From 23 to 28 January 2017, an international expert in finance and procurement management Klaus Mittmann came to work on developing and improving documentation and processes for procurement purposes in the project frame.

After the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Ukraine had approved the Inception report, including the work plan and the budget for the first year, the work on the preparation of procurement processes was launched. Klaus Mittmann, together with finance and procurement officer Solomiya Stefanyshyn, worked on a package of documents for the quick start measures (QSM), including templates for price quotations etc. In addition, procedures to complement the Project Management Manual were developed and the procurement plan was updated, including the elaboration of a roadmap for the immediate implementation of procurement-related activities.

It is also important to involve an independent observer to supervise the procurement activities. Suitable organisations are currently searched for. The first call for tenders are planned to be announced in the first half of 2017.

Briefing note

The project «Support to Protected Areas in Ukraine» aims to improve the management of protected areas and conservation of their ecological values. The project is financed by the German bank KfW, the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Ukraine responsible for the overall implementation of the project.

The project is implemented by a Consortium consisting of the Danube-Carpathian Programme WWF in Ukraine, Ukrainian Society for the Protection of Birds, the Frankfurt Zoological Society and the German consulting company AHT GROUP AG, who heads the team. The size of the grant is 14 mln. euros for 6 years. The project covers eight protected areas in Ukraine.