Community Renewal Fund: Road to Net Zero Business Support

Programme - Net Zero Demonstrator

Invitation to Quote for a pilot project in Norfolk

SUBJECT TO PROGRAMME EXTENSION CONFIRMATION

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,

Groundwork East, Eastern New Energy and Greater South East Net Zero 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

industrial research testing.

We are seeking fully costed proposals for activity and/or technology pilots to be carried out between

early June and 30th September 2022, with all claims for funding required by the end of September

2022.

Scope of activity

SMEs are invited to submit a proposal to develop pilot activity which addresses 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

 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

 Large-scale deployment of alternative fuels including hydrogen

 Delivering rural transport decarbonisation

Project activity could include –

 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 project 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.

The successful project will be required to provide at least 2 publication quality images of pilot activity

and an illustrated case study/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

Projects put forward can be valued between £25,000 and £37,000 (at a 100% intervention rate)

including VAT (if required) . We are seeking one project in Norfolk to compliment four projects

already taking place across Norfolk and Suffolk.

Timeline:

Successful proposals will include a convincing timeline for delivery of their activity which should take

place between early June and 30th September 2022. All claims for funding required by the end of

September 2022.

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

ellen.goodwi[email protected] by 5pm on Friday 27th May. 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 3 May 2022

Deadline for submission 27th May 2022

Shortlisting Week commencing 30th May 2022

Video interviews for shortlisted candidates Week commencing 6th June 2022

Contract awarded 10th June 2022

Inception meetings tbc

Project completed, with spend finalised

and claimed, with a copy of a final report

received

30th September 2022