Fund;(iv) The Panel shall prioritize these draft decisions taking into account the “Criteria andPriorities to Finance actions/activities, pre-projects and projects under Sub-Account B of
the Bali Partnership Fund” as detailed in the Annex to this Decision;(v) The Panel shall, in consultation with the Secretariat, take into account the need to set a funding
limit (per session/per year) with regard to the allocation of funds for approved activities,
pre-projects and projects in view of the availability of the limited resources under Sub-Account
B of the Bali Partnership Fund. In the Panel’s deliberations, the procedures established for
the Special Account under Chapter VI of the ITTA, 1994 shall apply;(vi) The Panel will forward its priority list, including recommended allocations to the Council
for consideration; and(vii) The Panel will also meet during the Council Sessions to monitor and review the managementof Sub-Account B and the progress of actions, pre-projects and projects funded under this
Sub-Account;

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2. Requests the Consultants and the Expert Panel engaged for Activity PA/29-98 on the New ITTO
Action Plan [Decision 11(XXIX)] to review the priority actions identified by the Council in Decision
8(XXV) and in the ITTO Libreville Action Plan to ensure their continued relevance in future ITTO
Action Plans. The revised priority actions identified are to be utilized as the criteria by the Panel,for the determination of priority funding; and3. Strongly encourage Members to make contributions to the Bali Partnership Fund and inparticular to its Sub-Account B.

ANNEX TO DECISION
Criteria and Priorities to Finance Actions/Activities, Pre-Projects and Projects under
Sub-Account B of the Bali Partnership Fund
The Panel on Sub-Account B of the Bali Partnership Fund (BPF) shall consider and recommend
non-country specific actions/activities, pre-projects and projects designed to directly assist tropicaltimber producing members to achieve the Objective of Article 1(d) of the ITTA, 1994 – “To enhance
the capacity of members to implement a strategy for achieving exports of tropical timber and timber
products from sustainably managed sources by the year 2000”.
Eligible activities * shall meet the following criteria:(i) Be designed and related to the implementation of those activities captured under the goals of
the ITTO Action Plan that are non-country specific.
(ii) Be of global or regional benefit.
Within eligible activities highest priority will be given to:(i) Activities approved in Council Decisions directly related to the promotion of sustainable forest
management through one or more of the priority areas established through the Council decisions
and the ITTO Action Plan ** as shown below:• To adopt a forest policy and enforce legislation,• To establish and secure a Permanent Forest Estate,• To reduce the damage done by timber harvesting to the physical and social environments
and to the forest eco-system,• To train the work force to accelerate the use of reduced impact logging,• To secure the production of the optimal mix of goods and services and limit timber harvesting
to the sustained yield capacity;AND(ii) Approved pre-projects and projects formulated and submitted in response to the recommendationby the Council, by more than one of the Committees or a Committee;
AND(iii) Activities that the Panel by consensus deems urgent.
The Panel shall prioritize the eligible actions/activities, pre-projects and projects and recommend apriority list to the Council for consideration in light of the eligibility and prioritization criteria andrequirements detailed above.
The Panel shall also make its recommendations taking into account the resources available in SubAccount B of the BPF at that Session.
The Panel shall endeavor to take decisions on its recommendations on eligibility and priorities byconsensus. If consensus cannot be reached, the Panel shall take decisions and make recommendations
by simple majority.
* Activities refers to “actions/activities, pre-projects and projects”.
** Priority areas are to be updated to reflect the revised priority areas adopted in new ITTO Action Plans.
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53

ANNEX D TEMPLATE FOR PROJECT AGREEMENTPROJECT AGREEMENT
between
THE INTERNATIONAL TROPICAL TIMBER ORGANIZATION (ITTO)
andTHE GOVERNMENT OF [……………country name ……………]
and[…………………executing agency…………………]
ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF PROJECT [………project ID number………][“………………………project title……………………”]
WHEREAS:A. the International Tropical Timber Council (hereafter referred to as “ITTC”) has approved the
Project [……project ID number……project title……], (hereinafter referred to as “the Project”),
and the International Tropical Timber Organization (hereinafter referred to as “ITTO”) wishes
to make available to the Government of [……country name……] [……executing agency ……]
funds not exceeding a total of [US$ XXX,XXX.XX (United States dollars ………………only )],for the purpose of implementing the afore-mentioned Project as provided for in thisAgreement;
B. the Government of [……country name……] (hereinafter referred to as “the Government”) has
indicated its willingness to facilitate the implementation of the Project within its territory;
C. it has been agreed that the [……executing agency ……](hereinafter referred to as the “Executing
Agency”) shall implement the Project;
D. [it has been agreed that the Executing Agency shall contribute to the Project a total of [US$XXX,XXX.XX (United States dollars ………………only )]].

NOW THEREFORE the parties hereby agree as follows:

ARTICLE I
Definition of the Project
Section 1.01: The Project Document [……project ID number……], (hereinafter referred to as “theProject Document”) attached hereto as the Appendix, shall be read as part of this Agreement, andshall govern the scope and details of the Project, subject to any subsequent clarifications andsupplementary arrangements which may be agreed between the Parties.

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ARTICLE II
Execution of the Project
Section 2.01: The Executing Agency shall be responsible for implementing the Project in accordancewith the Project Document, a detailed work plan approved by ITTO and with any supplementaryarrangements which may be agreed between the Parties.
Section 2.02: The Executing Agency shall implement the Project in a manner consistent with the
ITTO “Rules and Procedures Applying to ITTO Projects”, the “Manual for Project Monitoring, Review
and Evaluation” (Third Edition, 2008), the ITTO Online Monitoring and Evaluation System, the ITTO
Manual on Standard Operating Procedures (SOP, 2008) for the ITTO Project Cycle, the “ITTO Financial
Rules and Rules Relating to Projects” and the “ITTO Guidelines on the Selection and Employment
of Consultants and the Guidelines for the Procurement and Payment of Goods and Services Financed
from the Special Account” (Second Edition, 2008)
Section 2.03: The Executing Agency may, in accordance with the Project Document, the “ITTO
Guidelines on the Selection and Employment of Consultants and the Guidelines for the Procurement
and Payment of Goods and Services” (2008), and with the prior approval of ITTO, delegate or
sub-contract specific tasks and functions in connection with the Project to any other consultant(s),legal entities or institutions which are not under its daily supervision and control. However, suchdelegation or sub-contracting shall not free the Executing Agency from its responsibility andobligation for the Project as defined by the Project Document and this Agreement.
Section 2.04: ITTO shall not be liable for any claims arising as a result of implementation of the
Project or due to the use of any Project equipment. The Executing Agency shall indemnify and holdharmless the ITTO and their members, employees and representatives, from and against any liability,
damages, costs or expenses, or any claim, action, suit or other proceeding arising out of the execution
or implementation of this Agreement.
Section 2.05: The Executing Agency shall do its utmost to ensure that the Project is implemented onschedule, within the agreed budget, and in such a way as to achieve its objectives.
[Section 2.06: A Project Steering Committee [Project Technical Committee] shall be established.
The composition of the Project Steering Committee [Project Technical Committee] shall include
one representative of the ITTO, at least one representative of the Executing Agency, [at least one
representative of the project host government(s) which implements the Project] and optionally arepresentative of the government(s) providing funds for implementation of the Project. The Project
Steering Committee [Project Technical Committee] will meet at least once a year to review progressin Project implementation.]

