DMS Grants Management Portal

Module 1

System Architecture & Access Scoping

The Disbursement Grants Management System (DMS) coordinates the complete lifecycle of road maintenance grants disbursed by ZINARA to all designated Road Authorities across Zimbabwe.

Geographic & Operational Data Scoping

Data security is governed by automatic scoping algorithms in services/access_control_service.py. The portal dynamically calculates what each user can see and approve based on their organizational profile:

Persona / Role	Data Scoping Boundary	Permitted Actions
Road Authority User	Limited strictly to their own Local Authority / Department.	Upload Workplans, Create Funding Claims, Submit Invoices, Submit Acquittals.
Provincial Technician / Engineer	All Road Authorities & Projects within assigned Province.	Review Workplans, Verify Site Progress S-Curves, Sign Physical Certifications.
Regional Engineer	All Provinces & Authorities in designated Region.	Technical Workplan Approvals, Regional M&E Oversight, Variation Recommendations.
Financial Controller & Manager	Nationwide Financial Claims.	SAP Ledger Budget Verification, Due Diligence, Management Recommendation.
Finance Director / Technical Director	Nationwide Executive Oversight.	Statutory Grant Disbursement Authorization, High-Value Variations.

Module 2

Role Guides & Day-in-the-Life Workflows

Road Authority Engineer / Finance Officer

RDC, Urban Council, Department of Roads, RIDA

Primary Responsibilities: Workplan creation, project milestone logging, funding request submissions, and 60-day expenditure acquittals.

1

Annual Workplan Upload

Download the standard Excel template, populate gazetted road numbers, physical targets (km), estimated budgets, and upload for ZINARA Provincial Engineer review.

2

Initiate Funding Request

Select an approved workplan project, specify the requested grant amount, attach priced BOQ and contractor/materials invoices, and submit for verification.

3

Submit Advance Acquittal

Within 60 days of receiving disbursement, break down actual expenditure (Fuel, Plant, Labor, Materials), attach receipts, and submit for technical/financial clearance.

ZINARA Provincial & Regional Engineers

Provincial / Regional Directorate

Primary Responsibilities: Engineering review of annual workplans, on-site physical progress verification, and monitoring & evaluation (M&E).

1

Workplan Technical Appraisal

Inspect submitted annual workplans against road condition indexes, unit rates, and gazetted road boundaries; approve or return with technical revisions.

2

Conduct Site Inspection & Progress Verification

Verify physical chainage on site, inspect compaction and quality tests, review photo evidence, and sign the digital Physical Verification Certificate on the portal.

ZINARA Finance Clerk & Financial Controller

Finance & Grants Administration Wing

Primary Responsibilities: Due diligence compliance, SAP budget ceiling checks, invoice installment management, and disbursement voucher generation.

1

Initial Document Review & Due Diligence

Verify that the Road Authority has submitted all required tax invoices, bank confirmation letters, and has zero delinquent outstanding acquittals.

2

Budget Ceiling & SAP Ledger Check

Confirm that the requested funding fits within the remaining uncommitted balance for the specific SAP Commitment Item and Fund Center.

ZINARA Executive (Finance & Technical Directors)

Executive Directorate

Primary Responsibilities: Final statutory grant approvals, national budget allocation governance, and high-level M&E analytics oversight.

Module 3

Account Security, 2FA & Signatory Status

2FA Settings

1

Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) Activation

Download an authenticator app (e.g., Google Authenticator, Microsoft Authenticator) → Go to Security Settings → Scan the QR Code → Enter the 6-digit one-time code to lock your session.

Crucial: Users without active 2FA are automatically restricted from signing financial approvals or submitting grant disbursement requests.

2

Profile Signatory Verification

Authorized Accounting Officers (CEOs, Town Clerks) and Financial Controllers must maintain certified signature specimens on file for audit cross-verification.

Module 4

Road Authority Hub & Governance Setup

Authority Portal

1

Mandate Contacts Registry

Maintain current executive contact details for the CEO/Town Clerk, Director of Works, and Director of Finance under the Mandate Contacts tab.

2

Disbursement Bank Account Setup

Register designated commercial bank accounts (ZiG / USD), attach stamped bank verification letters, and submit for ZINARA Treasury clearance.

3

Quarterly Performance Reports

Upload quarterly physical output logs and equipment operational telemetry within 15 days of quarter-end to maintain grant eligibility.

Module 5

Annual Workplans & Excel Validation

Workplan Dashboard

Annual Workplans establish the baseline scope of works and grant allocation for the entire fiscal calendar.

1

Download Standard Excel Template

Use the portal's pre-formatted template containing standard dropdowns for Work Categories (Routine, Periodic, Regravelling, Culvert Construction).

2

Automated Validation Engine

Upon upload, the system automatically checks for valid gazetted road numbers, positive scope metrics, currency symbols, and budget ceiling constraints before creating records.

