Operational Manual, Norwegian Red Cross, 12.

2013

Operational Manual
for Norwegian Red Cross’ Field Offices and bilateral delegates
and

Norwegian Red Cross

International Department

Officially approved in April 2010

Updated as per December 2013

The Operational Manual aims at informing the Norwegian Red Cross (NorCross) staff, including
delegates and field personnel about the systems, standards and procedures for the NorCross’
international work.

Under each thematic section you will see a list of annexes. These are guidelines or reference
documents that are relevant and should be consulted.

Similarly, you will find a toolbox, which consists of NorCross’ templates and forms that should
be used.

Where applicable, NorCross applies the Federation’s guidelines and procedures in its
international work. For thematic documentation, reference is made to the Federation’s intranet
FedNet/Secretariat (password is required) and the Federation’s Delegate Handbook.

The Manual is to be officially updated annually every November and when relevant.
Responsible: Programme Support and Quality Assurance Section of the International
Department.

The manual with annexes and toolboxes is available on the NorCross’ intranet.
https://www.korsveien.no/english/OPmanual/
 Operational Manual, Norwegian Red Cross, 12.2013

Table of Contents

ANNUAL FINANCIAL & ADMINISTRATIVE CALENDAR FOR FIELD ................................................................. 3

ANNUAL FINANCIAL & ADMINISTRATIVE CYCLE FOR HQ ............................................................................. 4
1. HQ and Field structure.............................................................................................................................. 6
2. Basic responsibility and authorisations .................................................................................................... 6
3. Field office – administration and management ....................................................................................... 7
4. Contracts, agreements and legal issues ................................................................................................... 8
5. NorCross various Modus Operandi .......................................................................................................... 9
6. Financial management - instructions and templates ............................................................................. 10
7. Personnel ................................................................................................................................................ 13
8. Procurement and Fixed Assets ............................................................................................................... 19
9. Operational Strategic Documents .......................................................................................................... 23
10. Field reporting ...................................................................................................................................... 24
11. NorCross Monitoring and Quality Assurance System ........................................................................... 25
12. Management of MFA funds .................................................................................................................. 26
13. Management of NORAD funds ............................................................................................................. 28
14. Management of EU funds ..................................................................................................................... 30
15. Local audit ............................................................................................................................................ 32
16. Guidelines for external /internal warning and NorCross’ Corruption Policy ........................................ 33
17. Security ................................................................................................................................................. 34
18. Missions in the field.............................................................................................................................. 36
19. Filing ..................................................................................................................................................... 37
20. Document Library (links) ...................................................................................................................... 39
21. Various templates................................................................................................................................. 39
22. Internet addresses ................................................................................................................................ 39
 Operational Manual, Norwegian Red Cross, 12.2013

ANNUAL FINANCIAL & ADMINISTRATIVE CALENDAR FOR FIELD

Month What
JANUARY
Bilateral and Federation applications to MFA
Cash Pledges/Cash request NORAD projects (1. quarter)
Tax card (skattekort) to be submitted to NorCross by end January1
ECHO ”Annual Strategy Plans” are issued (presented in December).
FEBRUARY
Discussions on NORAD budgets (after actual grant is decided)
MARCH
Cash Pledges NORAD projects (last 3. quarters) (as agreed with IFRC)
Local audit (incl. confirmation on transfers from Oslo)
Agreement issues?
Cash request for 2nd quarter/2nd tertial
Input to NORAD report
APRIL
Signed local audit report to be submitted to Oslo
Input to NORAD report
MAY
Input to MFA reports (MFA template).
JUNE
Oslo summit (for reps and managers)
Cash request for 3rd quarter
Input to HQ on next year’s project budgets
ECHO planning for next year (Global Plans). Active contact with ECHO
in field to introduce NorCross planned activities.
JULY
SUMMER!
AUGUST
Detailed input to HQ on next year’s project budget (including salaries)
SEPTEMBER
Input to NORAD budget for coming year
Cash Request for 4th quarter/3rd tertial
Forecast expenditure in all NORAD/cooperation agreement funded projects
OCTOBER
Confirm local auditor & their contact details to HQ
Update forecast in all NORAD/cooperation agreement funded projects
NOVEMBER
Input to annual reports MFA cooperation agreements (MFA template)
Regional Representative week in Oslo
Update forecast in all NORAD/cooperation agreement funded projects
DECEMBER
Economic review of all projects + status expenditure in NORAD progr.
Control all accounting done in Agresso in the field

1
Only relevant for delegates with tax liability to Norway.

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 Operational Manual, Norwegian Red Cross, 12.2013

ANNUAL FINANCIAL & ADMINISTRATIVE CYCLE FOR HQ

Month What
JANUARY
Write Federation and bilateral applications to MFA – Hum.Sek.
Write ICRC and Federation applications to MFA – Europe department
Finalise interim status report/plan for cooperation agreements with MFA
Input to country priorities in MFA letter on the ICRC Emergency Appeal
Cash Request (1st tertial)
Send Pledges for NORAD projects (1. quarter)
Transfer of funds to bilateral Norad funded projects (1.quarter)
Annual settlement of accounts (årsoppgjør)
Annual meeting between MFA/ICRC/NorCross
ECHO ”World Wide Decision” is issued (re Strategy presented in Dec.).
FEBRUARY
Local audit (incl. confirmation of transfers from HQ to the field)
Annual Norad grant letter received
Agreement issues? (Revisons, MoUs, Addendums, etc)
Give comments to annual financial report (3rd tertial) + QLM
NorCross annual meeting with MFA (incl. cooperation agreements)
National Board meeting / International Committee of the National Board
MARCH
Revise NORAD budgets (based on actual grant) (in Basware)
HQ - Preparation for audit of the NORAD and MFA funded projects
Field to give input to NORAD annual report (incl. indicators).
First strategic input to next year’s budgets (incl. identifying new projects)
Send Pledges for NORAD projects (last 3. quarters) (as agreed with IFRC)
Monthly finance reporting
APRIL
Signed local audit reports to be submitted to Oslo
Request Pledge Based Financial Reports for the Norad financed projects
Prepare NORAD annual report (incl. indicators).
HQ - Preparation for audit of the NORAD and MFA funded projects
Regional wise Operational Plans - input to next year’s budget
Monthly finance reporting
Kick-off meeting for senior management on budget process (separate timetable is developed
annually)
National Board meeting / International Committee of the National Board
MAY
Finalise NORAD annual report (forward to management by the 15th)
Audit of the NORAD funded projects (BDO)
Cash Request (2nd tertial)
Give comments to 1st tertial report + QLM
JUNE
Write reports to the MFA (on Federation and bilateral projects)
Audit of MFA funded projects (Federation and bilateral projects) (BDO)
Monthly finance reporting
Strategic discussion on next year’s budgets (with the regional reps.)
Meeting on finance in the various cooperation agreements (Norad & MFA)
Seminar with the Regional Representatives + Country Managers
National Board meeting / International Committee of the National Board
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 Operational Manual, Norwegian Red Cross, 12.2013
JULY
Filing
AUGUST
Write report to the MFA on the ICRC grants
Annual financial report to the MFA on the cooperation agreements
Audit of MFA funded projects (ICRC + cooperation agreements)
2nd payment from Norad (last 50%) (when the reporting is finalised)
2nd payment MFA agreements (last 25%) (when the reporting is finalised)
Budget process - Detailed input on next year’s programme budgets
National Board meeting / International Committee of the National Board
SEPTEMBER
Field input to annual plan/application to NORAD
Letter to the MFA on ICRCs renewed appeal
Budget process –detailed budgets into Basware
Cash Request (3rd tertial)
Give comments to 2nd tertial report + QLM
Meeting on finance in the various cooperation agreements (Norad & MFA)
Forecast annual expenditure in all NORAD funded programs (prognosis)
Forecast annual expenditure in all MFA grant agreements (prognosis)
Annual meeting with Norad
OCTOBER
Work on annual plan/application to NORAD
Write HaPro text (for the department)
Analysis of annual state budget
Forecast annual expenditure in all NORAD funded programs (prognosis)
Forecast annual expenditure in all MFA grant agreements (prognosis)
Request interim financial report on Norad projects (from the Federation)
Monthly finance reporting
National Board meeting / International Committee of the National Board
Senior management budget conference
NOVEMBER
Field input to interim status report for cooperation agreements with MFA
Update the regional framework documents + gender plan of action
ICRC and Federation appeals are released – reconcile with our budgets
Contact details for local auditor to be confirmed to HQ (bilateral projects)
Forecast annual expenditure in all NORAD funded programs (prognosis)
Forecast annual expenditure in all MFA grant agreements (prognosis)
Monthly finance reporting
Seminar with the Regional Representatives
National Board meeting / International Committee of the National Board (approval of next
year’s budget)
DECEMBER
Prepare interim status report/plan for cooperation agreements with MFA
Forecast annual expenditure in all NORAD funded programs (prognosis)
Forecast annual expenditure in all MFA grant agreements (prognosis)
Review of the financial status in all projects
Control of status for accounting into Agresso from the field
National Board meeting / International Committee of the National Board

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 Operational Manual, Norwegian Red Cross, 12.2013

Operational Manual for the International Department,

Norwegian Red Cross Field Offices, and bilateral delegates

1. HQ and Field structure

The Operational Manual contains guidelines and procedures for the management of
Norwegian Red Cross’ (NorCross) bilateral international operations. The guidelines and
procedures apply both to the International Department/HQ in Oslo and to the field.

NorCross has bilateral representatives/delegates in four continents. NorCross Regional

Offices are as per December 2013 located in Nairobi, Pretoria, Kuala Lumpur, Panama and
Ramallah. NorCross has Country Offices in Zimbabwe, Sudan and South Sudan,
Afghanistan, Pakistan, Colombia, Guatemala, Cuba, Haiti, Lebanon and Yemen. The
bilateral field representation is mainly financed by earmarked programme funds (from MFA,
NORAD, ECHO or B-allocations).

The regional offices are headed by a Regional Representative. The country offices are
headed by a Country Representative or a Country Manager.

Annexes
1.1 NorCross organigram HQ and Secretariat
1.2 Organigram, International Department
1.3 Graphic Field structure (generic) - (line management & reporting lines)
1.4 Job Description for Regional Representative (currently being revised)
1.5 Job Description for Country Representative (currently being revised)
1.6 Job Description for Country Manager (currently being revised)
1.7 Job Description for Finance/Admin (to be developed)
1.8 Job Description for Programme Coordinator HQ

2. Basic responsibility and authorisations

The Regulations for Financial Control for the Norwegian Red Cross, based on the NorCross’
Financial Instruction provides the main instructions for all financial management.

All field operations must abide by the authorisation procedures. When in doubt contact the
Finance Department at HQ in Oslo via the Programme Coordinator/Head of Section.

All Representatives report directly to HQ. Country Managers report to the Regional
Representative. The decision of whether a Country Office is to report directly to HQ (and
hence headed by a Country Representative) or via the Regional Office (and hence headed by
a Country Manager) is taken based on;
 humanitarian and political context
 the complexity of the operation/programme
 risk
 phase of the Cooperation (relief/recovery/long term)

The authority (beslutningsmyndighet) and responsibility for the programmes lies with HQ.
The field structure has an advisory role vis-à-vis HQ and partners in the field (for example
the National Society or the Federation). The division of responsibility between HQ and
NorCross offices is illustrated in the generic map for the field structure (attached above), and
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 Operational Manual, Norwegian Red Cross, 12.2013
described in the generic job descriptions for Program Coordinator, Regional Rep, Country
Rep and Country Manager (also attached above).

