| 29 August |
Can an eligible organisation submit two bids at the same time if one is on behalf of three organisation but led by us? |
The policy on submission of multiple bids by one organisation has recently been changed. From now on each organisation may submit one Outline application and one Full application for consideration at any one time. In addition, an organisation may submit one further application where it is acting as the lead for a collaborative proposal. |
| 27 April |
Are GIF proposals welcomed that incorporate elements of work experience? |
GIF welcomes proposals which enable networks of employers (including SMEs) to strengthen their capacity to extend work experience opportunities for young people Addressing skills in the young workforce through work experience could form a significant part of a wider proposal, say addressing a range of issues relevant to securing the future skills of a region, sector or supply chain; or bringing together training and work experience before someone takes on. Applications to GIF will be judged against published criteria. The GIF board are looking for proposals that offer something new, can make a significant difference and are suitably employer-driven. Imaginative ways to boost work experience could certainly help an application address those criteria. |
| 20 April |
If an outline proposal is submitted in January for the first GIF Board in March and then assessed as a full proposal at the August Board, can a further, new submission (either outline or full) also be submitted for the August Board? Or does this count as two submissions, regardless of the fact that the original outline proposal is being submitted as a full proposal following a formal development phase? |
Yes, although at the assessment stage we will need to consider the capacity and capability of the organisation in terms of delivery. The organisation will need to provide a compelling rationale for the submission of an additional development proposition and a clear strategy for investment. |
| 26 January |
Could you confirm exactly which sections of the submission forms count towards the page limits please? Specifically - does the introductory section of the outline proposal document where the company details are stated count towards the limit, or does the count start at the Explaining your idea section? |
As stated in application forms all the guidance text in red italic should be deleted prior to submission which will provide more space in the forms. The application forms will start at the applicant details section and counts towards the page limits specified in the guidance notes. |
24
January |
If there are organisations that are contributing time or money to the project that don’t directly employ the end beneficiaries of a project, but for example they operate in the sector with a regulatory role or are a representative body, can we count their contribution as match (either cash or in kind)? |
Any direct contribution to the project in the form of time, money or facility e.g. meeting room for free can be included, whether they will benefit directly from the project is irrelevant however they must be aware of the contribution you will be including and be in agreement to it and therefore ultimately be required should it ever be necessary to prove their contribution. |
24
January |
Can I please just clarify whether, for in kind contributions, this includes the overhead rate or is it just the actual salary? |
In Kind contributions can include overhead costs relative to an individual’s contribution in time as long as they are actual cost. |
24
January |
I understand that we need to use actual salaries in calculating in kind match. However, if we are dealing with a relatively large number of people, can we use an average across a salary band? This would be the average across an industry recognised banding. |
Yes - an average salary across an industry recognised banding is acceptable for the costing spreadsheets. |
18
January |
We would like to seek some clarification into the timings for the Development Phase – it states that a maximum development period of 12 weeks is envisaged and that you should assume the development phase will start 1 week after the GIF Board has made its short-listing decisions. Based on the timescales for panel meetings throughout the year can any other length of Development phase be had? (its unlikely to be less as it will be 12 weeks till the next panel meeting). Also if we submit a Development Plan in January does the full proposal have to be presented to the August Panel or could it be left till the November panel? We could do a 12 week development but due to restriction of number of bids at any panel we may decide that another idea is submitted in August. |
We can confirm the length of the development phase will be determined by the specific nature of each proposal. We would expect most full proposals to be ready for review at the next available GIF Board following approval of the outline proposal. If an organisation can justify why a full proposal will take longer than this to be developed then a longer development period may be granted and the full proposal could then be considered by the Board at a later date. Conversely, if an organisation feels it can complete the development phase in a much shorter timescale then we will explore with the GIF Board if there are earlier opportunities for them to consider full proposals coming out of the development phase.
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18
January |
In the previous GIF round there were guidelines on marketing activity- I can’t seem to find this in the guidance-are there any restrictions on marketing activity in terms of amounts spent? |
No there are no restrictions. There was a relaxation of the guidance and controls from the cabinet office late summer 2011 regarding spending restrictions on proposals containing IT, marketing, communication or consultancy costs.
