The ACTS Technical Audit: an annual fully independent and transparent assessment
The Advanced Communications Technologies and Services (ACTS) programme carried out its 1998 Technical Audit during the week 26-30 January 1998. Rapporteurs nominated from each panel of independent experts attended the ACTS Management Committee on 12th February 1998 to present their findings in person. Of the 148 ACTS Projects audited: - Some 55 projects were given a completely clean bill of health, and recommended to "continue" essentially unchanged; - A further 84 projects received support for continuation, but with a recommendation to "modify" their technical plans. The reasons for modification were both positive and negative, and include cases where the projects themselves requested modification (most often, an extension in time) with which the auditors agreed. Contractual commitment for the next phase of these projects is now to be negotiated by the Commission on the basis of the auditors' recommendations, and the subsequent opinion of the Management Committee. - Only nine projects failed to provide sufficient evidence of their contribution to the objectives of the programme and were "red flagged". In these cases projects are given the choice of ending voluntarily, or of undergoing an in-depth audit where time is taken to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the project in considerable detail. An additional Financial Audit may also be initiated if required, in accordance with contractual conditions prevailing. Procedures for an annual, and publicly accountable audit of RTD projects have been well established since 1988 and the early days of RACE. Transparency is assured though published assessment criteria, the assessment itself being undertaken by independent experts and the results being fed back directly to the Member States.