Consultations should be done when authority2/responsibility3/accountability4 is doubtful or

not clear.

The NorCross Offices have both strategic and operational tasks. The field presence is
important to strengthen the dialogue with our partners and donor agencies, embassies and
other humanitarian actors. It also ensures increased access to information and a greater
possibility to influence on relevant processes. In addition it strengthens our internal strategic
dialogue on further development of NorCross’ international work. Another aim for the
NorCross offices is to strengthen NorCross' quality assurance and resource mobilisation
through greater proximity to programme activities, Partner National Societies (PNS) and
beneficiaries. The offices also have an important operational role in connection with relief
operations and follow-up of the programmes that we support.

Delegation of authorisation when absent:

When on holiday, or on longer missions outside the office, the Reg.Rep/Country
Rep/Country Manager should prepare a memo to the person temporarily in charge, on tasks
and meetings as well as delegating responsibility – fully or limited - for the period when
he/she is absent. Similarly, a memo should be prepared by the person who has temporarily
been in charge, reporting on commitments made, major policy or programme issues,
purchases signed for, etc. Both memos are to be signed and filed.

Annexes
2.1 Regulations for Financial Control in the Norwegian Red Cross
2.2 Authorisation

3. Field office – administration and management

When opening or taking over a field office, it is vital to get a full overview and
understanding of the office and its portfolio. The checklist for handover should
immediately be gone through and corresponding receipt signed in order to document transfer
of responsibilities and establish status at the point of handover. A copy of the signed
checklist and receipt is to be sent to Oslo (to be archived, Master File included).

All NorCross bank accounts must be co-registered at NorCross HQ and authority granted
for the Head of NorCross accounting department to withdraw funds and close the account if
necessary. It is the person at any time responsible for the bank account which is responsible
for ensuring this co-registration. Bank confirmation on banking details and persons
authorised should annually be requested from the bank in connection with the local audit,
and shared with the Accounting Department at HQ. Please note: This also applies for all
bank accounts that have already been established (for further details please see the attached
guidelines on Norcross’ Bank Accounts). Please note II: This co-registration does not apply
if funds are transferred to bank accounts registered to the Partner National Society.

2
Authority “a legitimate right to exercise influence, make decisions, carry out actions and to direct others”
3
Responsibility “the doer” (pre- and during action) – the obligation to act.
4
Accountability (post action) – the obligation to answer/make sure things have happened.
Please note: the above are three separate functions, but not necessarily different persons.

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Requirements for accounting system: NorCross’ accounting department is always to be
involved when setting up a new operation in the field. Hence, it is not up to the various
programme coordinators at HQ to decide on what accounting set-up to use. Depending on
the operation, NorCross will choose the most appropriate set-up in order to ensure good
accounting and proper routines.

Delegates are to receive a briefing/training on financial and administrative issues from both
the accounting department, the Controller and the Financial Manager in the International
Department before they start their mission. This also applies for NorCross local finance staff.
The training of the local staff is preferably to be done in the field by the accounting
department.

Annexes:
3.1 Key Questions when establishing a field office
3.2 Guidelines for opening and maintaining NorCross Bank Accounts abroad
3.3 Office site and building requirements

Toolbox:
3. a Checklist for Handover – finance and admin
3. b Receipt for Handover – finance and admin
3. c Power of Attorney – for Bank Account
3. d Transfer Information (for providing all contact details on the bank account)
3.e NorCross Inventory list - TEMPLATE

4. Contracts, agreements and legal issues

NorCross shall not operate in a country without having a legal status or working under the
legal status of another entity of the RC/RC Movement. NorCross operations are undertaken
under the umbrella of the legal status of the Federation, the ICRC or through bilateral
agreements with the host National Society.

An Integration Agreement must be signed with the Federation where this is possible. For
services requested from the Federation a Service Agreement must be signed. For the ICRC it
is the Coordinated Activities Agreement (CAA) that regulates the cooperation.

In all bilateral projects, NorCross has a Partnership Agreement with the National Society.
The agreement template is in compliance with NorCross’ and Norad/MFA requirements. In
addition a letter of intent gives the overall scope, goals and extent of each partnership. The
letter presents the overall framework for the partnership and provides the basis for
discussions with our partners on progress and the status of the partnership. In addition,
projects agreements are to be entered into based on each project/programme plan. The
Agreement includes a mapping of the partners’ administrative and financial procedures
(accounting, procurement, etc). For more information on the mapping, please refer to the
guidelines.

When appropriate, NorCross shall enter/initiate Cooperation Agreement Strategies (CAS)

and Operational Alliances (OA).

In March 2012 NorCross signed two main agreements. Primo – the MoU between ICRC,
MFA and NorCross. Secundo - the Partnership Framework Agreement (PfA) with the
ICRC. The latter outlines how NorCross and ICRC will develop their cooperation. In
addition three Cooperation Agreements between the MFA and NorCross for multi-year
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 Operational Manual, Norwegian Red Cross, 12.2013
funding were signed (2012-2014) (for more details see chapter 12).
A MoU with the Federation for November 2013 – 2016 was signed during the General
Assembly in Sydney. Included in the MoU are six thematic annexes.
A legal adviser at International Law unit at Headquarters is to be consulted before signature
of contracts and if in exceptional circumstances activities have commenced to which the
contract relates, the legal adviser is to be informed. Any breach of contractual terms by
either NorCross or those whom we have contracted with must be reported to HQ and where
appropriate referred to a legal adviser for consideration

On the use of consultants: The Head of Department will approved on all requests and ToRs
for consultancy up to NOK 200.000. All consultancies with a budget on or above NOK
200.000 are to be approved by the SG. Please note that all consultancy contracts with a
budget on or above NOK 200.000 also have to be entered into Mercell Tender Services.
(New Global HQ to HQ agreement to be signed soon)

Annexes:
4.1 Partnership Agreement ICRC
4.2 MoU - MFA NorCross ICRC
4.3 MoU – IFRC NorCross – with annexes
4.4 NorCross’ Guidelines for Contracts in International Operations
4.5 Briefing Paper on IFRC Integration and Service Agreements
(New Global HQ to HQ agreement to be signed soon)
4.6 NorCross’ signed Integration Agreement for Nairobi office (an example)
4.7 Coordinated Activities Agreement with ICRC – for services in PAL (an example)
4.8 Guidelines for Mapping of Partners’ administrative and financial procedures

Toolbox:
4. a Letter of intent
4. b Partnership Agreement
4. c Annual (multi year) Project Agreement
4. d Mapping of Partners’ administrative and financial procedures
4. e Consultant contract – template
4. f Authorisation – use of consultant

5. NorCross various Modus Operandi

Multilateral A: NorCross support to an ICRC appeal

No financial transactions through NorCross in the field. External audit is carried out by
ICRC’s external auditor. ICRC provides standard financial and narrative reporting to
NorCross HQ. The ICRC might provide technical and/or financial support to the NS.
NorCross’ copies of relevant applications and reports should be shared with the regional
office.

Multilateral B: NorCross support to a Federation appeal

In general, no financial transactions are done through NorCross in the field. Audit is carried
out by the Federation’s external auditor. The Federation provides pledge based financial and
standard narrative reporting to NorCross HQ. The Federation might provide technical and/or
financial support to the NS.

Multilateral C: Integrated Partnerships (IP) with the ICRC

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Integrated Partnerships (IPs) are joint ICRC / PNS (Partner National Society) undertakings
within the frame of ICRC's humanitarian response, objectives, budgets and appeals, which is
why they are termed "integrated". IPs can be triggered from both ICRC and PNS interests.
IPs are jointly designed and planned, but are implemented under the full accountability of
the ICRC. IPs are either entirely financed by the partner PNS or through an ICRC/PNS
negotiated co-financing modality confirmed by a financial commitment letter of the PNS that
is annexed to the Integrated Partnership Contract. The initial Contract (annual) is prolonged
with annual Amendments. NorCross budgets for IPs usually include own funds (from 10 to
20 %). Provided the annual agreement has been signed funds are transferred to the ICRC
upon receipt of grant letter from the MFA. Traditionally NorCross will provide expat staff to
the IPs we have entered into. For more information, see annex below.

Bilateral A: NorCross’ support to a National Society

A Partnership Agreement must be signed between the National Society and NorCross.
Financial transactions are done either through the NorCross office or directly to the NS bank
account. The office is to have the day to day contact with the National Society, monitor the
implementation in the programme, discuss reviews and evaluations, and follow up on the
reporting and the annual local audit from the NS.

Bilateral B: NorCross’ support to a Federation appeal through a National Society

When natural disasters take place in, or close to, the Regional/Country Representation, the
NorCross field office might be financially and operationally involved. When funds towards a
Federation appeal are channelled to a national society through a NorCross office, this office
is responsible for ensuring the audit of these funds.

Unilateral: NorCross provides direct support to a partner outside the RC/RC Movement
As this alternative should be an exception as to how we structure our field support, this
alternative should be carefully selected, only when other options are unavailable.

With this alternative, NorCross carries out all major financial and administrative tasks and is
the responsible implementer of the project at field level. External audit must be ordered by
NorCross. NorCross will normally implement in coordination with the National Society or
the Ministry of Health.

Annexes
5.1 Code for good partnership (adopted by Council of Delegates in 2009)
5.2 Graphic set-up on NorCross’ various form of operation and distribution of
responsibility (multilateral, bilateral, unilateral, and ERU)
5.3 ICRC document on the IP concept (Nov 2008)

6. Financial management - instructions and templates

Before approving any expenses charged to NorCross funded projects there are three absolute
musts that you are required to know when it comes to financial management;
1. What are the approved projects budgets (i.e. what funding is available)
2. What is the funding source for each budget (one funding source or more?)
3. What are the requirements connected to these funds (timeframe for expenses,
earmarking, reporting requirements, audit etc).

The Budgeting exercise is split into two main phases. The original budget is done in the fall.
Revised budgets are produced upon receipt of funds (MFA, NORAD, and EU). Budgets are
entered into Agresso via Basware software. The Field Offices should be involved in both
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budget phases, through active dialogue with HQ. An economic overview of the approved
annual budgets for the department should be available from the desk at HQ or from the
Finance personnel in the department. More detailed overviews are to be worked out in the
field.

Funds are requested through the Cash Request. The Cash Request is to be worked out every
tertial/every quarter; the first one in January to ensure an even implementation of the
projects. Please note that the Cash Request acts as a preapproval for planned expenses in the
field, re the NorCross Financial Instructions, and the chapter on Authorisation, Advance
approval of costs in international operation. The Cash Request is to be followed by a
financial report on the previous transfers.