ARTICLE III
Finance
Section 3.01: The respective contributions of the Executing Agency, [and] ITTO, [……possibly theGovernment, and any other donors……] contributing in cash or in kind to the Project shall be as set
out in the budget and operating expenses sections in the Project Document.
Section 3.02: ITTO undertakes, as provided for in this Agreement, to contribute an amount notexceeding [US$ XXX,XXX.XX (United States dollars ………………only )] for the purpose of
implementing the Project.
Section 3.03: ITTO will make payments in United States dollars related to its contribution to a
separate bank account [maintained in United States dollars] to be opened for the Project, with abank of commonly high reputation, to be determined by the Executing Agency, as follows:

Manual on standard operating procedures for the ITTO project cycle

55(a) ITTO will cause the first payment of [US$ XXX,XXX.XX (United States dollars ………………
only )] to be deposited, upon signature of this Agreement, and after the Executing Agency
provides the Executive Director of ITTO with a satisfactory inception report, a detailed [first
Yearly Plan of Operation] [workplan] for the implementation of the Project, [a request for noobjection for the engagement of national/international consultants/technical experts], [copy(ies)of memorandum of agreements signed with other implementing/collaborating partners
establishing relationship/roles/responsibilities– administrative, financial and technical] – and anotification that implementation of the Project is about to commence;(b) The second installment of [US$ XXX,XXX.XX (United States dollars ………………only )] after
receipt by ITTO of the first bi-annual Project progress report from the Executing Agency inaccordance with the procedures of ITTO, and a justified request for the payment in terms of thetiming, amount and estimated costs foreseen in the [Yearly Plan of Operation] [workplan], inlight of implementation thus far, for the period to which funds will relate;(c) The third installment of [US$ XXX,XXX.XX (United States dollars ………………only )] after
receipt by ITTO of the second bi-annual Project progress report from the Executing Agency
made in accordance with the procedures of ITTO, and a justified request for the payment interms of the timing, amount and estimated costs foreseen in the [Yearly Plan of Operation][workplan], in light of implementation thus far, for the period to which funds will relate;(d) The fourth installment of [US$ XXX,XXX.XX (United States dollars ………………only )] after
receipt by ITTO of the third bi-annual Project progress report from the Executing Agency madein accordance with the procedures of ITTO, and a justified request for the payment in terms ofthe timing, amount and estimated costs foreseen in the [Yearly Plan of Operation] [workplan],in light of implementation thus far, for the period to which funds will relate; and(e) the fifth and final installment of [US$ XXX,XXX.XX (United States dollars ………………only )]after receipt by ITTO of the fourth bi-annual Project progress report from the Executing Agency
made in accordance with the procedures of ITTO, and a justified request for the payment interms of the timing, amount and estimated costs foreseen in the [Yearly Plan of Operation][workplan], in light of implementation thus far, in order to successfully complete the Project.
Section 3.04: The total amount of [US$ XXX,XXX.XX (United States dollars ………………only )]will be retained by ITTO from the total ITTO contribution to meet ITTO and other costs as follows:(a) an amount of [US$ XXX,XXX.XX (United States dollars ………………only )] to meet ITTO’s
monitoring and review costs; and(b) an amount of [US$ XXX,XXX.XX (United States dollars ………………only )] to meet ITTO’s
mid-term costs; and(c) an amount of [US$ XXX,XXX.XX (United States dollars ………………only )] to meet ITTO’s
ex-post evaluation costs; and(d) an amount of [US$ XXX,XXX.XX (United States dollars ………………only )] to meet ITTO’s
program support costs; and(e) an amount of [US$ XXX,XXX.XX (United States dollars ………………only )] to be reserved foreventual contingency disbursements to be made according to written, justified requests from the
Executing Agency.
(f ) [an amount of [US$ XXX,XXX.XX (United States dollars ………………only )] to reimburse the
ITTO Pre-Project Sub-Account PPD……….. for costs incurred in the Project preparation.]
Section 3.05: The Executing Agency [and/or the Government] shall provide its contribution of[US$ XXX,XXX.XX (United States dollars ………………only )] to the Project promptly in accordancewith the agreed budget contained in the Project Document and any agreed amendments thereto.

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Manual on standard operating procedures for the ITTO project cycle

The Executing Agency shall report immediately to ITTO any circumstances which threaten
significantly its ability to make its contributions in full or on time.
Section 3.06: The contribution of the Executing Agency shall include the provision of office facilities
and appropriate office accommodation for all Project activities including any monitoring, review andevaluation meetings at no cost to the ITTO contribution to the Project budget.
Section 3.07: Notwithstanding any provision of any Section in this Article, the ITTO shall not beliable to disburse any funds to the Executing Agency which exceed the sum credited to its Special
Account and/or the Bali Partnership Fund as contributions earmarked for this Project.

ARTICLE IV
Use of Funds
Section 4.01: The funds provided by ITTO under this Agreement shall be used solely to meet those
direct Project costs assigned to ITTO which are itemized in the agreed budget of the Project Document.
Funds allocated to one budget heading or subheading item shall not be transferred to another without
the express prior approval of ITTO. All materials, equipment, supplies and services purchased orrented using ITTO resources shall be used exclusively for the implementation of the Project.
Section 4.02: Funds which have not yet been made available by ITTO to the Executing Agency shallnot be committed by the latter, without specific previous authorization from ITTO.
Section 4.03: All goods and services for which funds are provided by ITTO shall be procured inaccordance with the “ITTO Guidelines on the Selection and Employment of Consultants and the
Guidelines for the Procurement and Payment of Goods and Services”. The Executing Agency shallconsult ITTO in advance on the selection and appointment of any sub-contractors or individual
consultants used for any aspect of work associated with the implementation of the Project, as wellas the appointment of professional Project staff and selection of participants in Project activities suchas seminars and workshops.
Section 4.04: ITTO shall recover from the Executing Agency any amounts spent from funds
provided by ITTO for purposes, items or activities, or in ways, not authorized under this Agreement.
Such amounts may be deducted from any installment not already released to the Executing Agency
under Section 3.03 of this Agreement.

ARTICLE V
Accounts, Records and Reports
Section 5.01: The Executing Agency shall keep strict budgetary control over the funds allocated to
it by the ITTO for the purpose of implementing the Project, and shall keep such funds, until thetime of their actual disbursement, in a separate [dollar] bank account with a bank of commonly
recognized high reputation.
Section 5.02: The Executing Agency shall take every precaution against any unauthorized use of thefunds provided to it by ITTO, and shall at all times keep up-to-date and full accounts of theexpenditures incurred by the Project. ITTO may at any time request a financial statement from the
Executing Agency, accompanied by certified balances of the Project’s bank accounts, and such arequest shall be promptly complied with.
Section 5.03: The Executing Agency shall submit to ITTO in the Project progress reports and at
the conclusion of the Project, and as otherwise requested by ITTO in accordance with Section 5.02
above, statements of account and use of the funds of the Project under the headings listed in the

Manual on standard operating procedures for the ITTO project cycle

57budget in the Project Document. The Project accounts shall be audited by duly recognizedindependent auditors appointed by the Executing Agency in consultation with ITTO. Unlessprovided for in the ITTO part of the Project budget, ITTO funds shall not be used to pay forauditing work. The final audit statement shall be submitted within four months of the completionof the Project. Additionally, the Executing Agency shall submit an annual financial audit to ITTO
within three months after the end of the financial year. For the purpose of the Project, the financial
year of the Project shall be from 1 January to 31 December of each year.
Section 5.04: If the actual costs of the Project which are to be borne by ITTO are less than is provided
for in the Project budget under this Agreement, the balance remaining unspent on completion of
the Project, including bank interest earned, shall be returned to the ITTO.
Section 5.05: The Executing Agency shall establish and maintain records and procedures adequate
to record and monitor the physical, technical and financial progress of the Project, including its costs,
interests on capital and other benefits, and to identify the goods and services financed by ITTO.
Section 5.06: Representatives of ITTO shall be entitled to visit any facilities and sites included in the
Project and to examine the accounts and records, and the goods and services provided under the Project.
Section 5.07: The Executing Agency shall, upon request, make available to ITTO any information
relevant to the implementation, financing or follow-up of the Project. The Executing Agency shallprovide Project progress and technical reports, as well as a completion report in the form, detail andtime-frame required by ITTO, for the monitoring, review and evaluation of the Project. The
Executing Agency shall promptly provide ITTO with information on any delay, event or obstaclethat might significantly endanger the success of the Project.
Section 5.08: The Executing Agency shall submit to ITTO [on an annual basis, Yearly Plans ofOperation, and] bi-annual progress reports not later than (28 February and 31 August] in each year
during the implementation of the Project. The Executing Agency shall submit to ITTO a completion
report not later than three months after Project completion. The progress and technical reports[, aswell as the Yearly Plans of Operation,] shall be prepared following the model reports established in
the “ITTO Manual for Project Monitoring, Review and Evaluation”.
Section 5.09: Monitoring and review meetings and [steering/technical committee meetings] will be
convened at the request of ITTO with the participation of representatives of the Executing Agency,
ITTO and the Government. ITTO shall bear the costs of its participation [and steering committee
meetings]; and other representatives shall bear their own costs. Representatives of donors providing
funds to the Project may also attend the monitoring and review meetings at their own expense.

