Rule 12.1

Regulation of the Association’s financial year and annual accounts, together with details of the procedure for appointment of statutory auditors (if necessary) is fully described in Article 15 of the Articles of Association. These Internal Rules supplement those Articles.

Rule 12.2

The Annual Accounts of the Association must be considered as a matter of business as each Annual Meeting of the Association. The accounts must be accepted or rejected by the Board and a minute of this decision must be taken. In the event that the accounts are rejected, the reason for this decision must be recorded and the Treasurer must be instructed to prepare revised accounts as a matter of urgency.

Rule 12.3

The proper expenses of the Association include any costs associated with the achievement of its purpose (as set out in Article 2 of the Articles of Association), which include:

  • Costs of services required to ensure compliance with applicable legislation;
  • Costs of services required to provision Web hosting and development environments for the OpenWIS Association and its Projects
  • Costs relating to financial support for a Project, approved in accordance with Rule 12.8; for example, to support a Project during its Incubation Phase reach a Mature Phase (Project phases are defined in OpenWIS Project governance)

The following categories of costs are not applicable as proper costs of the Association:

  • Costs of any staff employed by a Member or Partner (except for the OpenWIS Community Manager);
  • Travel and subsistence costs incurred by a Member or Partner, or any member of staff employed by them (including the costs of attending meetings of the Association);
  • Costs of arranging or hosting meetings on the premises of any Member or Partner; or
  • Costs associated with the operational use of the OpenWIS software by any Member or Partner.

Rule 12.4

Financial administration shall be effected in accordance with the annual budget approved by the Annual Meeting of the Board pursuant to Rule 8.5. The budget shall reflect the estimated income and costs and shall be calculated in Euros.

Rule 12.5

The Treasurer shall ensure that expenses and financial commitments entered into by the Association are in conformity with the provisions of the approved budget.

Rule 12.6

Any expenditure in excess of the agreed annual budget, or for a period extending beyond that set out in the agreed budget, must be approved by the Board.

Rule 12.7

As a safeguard against expenses arising from unexpected developments or events, the Association shall also have a reserve fund at its disposal. The amount to be held in the reserve fund shall be decided by the Annual Meeting of the Board.

Rule 12.8

Financial support may be requested for a Project at any time during the Project’s lifecycle - although such requests are anticipated to typically occur during the Incubation Phase of a Project (Project phases are described in OpenWIS Project governance).

Any request for financial support shall be submitted to the Steering Committee for review by an eligible party, as specified in Rule 6.4. Such a request must contain sufficient information for the cost-benefit to be assessed by the Steering Committee.

In cases where the request for financial support is deemed worthwhile, the Steering Committee shall, accordance with Article 13.3 item (2), recommend the request to the Board.

As stated in Article 12.2 item (6), the Board has the exclusive right decide on all matters relating to the finances of the Organization. Noting Rule 12.5 and Rule 12.6, the Board will consider the request for financial support for a Project, subject to affordability and noting that the operational costs of the Association itself will always be prioritised.

Any expenditure following approval by the Board shall be undertaken in accordance with the OpenWIS Financial Management supplemental rules and relevant Articles and Internal Rules.

The procedure for allocation of OpenWIS Association funds to projects is described here.

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