Below is a list of focus areas in order to ensure good financial management and
accountability. For further details see the “Guidelines for finance and accounting in the
field” (attached below). Reference is also made to the Federation’s finance tools and
guidelines. These can be found at FedNet/Secretariat/Finance/Finance Procedures.
 Payments - that there is segregation of duties between the payment responsible and
accounting staff, and that correct procedures with regards to signatures and
authorisation (attestering og anvisning) are followed. There must be a segregation of
duties in the sense that the person who authorises the payment must be someone
other than the recipient of the payment.
 Petty cash has to be kept locked and preferably in a safe. The use of cash should be
kept to a minimum. Only one person can be responsible and have access to petty
cash. A cash book must be kept. Please note that all use of cash must be documented,
with proper receipts/invoices. Cash counts should be performed regularly, at least
once a week. Petty cash has to be counted up by two persons on the last day of every
month. Reconciliation has to be done monthly (as a minimum) and signed by the two
persons who have done the counting.
 Bank accounts are to be registered in the name of the NorCross’ programme(s). For
more details on the opening and maintenance of bank account see chapter 3.
Payments should be made using the safest method available in each location.
 Payment of salaries - Delegate salaries and per diems are paid by NorCross HQ in
Oslo. Local salaries should be paid by the Federation, the ICRC or the National
Society, depending on who is the employer. NorCross may thereafter be invoiced for
this service, unless the salaries are an integrated part of the programme support. (This
is to avoid legal consequences of an employee/employer relationship.)
 Reconciliations – of bank, petty cash and advances should be done at least monthly –
and sent to NorCross HQ department by the 10th of every month.
 Risk management is a focus area for NorCross. See the attached checklist for some
of the main issues to consider. An internal NorCross template for “Risk assessment
of fraud and corruption in uni- and bilateral projects” is attached in the toolbox
below. The template is also to be used in connection with the Project Approval Form
(see chapter 11 on Monitoring & Quality Assurance) to roughly assess risks and their
consequences in a given project/context. See also
FedNet/Secretariat/Audit/Managing risk.
 Procurement routines - see chapter 8.
 Fixed assets – see chapter 8.
 Stocks – see chapter 8.

Emergency Response Units - ERUs are projects where NorCross is operational. ERU SOPs
for Finance Admin templates can also be used for accounting by the office/delegates in the
field when accounting in Agresso or the NS is not an option. See toolbox below.
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NorCross has a zero tolerance policy with regards to fraud and corruption (ref. to chapter
16). Please see the attached NorCross checklist on corruption and fraud, with suggested
measures. Please note that this checklist also pertains to procurement and fixed assets (ref.
chapter 8). For more information, reference is made to Transparency International’s
“Preventing corruption in Humanitarian Operations. Handbook of good practices”
http://www.transparency.org/news_room/in_focus/2010/hum_handbook.

Handling of cash in the field is a security issue. Funds should be kept in a safe place
(preferably a safe) and handled discretely. Steps should be taken to minimise risk. If
possible, one should avoid keeping large amounts of cash. Bank accounts, bank transfers or
checks should be used where possible. In operations where cash has to be the main means of
payment additional, specific routines should be developed if necessary.

If a working advance is made from HQ to a delegate, to be settled when the delegate returns
to HQ, it is the programme coordinator HQ and the Head of Section who are responsible for
going through and sign (attestere) for all the receipts and authorise (anvise), before they are
sent to the accounting department (to be entered into the project accounts at HQ). Working
advances in the field are to be settled before the delegate goes on R&R/annual leave/end-of-
mission. When on debrief at HQ, the debrief checklist is to be gone through with the Field
Personnel Unit, and advances to be settled with the assistance of finance/admin personnel if
necessary.

Cash transport: As a general rule, funds are to be transferred via bank accounts. The
transport of cash by NorCross employees should be done only in exceptional circumstances
e.g. when there is a critical and immediate need of funds or a local banking problem. If such
a circumstance should arise, the amount to be carried should if possible be split up and
transported in separate bulks and in an unpredictable time and manner. For large amounts it
should be considered whether to use a professional courier (if available).

Export and import of more than NOK 25,000 across the Norwegian border has to be
declared to the Norwegian customs authorities. Form to be filled out is attached below (see
toolbox). For practical issues, please note that NorCross’ Business Register Number
(organisasjonsnummer) is 864139442.

Export and import across other international borders: please note that conditions may vary
from country to country. IFRC or ICRC should be contacted with regards to the best
procedures related to the relevant customs authorities.

In certain operations there may be a need to develop a Project Specific description of the
financial routines (based on NorCross set standards). A template has been developed which
can be used as a basis for this description (see toolbox below).

One of the main focus areas for NorCross is Finance Development. Over the last years
several documents have been worked out to enhance NorCross policy and programmes, to
ensure that NorCross is a good facilitating partner working with the National Societies.

https://www.korsveien.no/stottefunksjoner/organisasjonsutvikling/orgutvint/Sider/Finance-
development.aspx

Annexes:
6.1 NorCross Budsjett & Handlingsprogram 2011 (Norwegian only)
6.2 Guidelines for finance and accounting in the field
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6.3 NorCross checklist on corruption and fraud
6.4 Preventing Fraud and Corruption in the International Operations of the
Norwegian Red Cross
6.5 NorCross “Rutinebeskrivelse for internasjonal prosjektforvaltning” (HQ
manual)
6.6 Finance Development Project Framework WIP
6.7 Finance Development Project Framework - Annexes
6.8 Finance Development Programme - One Pager

Toolbox:
6. a NorCross’ Chart of Accounts for the field
6. b Template for project specific description of financial routines (based on 6.2)
6. c Template for “Risk assessment of fraud and corruption in uni - and bilateral projects”
6. d Declaration form for Norwegian Customs Authorities (import/export above NOK
25.000)
6. e NorCross Budget template (includes both HQ and Field)
6. f NFO Budget Template
6. g Cash Request Template for Partners (to NorCross)
6. h ERU Standard Operating Procedures for Finance/Admin

7. Personnel

For an overview and information for Line Managers in the Field, please follow the link to
Guideline for Line Managers in the Field.

Bilateral delegates working abroad are contracted according to NorCross’ “Conditions of

employment”. Youth delegates have a separate “Conditions of Engagement” and are
contracted with a different contract but are followed up jointly from the Youth Department,
the Field Personnel Unit (FPU), and the relevant programme coordinator. The 2012/2013
contract with Fredskorpset (FK Norway), and annex 1, is annexed below.
For permanent employees who are contracted as delegates, the general rule is that the
benefits one has a permanent employee are discontinued. Only accumulated holiday and flex
time is frozen/kept. Previous salary and benefits continue after the end of the delegate
contract.

1.Cycle for Bilateral Delegate

Procedures for recruitment of bilateral delegates

Delegate Request

Minimum 3 months before the start of mission date, a Delegate Request Form approved by
Head of Programmes is to be sent to Field Personnel Unit (delegate@redcross.no). For
positions of 1 year duration or more, the request must be approved by Head of Department

A Job Description must be attached to the request form.

Selection of candidates

4 alternatives:
1. Assignment
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 Operational Manual, Norwegian Red Cross, 12.2013

 pre-selected candidate

2. Internal advertising:
 screening of NorCross database
 advertisement on Korsveien (ledige stillinger) (also link to this site on Delegate
Portal)

3. External advertising
 screening of NorCross database
 advertisement on Korsveien (ledige stillinger) (also link to this site on Delegate
Portal)
 Norwegian RC website

4. Full external advertising

 screening of NorCross database
 advertisement on Korsveien (ledige stillinger) (also link to this site on Delegate
Portal)
 Norwegian RC website
 Fed Net
 www.global.no
 Jobbdirekte.no
 Finn.no
 Frivillighetnorge.no
 Nav.no
 Advertise on print in Aftenposten if in time for the different deadlines

Head of Programme is authorised to decide recruitment of all delegates with contracts for
less than 1 year duration

Head of Department decides on recruitment of all delegates with contracts for 1 year or more
duration

Head of Programmes/Head of Department will in collaboration with HR Coordinator in the

Field Personnel Unit decide on procedure for the recruitment process.

Contract offer and information about assignment

The selected candidate will receive a written offer of employment from the Field Personnel
Unit. The offer outlines the contract period and salary, and includes Conditions of
Employment and a Job Description. The salary is calculated according to the position and
the delegate’s educational/ professional background.

When the candidate has accepted the offer, he/she will receive an e-mail from Field
Personnel Unit with practical information about the assignment and preparation for
deployment.

Briefing
All delegates will be briefed according to the agreed set up for brief/debrief. Please see
Brief/debrief of delegates.

Appraisals
If the contract is of 1 year duration or longer an appraisal shall be conducted after 6 months
and at the end of the year/end of mission. The line manager is responsible for the appraisal
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 Operational Manual, Norwegian Red Cross, 12.2013
which will be conducted in an interactive process with the delegate. Objectives shall be set at
the beginning of the mission according to the Job Description, and be revised throughout the
mission as needed.

If the contract is shorter than 1 year an appraisal shall be conducted at the end of the mission.

The Appraisal must be signed by the line manager and the delegate. A scanned copy of the
final document with signatures must be e-mailed to the Field Personnel Unit.

Extension of contract
Minimum 3 months prior to the EoM date an Extension Request form approved by Head of
Programme is to be sent to Field Personnel Unit (delegate@redcross.no) . For positions of 1
year duration or more, the request must be approved by Head of Department
An appraisal should be conducted before an extension is requested and sent to Field
Personnel Unit prior to or together with the extension request.

End of Mission report

All delegates shall write an End of Mission report. A template should be provided by the line
manager. The delegate submits the report to the line manager before debrief and the line
manager ensures that relevant units at HQ get a copy, including Field Personnel Unit. A
copy of the EOM report will be kept in the delegate’s personnel file.
Note the Appraisal shall be completed before the delegate submits the EoM report. The
report should be finalised and submitted at least 1 week prior to EoM.

2. Field Contracted Staff:

As a general rule, NorCross should hire all field contracted staff through the Federation, the
ICRC or the National Society and never directly with NorCross.

3. Other HR issues for bilaterally contracted delegates:

For bilateral NorCross delegates, a clear delegate budget should be worked out before the
delegate arrives in the field. How to account for the delegate expenses incurred in the field
should be clarified before the delegate arrives in the field.

Housing
Housing expenses for delegates should be agreed upon with the regional rep/Head of Section
in advance of signing the rental contract. Elements to consider are:

1. Security
- Avoid ground floor and higher than 4th floor (due to fire safety)
- Guarded area/own guard
- Access control to building
- Solid, lockable door, bars on windows, emergency exit
- Secure parking (if vehicle)
- Landline (telephone)
- Location as close as possible to offices and schools
2. Budget, basic comfort
- Apartments should preferably be rented fully furnished (see attached inventory list).
Furniture/goods purchased with Red Cross funds, is automatically the property of the
Red Cross and must be labelled and included in the assets list.
- Contract, who is the owner of the building, insurance, how long notice, use standard
contracts
- Air condition
- Internet access
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 Operational Manual, Norwegian Red Cross, 12.2013
3. Delegates must expect to share housing
4. A reasonable/maximum amount for rental
5. The size and number of rooms
6. NorCross does not cover the cost of household staff

MSA5 (previously called per diem):

 An allowance paid to all delegates assigned to field mission
 Intended to cover expenses for meals, local taxis (including to and from work6), tips
and miscellaneous items
 The Federation has three rates – high, medium and low (CHF 75/65//55). NorCross
will follow the Federation rates, specified for each country
 Not paid during holidays
 MSA is paid during R&R (except when taken at home/country of permanent
residence)
For more details see the Federation MSA regulations, reviewed as of October 09 (annexed).
The Regional/Country representatives should notify the Field Personnel Unit if a delegate is
to receive higher or lower MSA for a period, due to travelling or participation in courses
where all costs are covered.