ARTICLE VI
Publications and Technical Reports
Section 6.01: All publications and technical reports resulting from work financed by the Project
shall give appropriate recognition to ITTO’s role and carry statements disclosing that they are partof the documentation produced in an ITTO approved Project. Cover pages of any of thesepublications shall prominently bear the name and logo of ITTO.
Section 6.02: The Executing Agency will provide ITTO with a minimum of 100 copies of eachpublication from the Project free of charge, unless otherwise agreed.
Section 6.03: The Executing Agency shall prepare, in liaison with the ITTO Secretariat a brief
article, for possible inclusion in the ITTO Tropical Forest Update, reporting on the Project progressand outcome, Project publications and lessons learned.

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Manual on standard operating procedures for the ITTO project cycle

ARTICLE VII
Disposal of Capital Goods
Section 7.01: Prior to completion of the Project, the Executing Agency shall propose, and the ITTO
will decide, what arrangements are to be made for the continued use or disposal of any equipment orother supplies purchased with ITTO Project funds. Written notice to accept the arrangements, modify
them or implement alternative arrangements will be given by ITTO to the Executing Agency.

ARTICLE VIII
Responsibilities of the Government
Section 8.01: The Government shall ensure that the Executing Agency’s ability to carry out its
obligations under this Agreement, especially those prescribed by Articles II, III, IV and V, is notadversely compromised.
Section 8.02: The Government shall take all necessary action in order to ensure:(a) prompt clearance of experts and other persons performing services financed by ITTO under the
Project; and(b) prompt release from customs of any imported equipment, or other kinds of supplies requiredby the Project with import duties and associated fees applicable to such material either waived
or entered in the Project accounts as part of the Government’s contribution to the Project.
Section 8.03: The Government agrees that ITTO shall not be responsible for any customs charges
and taxes that may be imposed for the import of equipment, materials and supplies for the Project.
Project funds shall not be authorized for payment of such charges and taxes.

ARTICLE IX
Suspension
Section 9.01: Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 3.03 of this Agreement, where any
violations of this Agreement becomes apparent, or where it appears that the conditions surrounding
the Project have changed to such an extent that, in the opinion of the Executive Director, thesuccessful completion of the Project is unlikely, ITTO may, by written notice, suspend all further
disbursements of funds pending a review.
Section 9.02: If ITTO funding of the Project is suspended the Executing Agency shall not incur any
further expenditures on activities, goods or services financed by such funds unless and until suchfunding is resumed, except with the previous written approval of ITTO. The Executing Agency shallkeep all assets and values previously funded by ITTO for the Project in safe custody, and shall givenotice immediately to any sub-contractor whose services are being paid for from ITTO’s funds tosuspend its activities as soon as possible, so as to minimize the cost to the Project.

ARTICLE X
Termination
Section 10.01: In accordance with Rule 31 of the “ITTO Financial Rules and Rules Relating to
Projects”, the ITTC may, by written notice, terminate its approval and funding of the Project, in particularin cases where it is satisfied that:

Manual on standard operating procedures for the ITTO project cycle

59(a) the financial resources provided for the Project are being misapplied to an extent which
compromises the fulfillment of the objectives of the Project; or(b) the technical means and/or personnel being used for the implementation of the Project are being
misapplied to an extent which compromises the fulfillment of the objectives of the Project; or(c) its continued approval and funding no longer serve the objectives of the Project.
Section 10.02: In case of a decision to terminate ITTC approval and funding, the provisions ofSection 9.01 above shall be applied; and the unused part of the resources contributed by ITTO to
the Project shall be returned to the ITTO together with a final audited statement within threemonths after the date of termination.

ARTICLE XI
Settlement of Disputes
Section 11.01: Any dispute arising out of the interpretation or implementation of this Agreement
or any breach thereof shall be settled amicably by consultation or negotiation between the Executing
Agency and ITTO within the framework of UNCITRAL (United Nations Commission forInternational Trade Law) arbitration rules.

ARTICLE XII
Modification of the Agreement
Section 12.01: This Agreement may be modified by written mutual consent between the Parties,
each of which shall give full and sympathetic consideration to any proposal for its amendment.

ARTICLE XIII
Entry into Force
Section 13.01: IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned, duly appointed representatives of theInternational Tropical Timber Organization, the Government of [……country name……] and the[……executing agency……], have signed on behalf of the respective Parties this Project Agreementin three originals on the dates indicated below. This Agreement shall enter into force upon signatureby all the contracting Parties.
(Name and Title in Block Capitals)
Executive Director
On behalf of the Government of[……government name……]

On behalf of the International Tropical
Timber Organization (ITTO)

Dated:_ __________________________

Dated:___________________________

Place: ____________________________

Place: _ __________________________(Name and Title in Block Capitals)
On behalf of the [……executing agency……]

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Manual on standard operating procedures for the ITTO project cycle

ANNEX E S
 AMPLE AGREEMENT BETWEEN EAAND COLLABORATING AGENCYMEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT
betweenEXECUTING AGENCY IN THE PHILIPPINES (EA)andCOLLABORATING AGENCY (CA)ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF PROJECT PD 167/02 REV.2 (F)“Integration of Forest Management Units (FMU) into Sustainable Development Units (SDU) throughCollaborative Forest Management in Surigao del Sur, The Philippines”
We, the undersigned authorized representatives of EA and CA; endorse this agreement as the formal
document guiding project implementation by both agencies in accordance with Article III Section
3.03 (a) of the Project Agreement.

SECTION 1. GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIESEA is the Executing Agency for the project. It will be in charge of general management and administrationof all Project activities, and will also be directly responsible for reporting all results to ITTO andother agencies/groups represented in the Project Steering Committee. It will be responsible for receiving,
disbursing, and managing all funds released by ITTO to the project in accordance with ITTO’s rules
and regulations.
CA will be a Collaborating Agency for project implementation. It shall be responsible for providing
the project site, on-site support services, additional information, and data required by the project,and shall primarily be responsible for implementing sustainable forest management interventionsin the core FMU area (Timber License Agreement area) in accordance with the SFM plan generated
in ITTO PD 35/96 Rev. 2(F). It will also be involved in the conduct of IEC activities through its
Community Relations Unit, set up as a result of the aforementioned ITTO Project.
Both agencies agree to deploy the necessary personnel to provide management, administrative, andtechnical support in project implementation in accordance with the Work plan and counterpart
funds committed for the purpose. They will also appoint one representative and one alternate
representative each to the Project Steering Committee.

SECTION 2. COUNTERPART CONTRIBUTIONSEA and CA agree to share equally the total counterpart contribution of $ 281,750 in cash and inkind to support project implementation. Both agencies will contribute $ 86,000 for the first year
operation; $ 126,000 for the second year operation; and $ 33,000 for the third year operation. They
will also share equally in the management costs of $ 36,750 to be used for support to community
activities and will be made available in equal installment for the second and third year of operations.
The counterpart contributions shall include the provision of office facilities and appropriate officeaccommodations for all project activities. Central office facilities shall be provided by EA in Quezon
City while the project site office in Surigao del Sur shall be provided by CA.

Manual on standard operating procedures for the ITTO project cycle

61

SECTION 3. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS
EA shall be responsible for preparing and submitting to ITTO all progress reports, technical reports,
and completion report in accordance with the project document and project agreement. It shall also
submit to ITTO needed financial statements on use of projects funds and at the end of the projecta final statement of account for ITTO and counterpart funds audited by recognized independent
auditors appointed by EA in consultation with ITTO.
CA shall assist in the reporting requirements by providing data and information as needed.
This Agreement shall take effect upon signing by both agencies.

62_________________________________ _______________________________

President and CEO
EA

President and General Manager
CA

Date:_ ___________________________

Date:____________________________

Place: ____________________________

Place: _ __________________________

Manual on standard operating procedures for the ITTO project cycle

ANNEX F I TTO GUIDELINES FOR ANNUAL
AND/OR FINAL (ON PROJECTCOMPLETION) FINANCIAL AUDITOF PROJECTS (OR PRE-PROJECTS)
Requirement of Annual Audit and/or Final Audit
In accordance with ITTC Decision 4 (XXV), an annual audit of the financial statements by an external
auditor is required for all projects with a duration of two years or more and an ITTO budget above
US$200,000. The annual audit is in addition to the audit required at the completion of the project.
The external auditor is required to carry out a full scope audit in accordance with generally accepted
auditing standards.
Additionally, the final audit statement for all Projects (or Pre-Projects) shall be submitted withinfour months of the completion.