3

Engineer Review & Director Approval

The ZINARA Provincial Engineer inspects technical feasibility, followed by final sign-off from the Regional Engineer and Technical Director.

Module 6

Road Projects, S-Curves & Verification

All Projects

1

Instantiating Projects from Workplans

Approved workplan line items are converted into active Road Projects with target start/end dates, allocated funding tranches, and physical deliverables.

2

Submitting Physical Progress Logs

Project engineers upload physical completion percentages (% planned vs. % actual), geotagged site photographs, issue tickets, and weather delay entries.

3

Digital Verification Sign-Off

The ZINARA Provincial Engineer verifies laboratory test results (density, compaction) and signs the Physical Progress Verification Certificate.

Module 7

SAP ERP Integration & Budget Mapping

SAP Sync

1

Fund Centers & Commitment Items

Every Road Authority has a designated SAP Fund Center code (e.g. FC_BIKITA_RDC) and Commitment Items representing budget lines (Routine Maintenance, Periodic Maintenance, Emergency Works).

2

Unmapped Budget Resolution

If SAP imports contain newly created ledger codes, administrators use the Unmapped Budgets Resolver to link ledger items to canonical Road Authorities.

Module 8

8-Stage Funding Request State Machine

Funding Requests

Step 1

Draft

RA User

Step 2

Submitted

RA Accounting Off.

Step 3

Under Review

Finance Clerk

Step 4

Recommend

Controller

Step 5

Mgr Recommend

Finance Manager

Step 6

Approved

Finance Director

Step 7

Paid

Finance Clerk

Step 8

Completed

Acquitted

1

Drafting & Attaching Deliverables (RA User)

Create request, select Road Project & SAP Commitment Item, enter amount, and attach Priced BOQ, Contractor Invoices, or Fuel Requisition schedules.

2

Multi-Tiered ZINARA Financial Clearance

Finance Clerk checks documents → Financial Controller performs budgetary ceiling verification → Finance Manager provides management recommendation → Finance Director issues statutory approval.

3

Electronic Payment Settlement

Finance Clerk registers payment voucher reference and electronic fund transfer date, transitioning the request to PAID.

Module 9

Invoices, Contractors & Installment Vouchers

Invoices

1

Contractor Registry & Tax Verification

Register contractors with PRAZ licenses, valid ZIMRA Tax Clearances, and certified bank details before associating invoices.

2

Installment Schedules & Partial Settlements

Split large IPC contract certificates into manageable installments (e.g., Advance Mobilization, Interim Milestone, 10% Retention Release) with individual payment vouchers.

Module 10

Advance Acquittals & Reconciliation

Acquittals

1

60-Day Statutory Acquittal Gate

All disbursed funds must be fully reconciled within 60 calendar days. Delinquent accounts are automatically blocked by the system from receiving subsequent disbursements.

2

Cost Bucket Categorization

Reconcile expenditure across standard public accounting categories: Fuel & Oils, Plant & Equipment Hire, Labor & Casuals, and Road Materials (Bitumen, Cement, Quarry).

Module 11

Project Variations & Scope Amendments

Variations

Variations handle unforeseen site conditions, price escalations, or emergency scope adjustments without breaking audit trails.

1

Submitting Variation Justifications

Specify variation type (Cost Overrun, Scope Adjustment, Time Extension), provide engineer site justifications, and attach revised bills of quantities.

2

Hierarchical Engineering & Financial Approval

Provincial Engineer review → Regional Engineer review → Technical Director recommendation → Finance Director authorization.

Module 12

Real-Time Alerts, Chat & Audit Logging

Notification Settings

1

WebSockets Real-Time Notifications

Receive instant in-app alerts whenever your workplans are approved, funding requests are advanced, or payment vouchers are settled.

2

Immutable System Audit Trails

Every sensitive database action records timestamp, user ID, IP address, previous state, and new state for statutory Auditor General compliance.

Module 13

Troubleshooting & Validation Error Matrix

FAQ Hub

Error Message / Blocker	Underlying Cause	Standard Resolution Procedure
"Budget Ceiling Exceeded"	Requested amount exceeds remaining SAP uncommitted allocation.	Submit outstanding acquittals to restore eligibility or request a budget re-allocation from Finance Director.
"Invalid Gazetted Road Number"	Road number in Excel workplan does not exist in national inventory.	Verify gazetted numbering against the Official Road Network Inventory list in PerformanceIQ.
"403 Permission Denied"	User is attempting to access a project outside assigned province/authority.	Contact Administrator to check your active `InternalStaff` province/region assignment.
"Account Locked / Invalid 2FA"	Multiple failed 2FA attempts or out-of-sync device clock.	Resync device clock in Authenticator settings or contact DMS Helpdesk for token reset.

Interactive User Guide & Feature Walkthroughs