Communication
NorCross covers cell phone for work purposes. Due to both high cost and security it is not
allowed for field personnel to download/synchronise mail on mobile devises paid for by
NorCross (re NorCross’ IT guidelines). International private calls are to be reimbursed by
the delegate in the field upon receipt of invoice. Alternatively, private calls are made from
private cell-phones/ the NorCross cell phone invoiced privately (for the latter see below if
relevant).

International work related phone calls are to be covered by the office and shall be included
in the programme budget.

NorCross will pay for internet access at home for the delegate (if possible and within
reasonable costs). Authorisation is required before signing contracts for cell phone and
internet, as well as basic cable for international TV (if necessary).

Staff recruited from NorCross as bilateral delegate, and granted unpaid leave must choose
whether or not to keep the subscription for the cell phone registered through NorCross.
1) If one chooses to keep the subscription for the cell phone through NorCross, this should
be discussed with the relevant Heads of Sections and correct action taken (contact the IT
department for advice7). NorCross must be given written authorisation by the delegate to
deduct invoiced amounts (if still addressed to NorCross) from the delegate’s salary. The
NorCross HR department at HQ must also be informed, in order for them to notify Zalaris to
stop the automated deduction of the monthly taxable amount (as shown on the pay slip).
2) If one chooses not to keep the cell phone through NorCross, it must be discussed with the
Head of Section whether or not the cell phone is to be returned to NorCross. The Head of
Section should ask the IT department to transfer the cell phone number to a private account
(in order to keep your number), alternatively to close the subscription, according to what has
been agreed.

5
MSA = Monthly Subsistence Allowance
6
When attending meetings outside the office during work hours, and use of taxi is required, this will be reimbursed
7
If the subscription is still under contractual obligations it is recommended that the invoice continues to be sent to NorCross
in order to avoid more admin and extra costs.

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 Operational Manual, Norwegian Red Cross, 12.2013

Bilateral delegates are issued with a laptop and an RSA token (if necessary)8 – in order to
have access to Citrix (NorCross electronic files). In accordance with the “Brief/Debrief
guidelines”, NorCross programme coordinators at HQ must ensure that a registration form
is filled out minimum 10 days prior to the delegate’s briefing (contact admin. officer at
International department). Private laptops are forbidden to be used as the official computer
for NorCross working purposes. This is due to both security (mutual) and service (regional
or local – from IFRC or Red Cross). Electronic files are to be stored under the “my
documents” folder and/or on NorCross’ intranet designated folders (for back-up and security
reasons). In this way the documents will be safe if there is a need for system restore. For the
same reason, pictures should be stored under “my pictures”. In case of system failure, use
“Restore CD” provided from the IT unit at HQ. The NorCross’ “Rules for the use of IT in
NorCross’, signed when hired, must be adhered to. When on debrief, files are to be delivered
to the programme coordinator on a memory stick, and registration form is to be filled out (to
close user ID). All equipment (laptop, phones, back-up units etc) is to be returned to
NorCross’ HQ.

Any use of Skype, using a Red Cross/Red Crescent data network, must be approved by
national Red Cross/Red Crescent society in question (as this may seriously slow down the
capacity of the network for all users – when the client is not disabled, as well as being a
security issue). An alternative to Skype is MSN or the Office Communicator (via Citrix).
At HQ the following regulations apply: In order to avoid capacity overload, IT rules say that
we cannot use Skype while on “fastnett”. Meaning: To be able to use Skype, we should: log
off the wired internet (cable) and log onto the wireless through the wireless cards. A
“SKYPE-COMPUTER” has been installed in A-449. This computer is permanently
connected via a wireless system.

Various
For vacation, please refer to the conditions of employment. The delegate must inform the
FPU about planned holidays by submitting the vacation/leave form with the approval of their
immediate superior.

R&R (Rest and relaxation) applies to specific locations (hardship missions) and therefore
may not apply to all areas within a country. For guidelines, contact IFRC or ICRC and
follow their standards. See also point on R&R in the attached MSA guidelines.

All delegates are covered by insurance companies in Norway through NorCross. The travel
insurance is valid 24/7 in the period of the signed contract with NorCross, except when you
stay at your home address/residence. For detailed information please contact the Field
Personnel Unit in Oslo.

Vehicles
Vehicles are leased for operational use, based on programmatic needs, and programme
budgets (and hence not a personnel issue). Some operations require a vehicle for security
reasons. Based on the security situation, the appropriate number of vehicles and their
availability must be considered. Security measures and official needs (known and potential)
of the vehicles shall always have first priority.

Each car shall contain a Vehicle Logbook, First Aid kit, map, full jerry can, VHF radio,
torch and a spade. All use of the vehicle – official or private – shall be entered into the

8
Only given to delegates employed and paid for by NorCross (IT department to be consulted when in doubt).

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 Operational Manual, Norwegian Red Cross, 12.2013
logbook as soon as a trip is finished. During office hours, the vehicle should preferably only
be driven by the employed driver. All programmatic vehicles must be insured.

It is recommended that the office/delegation negotiate an agreement with a safe and serious
taxi company, connected to a central, for both official and private use (to be used for
visitors, short term delegates, etc).

For private use the following regulations are put in place:

Programmatic vehicles can when necessary be used for private purposes if available, and
must not conflict with the security issues to be considered.
Conditions are that:
1. All private use must be logged and paid for pr. kilometre according to set rates and
procedures. This is to be settled and paid for monthly. Fuel is to be paid for by the
employee lending the car.
2. The vehicle can only be driven by the NorCross delegate or the official employed
driver (never by family members or friends)
3. The delegate has a valid International Drivers Licence (EU standard or issued from
NAF9. Please note that the latter is only valid for one year.)
4. The delegate/driver complies with the Code of Conduct
5. Seat belts must always be worn in the car (front & back)
6. All damages and repair cost due to carelessness and negligence of the delegate will
be charged to the delegate
7. Breach of these conditions and guidelines will result in immediate action from
NorCross HQ, the most severe consequence being immediate termination of the
delegate’s contract with NorCross. NorCross has a zero tolerance for driving when
influenced by alcohol or drugs.

Annexes:
7.1 Conditions of Employment (2006)
7.1.1 Conditions of Employment (2012 - February)
7.1.2 Conditions of Employment (2012 October)
7.2 Information Package to Conditions of Employment
7.3 Code of Conduct (2007)
7.4 Guidelines for Recruiting Non-Norwegian delegates to NorCross Delegate Roster
or specific positions
7.5 IFRC Monthly Subsistence Allowance Regulations (as of October 2013)
7.6 Rules for the use of ICT in NorCross
7.7 List of Furniture and Equipment
7.8 Medevac (Medical evacuation)
7.9 Routines in case of death of a delegate (personal)
7.10 Collaboration agreement with FK Norway (on youth delegates) (2009/2010)
7.11 Annex 1 Substance of the programme 2012/2013 Fredskorpset
7.12 Conditions of Engagement for Youth Delegates
7.13 Media brief (to be updated and translated)
7.14 Cycle for bilateral delegate

Toolbox:
7.a Delegate Request Form
7.b Extension Request Form
9
NAF = Norwegian Automobile Association.

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 Operational Manual, Norwegian Red Cross, 12.2013

7.c Delegate Appraisal

7.d Delegate EoM report (guidelines)
7.e Template for working out delegate budget

8. Procurement and Fixed Assets

Procurement
All purchases must be within approved budgets.

For all MFA and Norad funds the following conditions are stated in the grant
letter/agreement in connection with procurement:

Any procurement to be undertaken under the implementation of the Project shall be based on
competition, and carried out in accordance with good business practice, ensuring
transparency, verifiability, equal treatment, predictability and non-discrimination on the
basis of national or local ties, so that the best possible conditions may be obtained.
The Grant Recipient shall:
 take into account any environmental impact when planning the procurement,
 ensure that the International Labour Organisation's core conventions are complied
with where relevant,
 request tenderers to inform the Grant Recipient of any potential conflict of interests
related to the procurement,
 enforce a strict practice towards tenderers who can be linked to professional
misconduct, i.e. only accept tenders that affirm that the tenderer has not received any
final conviction for participating in a criminal organisation, or for corruption, fraud,
money laundering, or any other form of economic crime,
 consider rejecting tenders where the tenderer indicates that, or it is known that, the
tenderer has received a final conviction for a criminal offence related to its
professional conduct
 consider rejecting tenders where the tenderer indicates that, or it is known that, the
tenderer has committed a serious breach of professional or ethical standards in the
line of business concerned.

When the total value of procurement exceeds NOK 100 000 ex VAT, the Grant Recipient
shall keep a procurement record that documents assessments and decisions during the whole
procurement process from the planning stage to the signing of the contract. The record shall
include assessments and decisions regarding the above points.

Procurement in relief operations will mainly be effected through framework agreements. In

certain relief operations it may however be necessary to deviate from standard procurement
procedures given particular constraints. Such procurement shall however still aim at
complying with/approximating regular procedures and documentation.

The requirements outlined applies to procurement undertaken by any cooperating RCRC

Movement partner of NorCross, and NorCross shall include in its agreement with the
respective partners requirements equivalent to those outlined in these articles.

In the field, the IFRC Procurement Guidelines should be followed for all NorCross
purchases. If a Service Agreement is signed with the Federation it is advised to include
services for tender/procurement/logistics/warehousing in the agreement. The Federation
procurement procedures will then automatically be followed. All Federation information on
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 Operational Manual, Norwegian Red Cross, 12.2013
procurement and logistics is found on FedNet under Secretariat/Logistics Standards & Tools/
Logistics standards online or Secretariat/Procurement/Links to Key Documents (incl. the
Federation Procurement Manual)

Below is the IFRC Procurement System Overview. For more specific information go to
Annex 8.2 IFRC Procurement Guidelines. Be aware that a cash request with the attached PR,
RFQ, CBA and the Selection of Supplier should be sent and approved by HQ before the PO
is sent to the supplier. For more information on the Cash Request see chapter 6 on Financial
Management.

