The Project Implementation Unit (PIU) acts as a Service within the ŽICG AD-Podgorica (the position of the PIU is shown in the organizational scheme of the ŽICG). It was established with an aim to improve the coordination and implementation of projects that have been approved or proposed for the support in funding from donor and international financial institutions.The primary assignment of the PIU is to provide technical support in the implementation of projects related to the process of tender preparation, publication, evaluation of tenders and awarding of contracts, coordination of activities and administrative support to project teams, management of the process of spending funds in accordance with the procedures laid down in the relevant regulations of international financial institutions.
PIU is composed of permanent administrative staff covering the procurement and finance management functions for all projects. The PIU's administrative staff consists of: PIU leader, Independent Expert for Public Procurement, Independent Expert for Finance and Translator for the english language. However, for each individual project, technical staff (construction, electrical and traffic engineers from the technical sectors of the ŽICG) are engaged, possessing the necessary expertise for implementation of the technical issues of each individual project.In order to realize the planned and concrete activities, to use all the capacities and available opportunities for maximum improvement, it is secured continuous support of the Consultant, currently engaged by WBIF and with his support PIU currently acts in appropriate level, with the adequate and timely fulfillment of all its working obligations.
Montenegro is in the phase of joining the EU membership and as a potential candidate has the opportunity to use money from pre-accession funds through a decentralized fund management system. We emphasize that the PIU is also engaged in the preparation of documentation within the decentralized system of funds management from the EU funds in which the ŽICG has the status of the final recipient, such as: Terms of References, Tender documentation, Multiannual funding plan for the period 2014-2020, Action Documents, etc. In the most cases, the technical staff of the PIU is involved in the preparation of the technical part of the tender document, as well as the members of the Commission for evaluation of bids for tenders that are published according to the rules of the donor institutions.
PIU conducts staff training in project management, procurement process management, financial management, building administration, etc., in order to increase the professional competence of the staff. Some of the foreign donor and financial institutions that support the financing projects of the Railway Infrastructure of Montenegro , implemented by the PIU are: Western Balkan Investment Framework (WBIF), European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), European Investment Bank (EIB), Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA), etc.