Audit Objectives
1 To express an opinion on the annual financial statements of projects.
The auditor is required to express an opinion on the annual financial statements of the project,specifically whether they present fairly, in all material respects, project revenues received and costs
incurred. The auditor’s opinion should be consistent with the provisions of the project agreement
and project document in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.

2 To evaluate and report material internal control weakness.
The auditor shall evaluate and obtain a sufficient understanding of the implementing agency’s internal
control structure related to the project to assess control risk and to identify reportable aspects,
including material weaknesses in internal control.

3 To report non-compliance and illegal acts.
The auditor shall perform tests to determine whether the implementing agency has complied, in allmaterial respects, with conditions of the Project Agreement and the rules and procedures applicableto ITTO projects. All material issues of non-compliance and all indications of illegal acts shall beidentified and reported.

Audit Process
1 Pre-auditing
The auditor shall review the following documents, if applicable, to become familiar with the project:• The project implementation agreement;• The sub-agreements between the implementing agency and other collaborating parties;• Contracts and sub-contracts with third parties;• The project document, the budget, project-implementation letters, correspondence, agreed
minutes and procedures to manage the project as approved by ITTO;

Manual on standard operating procedures for the ITTO project cycle63• The financial reports and progress reports of the project; and• Organizational charts, a description of the administrative organization, procedures on procuring,receiving, storing and distributing of project goods, and the chart of accounts necessary to successfully
perform the audit;
The auditor shall also review the actions taken in response to findings and recommendations
reported in prior audits that could have an effect on the current audit objectives. The auditor shalldetermine whether prompt and appropriate corrective actions have been taken by the agency.

2 Preparation of the audit work plan
The auditor shall prepare an audit work plan based on the information obtained during the pre-audit
phase. This work plan will include an examination of the internal control structure of the implementing
agency and its function, in order for the auditor to perform ratio-analyses and substantive testing.

3 The execution of the audit
The auditor shall examine the financial statement of the project and carry out the audit work plan
to express an opinion as indicated in paragraph 1 under “Audit Objectives”.
The auditor shall ensure that the audit working paper contains sufficient, adequate and relevant evidence
and shall record the audit procedures performed and their results in the audit file.
The steps mentioned above are not considered to be all-inclusive or restrictive in nature and do notconstitute reprieve from exercising due professional care and judgement. The steps shall be modified
to fit local conditions as well as the specific nature of the project, the implementation procedures andthe provisions of the project agreement. Any limitation in the scope of work shall be included in theaudit report.

4 Reporting requirement
The reports required for submission are as follows:(1) Audit report
The audit report shall include the auditor’s opinion, general information and financial statements.
A sample report is set out in Annex I.
(2) Management report
A management report shall also be required if there are significant internal control weaknesses andillegitimate or questioned expenditures and acts.
(3) A letter of representation
The auditor shall obtain a letter of representation, signed by the implementing agency’s management,
stating that, to the best of their knowledge and belief, the financial statements contain all transactions
and that the statement of account is complete and accurate in all respects.
The reports shall be submitted within three months after the relevant year-end. The implementing
agency shall submit three copies of each report to ITTO.

Review
ITTO reserves the right to conduct a review of the audit. The auditor in charge shall fully cooperate
in this review and shall make all relevant documentation related to the audit available to the reviewer.

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Manual on standard operating procedures for the ITTO project cycle

Working Papers
The audit firm shall maintain an orderly and accessible audit file. All working papers shall be in oneof the working languages of ITTO (English/French/Spanish). The auditor shall store the audit fileand working papers for a period of ten years from the completion of the audit.

Terms of Performance
1 Selection of the audit firm
The auditor shall be selected by obtaining and reviewing quotations from at least three audit firms.
The selected auditor shall be independent and acceptable to both ITTO and the implementing
agency. In countries where local offices of international audit firms are available, at least one of such
firms shall be invited to submit an audit quotation.

2 Performance
It is the responsibility of the implementing agency to ensure that all records are available, allaccounting entries and adjustments are made, and that all other necessary steps have been taken to
enable the auditor to perform the audit.

3 Costs
Audit costs shall be borne by the implementing agency unless otherwise specified in the project document.

Manual on standard operating procedures for the ITTO project cycle65[Name of implementing agency][Project number and name]Financial statements
December 31, xxxx General project information
Or the date of Completion
Project number
Project title
Project duration
ITTO contribution
Date of approval by ITTC
Implementing agency(Name, address, phone,
fax and email numbers)
Auditor(Name, address, phone,
fax, email)66

Manual on standard operating procedures for the ITTO project cycleReport of Independent Auditors[Date]To the representative officer of [name of agency]
We have audited the accompanying balance sheet of [name of implementing project] as of 31 December[or as of completion date] [year (and years)] and the related statements of activities for the period(years) then ended. These financial statements are the responsibility of [name of agency]’s management.
Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audit(s).
We conducted our audit(s) in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards. Thosestandards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether
the financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis,
evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. An audit also includes
assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management of [name of
implementing agency], as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believethat our audit(s) provide(s) a reasonable basis for our opinion.
In our opinion, the financial statements audited by us present fairly, in all material respects, thefinancial position of [name of project] at 31 December [or as at the completion date] [year (and years)],
and the results of its activities for the year(s) then ended, and are in conformity with International
Accounting Standards.

[Signature of auditors]

Manual on standard operating procedures for the ITTO project cycle67[Name of implementing agency][Project No.]
[Project title]

BALANCE SHEETAs at 31 December [Year]Or as at the date of Completion([Name of currency])
31 December
Notes
Assets:Cash and cash equivalents
Contributions receivable
Advance receivable
Other current assets
Total current assets
OthersTotal assets
Liabilities and net assets:
Accounts payables
Advance received
Accrued expenses
OthersTotal liabilities
Net assets:
Unspent funds
Total net assets
Total liabilities and net assets

68

Manual on standard operating procedures for the ITTO project cycle

200X

200Y

[Name of implementing agency][Project No.]
[Project title]

STATEMENT OF ACTIVITIESFor the periods from [date of commencement of project] to 31 December [Year]
Or to the date of Completion
PROJECT FINANCIAL STATEMENT (in US Dollars)(To be prepared separately for ITTO funding and for Counterpart Funding)
Project No.

Period ending on:

Project Title:
Expenditures To-date

Available
Original
Total
Funds
Amount Accrued Expended
(D)
(E)
(A)
(B)
(C)
{B+C} {A-D}

Component
I.

Funds managed by Executing Agency

10.

Project Personnel
11.

National Experts (long term)
11.1 Project Coordinator11.2 Forester 1
11.3 M arket/industry
expert etc.
11.4 Administrator

12.

Other Personnel
12.1 Assistant 1
12.2 Other labor

13.

National Consultant(s)(short term)
13.1 Consultant 1
13.2 Consultant 2

14.

International Consultant(s)14.1 Forest Inventory Expert
14.2 Consultant 2

15.

Fellowships and Training
15.1 T raining 1 (specify
beneficiaries)
15.2 Training 2

19.
20.

Component Total:

Sub-contracts
21.

Sub-contract (Topice.g. mapping, etc.)

22.

Sub-contract (Topic 2)

29.

Component Total:

Manual on standard operating procedures for the ITTO project cycle

69

30.

40.

50.

60.

TravelDaily Subsistence Allowance31.
31.1 N ational Expert(s)/Consultant(s)31.2 International Consultant(s)31.3 Others
32. International Travel
32.1 N ational Expert(s)/Consultant(s)32.2 International Consultant(s)32.3 Others
33. Local Transport Costs
33.1 N ational Expert(s)/Consultant(s)33.2 International Consultant(s)33.3 Others
39. Component Total:
Capital Items
41.
Premises
42. Land43. Vehicle(s)44. Capital Equipment
44.1 C omputer Equipment(specify)
44.2 F orestry Equipment (specify)
44.3 Others
49. Component Total:
Consumable Items
51.
Raw Materials
52. Spares
53. Utilities
54. Office Supplies
59. Component Total:
Miscellaneous
61.
Sundry62. Audit Costs
63. Contingencies
69. Component Total:

National Management Costs
71.
Executing Agency
Management Costs
72. Focal Point Monitoring
79. Component Total:
Sub-Total:
100.
GRAND TOTAL:
70.