IFRC Procurement System Overview:

a. The Purchase Request (PR): The PR defines the requirement for procurement, and also
serves as the authorisation document for the purchasing office when properly completed and
signed. Regardless of where the procurement takes place, any purchase of goods or services
exceeding CHF 1,000 must be initiated by a PR from the requesting office. To ensure an
adequate document trail, it is a good practice to initiate all requirements on a PR regardless
of the monetary value (See Section 3).
b. The Request for Quotations (RFQ): Following the receipt of a PR for procurement
exceeding CHF 1,000, the purchasing office, or someone properly authorised, will issue a
formal RFQ to selected suppliers. Unless exceptional circumstances exist, the RFQ will be
issued to a minimum of three suppliers known to provide the goods or services requested
(See Section 5).
c. Competitive Bid Analysis (CBA): The quotations, bids or offers, received from the
suppliers in response to a RFQ are evaluated in a process referred to as Competitive Bid
Analysis, which is designed to ensure that the Federation receives the best product or service
for the price paid. The CBA considers a number of variables, to include compliance with the
product or service specifications, the price, delivery time, etc. (See Section 7).
d. Selection of the Supplier: Supplier selection is a result of the CBA process. Any selection
which is not based upon price will be justified in writing on the CBA. The selected supplier
may be notified by fax prior to issuing the Purchase Order to ensure there are no
misunderstandings in the offer (See Section 7).
e. The Purchase Order (PO): The PO is a pre-numbered document which constitutes a
formal contract with the supplier. All information relative to the procurement must be
included on, or referred to and attached to the PO (See Section 10).
f. Contracts: In certain cases, e.g., construction, rental, administrative services, etc., it is
necessary to replace a PO with a written agreement (contract) to ensure that the obligations
and rights of both the buyer and the seller are adequately defined. The procedures applicable
to generating purchase orders apply equally to the generation of written contracts (See
Section 10).
g. Delivery of Goods or Services: It is the responsibility of the individual conducting the
purchasing to monitor the delivery of goods or services, to ensure contract compliance and to
protect the Federation's interests. A Goods Received Note from the ordering agency is not
always sufficient. When the nature of the procurement, the goods or the services indicates
difficulty in quantity or quality control, the responsible individual should consider the use of
inspection or surveillance companies (See Paragraph 5.04).
h. Certification of Invoices: Subsequent to receiving the requisitioner’s Goods Received
Note (GRN) and the resolution of any discrepancies with the supplier, the purchasing officer
will certify the correctness of the information on the supplier's invoice and forward it,
properly coded, to the appropriate Finance Office for payment (See Paragraph 3.10).

Segregation of Duties - There must be a segregation of duties in the sense that the person
who places the order is not the same person who authorises the procurement and approves
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 Operational Manual, Norwegian Red Cross, 12.2013
the payment of the related invoice. For authorisation levels – see the annexed Signatory
Hierarchy.

Procurement and warehousing is one of the high risk areas for corruption. It is therefore vital
to ensure that good routines and control mechanisms are in place. Receipts and underlying
documentation must be filed in a systematic way for follow-up and control of purchases, and
audits.

Goods should be insured - and payment of the insurance should be part of the project budget
and accounts.

Tender:
Local procurements should follow the Federation system for quotations. Challenges for
NorCross are that the IFRC Procurement Manual is based on pre-qualification. Threshold
ceilings reflect only 1) who must approve/validate, 2) what procurement methodology to be
used.
Briefly put, the Federation guidelines are:
 Below CHF 1’000: no special procedures are required. Use of requisition is
preferred.
 Between CHF 1’000 – 20’000: 3 (or more) written quotations are required. This
applies for all amounts above CHF 1’000. If not possible, a clear written explanation
should be written and filed.
 Between CHF 20’000 – 50’000: quotations should be requested in sealed envelopes.
 Between CHF 50’000 – 200’000: delegations are requested to request technical
authorisation from their respective Regional Logistics Unit (RLU).
 Between CHF 200’000 – 400’000: the respective RLU must get technical
authorisation from Geneva LogDep.
 Above CHF 400’000: to the Geneva Committee on Contracts (CoC) for
authorisation.

The rules for quotations for purchases made from Norway are:
 Up to NOK 200’000 – simple offer
 Between NOK 200’000 and 4’999’999– negotiated. Quotation sent to at least 3
bidders/suppliers (or be placed in Mercell10 if relevant).
 Above NOK 5 million – open bidding (national/international).Tender Committee
required. May also be placed in Mercell if relevant. The guidelines do however differ
between the various types of contracts. For further details see the attached NorCross
Purchasing Manual.

Challenges with the above are that 1) Threshold ceilings are too high for field procurement,
2) Procedures rely on systems to ensure quality and value for money (Proceedo & Mercell)
that may not be available in the field, 3) NorCross procedures are only in Norwegian.

Hence, NorCross will develop clearer guidelines for procurement/tender in the field.
Approval/threshold ceilings are however the same as in the Regulations for Financial
Control;
 Under NOK 50,000 - Approval in field.
 Between NOK 50,000 – 250,000 Approval needed from HQ (e-mail) or pre-approval

10
Mercell is an electronic tendering tool used by NorCross HQ. This is mainly a Northern European tool. Contact Logistics
Unit at HQ for more information.

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 Operational Manual, Norwegian Red Cross, 12.2013
via detailed Cash Request.
 Over 250,000 Head of International

Documentation: Original documents related to procurement must be archived and kept for
the duration of the project and subsequently sent to NorCross HQ. Copies should
immediately be sent to NorCross HQ, Oslo Norway. The nature/amount of the procurement
decides which documents are necessary to archive. These are (as relevant); technical
specifications, tender documents, bid opening protocol, bid analysis/ evaluation, offers and
quotes, contracts/agreements, and invoices.

Fixed Assets register and inventory lists

The definition of Capital Asset is “any land, building, item of machinery, equipment of
furniture that is:
 Durable in nature (not consumable goods or services) with an estimated economic
lifetime of at least one year e.g. a computer or printer is a capital asset, but toner
cartridges are not.
 Is the property of the organisation (NorCross or NS)
 Has a minimum purchase value (at the time it becomes our property) of NOK 5.000,-
. This value applies to the capital asset as a functional unit, not to its individual
components which may be less than NOK 5.000 in value.”

A register must be kept, showing control of the assets. Assets must be registered and
numbered in the accounting system under the correct project and be physically identifiable.
Please note that separate inventory lists are to be kept for items with a value of less than
NOK 5.000,-.

Data in the register should reflect quantity, description of good, brand, models, and date of
purchase, serial number and physical place where it can be found, depreciation rate and the
year when the depreciation starts. The goods should be identified with a label, affixed to the
corresponding asset, containing the unique inventory number assigned.

The register and the inventory lists should divide between assets purchased to the regional
office, the delegate’s accommodation, transportation, etc and assets purchased to a project.

The NorCross’ inventory list for the field offices are to be updated twice a year (primo
January and June). The January update is related to the preparations for the general audit.,
The updated list are to be stored in the field offices and a copy shared on e-mail with the HQ
in Oslo.

Stock inventory
Stock inventory and physical verification of assets should be done at regular intervals
(annually at the minimum, but procedures have to be set up individually according to each
operation) and monitored. Upon receipt, goods should be entered into the stock inventory
system and controlled against invoice.

Consumption of stocks must be accounted for. All changes in inventory must be registered
with date and what the stocks are to be used for (in order to ensure traceability).

Manual system and spread sheets are good enough in the field. There is no need to introduce
advanced systems.

Annexes
8.1 Innkjøpshåndbok for Norges Røde Kors (Norwegian only)
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8.2 Federation Procurement Guidelines
8.3 Summary of procurement procedures (to be approved 2013)
8.4 Assets/Inventory list from Nairobi (example)
8.5 Emergency item catalogue
8.6 Procedure for requesting relief items from IFRC RLUs
8.7 IFRC and NorCross Logistics and Procurement Services Agreement

Toolbox
8.a Federation Procurement Agreement
8.b Procurement request form
8.c IFRC Logistics Support Request template
8.d NorCross inventory list - TEMPLATE
8.e Requisition (LR)
8.f Request for Quotation
8.g Request for Proposal
8.h Public Advertisment-Tender Notice Goods
8.i Public Advertisment-Tender Notice Services
8.j Gift Certificate (template)

9. Operational Strategic Documents

The NorCross strategy for the international work 2009 - 2014 was revised in 2011 and
adopted by the NorCross’ National Board in January 2012. The strategy encompasses all the
international work of NorCross – relief and development - including the twinning11
programmes of the branches, youth activities, the gender perspective and advocacy work on
mines/weapons and international humanitarian law. For NorCross’ Guidelines for
International twinning for local branches and districts please see annex below.

The Partnerships Guidelines have been developed to better understand the nature of our
current and new partnerships, to clearly define the overall goals and objectives of the
partnerships, and ensure that we and our partners have a common understanding of the
objectives of the Partnerships, our mutual expectations and commitments. There is also a
need to have a clear vision on when and how to exit from Partnerships. The guidelines are
meant as a reference when considering new partnerships. Before entering into a partnership,
a partnership memo has been developed by HQ in Oslo.

To provide a link between the overall strategic level and planning on the operational level,
regional framework documents have been developed and are annually updated. The
documents outline the overall strategic direction for the engagement in the various regions in
the coming three years. The documents present main humanitarian and development
challenges in the regions, outline thematic and geographic priorities, provide information on
preferred channels for support, describe NorCross field structure and map different funding
sources and - opportunities.

NorCross has developed a Gender Plan of Action for the international work. NorCross’
efforts to address gender issues in the organisation’s actions and programme activities is
directly related to the RC/RC humanitarian mandate based on the special recognition by all
States of the role of the RC/RC Movement in times of armed conflict, natural disasters and
11
Direct partnership between a NorCross branch in Norway with a branch in a National RC/RC Society

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 Operational Manual, Norwegian Red Cross, 12.2013
peace.

Thematic Mission Statements have been developed on Health, OD, Strategic Cooperation,
Disaster Prevention and Climate Change, and Mines and Weapons.

Annexes
9.0 NorCross Partnership Guidelines
9.0 NorCross Partnership Approach
9.1 NorCross strategy for international activities 2009 – 2014
9.2 Regional framework for Asia
9.3 Regional framework for Americas
9.4 Regional framework for Europe
9.5 Regional framework for Africa
9.6 Regional framework for MENA
9.7 Regional framework for Afghanistan and Pakistan
9.8 NorCross International Health Programmes
9.9 Mission Statement on Health
9.10 Mission Statement on OD
9.11 Mission Statement on Strategic Cooperation
9.12 Mission Statement on Disaster Prevention and Climate Change
9.13 Mission Statement on Mines and Weapons
9.14 NorCross Gender Plan of Action 2009 -2014
9.15 NorCross Strategy 2011 - 2014 (Hovedprogrammet)
9.16 NorCross Gender Checklists in Programming
9.17 NorCross guidelines for international twinning for local branches and districts
9.17 IFRC -Strategic Framework on Gender 2013-2020
9.18 Gender Sensitive Logframe
9.19 Sex- and Age- Disaggregated Data
9.20 NorCross guidelines for international twinning for local branches and districts
(Bilingual document - see English version from p. 13)

10. Field reporting

Situation report
A monthly situation report for country representatives, country manager and regional reps
(or in-country situation where relevant – not considered necessary for quiet places like KL
and Panama) are to be sent to HQ (leadership of int.dep.) between the 1st and 5th of each
month.

Such a Situation report should give:

 A regular and uniform reporting format on context (situation in country,
humanitarian developments, security issues, other organisations, …)
 A reflection on the situation, and how it develops, in the context where you work.
This is also likely to be highly relevant information for our back donors
 Enable the country/reg. rep or country manager, to have a direct communication link
to the leadership of the international department and the SG to flag important
developments.
 Enable the unit leaders at HQ to follow up what is happening in the field and
introduce this in the regular meetings at HQ.

The Situation report should be short and easy readable and between 1 and 2 pages. If

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nothing to mention on a heading put NTR (nothing to report). Situations reports from
Country Managers should be sent directly to HQ with a copy to Regional Representative and
Programme Coordinator.

