UK Shared Prosperity Fund: guidance for applicants
Contents
- Completing the application form
⚠ We are now seeking applications to deliver projects from 1 April 2024.
Introduction
1.1 The UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF or the Fund) is a central pillar of the UK government's ambitious Levelling Up agenda and a significant component of its support for places across the UK. It provides £2.6 billion of new funding for local investment by March 2025, with all areas of the UK receiving an allocation from the Fund via a funding formula rather than a competition. It will help places right across the country deliver enhanced outcomes and recognises that even the most affluent parts of the UK contain pockets of deprivation and need support.
1.2 The primary goal of the UKSPF is to build pride in place and increase life chances across the UK. This aligns with Levelling Up White Paper missions, particularly: 'By 2030, pride in place, such as people's satisfaction with their town centre and engagement in local culture and community, will have risen in every area of the UK, with the gap between the top performing and other areas closing.'
1.3 For further context the UK Shared Prosperity Fund: prospectus can be found on GOV.UK
1.4 Following acceptance of the council's investment plan submitted in August 2022, the council wishes to invite applicants to submit their project via the application process for the 2024-2025 funding round.
1.5 Submitted projects will be assessed by a Local Partnership Group comprising key stakeholders from the public and voluntary sector. The scoring methodology outlined in this guidance will be used to determine which projects are approved for funding.
Purpose of the document
2.1 This document has been developed to provide clarity on the strategic drivers, objectives and the rules and regulations set by the UKSPF prospectus the context of which should inform the responses provided by the applicant.
2.2 The document sets out the considerations which will need to be observed and provide clarity on how the applications will be assessed.
2.3 A self-declaration section has been included for applicants to complete which sets out the minimum standards required for a project to be considered compliant with the process.
Objectives
3.1 These key objectives of the process are:
3.1.1 Compliance with legislation and government standards, including the Public Contract Regulations 2015 (as amended);
3.1.2 Value for money;
3.1.3 Timely delivery; and
3.1.4 Optimisation of outputs and outcomes set by the UKSPF prospectus.
Application parameters
4.1 Projects for year 2 are only eligible under interventions:
E6 - Support for local arts, cultural, heritage and creative activities.
E9 - Funding for impactful volunteering and/or social action projects to develop social and human capital in local places
E11 - Investment in capacity building and infrastructure support for local civil society and community groups.
Outputs and outcomes
5.1 Once the relevant interventions(s) have been selected the applicant should review the outputs and outcomes to ensure they can achieve the requirements set by the Fund's performance requirements as given in the UK Shared Prosperity Fund Interventions, Objectives, Outcomes and Outputs - England on GOV.UK.
5.2 The application process will assess projects on their ability to achieve tangible outputs and outcomes. Applicants will be required to provided quantified outputs (where necessary) and outcomes i.e. "24 jobs created" rather than "we will create jobs" or "yes".
Self-declaration
6.1 Please see a short list of pre-qualification criteria which is considered the minimum standard to proceed for completing an application:
- your project aligns with a UDC UKSPF priority intervention
- your project is ready to be delivered in line with the fund terms and conditions and can be completed by 31 March 2025
- you can quantify the level of impact your project will have on the outputs & outcomes sought from the fund
- you will comply with the procurement conditions set by UKSPF when spending funds for the following amounts:
- up to £9,999 - at lest 2 quotes/catalogue references to show value for money
- £10,000 to £49,999 - 3 written quotes or prices sought from relevant suppliers of goods, works and/or services
- over £50,000 - formal tender process
- you have a project manager / senior responsible officer (SRO)
- you are able to provide a risk analysis of the project proportionate to its size and nature
- you have a firm understanding of the cost of the project and are confident that any fluctuation upwards in cost post award can be accommodated outside of the funding agreement
Completing the application form
7.1 Please email business@uttlesford.gov.uk for an application form.
7.2 The form has been developed in compliance with the criteria set by the UKSPF prospectus, the Grants Standards and the Public Contracts Regulations 2015.
7.3 Each question must be completed for the application to be considered.
7.4 Questions should be responded to proportionately based on the value and complexity of the project. Applications will not be advantaged through wordsmithing or word volume and will be assessed based on the responses' alignment to the criteria set in the question's guidance.