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18
January |
We have a number of private sector companies that are giving staff time in the development and implementation of our proposal. Can you confirm if we can count their charge out rate as in-kind match (as this is the amount of money the company will lose due to their staff not being available to deliver commercial services) or only the actual salary rate of the individual? |
Unfortunately, you can only count the actual salary rate of any individuals as an in-kind contribution for the implementation of the proposal, for the costing spreadsheet. |
4
January |
What is meant by ‘proposals that replicate applications made to other funds’ will not normally be supported through GIF in the guidance document? |
This refers to concurrent proposals. Applications submitted to previous rounds of GIF which were unsuccessful may be re-submitted for consideration by the GIF Board on one further occasion. |
4
January |
Is there still a Joint Investment Programme strand in the Growth and Innovation Fund? |
The Growth and Innovation Fund is now structured differently and there is no longer a Joint Investment Programme Strand. Given the freedoms and flexibilities now in the single Adult Skills budget we are not looking for GIF to support proposals that include a requirement for funding of participation in skills training (as opposed to building of capacity and capability across the sector). Employers will however have the opportunity to apply for participation funding in the forthcoming employer ownership pilot. Please see the following press release for more details. http://www.ukces.org.uk/news/Press-releases/2011/employer-ownership-of-skills
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4
January |
When will the next advice clinics take place for the GIF fund? |
Exact dates have yet to be confirmed but we expect the next clinics to take place in early April. Details will be published on the website in the next few weeks. |
23
December |
You state that formally constituted sector bodies are eligible to apply for the GIF. Can you please tell us if this can be a large group of sector based employers who have formed a not for profit company as a mechanism for addressing skills development collectively? If the answer to this is yes, can I please ask if there is a minimum amount of time that the NfP company would need be have been formed, before applying to GIF? |
Yes, a large group of sector based employers who have formed a not for profit company as a mechanism for addressing skills development can apply for GIF as long as the organisation successfully completes the online eligibility checker. There is no minimum amount of time that a NfP company has to have been formed, but it is likely due diligence would be completed on the organisation if their proposal was successful before an investment contract was offered. |
20 December |
Can an NSA submit an application for the same GIF Board as its related SSC? |
NSA/SSC structures vary across the network, with a number of NSAs having completely separate management structures. In this case, it makes sense for NSAs to be able to make separate applications. For those NSAs which are integrated into their SSC structure, in general, we encourage NSAs and SSCs to work up integrated applications rather than dilute scale and impact by developing separate ideas. If there is a strong reason for separate applications for one particular GIF Board cut-off date, then we are prepared to regard the SSC and the NSA as different organisations, for the purposes of our provision that there should only be one application per organisation. |
| 15 December |
With regard to an organisation only being able to submit one application at a time, please can you advise your definition of ‘organisation’. Does ‘organisation’ mean legal entity or does ‘organisation’ refer to a body made up of a number of partners in a particular sector? Can these partners apply separately if they meet the eligibility criteria? |
The organisation leading an application will need to be a legal entity that we can contract with. Organisations can be part of a collaborative bid (but not the lead) and also submit their own application. If an organisation is the lead partner in a collaborative bid it cannot then submit an application in its own right at the same time. |
| 15 December |
Where a LEP is not itself a legal entity and its accountable body is a local authority, would the LEP be able to apply for GIF directly? |
We are keen to encourage LEPs‟ involvement in GIF. In considering the potential scale and impact of proposals, LEPs may choose to participate in collaborative applications, either with other sector or employer bodies, or as a group of LEPs, or combining both approaches. Also, some LEPs may wish to be involved in developing a proposal but may not have the capacity to do so alone. For successful collaborative applications, we would normally expect to be able to contract directly with a lead partner organisation. So if a LEP which was not a legal entity was part of an application with another eligible organisation which was a legal entity, we would normally expect to contract with the latter. For an application from one or more LEPs where none is a legal entity, we will need to be satisfied with the underpinning accountability arrangements which would allow contracting and flow of funds via one constituent part of the partnership. This could be through a local authority, although it will not be the local authority itself which is making the application to GIF. |
| 7 December |
If we are bidding for £500k per year what financial investment are you seeking and how much can in-kind support be? Can this include staff time volunteering? |