For internal reporting at project level, the NorCross Monitoring and Quality Assurance
system is used. For more information, please see chapter 11.

Minutes of meetings
For important meetings Minutes of Meetings should be sent to HQ to PCs and Head of
Programmes. Others should be copied depending on subject and importance. This has the
same justification as above with regards to sharing information more widely and in a
regularised manner. This includes dialogue with the leadership of the NS, national
authorities, embassies (and other back donors like ECHO), or important meetings with the
ICRC and IFRC delegations. MoMs should be kept very short. Limit yourself to a few bullet
points on the key topics and possible follow ups. MoMs should be sent as soon as possible
after meetings are held. If doing many meetings on the same subject, make a combined
MoM report.

Toolbox
10.a Monthly Situation Report template
10.b Minutes of meetings template

11. NorCross Monitoring and Quality Assurance System

NorCross’ quality assurance encompasses all activities financed by NorCross; both in

Norway and abroad, whether run from headquarters or by NorCross’
branches/districts/Regional offices. The implementing department is responsible for the
planning, quality and completion of projects.

Quality assurance aims to improve and ensure the quality of NorCross‟ projects by:
 Documenting the activity approval process
 Assess goals/aims and result factors for the activity, which allow effective follow-up
and assessment during the project cycle, and when evaluating the projects effects and
results.
 Ensuring that the most critical risk factors are identified, assessed and treated in a
systematic and effective manner.

The monitoring and quality assurance system in the International Department consists of two
documents;

1. Approval Document
Records the formal approval of support to international projects in NorCross and is to be
completed for all new international projects by the project/programme coordinator.

2. Monitoring Document
Is used to document monitoring of all the international projects. It consist of 5 templates that
documents Norcross assessments e.g. after receipt of a project report, after a project
monitoring mission or an evaluation has been performed. For further information please see
the guidelines included in the relevant documents.

The implementations of the projects are to be based on a project plan/proposal from the
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field/partner NS and a signed Project Agreement. In order to ensure a common approach and
standard an IFRC template has been adopted to meet NorCross requirements.

Annexes
11.1 Guideline to Approval document
11.2 Result Based Management (Norad publication)
11.3 Guide to Risk Assessment of fraud and corruption (under review)
11.4 IFRC project/programme ME guide
11.5 ICRC programme/project management

Toolbox
11.a Approval document template
11.b Monitoring document template
11.c Travel request and report
11.d Project Plan template
11.e Project Report template with guidelines

12. Management of MFA funds

Appeals:
The majority of NorCross’ applications to the MFA are based on the appeals from ICRC and
IFRC. Annually, there are three main appeals issued by Geneva:

1: Federation Long Term Planning Framework – in November/December. Most plans are for
2013 to 2016.
2: ICRC Emergency Appeals – in November/December (for the upcoming year)
3: ICRC Renewed Emergency Appeals – in September (for the current year)

Which appeals we apply for is generally decided in connection with the annual budgeting
process, in line with the Department’s Strategy. For support to the ICRC Emergency Appeal
NorCross sends a letter to the MFA in January every year, stating our strategic priorities for
support. The MFA will issue one grant letter, in support of the ICRC Emergency Appeal,
including both earmarked and non-earmarked support to the ICRC. The support is
channelled through NorCross. A similar letter will be sent primo October in connection with
the Renewed Emergency Appeal.

In addition, the Federation issues Emergency Appeals in connection with natural or man-
made disasters. The ICRC will issue Budget Extension appeals in connection with increased
operations due to war/conflict.

Applications to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) are based on the ICRC and the
Federation Appeals, or plans/appeals from a National Society. A template has been
developed by NorCross HQ, with all the issues required by the MFA (coordination, risk,
local ownership & sustainability, gender, and other donors – see toolbox). An analytical
view is encouraged.

The applications can cover a maximum period of 12 months. All applications are written in
English. The budget in each NorCross application reflects the accounting at HQ Oslo. All
expenses to be incurred and accounted for in the field are to be budgeted as “cash
contribution” (and not as goods, personnel or running costs). The exception to this is if the

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accounting in the field is done in Agresso.

In addition, NorCross has three Cooperation Agreements with the Norwegian Ministry of
Foreign Affairs (MFA) for the period 2012 - 2014. These are within Disaster Risk Reduction
and Climate Change Adaptation (DRR CCA), Armed Violence, and Afghanistan (copies
annexed). The applications were submitted to the MFA in January 2012.

MFA grants are as a rule valid for 12 months from date of grant letter – or for the
application period (annual). However, the grant can cover already incurred project expenses
that we have advanced funds to as long as they are in line with the application. The MFA
will as a general rule send the application to the relevant embassy for their input. As the
applications are in English, the grant letters are also increasingly so. The letter may include
some follow-up issues, or indicate some earmarking. The relevant grant letters are to be
shared with the field.

If there is a need to extend the project period or if there are major changes in the project this
must be communicate to the programme coordinator in Oslo as soon as possible in a project
report or in an e-mail. The coordinator should ask the MFA for an extended timeframe or for
approval of changes in the project. Requests made after the end of the 12 months project
period are as a rule not granted by the MFA and funds will have to be returned.

Funds for the multi-year Cooperation Agreements are to be released in March every year,
based on the annual report sent to the MFA in January, and the annual meeting between
MFA and NorCross in mid-February.

Reports to the MFA: The final report on the grant should be submitted to the MFA no
longer than six months after the end of the project period (18 months after the grant date).
The MFA and the embassy appreciate being updated on the project during the
implementation phase (in meetings and through updates). If the project has been
implemented through a NorCross field office, a draft for the narrative report should be sent
to Oslo. The MFA is increasingly interested in result reports (not activity reports). There is
also an increased focus on relevance, impact, and cost efficiency. The financial part of the
report is prepared by Oslo (according to NorCross HQ accounts). If funds have been
transferred bilaterally, a local audit must be carried out in the field in in line with the annual
Audit Guidelines sent out from the auditor in Oslo. After signing, the local audit report must
be sent to Oslo, and form the basis for the audit by the NorCross auditor in Oslo. For more
details see chapter 15 on local audit.

Reports on the multi-year agreements are to be prepared in the field by end November every
year and sent to HQ for compilation on December 1st. The report is sent to MFA in January.

Annexes
12.1 Cooperation Agreement DRR 2012-2014
12.2 Cooperation Agreement Armed Violence 2012-2014
12.3 Norway’s Humanitarian Policy (a Strategy)
12.4 Report No. 40 to the Storting (Norwegian Parliament): Norway’s Humanitarian
Policy
12.5 Norsk Humanitær Politikk 2008 (Annual Report from the MFA – Norwegian
only)
12.6 Report No. 9 to the Storting (Norwegian Parliament): Norwegian policy on the
prevention of humanitarian crises
12.7 Report No.11 to the Storting (Norwegian Parliament): On Equal Terms:
Women’s Rights and Gender Equality in International Development Policy
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12.8 Report No.13 to the Storting (Norwegian Parliament): Climate, Conflict and
Capital - Norwegian development policy adapting to change
12.9 The Norwegian Government’s Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security
12.10 Guidelines on Grants MFA/Norad
12.11 MFA Guidelines for grant recipients, 2007

Toolbox
12.a Application MFA – Template
12.b Report MFA Annual - Template

13. Management of NORAD funds

In 2008, Norad did an organisational review of NorCross (in preparation for the cooperation
agreement 2009 - 2012). A full copy of the review is attached.

Norad application / annual plan: Every fourth year NorCross applies for a new framework
agreement with Norad – through a four year project plan. The application for the new
cooperation period 2013 – 2016 was submitted to Norad on the 1st October 2012 (annexed).
In the three intermediate years, annual budgets are to be submitted to Norad by November
1st each year and include planned reviews/evaluations.

Cooperation Agreement with Norad – After the approval of the four-year plan the
Cooperation Agreement was signed. This Agreement regulates the cooperation between
Norad and NorCross. The present Cooperation Agreement was signed in April 2013 and is
valid from 2013 through 2016. The Cooperation Agreement stipulates an annual meeting
between Norad and NorCross. The conditions for the management of Norad funds are
generally quite similar to those for the management of MFA funds. There are however some
differences.

Norad grants are usually announced by mid-February in an annual grant letter. If the grant
is lower than the amount applied for, a priority discussion must be had. Revised budgets are
to be sent to Norad by mid-March. As of 2013 Norad funds can be transferred to the next
calendar year. Carry-over of unused Norad funds is to be included either in the annual
budgets forwarded to Norad in November ( re § 5.2) and/or in a letter to Norad in connection
with the request for the second annual payment (re §7.1) – after the reporting for the
previous year has been completed. Reasons for under-expenditure must be clearly explained.
These new conditions must be clearly communicated to the National Society. If funds cannot
be spent according to plan/budget, the programme coordinator in Oslo must be notified at the
earliest convenience. As Norad funds are given as a framework grant, funds are flexible, and
can be spent in other programmes within the agreement. (Funds for Pakistan and South
Sudan are however earmarked to fund programmes only).

Annual reports must be submitted to Norad every 30th of May. For the first two years a
status report is required (§ 5.3 and §5.4). Please note that Norad expects us to include good
examples and an overview of reviews and evaluations that have been carried out during each
year. For the third year, a more substantial periodic result report is required (covering the
first three years) (§ 5.5). This report is written in the last year of the cooperation agreement,
and will be used by Norad when considering a new agreement. For the fourth year a final
report is to be submitted, based on the previously submitted periodic result report (covering
all four years).

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Funds transferred bilaterally, must be audited by a local auditor. The local audit is ordered
from HQ in Oslo, via NorCross auditor, presently BDO. After signing, the local audit report
must be sent to Oslo, in order to be audited by NorCross auditor. For more details see
chapter 15 on local audit.

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Annexes
13.1 Cooperation Agreement between Norad and NorCross 2013 – 2016
13.2 Norad’s Organisational Review of NorCross (2008)
13.3 Norad’s strategy towards 2015
13.4 Norad’s principles for support to Civil Society
13.5 Overall introduction for the NorCross application 2013 – 2016
13.6 Overview result framework Norad 2013
13.7 Annex 1 Result Chain
13.8 Annex 2 Charts of Core Indicators
13.9 NorCross periodic results report to NORAD 2009-11
13.10 Tracking Impact report from Norad’s Civil Society Panel
13.11 The road to resilience, IFRC discussion paper on resilience, 2012

Toolbox
13.a Timetable Norad implementation year one
13.b Baselines to the field
13.c Norad baselines overview
13.d Main and Core indicators
13.e Indicator Tracking Table
13.f Planned Evaluations 2013-2016 Norad

14. Management of EU funds

14.1 ECHO – general introduction

Directorate-General for European Community Humanitarian Office (DG ECHO)
Since 1992, ECHO has funded humanitarian aid in crisis zones of more than 85 countries via
its partners. Its grants cover emergency aid, food aid and aid to refugees and displaced
persons worth a total of more than €700 million per year.