Note Budget Components are those detailed in the Project Document.
1) The Cash Flow Statement must be completed first, before the input into the Financial Statement.
2) Accrued expenditure: expenditures incurred during the reporting period, but not yet settled.
3) Amounts under the “Expended” column will be imported from the Cash Flow Statement (with direct link).

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Manual on standard operating procedures for the ITTO project cycle

PROJECT CASH FLOW STATEMENT
Project No.

Period ending on:

Project Title:
AmountComponentA.

Reference

Date

in US$

Local
Currency

Funds received from ITTO:
1.

First installment

2.

Second Installment

3.

Third installment

4.

Fourth installment
ETC.
Total Funds Received:

B.

Expenditures by Executing Agency:

10.

Project Personnel
11.

National Experts (long term)
11.1 Project Coordinator11.2 Forester 1
11.3 Market/industry expert etc.
11.4 Administrator

12.

Other Personnel
12.1 Assistant 1
12.1 Assistant 2
12.2 Other labor

13.

National Consultant(s) (short term)
13.1 Consultant 1
13.2 Consultant 2
13.3 Consultant 3

14.

International Consultant(s)14.1 Forest Inventory Expert
14.2 Consultant 2

15.

Fellowships and Training
15.1 T raining 1 (specify beneficiaries)
15.2 Training 2
15.3 Training 3

19.
20.

Component Total:

Sub-contracts
21.

Sub-contract (Topic e.g. mapping, etc.)

22.

Sub-contract (Topic 2)

29.

Component Total:

Manual on standard operating procedures for the ITTO project cycle

71

30.

Travel31.

Daily Subsistence Allowance
31.1 National Expert(s)/Consultant(s)31.2 International Consultant(s)31.3 Others

32.

International Travel
32.1 N ational Expert(s)/Consultant(s)32.2 International Consultant(s)32.3 Others

33.

Local Transport Costs
33.1 N ational Expert(s)/Consultant(s)33.2 International Consultant(s)33.3 Others

39.
40.

Component Total:

Capital Items
41.

Premises

42.

Land

43.

Vehicle(s)44.

Capital Equipment
44.1 C omputer Equipment (specify)
44.2 Forestry Equipment (specify)
44.3 Others

49.
50.

60.

70.

Component Total:

Consumable Items
51.

Raw materials

52.

Spares53.

Utilities

54.

Office Supplies

59.

Component Total:

Miscellaneous
61.

Sundry62.

Audit costs

63.

Contingencies

69.

Component Total:

National Management Costs
71.

Executing Agency Management Costs

72.

Focal Point Monitoring

79.

Component Total:
Total Expenditures To-date:
Remaining Balance of Funds (A-B):

Notes:

1) Amounts in U.S. dollars are converted using the average rate of exchange when funds were received by the Executing Agency;2) Amount of expenditures in US dollar should be the same as amount shown in column (C) of the Financial Statement(exported with direct link from the Cash Flow Statement); and3) Submit bank reconciliation statement along with the bank statements to support the remaining balances/funds in
the Cash Flow Statement.

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Manual on standard operating procedures for the ITTO project cycle

[Name of implementing agency][Project No.]
[Project title]

Notes to the financial statements
For the period (year) ended 31 December [Year]
Or to the date of Completion
1. Activities and general information
2. Significant accounting policies(1) Basis of preparation(2) Translation of foreign currency(3) Taxes(4) Others
3. Others

Manual on standard operating procedures for the ITTO project cycle73

ANNEX G
PROJECT FINANCIAL STATEMENT (in US Dollars)(To be prepared separately for ITTO funding and for Counterpart Funding)
Project No.

Period ending on:

Project Title:
Expenditures To-date
Total
(D)

Original
Amount Accrued Expended
(A)
(B)
(C)
{B+C} {A-D}

Component
I.

Funds managed by Executing Agency

10.

Project Personnel
11.

National Experts (long term)
11.1 Project Coordinator11.2 Forester 1
11.3 Market/industry expert etc.
11.4 Administrator

12.

Other Personnel
12.1 Assistant 1
12.2 Other labor

13.

National Consultant(s)(short term)
13.1 Consultant 1
13.2 Consultant 2

14.

International Consultant(s)14.1 Forest Inventory Expert
14.2 Consultant 2

15.

Fellowships and Training
15.1 T raining 1 (specify
beneficiaries)
15.2 Training 2

19.
20.

30.

Component Total:

Sub-contracts
21.

Sub-contract (Topice.g. mapping, etc.)

22.

Sub-contract (Topic 2)

29.

Component Total:

Travel31.

Daily Subsistence Allowance
31.1 N ational Expert(s)/Consultant(s)31.2 International Consultant(s)31.3 Others

74

Available
Funds
(E)

Manual on standard operating procedures for the ITTO project cycle32.

International Travel
32.1 N ational Expert(s)/Consultant(s)32.2 International Consultant(s)32.3 Others

33.

Local Transport Costs
33.1 N ational Expert(s)/Consultant(s)33.2 International Consultant(s)33.3 Others

39.
40.

Component Total:

Capital Items
41.

Premises

42.

Land

43.

Vehicle(s)44.

Capital Equipment
44.1 C omputer Equipment(specify)
44.2 Forestry Equipment (specify)
44.3 Others

49.
50.

60.

70.

Component Total:

Consumable Items
51.

Raw Materials

52.

Spares53.

Utilities

54.

Office Supplies

59.

Component Total:

Miscellaneous
61.

Sundry62.

Audit Costs

63.

Contingencies

69.

Component Total:

National Management Costs
71.

Executing Agency
Management Costs

72.

Focal Point Monitoring

79.

Component Total:
Sub-Total:

100.

GRAND TOTAL:

Note: Budget Components are those detailed in the Project Document.
1) The Cash Flow Statement must be completed first, before the input into the Financial Statement.
2) Accrued expenditure: expenditures incurred during the reporting period, but not yet settled.
3) Amounts under the “Expended” column will be imported from the Cash Flow Statement (with direct link).

Manual on standard operating procedures for the ITTO project cycle75

ANNEX H
PROJECT CASH FLOW STATEMENT
Project No.

				Period ending on:

Project Title:
AmountComponentA.

Reference

Funds received from ITTO:
1.

First installment

2.

Second Installment

3.

Third installment

4.

Fourth installment
ETC.
Total Funds Received:

B.

Expenditures by Executing Agency:

10.

Project Personnel
11.

National Experts (long term)
11.1 Project Coordinator11.2 Forester 1
11.3 Market/industry expert etc.
11.4 Administrator

12.

Other Personnel
12.1 Assistant 1
12.1 Assistant 2
12.2 Other labor

13.

National Consultant(s) (short term)
13.1 Consultant 1
13.2 Consultant 2
13.3 Consultant 3

14.

International Consultant(s)14.1 Forest Inventory Expert
14.2 Consultant 2

15.

Fellowships and Training
15.1 Training 1 (specify beneficiaries)
15.2 Training 2
15.3 Training 3

19.
20.

76

Component Total:

Sub-contracts
21.

Sub-contract (Topic e.g. mapping, etc.)

22.

Sub-contract (Topic 2)

29.

Component Total:

Manual on standard operating procedures for the ITTO project cycle

Date

Local
in US$ Currency

30.

Travel31.

Daily Subsistence Allowance
31.1 National Expert(s)/Consultant(s)31.2 International Consultant(s)31.3 Others

32.

International Travel
32.1 National Expert(s)/Consultant(s)32.2 International Consultant(s)32.3 Others

33.

Local Transport Costs
33.1 National Expert(s)/Consultant(s)33.2 International Consultant(s)33.3 Others

39.
40.

Component Total:

Capital Items
41.

Premises

42.

Land

43.

Vehicle(s)44.

Capital Equipment
44.1 Computer Equipment (specify)
44.2 Forestry Equipment (specify)
44.3 Others

49.
50.