All proposals must clearly demonstrate the ways in which employers have been and will be involved in developing and implementing this proposal. At its heart GIF is about drawing in greater employer investment in the medium term to meet those skills challenges that are an obstacle to growth. Proposals must clearly set out how employers will sustain any solution beyond the life of GIF investment. The GIF Board are clear that the timing of employer investment in a solution will be dependent upon the context and environment the solution is being developed in. It expects significant employer investment alongside GIF investment to be the norm. Where there is limited or no employer investment, either cash or in-kind, applicants will need to justify this in the context of the proposal. Advice on the types of in-kind investment that can be considered is included in the costings spreadsheet guidance. |
| 7 December |
If an outline proposal is submitted in January for the first GIF Board in March and then assessed as a full proposal at the August Board, can a further, new submission (either outline or full) also be submitted for the August Board? Or does this count as two submissions, regardless of the fact that the original outline proposal is being submitted as a full proposal following a formal development phase. |
No. Only one application can be submitted at any one time. |
| 7 December |
We intend to submit a bid for the Jan 12 round, but have also been asked to be a partner (not lead) in another bid - is this permitted? |
Yes. Organisations can be part of a collaborative bid (but not the lead) when they are submitting their own application. |
| 7 December |
With regard to an organisation being able to submit one application at a time, can the application be a ‘programme’ style made up of a number of projects in related ‘strands’? |
We are looking for clear and coherent proposals and are not actively seeking to support a ‘programme’ style application made up of a number of projects in related strands. An organisation could submit a genuinely integrated proposal which has a limited number of interdependent strands but not a portfolio application made up of a number of loosely related strands. Applicants will need to ensure that their applications do not exceed the maximum page limit set out in the application guidance. |
| 30 November |
Can an organisation submit an application and also be the lead for a collaborative application?
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No. Each organisation can only submit one application for consideration at any one time. This includes applications where the organisation is acting as the lead for a collaborative proposal. |
| 30 November |
We submitted under round 1 and have feed-back etc – do we need to go through the first phase to re-submit? |
Yes. Any organisation who wishes to reapply for GIF will have to complete the outline proposal application form and costing spreadsheet. It is each organisations choice whether they also complete the full proposal application form/full costing spreadsheet at the same time. We would suggest you refer to the Decision making process and Development Phase section and the Decisions, appeals, feedback and resubmission section in the GIF guidance notes on our website. |
| 30 November |
Can individual SMEs apply for the GIF? |
Please refer to the question– “Why is funding not being given directly to individual employers, rather than intermediaries” in the existing FAQ section of the GIF webpage. |
| 30 November |
If as an organisation we wish to submit more than one proposal; I understand that we can only submit one proposal at any one time. However, does that mean that only one proposal can be reviewed per investment panel. For example, could we submit our first idea in January and then our second in April for review in August? |
Yes this is correct. An organisation can only submit one proposal per Investment Panel. |
| 30 November |
Can you confirm we must submit both an outline and full proposal together by the 31st January 2012 for consideration at the Investment board in March? |
Applicants can opt to follow one of two paths.
Option 1: Submission of an outline proposal by the 31 January 2012. The outline proposal will be considered by the GIF Board on the 20 March. If the outline proposal is successfully shortlisted the applicant would then enter a formal development phase during which time the UK Commission and Skills Funding Agency would work alongside the applicant to help them develop their full proposal. The full proposal would then be assessed and considered by the GIF Board at a future GIF Board Meeting once the development phase has concluded.
Option 2: Submission of both an outline proposal and full proposal by 31 January 2012. In this case the GIF Board will review and shortlist outline proposals at the 20 March meeting. If the outline proposal is successfully shortlisted the full proposal will also be considered at the 20 March GIF Board meeting. |
| 30 November |
We are now in our development phase as our idea is well formulated and we are working towards a full proposal. It states that an account manager will be appointed to provide a light touch support – can you confirm how we go about agreeing this? |
Account Managers will be appointed to provide light touch support only once an Outline Proposal has been shortlisted and an applicant enters the formal GIF Development Phase. Applicants opting to submit a full proposal alongside an Outline Proposal (and thereby missing out the formal development phase) will not be assigned an Account Manager to support them. |