Reference documents:

“The European Consensus on Humanitarian Aid” was approved in December 2007 and
outlines the EU common vision of humanitarian aid:
http://ec.europa.eu/echo/files/media/publications/consensus_en.pdf

“Strategy 2011”; The Commission is committed to preparing every year a Strategy document
in order to co-ordinate and to programme activities efficiently:
http://ec.europa.eu/echo/files/policies/strategy/strategy_2011_en.pdf

“EU Strategy supporting DRR in developing countries” was adopted in February 2009. This
Strategy commits the EU to integrate DRR considerations more effectively into EU
development and humanitarian policies:
http://ec.europa.eu/echo/files/policies/dipecho/EU_Strategy_supporting_DRR_2009_en.pdf

ECHO Funding Decisions:

http://ec.europa.eu/echo/funding/decisions_en.htm

ECHO cooperation with partners

DG ECHO implements its mission by funding Community humanitarian actions through
partners such as UN agencies (UN), NGOs and international organisations (IO).

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Relations between DG ECHO and its NGO partners are governed by Framework
Partnership Agreements (FPA).

The Framework Partnership Agreement is the instrument that sets the principles of
partnership between ECHO and humanitarian organisations, defines the respective roles,
rights and obligations of partners and contains the legal provisions applicable to the
humanitarian operations financed by ECHO.

NorCross signed the current Framework Partnership Agreement with ECHO January 1st
2008.

In addition to the FPA and its annexes (Grant Agreement, General Conditions, Single Form,
Rules and procedures for procurement) ECHO has developed support documents and
guidelines to help the organisations better understand and use the FPA:

Framework Partnership Agreement:

http://ec.europa.eu/echo/partners/humanitarian_aid/fpa_en.htm

Annexes
14.1 Main annex on the management of EU funds
14.2 ECHO Operational Strategy 2010

Links to DG ECHO Sectoral Policies:

Cash and vouchers: http://ec.europa.eu/echo/policies/sectoral/cash_en.htm

Children in emergencies and crisis situations:

http://ec.europa.eu/echo/policies/sectoral/children_en.htm

Emergency Health Assistance (including HIV guidelines)

http://ec.europa.eu/echo/policies/sectoral/health_en.htm

Humanitarian protection: http://ec.europa.eu/echo/policies/sectoral/protection_en.htm

Communication on Humanitarian Food Assistance:

http://ec.europa.eu/echo/files/policies/sectoral/Food_Assistance_Comm.pdf

Strategy for supporting Disaster Risk Reduction:

http://ec.europa.eu/echo/files/policies/dipecho/EU_Strategy_supporting_DRR_2009_en.pdf

Development Cooperation NorCross:

https://www.korsveien.no/english/OPmanual/Documents%20for%20all/14.3%20Develop
ment%20cooperation%20NorCross.pdf

ECHO Emergency Response and Coordination Centre portal with information on global
events:
http://ercportal.jrc.ec.europa.eu/

Toolbox
14.a NorCross ECHO project process – Division of tasks
14.b EU application/Project Description - template
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15. Local audit

Finance Development has, over the last years, been one of NorCross’ main focus areas. This
includes engaging with the National Societies on annual financial statement/audits

Funds transferred bilaterally to a national society shall be annually audited by an

independent certified accountant/local auditor chosen by the national society. The cost of the
audit is to be met from the programme funds.

NorCross’ auditor (presently BDO) sends the Audit Guidelines to the local auditors in
November every year. Make sure you receive a copy. As of 2013 there are two different sets
of audit guidelines. One is for the NorCross offices, and includes the interim and the annual
audit. The other is for the National Societies and only includes the annual audit. Please note
that there is a difference in the financial reports requested in these guidelines.

The audit shall result in an audit report with the Financial Statements on the funds received
and a Management Letter. The Audit Reports and Management Letters are important tools
for programme management. A plan of action for following up on the recommendations in
the Management Letter and Financial Statements should be prepared together with the NS.
Action points and deadlines of completion should be worked out.

The choice of local auditor should be ready by October. Contact information for the local
auditor should be provided to HQ in Oslo no later than October 15th. International auditing
and accounting firms like KPMG, PricewaterhouseCoopers, or Ernst and Young could be
used for the audit. However, smaller auditing firms may be chosen, as long as they are a
“public certified Accountant”. NorCross’ experience has been that smaller local auditing
firms can do just as good a job as the big auditing companies, and for smaller fees. This,
however, varies between countries. In some countries, it may be recommended to choose one
of the big international auditing companies. NorCross would traditionally recommend using
the same auditing company for a period of four years before considering a change of
company.

It is recommended that every four years, Norcross’ regional and country offices should
consider changing the local auditing firm used. A specification on the scope should be
worked out, followed by an open tender process. If available, tender process services should
be included in the Service Agreement with the Federation. Quality service delivery,
reliability and cost should be considered when choosing the auditor. Reputation, experience
and independence of the auditor are other factors to consider. An engagement letter is to be
signed with the local auditor. The choice of auditor should be well documented.

For more information and guidelines on external audits, please see the attached IFRC
document “Guide to external audits”.

Annexes
15.1 Audit Guidelines 2013 to local auditor from BDO in Oslo (revised annually)
15.2 Audit Guidelines 2013 for NorCross Offices from BDO in Oslo
15.3 IFRC - guide to external audits
15.4 Glossary of accounting terms
15.5 Audit Questionnaire BDO

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Toolbox
15. a Plan of Action for follow-up of audit (template)
15. b NorCross Statement of income, expenditure, and balance by currency

16. Guidelines for external /internal warning and NorCross’ Corruption

Policy

NorCross is a non-profit humanitarian organisation. NorCross has a zero tolerance policy

toward fraud, waste and abuse and is committed to delivering quality in everything we do.

The whistle blower hotline is a method for reporting conduct that may be unethical, illegal, a
waste of resources, or in violation of professional standards. All reports submitted will be
treated confidentially and given careful attention. If you request to remain anonymous we
will respect your request, however it will aid our investigation if you include your name and
contact information.

We encourage people (incl. NorCross staff at our local offices, NS staff and volunteers) to
report concerns regarding unethical or illegal behaviour. It is actually your duty to do so
should you become aware of any such cases. NorCross will not permit discrimination or
retaliation of any kind for good faith reports of illegal or unethical behaviour.

You can contact the whistle blower HOTLINE by telephone, e-mail or mail:

Telephone: +47 22 05 40 00 ask to be put in contact with internal audit.

E-Post: Hotline@redcross.no

Post address: Norwegian Red Cross

Internal Audit (EKI) - “CONFIDENTIAL”
Postbox 1 Grønland
0133 Oslo
Norway

Guidelines exist for both external warnings and for internal warnings for employees of Red
Cross. All reports received will be treated confidentially. Should the reports partly pertain to
programmes implemented by the Federation or the ICRC, NorCross will however inform the
relevant partner accordingly.

NorCross is a member of Transparency International (TI). The TI pocket guide on good

practices called “Preventing Corruption in Humanitarian Operations” is a useful reference
document. The guide (annexed below) can be found at;
http://www.transparency.org/whatwedo/pub/pocket_guide_of_good_practices_preventing_c
orruption_in_humanitarian_operat

Both the MFA and Norad want to immediately be informed when fraud or corruption is
discovered. It is the HQ in Oslo that is to notify MFA or Norad and continue the main
dialogue as several departments from HQ will be involved (incl. EKI and Communications).
Please note that MFA/Norad will expect the organisation to immediately implement action to
stop and investigate the situation.

Reference is made to the checklist in chapter 6 (annexed) and the risk assessment in chapter
11 (in toolbox) on fraud and corruption. NorCross has already developed Plan of Actions in

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connection with operations in countries identified with a high risk for fraud and corruption.

Annexes
16.1 Guidelines for internal warning (Norwegian only)
16.2 Guidelines for external warning
16.3 NorCross’ letter presenting the guidelines (2009)
16.4 Transparency International Pocket Guide on corruption
16.5 Poster – help us combat fraud
16.6 Preventing Fraud and Corruption in International Operations
of the Norwegian Red Cross

17. Security

The term “NorCross engagements in the field” covers all programming support and
emergency response, which is not an integrated part of ICRC or IFRC’s operations.

1. Roles
The NorCross Regional/Country Representative is responsible for ensuring that security
procedures are in place in his/her country, and that all delegates, accompanying family,
consultants, local staff and visiting HQ staff is included in and informed of the security
regulations. The Regional/Country Representative is responsible for the management of
security incidents in his/her country of assignment and shall therefore at any time know the
location of bilateral delegates deployed to his/her country.

In case a delegate is the only NorCross delegate in the country of assignment, he/she is
responsible for the tasks listed for the NorCross Regional/Country Representative, in
cooperation with his/her Line Manager and the NorCross Security Manager.

2. Security Approach
For all bilateral engagements in the field, it is important for the NorCross Representative to
establish whether or not security procedures and regulation are in place, and whether it is
possible for the arriving delegate or staff member to be included in the security set-up. This
will also pertain to the family accompanying the delegate, if a family posting.

In countries where NorCross bilateral engagement has already been included in the lead
agency’s security set-up, and where a new delegate or staff member is about to arrive, the
NorCross Regional/Country Representative will contact the lead agency in order to inform
the organisation of the arriving delegate or staff member, and to request their inclusion in the
security set-up.

For new bilateral positions in countries where NorCross has no established bilateral
engagement, the Regional/Country Representative will initiate a dialogue with the lead
agency in the country in question, to establish if it is possible for the arriving delegate to be
included in the security procedures and regulations. Please note that neither bilateral
delegates nor staff members will automatically be included in the lead agency‟s security set-
up.

2.1. Security Approach of IFRC

Norcross bilateral delegates are included in the security set-up of IFRC in countries where
NorCross has an Integration Agreement with the IFRC. In these cases the NorCross bilateral
delegates are considered full members of the security set-up. This means that NorCross
delegates are fully integrated into evacuation plans, security meetings, etc. However, it is
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important to note that the IFRC security set-up may not include parts of the country where
NorCross is operating, which means that in those cases alternative precautions and measures
may have to be established and approved by the Regional/Country Representative.

If the IFRC, due to operational or practical reasons, is unable to include a NorCross bilateral
delegate in their security set-up, the Regional/Country Representative shall ensure that the
security situation is assessed and that NorCross security regulations are established. The
procedures for this are to be found in the “Norwegian Red Cross’ International Security
Framework’ and in “Template for Field Security Rules and Regulations (FSRR)” (please see
annex and toolbox)

2.2. Security Approach of NorCross

There may be countries or areas where NorCross will have to establish its own security
regulations and protective measures. In these cases all security regulations and protective
measures should be based on NorCross Security Framework and NorCross FSRR, which
also covers the topics and requirements listed in the IFRC’s “Minimum Standard
Requirements (MSR) for IFRC Field Operations” (see annex and toolbox below), and be
approved by the line management in NorCross HQ in Oslo.

2.3. Changes in the Security Situation

It is paramount that security procedures and regulations are updated when and if changes in
the security situation occur. Even if there are no apparent changes in the situation all
regulations should be reviewed every six months and changed accordingly if need be. When
regulations are updated the Regional/Country Representative will forward a copy to the
NorCross Security Manager.

2.4. Security briefings

Security briefings are an important part of security management. All delegates shall
therefore receive a security briefing in Oslo if relevant, and upon arrival. It is the
responsibility of the Regional/Country Representative to ensure that all delegates, locally
recruited consultants and independent consultants receive a security briefing before taking
on their assignment.

