The target value of an indicator is the specific figure that the beneficiary has committed to achieving by a set deadline – the number of people trained, metres reconstructed, jobs created, or solutions implemented. It is determined already in the application for the non-repayable financial contribution and becomes a binding part of the contract. This is where a typical conflict arises: a higher value increases the chance of approval, but at the same time increases the risk that you will fail to meet it. Non-fulfilment is generally not treated as all or nothing – the contract and the methodology allow for a tolerance band, and for a larger deviation a proportional reduction of the contribution applies, or possibly a contractual penalty. If you can already see during implementation that you will not reach the value, address it with a reasoned request for a change, not by staying silent until the final report, by which time it is too late to remedy.
See also: Measurable project indicators, Project change, Follow-up monitoring report.