60.

70.

Component Total:

Consumable Items
51.

Raw materials

52.

Spares53.

Utilities

54.

Office Supplies

59.

Component Total:

Miscellaneous
61.

Sundry62.

Audit costs

63.

Contingencies

69.

Component Total:

National Management Costs
71.

Executing Agency Management Costs

72.

Focal Point Monitoring

79.

Component Total:
Total Expenditures To-date:
Remaining Balance of Funds (A-B):

Notes:

1) Amounts in U.S. dollars are converted using the average rate of exchange when funds were received by the Executing Agency;2) Amount of expenditures in US dollar should be the same as amount shown in column (C) of the Financial Statement(exported with direct link from the Cash Flow Statement); and3) Submit bank reconciliation statement along with the bank statements to support the remaining balances/funds in
the Cash Flow Statement.

Manual on standard operating procedures for the ITTO project cycle

77ANNEX I GUIDE FOR PSC/PTC MEETING
Standard Format for PSC/PTC Meeting Agenda
The (….) Meeting of Project Steering (Technical) Committee
ITTO Project PD ……….
“……………………………………………………………………………….”
Date, Location

Provisional Agenda
Item 1.

Opening of the Meeting
Opening remarks by the Chairperson (generally the representative of the Government),
the donor representative(s), and the ITTO representative

Item 2.

Presentation of Participants

Item 3.

Review of the Minutes of the last PSC/PTC Meeting	The Committee will review the decisions and recommendations of the previous PSC/PTC
meeting and the EA will report on follow-up actions
Item 4.

Review of the project structure and progress
The EA will make the following presentations:• T he project’s overall objectives, outputs and Detailed Work Plan following the project’s
logical framework, covering the whole period for which financing has been secured
from ITTO and including changes (if any) that have been made to the original work
plan proposed in the project document• A current Organizational Chart of the project, detailing the positions and responsibilitiesof each project staff member in relation to the project’s activities and the roles andresponsibilities of the collaborating institutions and other stakeholders; internal and external
consultation mechanisms should be explained;• A Progress Report following the ITTO format that summarizes the progress achievedfor each of the activities specified in the project document; and an analysis of the progress
towards achieving outputs and specific objectives. A comparative tabular schedule ofthe progress achieved to date for each of the project’s activities versus the original schedule
proposed in the project document is presented, including a tabular summary indicating
percentile progress for each activity;• Technical documents (if any) prepared to date by the project;• A critical analysis of the project’s implementation to date, describing the problems
encountered and the lessons learned;• The degree of compliance with the various ITTO policy guidelines and its manual forthe application of criteria and indicators for sustainable management of natural tropicalforests;• Establishment of mechanisms for ensuring sustainability after project completion.

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Manual on standard operating procedures for the ITTO project cycle

Item 5.

Review of the project finance and inputs applied
The EA will make the following presentations:• The Project’s Budget, broken down by items and sub-items, in US Dollars, covering the whole
period for which financing has been secured from ITTO and including changes (if any)that have been made to the original budget proposed in the project document;• Expenditures incurred since project inception to date by budget item and sub-item
versus those originally planned in the project document, covering the full amountfunded by ITTO (an itemized tabular summary – Financial Statement and Cash Flowusing the standard format provided in Annex 1);• Counterpart contributions to the budget and expenditures to date;• A list of capital items purchased with ITTO funds, indicating the purchase date and value;

Item 6.

Consideration of Yearly Plan of Operation/work program and associated budget	The EA will present the Yearly Plan of Operation/work program for the ongoing or next period(depending on the timing of the PSC/PTC meeting) along with its associated budget.
Item 7.

Recommendations
The Committee will:• Review, evaluate, approve and adopt the reports presented by the EA (progress report, financial
report, YPO, technical reports)• Discuss any issues arising from the presentations, including possible modifications/improvements to project implementation and/or the budget• Make decisions that will contribute to strengthening and improving project implementation• If appropriate, agree on the timing of a “Mid-term Evaluation”• The Chairperson may summarize the main recommendations made during the meeting.

Item 8.

Other Business(a) Next PSC/PTC meeting(b) Any other matters(c) Arrangements regarding the preparation and signing of the Minutes

Item 9.

Closing of the Meeting

Manual on standard operating procedures for the ITTO project cycle

79Standard Format for Minutes of the PSC/PTC Meeting
Minutes of the (….) Meeting of the Project Steering (Technical) Committee
ITTO Project PD ……….
“……………………………………………………………………………….”
Date, Location
Item 1.

Opening of the Meeting r/Ms ……. (Chairperson) called the meeting to order at …….. and welcomed membersM
to the PSC/PTC. Brief description of the opening statements by the EA, Government,
donor and ITTO representatives. The adopted agenda and list of participants are attachedto the minutes (see Annexes 1 and 2).

Item 2.

Review of the project structure and progress
The EA made the following presentations:• The project’s overall objectives and Detailed Work Plan
• A current Organizational Chart of the project• A Progress Report following the ITTO including an analysis of the progress towards
achieving outputs and specific objectives• Technical documents (if any) prepared to date by the project;• A critical analysis of the project’s implementation to date, describing the problems
encountered and the lessons learned;• The degree of compliance with the various ITTO policy guidelines and its manual
for the application of criteria and indicators for sustainable management of natural
tropical forests;

Highlight issues raised by the PSC/PTC and any recommendations made related to project organizations
and progress.
Item 3.

Review of the project finance and inputs applied
The EA made the following presentations:• The Project’s Budget, broken down by items and sub-items, including changes (if any)that have been made to the original budget proposed in the project document;• Expenditures incurred since project inception to date by budget item and sub-item
versus those originally planned in the project document (Financial Statement andCash Flow);• Counterpart contributions to the budget and expenditures to date;• A list of capital items purchased with ITTO funds.

Highlight issues raised by the PSC/PTC and any recommendations made related to project budget andexpenditures. If budget modifications are approved by the PSC/PTC, these should be annexed to the Minutes.
Item 4.

Consideration of next Yearly Plan of Operation/work program and associated budget	The EA presented the Yearly Plan of Operation/work program for the ongoing (next)
period and its associated budget.

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Manual on standard operating procedures for the ITTO project cycle

Highlight issues raised by the PSC/PTC and any recommendations made related to the YPO/work plan
and associated budget.
Item 5.

Recommendations and Decisions

	The Committee made the following recommendations and decisions regarding project
implementation (include who will be responsible for the implementation of the decisions
and follow-up):
1. The Committee decided to approve and adopt the following reports as presented by
the EA (or: with the following modifications): Progress report, financial report, YPO/
work plan, technical reports
2. …….
3. ……..etc.
Item 6.

Other BusinessHighlight any other important issues raised during the meeting.
Tentative date for the next PSC/PTC meeting.
If appropriate, date for the mid-term evaluation.

Item 7.

Closing of the Meeting
The meeting adjourned at ……..

We the undersigned endorse the Minutes as a record of the PSC/PTC meeting
Date, Location:_
Executing Agency representative_
Government representative		
ITTO representative

Donor representative(s)Manual on standard operating procedures for the ITTO project cycle81ANNEX J GUIDE IN MONITORING VISITS
Guidelines for ITTO Project Monitoring Missions (PMM)
1 General rules regarding ITTO Project Monitoring Missions– The same procedures should apply to projects that have a Project Steering Committee (PSC)
and to smaller projects that have a Project Technical Committee (PTC).
– Project Monitoring Missions (PMM) consist of a PSC/PTC meeting and a project site visit.
– For each on-going project regardless of its size, a PMM should be carried out at least once a year
(pre-projects will generally not be visited).
– The first PMM should be carried out within six months of project initiation in case of projects
with a new Executing Agency (EA), large projects and projects that constitute a second phase orfollow-up to an earlier project; in all other cases, the first PMM should take place within the firstyear of project implementation.
– Before projects are approved by the Expert Panel the Secretariat should assure that sufficient
funds are included in the budget for monitoring and ex-post evaluation and, if appropriate, for
mid-term evaluation.
– In principle, each PMM should include a project site visit; in cases where this is not possible (i.e.
remote project sites), the project site should be visited at least once during the life of the
project.