3. Obligations during deployment and field visits

3.1. Multilateral Delegates

All multilateral delegates seconded to ICRC and the IFRC, including Emergency Response
Units (ERUs) delegates deployed as part of an ICRC or IFRC operation, are fully integrated
members of the security set-up of the two organisations. All multilateral delegates are
obliged to comply fully with the Fundamental Principles of the Red Cross and Red Crescent,
the ICRC Rules of Conduct or the IFRC Code of Conduct, international and local laws, and
last but not least the security regulations of the organisation they are seconded to.

3.2. Bilateral Delegates

All NorCross bilateral delegates are obliged to comply fully with the Fundamental Principles
of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, the Code of Conduct, the rules of the Operating National
Society (ONS), international and local laws, and last but not least the security regulations of
the lead organisation in the country of their duty station

In countries or areas where bilateral delegates cannot be included in the security set-up of
either ICRC nor the IFRC, or where none of the two organisations has a presence, it is the
responsibility of the Regional/Country Representative to assess the situation before the
delegate arrives. Based on the assessment, the NorCross Regional/Country Representative
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will develop the security guidelines in accordance with the Security Framework and the
FSRR template, with the support of the Security Manager at NorCross HQ.

3.3. Accompanying Family Members

Accompanying family members of 18 years or above are as part of the delegate’s
deployment required to sign the Rules/Code of Conduct of the deploying agency. By their
signature accompanying family members are obliged to comply fully with the Fundamental
Principles of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, the Rules/Code of Conduct, the rules of the
ONS, international and local laws, and last but not least the security regulations of the
deploying agency.

3.4. Local staff

NorCross bilateral local staff is obliged to comply fully with the Fundamental Principles of
the Red Cross and Red Crescent, the rules of the NS, international and local laws, and the
security regulations in the country of employment. It is the responsibility of the delegate
supervising local staff to ensure that they are familiar with the security regulations and that
they are briefed specifically about the protective measures involving them.

3.5. HQ Staff
All NorCross HQ staff visiting NorCross bilateral programmes, ICRC or IFRC operations
are obliged to follow the Fundamental Principles of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, the
rules of the ONS, international and local laws, and last but not least the security regulations
in the countries they are visiting. In countries where neither ICRC, IFRC nor NorCross are
present, HQ staff will while visiting rely on advice from the ONS, other PNS and the
embassy system if deemed necessary.

4. Security Incidents
Security incidents are to be reported to either ICRC or IFRC using the specific organisations
format for security incidents reporting. Bilateral delegates furthermore have to inform the
NorCross Regional/Country Representative and HQ of the incident ASAP.

Annexes
17.1 NorCross International Security Framework
17.2 Minimum Security Requirements (MSR) – IFRC, May 09
17.3 The Federation Stay Safe Manual
17.4 Template for Field Security Rules and Regulations (pdf)
17.5 Acknowledgement of Risk

Toolbox
17. a SECURITY Self Assessment for Managers
17. b Example for Field Security Rules and Regulations
17. c Template for Field Security Rules and Regulations
17.d Security Travel Checklist for International NorCross mission / travel

18. Missions in the field

In parallel to the routines at HQ, missions taking place in the field (from the regional/country
offices) must be documented accordingly.

1. Authorised mission instruction (by line manager) is required before making

reservations.

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2. Reservations can be done with electronic tickets from Oslo through program
coordinator or from a travel agency in the country, depending on the situation in each
country/region.
3. Local transport to and from airport is reimbursed, otherwise, same rules as MSA.
4. Check for agreements between hotel and Red Cross, otherwise, in accordance with
security and as economical as possible. All travel should be authorised.
5. A travel/mission report should be prepared shortly after the mission.

Toolbox
18. a Travel request and report

19. Filing

For a NorCross’ regional/country delegation, there are several categories of files to be

observed.
1. Office files - to document the NorCross bilateral presence.
2. Project files - relating to each project (financial unit)
3. Personnel files -
4. Accounting files - whether through IFRC, NS or NorCross

Any NorCross delegation should have annual files for each project and for the office itself.
Signed versions of main documents must be scanned and the original documents sent to Oslo
for filing. Copies should be kept in the field when applicable.

NorCross main archives are found at HQ in Oslo. The archive unit regularly passes our old
files over to the National Archives. In the international department, filing is carried out on an
annual basis. The filing is mostly carried out after the MFA/Norad approval of our audited
report linked to each grant – i.e. some two years after the main implementation.

Office files are to document the NorCross presence in the field. Relevant documents are:
 Policy documents on why a NorCross presence is established.
 Office reports – portfolio reports
 Agreements (MoU, contracts with HNS, PNS, the Federation, ICRC, contractors,
cooperation documents)
 Annual external audit report
 End-of mission reports
 Mission reports
 Strategic decision papers – influencing on the portfolio of the office
 Fixed assets register and inventory lists
 Internal memos – relevant to the office

Upon ending of your mission it is important to go through the office files and ensure that
main documentation is easily available in a systematic manner for your successor
(alternatively sent to Oslo). This also pertains to the electronic documentation.

Project files will, during the project period, in most cases be kept both at HQ in Oslo (main
documentation) and in the field. One of the reasons for having a basic project file in Oslo is
to prepare for the annual audit of the NorCross‟ external auditor.

Relevant documents to be included in the project file are:

 Final project proposal / appeals
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 Application to MFA/NORAD/ECHO
 Grant letter / Project approval
 Agreements/Contracts/MoUs (with HNS, PNS, the Federation, ICRC, contractors)
 Approved budget
 Acknowledgement of funds / receipts
 Relevant correspondence with donor/the Federation/ICRC/NS/recipient/HQ.
 Policy documents, memos, e-mails on important changes etc.
 NorCross monitoring reports
 Reports from implementing partner
 Mission reports
 Documentation that might be requested by the auditors

Each grant letter from the MFA includes the following paragraph:
“In accordance with section 17 of the Budgetary Regulations, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
and the Office of the Auditor General reserve the right to institute control measures to ensure
that the funds are used as presupposed”.
This means that should we, at HQ level, get a review from the Auditor General, we must be
able to supply them with the documentation they request. If the documentation is not
available at HQ level, it will be request from the field.

According to Norwegian law, files (both project files and financial files) have to be kept
available for a minimum of 10 years.

Personnel files are to be kept separate and locked up. These files are not to be filed with the
project or office files, but most probably to be destroyed upon closure of the office. If in
doubt, confer with the HR department in HQ, Oslo. For further details, please see the “Code
of conduct”.

Accounting files – If accounting is done by the Federation, their system and procedures will
be used. If accounting is done by the National Society, the rules of the country have to be
observed with regards to filing. If the accounting is done as part of the
NorCross accounting, Norwegian rules for filing have to be observed – as a minimum. If
there are any discrepancies between national and Norwegian law with regards to filing of
accounting documents/vouchers, the most comprehensive/strict rules have to be observed.

Please see the attached extract from the Norwegian Laws for Accounting for NorCross’ main
regulations with regards to filing of vouchers and related documents for the accounting in
Agresso. Whether to store the files in the field or in Oslo has to be discussed with NorCross
Accounting department on an individual basis for each country.

Practical issues to consider - What about the physical environment for the archive? It is
protected? lockable? safe from water? etc.

Why file?
 To ensure that information is available
 To document decisions made
 To meet with agreements made
 In case of audit from the Auditor General
 To have proofs
 For future research
 To preserve the Red Cross history
 The archives are the memory of the organisation.
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Annexes
19.1 Extract from “Norwegian Law for accounting”
19.2 NorCross guidelines for filing and documentation (Norwegian Document)
19.3 Standard filing system for field offices (Federation)

20. Document Library (links)

Federation
20.1 IFRC “Characteristics of a well-functioning National Society”
20.1 IFRC “Characteristics of a well-prepared National Society - checklist”
20.1 Summary of 35 essential IFRC Standard Operating Procedures
20.1 IFRC list of Abbreviations/Acronyms

NorCross
20.2 NorCross Annual Report 2012
20.2 Expressions and Abbreviations used in NorCross
20.2 Twinning evaluation report (NorCross 2009)

Finance Development
20.3 Finance Development Holistic Approach to Finance development (PPP)
20.3 NS Sustainability (PPP)
20.3 Audit – just numbers and figures – or do they make sense?? (PPP)
20.3 Working Advance and cash transfer to NS

Other
20.4 Gender Handbook in Humanitarian Action (IASC – Dec. 06)
20.4 ERU Guide
20.4 Translation of Key Red Cross’ words (Norwegian/English)

21. Various templates

Letter English - template

Presenting a subject to the Senior Management group - Norwegian - template
Presenting a subject to the Section Leader Management group - Norwegian- template
PowerPoint presentation - template

22. Internet addresses

ICRC:
www.icrc.org
http://extranet.icrc.org/ (Password required)
http://procurement.ifrc.org/catalogue/ (Emergency Items Catalogue 3 volumes)

IFRC:
www.ifrc.org
www.fednet.ifrc.org (each Red Cross staff can request a password) DMIS - https://www-
secure.ifrc.org/dmis (password requested)
DMR/FMR - http://finreps.ifrc.org (username: IFRCDS\DMR, password: DMRredcross)
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 Operational Manual, Norwegian Red Cross, 12.2013
www.ifrc.org/where/statisti.asp

NorCross:
http://www.NorCrossERU.org (user and password are both eru2010)

Norwegian Authorities:
www.odin.no (Norwegian Government)
http://www.regjeringen.no/nb/dep/ud (MFA)
http://www.norad.no/Tilskudd+og+anbud/S%c3%b8k+tilskudd/Sivilt+samfunn/Samarbeidsa
vtale (NORAD framework agreement)
https://www-secure.ifrc.org/dmis/toolbox/acronyms/toolbox_acronyms.asp
www.noreps.com

UN:
UNDAC Handbook: Field Coordination Support Section: www.ochaonline.un.org
http://ocha.unog.ch/virtualosocc/(ou0dnb5502ghvlyb4aiare45)/VOLogin.aspx (password
requested) (Virtual On-Site Operations Coordination Centre)
http://www.reliefweb.int/

ECHO:
http://www.puntosud.org/
https://www.korsveien.no/humanitaertarbeid/internasjonaltarbeid/nodhjelp/Ndhjelp%20%20
for%20alle/The_Sp here_Project_Handbook_2011.pdf

Other:
http://www.sphereproject.org
http://www.spherehandbook.org/
http://www.internal-displacement.org/ (on internally displaced people) (Norwegian Refugee
Council)

Statistics and background information:

UD http://www.landsider.no/
CIA The World Factbook https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html EIU
http://www.eiu.com (user names and passwords are available on FedNet) Chiefs of state and
cabinet members of governments (except USA)
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/world-leaders-1/index.html
Country studies (Library of Congress) http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/cshome.html
International Crisis Group online reports: http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?
World Bank - Country data: http://www.worldbank.org
Google Earth – Map service: http://earth.google.com
Currency convertor: http://www.oanda.com/convert/classic
Disasters (Reuters): http://www.alertnet.org/

Thank you for using this manual.

We hope it is a useful tool.

Questions or feedback are welcomed.
Please contact ingvild.aultun@redcross.no

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