SS17 020 - Kent & Medway South East Business Boost Programme Delivery

Tender description

The Council is seeking providers to deliver the Kent and Medway South East Business Boost Programme Delivery services. The South East Local Enterprise Partnership (SELEP) is a business-led, public & private sector body established to drive economic growth across East Sussex, Essex, Kent, Medway, Southend and Thurrock. The core growth hub service is to be extended through a SELEP-wide South East Business Boost (SEBB), European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) programme. The current core offer is primarily an online facility with some limited support. The SEBB programme will enable growth hubs to expand existing provision to offer: a greater level of 1:2:1 and 1:2:many interactions that create growth and innovation within companies, delivered to an wider target audience including: pre-start, start-up and Small and Medium Sized Enterprises. This process will be enhanced by the ‘Growth Grant’ programme to facilitate growth and increase productivity. The LEP is one of 39 partnerships across England set up by the government to be the key body determining strategic economic priorities while making investments and delivering activities to drive growth and create local jobs. As well as being the biggest LEP outside of London, SELEP is also one of the most local. The LEP operates a fully devolved model with increased reach into local communities through local delivery partnerships in East Sussex, Kent & Medway, Essex and Thames Gateway South Essex. The core growth hub service is to be extended through a SELEP-wide South East Business Boost (SEBB), European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) programme. This requirement is designed to achieve the extended service. The service will provide additional activities beyond what can be provided currently. Both core growth hub and the Kent & Medway SEBB Programme will be delivered as separate projects with distinct outputs etc. They have been designed to operate autonomously and if the funding for the core hub is ceased the Kent & Medway SEBB Programme will not be expected to pick up the activities, but instead continue operating unhindered. The current core Growth Hub offer is primarily an online facility with some limited Business Navigator support. The SEBB programme will enable growth hubs to expand existing provision to offer: a greater level of 1:2:1 and 1:2:many interactions that create growth and facilitate innovation within companies, delivered to an expanded target audience including: pre-start, start-up and Small and Medium Sized Enterprises. This process will be further enhanced by the ‘Growth Grant’ programme designed to facilitate growth and increase productivity within local companies. Kent & Medway SEBB Programme will be funded via an ERDF grant. Whilst the services need to work closely together, it will be possible at any time to identify the activity funded through ERDF funds and the activity funded by others. This opportunity has been developed by gathering evidence of the gaps in support provision through public and private sector partnership engagement. The Kent & Medway South East Business Boost Programme Delivery services will be fully integrated alongside their respective Core Growth Hub Services and will be governed by the same principles: • developing strong, inclusive partnerships with local stakeholders; • putting in place robust governance arrangements to oversee growth hub activity and ensuring alignment with the LEP’s strategic economic plan; • ensuring plans for growth hubs are deliverable and sustainable beyond 2019 when government and European funding ends; • joining up national and local business support and simplifying the local offer; • applying a common evaluation framework to identify what works, and; • measuring impact. The SEBB programme will deliver an offer that compliments and enhances the existing ‘core’ Growth Hub programme. The current core Growth Hub offer is primarily an online facility with some limited Business Navigator support. The SEBB programme will enable growth hubs to expand existing provision to offer: a greater level of 1:2:1 and 1:2:many interactions that create growth and facilitate innovation within companies, delivered to an expanded target audience including: pre-start, start-up and Small and Medium Sized Enterprises. This process will be further enhanced by the ‘Growth Grant’ programme designed to facilitate growth and increase productivity within local companies. It is the Council’s view that this contract would be appropriate to divide into Lots in order to ensure best regional support. It is also considered that this will assist SME application by allowing service provision to be concentrated into specific regions rather than requiring a single provider to spread themselves across the entire county and potentially negatively impacting the quality of service provision. Keywords: Management, Consultancy, Deveopment, Business