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Community Renewal Fund: Road to Net Zero Business Support
Programme - Net Zero Challenge Fund
Invitation to Quote for a feasibility/pilot project in Norfolk or Suffolk
Background
The Road to Net Zero Business Support Programme is a pilot initiative designed to pro-actively
pivot business support and grants on a net zero future, building business advice expertise, and
developing a portfolio of tested interventions which can be rolled out further in future.
It will provide:
A dedicated trained resource within the New Anglia Growth Hub and Norfolk and Suffolk
Chambers of Commerce.
Evidence mapping sectoral opportunities in the net zero journey from UEA in partnership with
University of Suffolk.
Online toolkits/resources for partners to share/promote in their peer groups to support and
enhance direct support and to showcase best practice.
Grants from £1,000-£25,000, at a 75% intervention rate, to support businesses towards net
zero with measurable practical interventions. The offer builds on evidenced demand from
various decarbonisation projects.
Consultancy from our pool of procured experts for businesses, building on the LEP’s successful
Business Resilience and Recovery consultancy scheme. Business audits will help identify the
net zero ‘first step’.
A Net Zero Challenge Fund offering £25,000+ to businesses at an attractive 100% intervention
rate.
Partners include - New Anglia LEP, the New Anglia Growth Hub, Norfolk and Suffolk County
Councils, Suffolk and Norfolk Chambers of Commerce, UEA and the University of Suffolk,
Groundworks East, Eastern New Energy and Greater South East Energy Hub.
The project will deliver the following work packages aimed at supporting predominantly SMEs on
their net zero journey in order to help us reach the UK’s national 2050 target:
Work Package 1 Evidence
Partners will identify sectoral opportunities as well as business wants/needs in order to
communicate the scale of the opportunity and help shape programme delivery/focus as it develops
to maximise impact. This work package will also analyse technology testbeds and evaluate
behaviour change challenges/opportunities.
Work Package 2 Communications and Marketing
Partners will develop robust, consistent and trustworthy messaging using the outputs of WP1 to
foster a positive business environment, increasing carbon reduction awareness, confidence and
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best practise sharing. This work package will also promote the wider Programme and tis
grant/consultancy offer.
Work Package 3 Advice
Deliver pro-active net zero advice based through the New Anglia Growth Hub’s trained net zero
advisers
Work Package 4 Grant Support/Consultancy New Anglia LEP
Grants from £1,000-£25,000, at a 75% intervention rate, to support businesses towards net zero
with measurable practical interventions. The offer builds on evidenced demand from various
decarbonisation projects.
Consultancy from our pool of procured experts for businesses, building on the LEP’s successful
Business Resilience and Recovery consultancy scheme. Business audits will help identify the net
zero ‘first step’.
A Net Zero Challenge Fund offering £25,000+ to businesses at an attractive 100% intervention
rate.
Work Package 5 Reporting and Evaluation
Project reporting and a Road to Net Zero Business Support Programme Evaluation report which will
help provide the evidence to shape future programmes and support funding bids.
Summary of this Opportunity
The Net Zero Challenge Fund, which forms part of Work Package 4, will enable the programme to
support a small number of flagship projects at 100%. The Fund is offered on an Open Call basis
and will be assessed collaboratively by key partners. The Challenge Fund is designed to bring
innovative/creative ideas and the testing of technologies in the private sector to help solve public
sector net zero challenges.
Funded projects will be revenue based, however, they may also include some minor equipment
purchases, to meet the fund and timescale requirements; projects may also include an element of
feasibility or industrial research testing.
We are seeking fully costed proposals for activity and/or technology pilots to be carried out between
1
st
March and 31
st
May 2022, with all claims for funding required by the end of May 2022.
Scope of activity
SMEs are invited to submit a proposal to develop feasibility studies and/or pilot activity which
address one or more of the following challenges or opportunities
Delivering viable low carbon heat solutions, potentially at scale
Overcoming the challenge of listed building retrofit
Large-scale deployment of alternative fuels including hydrogen
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Delivering rural transport decarbonisation
Developing shared business park reduce, reuse, recycle solutions i.e. heat recovery
Delivering decarbonisation throughout the supply chain
Supporting mid-size businesses to decarbonise
Unlocking and promoting public and private sector Green Finance opportunities
Delivering new collaborative partnership solutions to decarbonisation
Project activity could include
Feasibility research leading to costed proposals/plans to be considered for future funding
One-off pilot activity testing out a new approach to delivery with a clear plan for evaluating
the pilot and disseminating the findings
Pilot activity funded through this opportunity must
Demonstrate evidence of net zero transition need
Have a clear rationale for what is being tested and why, evidence of innovation, and explain
how the results of the pilot will be disseminated and why they will be useful to public sector
partners and the wider economy
NOT be business as usual activity
Proposals should be fully costed to enable an accurate assessment of value for money.
The successful projects will be required to engage in some (mainly online) events with the wider
partnership and to engage with the wider Road to Net Zero Business Support Programme.
All projects will be required to provide at least 2 publication quality images of any pilot activity and
illustrated case studies/ information sheets to inform the partnership and other stakeholders of the
findings of their activity.
Success criteria
Successful proposals will
Show a clear link to net zero transition
Be creative and original, with clear evidence that a new approach is being tested
Be scalable with evidence of potential to roll out if successful
Have a strong approach to evaluation and dissemination of results
Budget
A total budget of £150,000 including VAT is available for this work. Lots of £25K+ (at a 100%
intervention rate) including VAT will be considered. We are seeking up to three projects in Norfolk
to reflect Government prioritisation, and up to two projects in Suffolk.
Timeline:
Successful proposals will include a convincing timeline for delivery of their activity which should take
place between 1
st
March and 31
st
May 2022. All claims for funding required by the end of May
2022.
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If you would like to provide a quote, please complete the attached template and return it to Julie
West by 5pm on Friday 18
th
February. All submissions must be kept brief, with a maximum of 6
pages.
The process for shortlisting and contract award is set out in our terms of conditions.
Proposals will be scored against the following criteria:
Value for money weighting 30%
Quality weighting 70%, made up of:
o Demonstrate a need for innovative net zero transitionary support priority will be
given to projects that have a strong case for investment 20%
o Deliverability thorough proposal, with clear milestones and project management
approach, and detailed and realistic costings 20%
o Scalability and strong approach to evaluating the outcomes and disseminating results
for future funding 20%
o Imaginative approach, clear evidence of innovation 10%
A short online interview will be conducted with shortlisted applicants.
Set out below is the timetable for this contract:
Activity
Timing
Invitation to Quote published
20
th
January 2022
Deadline for submission
18
th
February 2022
Shortlisting
Week commencing 21
st
February
2022
Video interviews for shortlisted candidates
Week commencing 21
st
February
2022
Contract awarded
28
th
February 2022
Inception meetings
Week commencing 28
th
February
Project completed, with spend finalised
and claimed, with a copy of a final report
received
31
st
May 2022