2 Checklist of activities
2.1 Prior to the Project Monitoring Mission
ITTO• Plan the overall schedule (date and venue) of the PMM• Check availability of funds for monitoring in the project budget (obtain “fund status report” of
the Project from Management Services)• Liaise with the EA at least one month in advance of the PMM regarding:– Date– venue– language of the meeting– participants– required documentation– agenda– project site visit, etc.
• Communicate travel arrangements to the EA• Review all relevant project documentation:– Project Document– Project Agreement and, if appropriate, supplementary agreements between the EA and othercollaborating agencies– YPOs– Progress reports incl. financial statements

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Manual on standard operating procedures for the ITTO project cycle

– Technical reports– No-objection letters– Minutes of previous PMMs
– Audit reports– Correspondence• Through the review of the documentation, make a preliminary assessment of the following aspects:– Whether the project is progressing according to agreed work schedules (YPO) (compare actual
outputs and activities in Progress Report with that in the Project Document, identify problem areas)– Effectiveness of project organization, including the roles and responsibilities of the institutions
involved, the management structure– Acquisition of capital items (vehicles/equipment)– Adherence to the various ITTO Administrative Guidelines by the EA (ITTO Guidelines for Consultants,
Procurement, Rules & Procedures, other Manuals, follow-up actions regarding audit reports, etc)
– If appropriate, adherence to relevant ITTO policy guidelines– Major issues/problems to be followed-up at the PSC/PTC with a view to develop corrective
actions (to achieve project objectives as designed in the Project Document)
Executing Agency• Invite participants to PSC/PTC meeting• Prepare required documentation• Make logistical arrangements for the meeting and project site visit• Prepare a detailed program of the PMM• Send the following documentation to all participants at least two weeks prior to the PSC/PTC meeting:– progress report– financial report 1– YPO– meeting agenda 2– any technical reports produced by the project since the last PMM• Send the tentative program of the PMM to ITTO for approval• Arrange for airport pick-up and hotel reservations
2.2 During the Project Monitoring Missiona) PSC/PTC meeting
ITTO• Review the agenda for completeness• Together with the other members of the PSC/PTC, review the following aspects of project
implementation:– Quality of project planning (Yearly Plan of Operation/Work Plan)– Project organization, management structure, roles and responsibilities of the institutions
involved and internal and external coordination mechanisms

1
2

Financial reports should be prepared according to the format in Annex 1
A standard format for the agenda of the PSC/PTC meeting is included as Annex 2

Manual on standard operating procedures for the ITTO project cycle83– Adequacy of project reporting– Activities in relation to progress towards “specific objective(s)” and “outputs” achieved– External factors affecting project implementation– Risks as described in the Project Document including new risks arising during implementation– Deviations from the original project design during implementation– Current financial information and audit requirements (identify and seek justification for major
variations in actual expenditures - from ITTO Contributions - compared with the budget
components in the Project Document)– Actual counterpart contribution and its adequacy with regard to project implementation progress– Acquisition of capital Items (vehicles/equipment)• Discuss any matter arising from the assessment with the PSC/PTC members and encourage andsupport a participatory problem solving and decision making process within the PSC/PTC• Verify that mechanisms for ensuring sustainability after project completion are being establishedand, if necessary, assist the PSC/PTC in identifying such mechanisms• If appropriate, agree on the timing of a “Mid-term Evaluation”• If appropriate, discuss the preparation of an article for ITTO’s TFU and other mechanisms fordissemination of project results• Review the draft of the Minutes of the PSC/PTC meeting (ensure that all matters including
decisions taken are accurately reflected in the report)• Sign the final version of the Minutes
Executing Agency• Provide for an adequate meeting room and necessary audio-visual equipment• Appoint a secretary to take notes and to prepare the Minutes of the meeting• Arrangements for the opening of the meeting and presentation of participants• Make presentations on the items listed in the Agenda (Annex 2) using audio-visual aids
• Assure the timely signature of Minutes by the representative of the Executing Agency, theGovernment and (if present) the donor(s)b) Minutes of PSC/PTC meetings• A standard format for the Minutes is provided in Annex 3• Minutes should:– Adhere to the meeting agenda– summarize major topics of discussion and problems encountered– clearly state any recommendations and/or decisions made– include approval and adoption of project reports (progress report, YPO/work plan, financial report)• The agenda and list of participants should be annexed• Any modifications to the budget approved by the PSC/PTC should be annexed• The Minutes should be signed by a representative of the Executing Agency, the Government,
the donor(s) present, ITTO and, if appropriate, other members of the PSC/PTC• The Minutes should be completed and signed before the departure of the ITTO representative

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Manual on standard operating procedures for the ITTO project cycle

c) Project Site Visit
ITTO• Assess project progress at the project site
• Meet with stakeholders/project participants• Verify infrastructure and allocation and condition of capital items purchased with ITTO funds• Take photographs with a digital camera for the ITTO photo library
Executing Agency• Provide adequate transport to the project site
• Assure presence of stakeholders and/or project participants
2.3 After the Project Monitoring Mission
ITTO• Complete the “Mission Report” and brief the Executive Director• Update ITTO project database• Follow up of issues requiring further actions (as highlighted in the Minutes of the meeting and in
the Mission Report)
Executing Agency• Follow up on decisions taken by the PSC/PTC, including formally requesting no-objection from
ITTO to any modifications of activities or the budget recommended by the PSC/PTC
ITTO Mission Report
Staff member: ___________________________________________
Dates: _________________________________________________
Location(s): _____________________________________________
Event(s):Main activities during the visit:

Major issues/problems encountered:Supplementary information (other persons met with, issues discussed):

Follow-up to the Mission (who, when, where):

Manual on standard operating procedures for the ITTO project cycle

85

GLOSSARY
Terms and Concepts pertaining to the ITTO Project Cycle(These terms and concepts are further elaborated in the Project Manuals and the SOP)

86

Activity

process of transformation of inputs (human resources, funds, equipment)
into outputs. Fundamental management unit of the project which can
be clearly identified, priced, scheduled, implemented and controlled.

Assumptions

conditions which must exist if a project is to succeed, but which areexternal to it and therefore little or no control can be exercised overthem by the project team.

Collaborating Agencies

agencies/organizations responsible for the implementation of specified
blocks of activities, and which are accountable to the Executing Agency

Competitive bidding

system or procedure used for the procurement of goods and services
from qualified firms legally operating in countries where projects arelocated which offer the most advantageous value based from
specifications and terms of reference• Public competitive
biddingcompetitive bidding among qualified local suppliers/contractors
for a contract to the value of not less than US$25,000• International
competitive bidding

competitive bidding among qualified local and international suppliers/
contractors for a contract to the value of not less than US$100,000

Complexity of a projectcomplexity of project management structure; socio-economic complexityof the project site region, e.g. ethnic tensions; administrativecomplexity of the project site, e.g. how many public administrations
are involved, how many communities?

Consultant

a professional or expert person or firm contracted to perform relevant
services for a project;• National

professional from the country where the project is executed withexperience pertaining to the relevant project limited to that country• International

consultant with proven global or multi-country experience pertaining
to the relevant projectConsultant firma legally constituted business, comprised primarily of professional
personnel, whose aim is to offer consultation, advice, expert testimony
or diversified professional services;

Development objective

a broader or higher level objective to which the project along withothers will contribute and which is in line with the ITTO objectives
and national sector programs.

Dissemination strategy

the identification and planning of content, form and means ofdissemination of project results to specified target groups in orderto support the achievement of the specific objective.

Evaluation

the collection of information, assessment and analysis of the performanceand the impact of the project. The process is systematic and as
objective as possible.

Manual on standard operating procedures for the ITTO project cycle• mid-term

the collection of information, on the spot assessment and in-depth
analysis of the performance and impact of the project during its
implementation stage, with the purpose to guide or advice on all
factors relevant for the further implementation of the project,including any necessary revision of project design.

• ex-post

the collection of information, on-the-spot assessment and in-depth
analysis of the performance and impact of the project after its
completion, with the intent to establish how well it served its
purposes, its degree of effectiveness and efficiency, its sustainability.

Executing Agency

over-all responsible Agency for the implementation of the project,which is directly accountable to ITTO.

