Luciano Costantini

• Responsible for managing grants from institutional donors to maintain a comprehensive overview of all grants, partnerships, and donor requirements. The goal is to support implementation teams in ensuring full compliance.
• Coordinate all aspects of the project proposal development process in collaboration with INTERSOS regional offices and partner organizations. This includes Go/No-Go analysis, proposal scheduling, quality control, and timely submission to donors.
• Contribute to drafting and lead the review and quality assurance of proposal packages (narrative, budget, attachments) to ensure they align with solicitation requirements.
• Maintain contact with donor representatives and coordinate any site visits, providing support to missions during donor spot checks and audits.
• Accredited to use donor management portals such as Prospect, Pador, EU Funding&Tender Portal, APPEL-Echo, Grants.gov, AAMP.USAID.gov, and UN Partner Portal.
• Conduct compliance checks during the project reporting phase.
• Produce and update internal guidelines for managing projects funded by USAID/BPRM, ECHO, and AICS, based on best practices and findings from reports.
• Conduct ex-ante checks on tender dossiers for sensitive procurement, including high-value contracts, and the procurement of medicines, medical materials, construction, and restricted goods

From February 2018 to September 2022, with field visits, I provided specialised consultancy services to the AICS country offices in Maputo and Addis Ababa, focusing on adapting procurement and financial procedures to comply with European Union regulations.

Key activities included:

• Developing and piloting procurement guidelines, tools, and templates for AICS country offices based on PRAG (Procurement and Grants for European Union external actions - A Practical Guide) rules.
• Conducting on-site field visits to the AICS offices in Maputo and Addis Ababa to verify that activities complied with procedural regulations and to train local staff on the new tools and procedures.
• Designing and delivering training sessions on tender procedures, from the initial phases to contract award and execution.
• Ensuring the adaptation of all official forms to meet the specific needs of local markets for supplies, services, and works, while respecting the minimum requirements of PRAG guidelines.

• Managed a food aid distribution project with a budget of 500,000 EUR.
• Coordinated the competitive bidding process, contract preparation, and supplier management.
• Oversaw the delivery of food items to beneficiaries in regions of Ancash and Huanuco, the Santa Rosa District of Lima, rural areas, and the District of Villa El Salvador and Pachacamac.

• Provided technical assistance for the 'Regional Cooperation Support Programme,' a cross-border initiative financed by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
• The program included 14 projects with 139 partners and a total allocation of €23,000,000 plus €3,450,000 in co-financing.
• Developed and implemented administrative and financial procedures, including a Project Implementation Manual and standard forms.
• Managed the technical assistance budget and monitored financial flows from the Ministry to beneficiary entities.
• Supervised procurement and sub-granting procedures, ensuring compliance with national and EU regulations.

• Supported the Joint Managing Authority and Joint Technical Secretariat in the management of a grants program across 14 countries in the Mediterranean Basin.
• Prepared training materials and manuals for project management and procurement based on PRAG rules.
• Managed the negotiation and contracting process for 13 projects focused on local governance, environmental issues, and cultural dialogue.
• Verified technical and administrative reports, payment requests, and assisted with project amendments.
• Acted as an Internal Assessor, evaluating project proposals for financial and technical compliance with selection criteria.

• Verified financial reports for 24 projects of the 'Recovery and Rehabilitation Programme for Eritrea,' with a USD 29,400,000 allocation.
• Provided guidance on the eligibility of expenditures, public procurement, and adherence to public accounting rules.

• Verified financial reports submitted by Technical Local Units of Italian Embassies for projects related to health, refugee support, and cultural heritage restoration.
• Conducted missions to Yemen, Bosnia Herzegovina, Angola, Uganda, and Serbia to verify financial reports and program expenditures.

• Coordinated a team of 12 consultants to develop procedures for verifying financial reports of humanitarian emergency projects for the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
• Designed and developed a training system for Technical Local Units staff.
• Managed the report closure for programs in Serbia, Bosnia Herzegovina, FYROM, Albania, Croatia, Argentina, and Russia.

• Served as Regional Financial Manager for programs in the South Balkans, Middle East, Horn of Africa, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.
• Managed a budget of over €10 million and a team of four people.
• Prepared budget proposals and project financial reporting, monitored expenditures, and assisted internal and external audit exercices.
• Acted as Financial Coordinator of the Demining Programme in Bosnia from 2002 to 2007 and a cultural heritage restoration project in Kosovo from 2004 to 2005.

• Managed relief and rehabilitation programs funded by ECHO and the European Commission (DG RELEX and EAR).
• Prepared manuals for the financial and administrative management of two field offices in Sarajevo and Tuzla. Supervised a team of eight local staff. Supervised the procurement processes of Work contracts of the reconstruction programme in Bosnia.