Available support funds of the European Union and international development finance institutions by public entities at state or community levels in the new or candidate EU–member countries are remarkable underutilized.

PFI, through the experience of her partners and her network of experts, is extremely well positioned to assist and advice  the public entities of all levels in the new of the candidate EU-member countries in the selection of complex basket of support funds and in the application for obtaining such funds.

Communities are exposed to an intense international competition for attracting new industrial estates. An important selection criterion for industrial estates is a reliable and adequate physical infrastructure. Substantial funds to develop and finance such infrastructure are provided by the international development finance institutions and EU.

Cooperation with those institutions is subject to very strict rules and regulations and procedures. Very frequently local public communities in their application for funds are submitting flawed and incomplete documentation with rejection of the application as a consequence. Furthermore such rules and regulations for obtaining funds and the portfolio of support programs are frequently modified. Local public communities have severe difficulties to keep-up with these ever-changing conditions given their day-to-day tasks; effective access to those funds can often be done only with expert support.

To make use of the available funds from EU or other international development finance institutions detailed insight in the structures of the various development programs, conditions for applications and chances of success are needed. Therefore, PFI in her services puts substantial diligence in the advice and support of public project sponsors und local administrations in all aspects of project preparation and project applications with the envisaged international financiers.

Necessary conditions fort his are PFI’s core competencies in:

• Detailed knowledge of best business approach
• Knowledge of rules and regulations
• Access to information and knowledge of precedence
• Knowledge of available international financing and co-financing opportunities, conditions, and requirements

The PFI approach starts already in the initial phases of project conceptualization, since well structured concepts have much better chances to pass the many-fold control steps of the funding institutions. Viability analyses of various financing options or public-private partnership structures (PPP) are necessary initial steps for an application for support funds. Many of the rules and the regulations are often subject to interpretation. Early contacts to the finance institutions by the project sponsor are therefore of absolute advantage.

The well-placed network of PFI-experts can assist in making those early contacts and will also assist and advice in the conceptualization of individual project – structures.

To achieve a high level of support-funds utilization, the use of PFI’s network of experts is highly recommended.  PFI Experts will attend to their public community partners throughout the whole project cycle.