7.5 All questions must be answered openly, honestly and as comprehensively as possible. Failure to do so may result in funding not being awarded, being withheld or being reclaimed after payment has been made.
Scoring methodology
8.1 Applications will be reviewed objectively in line with the scoring criteria set out below. Responses will be assessed against the following criteria and the 5 key areas which will be scored and their allocated weightings are:
8.1.1.1 Outputs and outcomes - (35%)
8.1.1.2 Cost - (35%)
8.1.1.3 Risk analysis - (10%)
8.1.1.4 Added value - (12%)
8.1.1.5 Match funding - (8%)
8.1.2 Outputs and outcomes
Score | Criteria |
|---|---|
0 | The response does not relate to the question |
1 | The response does not contain any quantifiable benefits in line with the defined outputs and outcomes set by the prospectus |
2 | The response does indicate quantifiable benefits however the level of impact is considered proportionately low |
3 | The response does indicate a quantifiable benefit with an objectively high level of impact |
4 | The response indicates multiple quantifiable outcomes and outputs each of which offer a medium level of impact |
5 | The response indicates multiple quantifiable outcomes and outputs each of which offer a high level of impact |
8.1.3 Cost
Score | Criteria |
|---|---|
0 | >£100k |
1 | >£80k-£100 |
2 | >£60k-£80k |
3 | >£40k-£60k |
4 | >£20k-£40k |
5 | >£1 - £20k |
8.1.4 Risk
Score | Criteria |
|---|---|
0 | The response does not relate to the question's requirements or has not been responded to |
1 | The response does not provide assurance that the risk has been assessed appropriately or proportionately |
2 | The response has not provided a proportionate risk assessment based on the size and complexity of the project which raises major concerns |
3 | The response has provided a proportionate risk assessment based on the size and complexity of the project which raises major concerns |
4 | The response has provided a proportionate risk assessment based on the size and complexity of the project which raises minor concerns |
5 | The response has provided a proportionate risk assessment based on the size and complexity of the project with no concerns raised |
8.1.5 Added value
Score | Criteria |
|---|---|
0 | No response given |
1 | The response is not perceived to add any additional value in line with UDC's Corporate Plan |
2 | The response does indicate added value in line with UDC's Corporate Plan however the value has not been quantified |
3 | The response is considered to add minor value in a single area in line with UDC's Corporate Plan with a quantified outcome |
4 | The response is considered to add major value in a single area or minor in multiple areas in line with UDC's Corporate Plan with a quantified outcome |
5 | The response provides added value in multiple areas in line with UDC's Corporate Plan all of which have been quantified |
8.1.6 Match funding
Score | Criteria |
|---|---|
0 | 0% |
1 | >0% - 20% |
2 | >20% - 40% |
3 | >40% - 60% |
4 | >60% - 80% |
5 | >80% - 100% |
9.2 If any of the scored questions do not meet the baseline requirement (i.e. 0 or 1) it is likely that the application will be rejected.
UKSPF spending protocol
9.1 Once applications are assessed they will be ranked based on the score achieved to provide clarity on the quality of the submissions.
9.2 These will then be aggregated to see where best value can be achieved when considering multiple projects. The cumulative impact of outcomes and outputs for different projects will be considered and projects may be batched accordingly.
9.3 The council has responsibility for making decisions on the allocation of funding raised through UKSPF. The aim of this Protocol is to ensure that the decision-making process is transparent. Through it the Council and the Local Partnership Group will identify projects and allocate funds on an annual basis.
Procurement
10.1 Formal Tender Process - To spend fund monies in excess of £50k with a single supplier you will need to undergo a formal tender process for compliance with the fund's terms and conditions.
This will involve the following key activities:
10.1.1 Advertise the opportunity to as wide-reaching supplier base (within the district at minimum) as possible.
10.1.2 You will create criteria which assess cost and quality of suppliers against their peers.
10.1.3 You will operate an open/transparent process providing a fair opportunity for all suppliers to deliver the project's requirements.
10.1.4 You will score responses back from the suppliers to rank the submissions and find the preferred supplier/contractor.
10.1.5 You will report back the results of the process to support the fund's reporting procedures.