| 4. In which ways is the initiative creative and innovative?
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The priority of this initiative was the creation of an integrated training program on public procurement aimed to help professionals in the Objectives Convergence regions.
The project was launched in February 2010. From February 2010 to December 2012 fifty training classrooms were carried out for a total of 1209 trained participants. As a result of such large number of participants in training activities and for the great importance of the training topics, in July 2013, the project has been refinanced. It is currently being evaluated further refinancing.
For the realization of this activity, the following actions have been designed :
Definition of a Scientific Committee
It was set up a Scientific Committee with the task of chairing all project activities over the definition of guidelines for the implementation of the “Appalto Sicuro” Vademecum.
Campaign to promote awareness and dissemination of results
It has been called a promotional campaign that accompanied all activities of the project in different areas to give maximum emphasis to the initiative in the areas involved in the project. They were made 10 informative seminars of which 6 for the project start- up and 4 for the dissemination of results.
Vademecum about “Appalto Sicuro”
A particular attention was done in order to make clear, simple and stimulating the use of training materials. The project has developed many educational materials which sometimes have assumed the role of "teacher". The training has permitted that the participants may use on their own, learning and training materials specifically designed and structured for them
The vademecum from the point of view of its content has been created by a team of experts, who have set up a list of contents based only on Procurement Code (Legislative Decree no. 163 of 2006 and all subsequent amendments and additions). From a teaching point of view of the Vademecum has been prepared with the creation of Learning Objects - standard SCORM multimedia- with systems of self-evaluation that allowed the project to provide users up to date teaching materials following the continuous changes in the law occurred during the teaching activities.
The training plan
The main topic of the training course covers on "Public Procurement" - Detailed analysis of the Code of public contracts for works, services and supplies in implementing Directives 2004/17 / EC and 2004/18 / EC and subsequent amendments and additions.
Within the project there are three different training sessions: traditional education, distance learning, mentoring. The course is 60 hours in total according to the following distribution: 12 in the presence 48 distance learning. The training has been carried out with the use of multimedia tools which in a particular context such as that which concern this project, it is not sufficient to ensure effective formative effective results. The teacher took over, therefore, the role of training module coordinator, representing, therefore, the reference point of the participants along with the coordination structure and tutorial staff.
A continuous teacher/student side by side.
In order to promote the creation of a practice community regarding training activities subjects, the project has achieved a phase of coaching, following the end of the training activities. During the project, an expert on the course subject, ensured through the presence of a platform and a further assistance to all the participants in order a continuous updating.
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| 5. Who implemented the initiative and what is the size of the population affected by this initiative?
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Promoters of the initiative, the Ministry of the Home Affair and the Department of Public Administration, have identified FORMEZ PA, as the in-house department institution, the initiative organization actuator.
FORMEZ PA for the implementation of the initiative involved the following organizations:
Calabria Region, Apulia Region, the Region of Campania, Sicily Region, University of Palermo, ASL (local National Health hospitals), 18 Provinces of Convergence Objective Regions, 280 municipalities, Finance Italian Police, DIA (Anti-Mafia Investigation Department), National Park Authorities, ARPA (Regional Environment Protection Agency), Prefectures.
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| 6. How was the strategy implemented and what resources were mobilized?
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The initial project funding , which dates back to February 2010 amounted to 2,500,000.00 Euros. 50% of the contribution is paid by the European Structural Funds (ERDF) and the other 50% is covered by national resources (Revolving Fund of the Ministry of the Economy and Finance under Law 183/87).
Following the positive project results and the continuous requests for participation in training activities, the project was refinanced in July 2013 for an amount of 965,700.00 Euros also covered as the previous loan. At present time it is being evaluated a further refinancing of approximately 240,000.00 Euros.
The number of human resources employed on the project is about 80 units. Many companies also help in order to implement the project including:
• Research Companies;
• Consulting companies specialized in creating and managing web platforms (LCMS);
• Specialized companies in events organizations.
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| 7. Who were the stakeholders involved in the design of the initiative and in its implementation?
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The project proposes an integrated training program and themes which have received significant interest from the beneficiaries of the training. In particular, during the first two years of “Appalto Sicuro”, there has been a number of adhesions much larger than originally expected with various public institutions, such as the Province of Salerno, Campania Region, Region of Sicily which required a training for various Departments and Offices favoring the creation of transversal skills and an approach to networking. Specifically, in order to meet the demand for training, it was necessary to ensure the creation of 3 additional classrooms, compared to the 48 originally expected. The training methodology, proposed by "Appalto Sicuro," through the use of e-learning, encouraged the affirmation of an innovative teaching methods than the traditional lecture. The followed teaching approach, was claimed among the course beneficiaries. This is demonstrated by the growing number of students, who continue to use the platform for action learning and a continuous updating, promoted by the project at the end of their studies. The growing interest in taking a more efficient and effective public administration has lead some civil society actors to reward "Appalto Sicuro" as a good practice for growth and improvement of public administration.
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| 8. What were the most successful outputs and why was the initiative effective?
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Monitoring the pursuit of design strategies has been defined through the control activities, designed to certify which were the most affected areas by the mafia and therefore most interested in the realization of educational activities in order to contrast and fight organized crime. Therefore the realization of training classrooms in difficult areas with an high mafia intensity allowed to determine the attainment of strategies related to the project activities.
Regarding the evaluation of training activities for the participants, questionnaires about the project have been structured in order to test the approval and a opinion on the training activities carried out.
The satisfaction questionnaires results have shown, on the general judgment of the course, which were the most positive training methodologies and the best educational content provided.
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| 9. What were the main obstacles encountered and how were they overcome?
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The main problems about the realization of project activities, concerned the skepticism with which many of the local authorities involved in the project, have expressed about it. In areas of high intensity mafia the idea of participating in a training course called "integrated training to fight corruption and infiltration of organized crime in public procurement", was seen by public institutions experts and Companies as something that could create problems in their work, or even to their own safety.
Other issues still affect the approach with which some of the operators of Public Security considered education as purely theoretical and, therefore, ineffective in the fight against organized crime.
This problem has been successfully overcome by one-side through the seminars that put the spotlight on current initiatives avoiding the fear of ' “abandonment” ', on the other side, through the involvement of multiple actors at local level: administrative and governmental institutions and the Police Forces.
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