Contract number: ECHA/2019/355  FWC conditions of October 2018 
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OLAF’s own staff or by any outside body authorised to do so on its behalf.  
Such checks and audits may be initiated  at any moment during the provision of 
the services and up to five years starting from the payment of the balance of the 
last specific contract issued under this FWC  
The audit procedure is initiated on the date of receipt of the relevant letter sent 
by the contracting authority. Audits are carried out on a confidential basis. 
II.24.2 The contractor must keep all original documents stored on any appropriate 
medium, including digitised originals if authorised under national law, for a period 
of five years starting from the payment of the balance of the last specific contract 
issued under this FWC.  
II.24.3 The contractor must grant the contracting authority’s staff and outside personnel 
authorised by the contracting authority the appropriate right of access to sites and 
premises where the FWC is implemented and to all the information, including 
information in electronic format, neede d to conduct such checks and audits. The 
contractor must ensure that the information is readily available at the moment of 
the check or audit and, if so requested, that information is handed over in an 
appropriate format.  
II.24.4 On the basis of the findi ngs made during the audit, a provisional report is drawn 
up. The contracting authority or its authorised representative must send it  to the 
contractor, who has 30 days following the date of receipt to submit observations. 
The contractor must receive the final report within 60 days following the expiry of 
the deadline to submit observations. 
On the basis of the final audit findings, the contracting authority may recover all 
or part of the payments made in accordance with Article II.23 and may take any 
other measures which it considers necessary. 
II.24.5 In accordance with  Council Regulation (Euratom, EC) No 2185/96 of 
11 November 1996 concerning on -the-spot checks and inspection carried out by 
the Commission in order to protect the European Communities’ financial interests 
against fraud and other irregularities and Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 883/2013 
of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11  September 2013 concerning 
investigations conducted by the European Anti -Fraud Office, the European Anti -
Fraud Office may carry out investigations, including on the spot checks and 
inspections, to establish whether there has been fraud, corruption or any other 
illegal activity under the contract affecting the financial interests of the Union. 
Findings arising from  an investigation may lead to criminal prosecution under 
national law.  
 The investigations may be carried out at any moment during the provision of the 
services and up to five years starting from the payment of the balance of the last 
specific contract issued under this FWC. 
II.24.6 The Court of Auditors, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office established by 
Council Regulation (EU) 2017/19397 7 (‘the EPPO’) and, for the processing of 
personal data, the European Data Protection Supervisor have the same righ ts as 
the contracting authority, particularly right of access, for the purpose of checks, 
                                           
7 Council Regulation (EU) 2017/1939 of 12 October 2017 implementing enhanced cooperation on the 
establishment of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office