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

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

March and 31

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

• 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

March and 31

May 2022. All claims for funding required by the end of May

2022.

If you would like to provide a quote, please complete the attached template and return it to Julie

West by 5pm on Friday 18

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

January 2022

Deadline for submission

February 2022

Shortlisting

Week commencing 21

February

2022

Video interviews for shortlisted candidates

Week commencing 21

February

2022

Contract awarded

February 2022

Inception meetings

Week commencing 28

February

Project completed, with spend finalised

and claimed, with a copy of a final report

received

May 2022