II.A.4. Proposal and consortium building: Administrative part

Estimated Execution Time

6 weeks

Objective

To compile, validate, and present all required administrative, legal, and financial information for the consortium, in line with Horizon Europe standards and/or the selected funding/procurement instrument. This ensures that the proposal meets formal eligibility and admissibility requirements, enables a transparent budgetary assessment (including cost eligibility and partner allocations), and confirms the legal status and capacity of each participating entity through complete, consistent, and verifiable documentation.

Who is Involved

Project Coordinator – acts as the consortium’s authorised representative for administrative and contractual matters and is responsible for signing the final documentation submitted to the funding body.
Legal Representatives of each partner – provide legal entity documentation and declarations, confirming legal status, representation, and eligibility.
Financial Officers of each partner – submit financial data and budget information to support budget assessment and eligibility checks.
Proposal writing team – coordinates the collection of administrative inputs, ensures alignment with Horizon Europe submission and eligibility requirements, and supports quality checks and final submission packaging. It may include specialist support

Activities / Tasks

II.A.4.1. Part A and consortium administrative set-up

Create a new project in the Funding & Tenders Portal and complete the required Part A fields.
Enter general project information (title, acronym, duration, abstract, keywords) and flag any ethics/security/clinical aspects (where applicable).
Register all participating entities using their PIC and provide legal names, addresses, and contact persons.

II.A.4.2. Budget, compliance checks, and submission readiness

Complete the detailed budget tables (personnel, subcontracting, travel, indirect costs, etc.) and ensure alignment with Part B (Work Plan).
Include required declarations on honour, SME status (if applicable), and other mandatory legal commitments; confirm partner agreement with proposal commitments.
Complete ethics/security screening (e.g., data protection, dual-use, human subjects) and perform final quality control checks for consistency between Part A forms and Part B content.

Tips / Common Pitfalls

✅ If a participant is not yet registered in the Funding & Tenders Portal, treat this as a priority and ensure they receive appropriate support—the process often takes longer than expected.

✅ Always retrieve and verify PICs directly from the official Funding & Tenders Portal to avoid incorrect partner data.

✅ Use the portal’s pre-submission checks early and allow sufficient time for internal reviews and corrections.

✅ Assign a single person to consolidate and double-check all administrative entries prior to submission.

❌ Underestimate the complexity of the portal workflow, especially for partners with limited experience (plan onboarding and clear guidance).

❌ Leave PIC/legal entity validation steps to the last minute—delays can prevent timely completion of administrative forms and sign-offs.

Outcome / Deliverables

Completed Part A administrative forms (submitted via the online system).
Registered PICs for all consortium members, most of them verified.

Resources

How to set up and manage HE PCP and PPI grants Standard application form (HE PCP). It is also valid for PPI. Innovation Procurement Communities and Networks in Europe Guidelines for Innovation Procurement (PCP/PPI) Annotated Model Grant Agreement (AGA) - provides guidance on the key provisions applicable to PCP and PPI Participant Register Search Tool (PICs)

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