The Handbook provides insight into the guidelines and processes that can be applied to the design and implementation of any financial support measure involving the award of grants, including public calls related to achieving economic and social impact.
Within the project "Norway for you - Montenegro", the Handbook for Grant Management in Local Self-Government (LS) in Montenegro has been developed, which will contribute to simpler and more efficient management of funds intended to support the development of small businesses locally. The Handbook provides insight into the guidelines and processes that can be applied to the design and implementation of any financial support measure involving the award of grants, including public calls related to achieving economic and social impact.
The Handbook presents the usual grant management cycle, which includes the following phases: public call design, public call promotion, receipt of project proposals, selection of the best project proposals, monitoring, and project closure.
The objective of the Handbook is to provide guidelines and emphasizes the rules and procedures that can be applied in the process of awarding grants by local governments in Montenegro. The manual takes into account the current legal standards on which the functioning of cities and municipalities is based but also aims to encourage continuous improvement of these standards. It integrates experiences from the previous implementation of the project, but also existing examples of good practices of some local governments in implementing these activities.
"We tried to make it easier for local governments, through a systematic approach of selecting projects and activities for financing, to harmonize the spending of budget funds with a pre-defined legal framework and strategic goals. Funds intended to support micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) should achieve the desired effect through the principles of good governance, such as accountability, transparency, inclusiveness, efficiency, equality, and non-discrimination," the “Norway for You - Montenegro" Project Manager Armen Čekić said.
In order for public calls to have a real and sustainable impact on the competitiveness and quality of the MSME sector, the rules and procedures outlined in this Handbook have been developed to ensure transparency, competitiveness, and impartiality in all processes, for which both local government and grant beneficiaries.