Expertqualified professional person from member countries engaged by
ITTO to provide services and assistance to its work such as for appraisalof projects and evaluation of contracted work to consultants

Force accountconstruction or civil works by use of the Executing Agency’s own
personnel and equipment with the agreement of the ITTO

Intended situation uponproject completion

See: outcome

Implementation strategy

the choice of the project elements (i.e. objectives and outputs) andthe means ( i.e. activities, applied technologies and methods) to achieve
them. Justification of the rationale of the chosen route versus alternatives
routes should be based on criteria of effectiveness and efficiency.

Indicator

quantitative or qualitative parameter that can be assessed and thatindicates the level of achievement of a project objective or output.

Inputsthe means necessary to execute activities (human resources, equipment,
facilities, expendables, spare parts, financial resources, time etc.).

ITTA

International Tropical Timber Agreement establishing the objectives
and modes of operation of ITTO.

ITTO Action plantranslation of ITTA objectives into actions and defining priority areasfor Policy work and Project work of the Organization for a period offour years.

ITTO Contact point

person and/or institution designated by the Member country andregistered by the Secretariat to handle ITTO matters. (formerly also
referred to as focal point)

Key problem

central focus of the project, solution of the key problem is feasible
by a project.

Logical Framework (LFW)

rational approach of establishing the problem design and defining
the project elements, indicators of achievement and assumptions.

Logical Framework Matrix

layout in a vertical and horizontal consistent way of the Project Objectives,
Outputs, Activities, Indicators of achievements and Assumptions.

Means of verification

the sources of information for checking the values of an indicator.

Manual on standard operating procedures for the ITTO project cycle

87Monitoring88

the collection and analysis of data (indicators), with a view to
identify any need for corrective actions to ensure project execution
according to plan.

• Internal Monitoring

monitoring by the project management, Executing Agency andCollaborating Agencies• External Monitoring

monitoring project implementation at a level one step above project
management e.g. provider of funds such as ITTO.

National Clearing House

in-country mechanism responsible for screening of project or preproject proposals taking into account national priorities andrelevance to ITTO goals, prior to submission.

Outcomeprevailing situation when the specific objective has been achieved.
(intended situation upon project completion).

Outputs

the immediate “results” or “deliverables” of the project.

Post-project strategy

organizing conditions which enable participating groups to continue
the work autonomously after the project intervention. The strategy
should be based on an analysis of the need of human resources andfinancial and institutional provisions to guarantee sustainability andtheir availability.

Problem treea cause effect diagram of problems placed below (causes) and above(consequences) the key problem which is the centre of the tree.

Project

a concerted effort directed at the achievement of one, (exceptionallytwo), well articulated specific objective and related to a wider
development objective, with clearly identified performance timeand cost characteristics• Pre-projecta set of preparatory and/or experimental activities necessary to
formulate a project proposal. The main output is a project proposal• Small-projectproject which does not exceed two years and does not require morethan a specified amount of funds from ITTO. (The amount is to be
decided by the Council and was $ 150.000 at the time this Glossary
was printed).

Project Agreementagreement on project implementation between ITTO and the Executing
Agency, signed after the project has been approved by the ITTC andfully funded. It specifies the roles and responsibilities of the member
government, the executing agency, and ITTO in implementing a project(pre-project).

Project-cycle

the various phases through which a project moves from first conception
to completion, which include project identification and formulation;
submission; appraisal; approval; funding; inception; implementation;
monitoring and evaluation; completion and closure

Project closure

the closure of the account of the project in the financial records of
ITTO after: (i) approval of the completed project by the respective
Committee; (ii) acceptance by the ITTO Executive Director of the
final audit (iii) and receipt of any unused funds and disposal of
capital goods by the Executing Agency.

Project completion

official acceptance of the Completion report by the Technical Committee.

Project design

identified and structured project elements.

Manual on standard operating procedures for the ITTO project cycleProject document

project proposal as has been approved by the ITTC.

Project elements

the development objective, the specific objective, the outputs
and activities.

Project formulation

the process of developing a project proposal including: check of
relevance to ITTO;
project identification, including the description of the formulation
process; project design; project outcome and impact; project
management.

Project identification

the process of identifying a constraint or problem impeding adesired developmental change and of actions to remove such
constraints.

Project intervention

the actual activities in the “field” and the results from those activities.

Project proposal

project description submitted to ITTO for appraisal and approval. The
description contains all the relevant information for the implementationof a project including clearly identified performance, time and costcharacteristics usually with a request for funding.

Project Steering
Committee

the governing body for projects providing guidance, policy decisions,and monitoring and evaluation and composed of one representative of
the ITTO, at least one representative of the government or government(s)which implement(s) the Project and optionally a representative of thegovernment(s) providing funds to the Special Account of the ITTO.
It is formed for all Projects in which the ITTO share is at least US$400,000
and with an implementation period greater than 24 months.

Project TechnicalCommittee

the governing body for smaller projects in which the ITTO share is lessthan US$400,000 and with an implementation period less than 24 months
providing guidance, policy decisions, and monitoring and evaluation.

Reports• Inception reportreport to start the process. It comprises elucidated confirmation that
all conditions are met, provisions are in place and formalities havebeen concluded for a smooth start of the project implementation.

• Progress report

the bi-annual formal and objective account of the Executing Agency
on the executed activities, expenditures and achieved outputs in the
period covered by the report meant for higher levels of administration.
Progress reports present information which is essentially managerial.

• Technical report

the means to register and transmit the results of the work carried out
under the ITTO research, development and demonstration Projects.
Technical Reports contain technical and scientific data, analysis of
the data and the project results.

• Financial reportbi-annual report containing opening and closing balance, theexpenditure incurred against each head of the project budget
and any income earned or accruing.

• Completion report

the final formal account summarizing, upon project completion,
all planned project elements versus their actual implementation,
establishing the impact and the expected sustainability of the
project in the post project period and presenting the lessons learned.

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Results

See: outputs

Review

formal examination of work plan progress and of the factors
influencing it, as part of the Project monitoring control activities.

Risks

External factors which may jeopardize the project expected results.
Risks are related to assumptions at each level of the Logical Framework.

Software tools

a user-friendly package of several computerized tools that will assist
the formulation process based on the “Manual for Project Formulation”.
The tools, downloadable from the ITTO website, will enable proponents
to structure problem trees and to produce budget tables.

Specific objective

the outcome which is intended to be achieved by the end of the
project, if all outputs are produced and used by the stakeholders.

Stakeholder

an individual, group, organization, institution or company which(should) help to implement and sustain the project and/or will
likely be affected by the project.

Stakeholder input andaction Matrix

matrix of stakeholders and their required inputs and actions during
project implementation.

Standard Operating
Procedures (SOP)

practices that evolved as norms for the Organization to implement
based on Council decisions and guidelines/procedures experienced
by various implementers from the start of a project until completion.

Sub-contract

engagement by the Executing Agency of consultants or any othercontractors to undertake any aspect of project implementation withapproval from ITTO

Sunsettermination of the validity period of approval of a project which has
not been funded within a period of 20 months after approval or forwhich funds have been committed, but for which implementation
has not begun within a period of 26 months

Sustainability

sufficient means, funds and human resources to continue the work
after the project intervention.

Target value (of aquantitative indicator)

specification of the situation which shall prevail if the development
objective, the specific objective, or the output is fully achieved.

Wider value

concept that benefits of the project should reach beyond thoseinstitutions and people which are directly involved in the project,such as Executing Agency, collaborating agencies and immediatestakeholders. The country as a whole and other member countries
should somehow benefit from project results and impact.

Work Breakdown
Structuredetailed discretion of the work to be executed, usually presented ina simple graphic display provided by a block diagram that shows the
project’s outputs and the related set of activities which will allow
their achievement.

Workplan

table showing start and duration of each activity by the month andthe responsible Implementing Agency.

Yearly Plan of Operations

the annual update of the activities, workplan, input and budget. The
actual status of implementation of activities, achievement of outputs
and depletion of budget is being referred to, while the coming operational
year is presented in greater detail than in the project document.

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Manual on standard operating proceduresfor the ITTO project cycle

INTERNATIONAL TROPICAL TIMBER ORGANIZATIONInternational Organizations Center, 5th Floor, Pacifico-Yokohama, 1-1-1, Minato-Mirai, Nishi-Ku, Yokohama, 220-0012, Japan
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Manual on standard operating procedures for the ITTO project cycle