European Funding – from the inside out

Whether you’re a public sector body, private enterprise, or voluntary organisation, it may be worth knowing what goes into the preparation, design, management and monitoring of project applications.  Below is a synopsis of the world of funding applications as described by Andrew Wheeler – our European Funding Adviser.

 

Writing the Bid

Scoping:

We will work closely with you to look at the bid and the scope of your involvement.

Fitting:

It’s vital that the bid specification fits with your own business capability and objectives. 
We will cover this at an early stage to make sure you’re not wasting your time.

Matching:

With some external fund programmes there is a requirement for match funding.  Sometimes cash and in-kind expenditure are allowed – we’ll work with you to identify the best match funding  profile for your organisation and your partners in the project.

Hatching:

Creativity is at the heart of our approach to bid writing.  We will “hatch” ideas with you – making sure that they fit with your organisation’s objectives and the aims of the tender.

Doing the Numbers:

Whether we like it or not, the bare bones of all bids are the numbers.  We have considerable experience in presenting financial figures and making sure they relate to the key outputs (or deliverables) of the bid.  Realistic costing is vital – but making sure we have built in sufficient flexibility for unforeseen changes once the project has started is just as important.

Proofing:

Usually this is the last thing to do and the least well undertaken.  We make sure that the proofing stage is a quality milestone all on its own.  We won’t let bids go out until all final documents have been proofed – and signed off to prove it.

Deadlines:

If you miss the deadlines you’ve lost the bid – its as simple as that.  Early on in the preparation stages we will develop a timetable with you so that we all know exactly what has to be achieved and when, in order to meet the bid deadline.

Submitting:

There is usually a requirement to submit a number of copies of the proposal together with other pieces of information to a particular address by a particular time.  We’ll make sure everything is ready to go and even hire a courier if necessary.

 

Planning the Delivery

Forecasting:

Finding the balance between flexibility and careful planning is difficult to achieve.  On the one hand it’s essential to have a plan showing where you are going and when you’re going to get to different points en route; on the other hand it is sensible to have the flexibility to change things along the way – perhaps as you  discover more about the target market.  At Hospitality Calls we believe in solid forecasting but with built in flexibility.

“What –if ing”:

There is no better way of testing ones assumptions than by asking “what if ...?”  We like to develop “what if” scenarios and present them as different financial models.

Allocating:

All projects require appropriate allocation of resources – and if partners are involved in delivery then it is all the more important to be clear about who’s doing what.  We find it helpful to set out a table showing the deliverables down one axis and the amount required by each party for their part in the project on the other axis.  This gives us a good working picture of the cost per delivery item – and the allocation of those costs for each delivery partner.

Profiling:

Accurately forecasting when the cash will be spent is vital for cashflow profiling.  Output profiles are also important to forecast accurately.  Most funders will want to see a profile showing the time when outputs will be delivered.

Aggregating:

Once we’ve broken the project up into all its respective components – it’s important to put it back together again and make some “bottom line” sense of what the project means in financial terms to your organisation.  Your board are likely to want to see headline figures which sum up the broad brush of the project rather than the detail.

 

Managing the Project

Building the Partnership

Projects rarely succeed in isolation.  Usually there are stakeholders to consider and partners to help deliver the initiative.  We have worked with many different public and private sector organisations, and in the hospitality and tourism sector we have some very sound connections.  We will work closely with you to build your partnership and where appropriate we’ll suggest other players who may strengthen the bid and widen the appeal.

Monitoring Performance

Projects are not naturally pear shaped – they just end up that way unless proper care is taken to monitor performance.  We appoint a management team for each project and we make sure that everyone involved knows their role and takes responsibility for their part in the process.  We monitor activity on a weekly basis (and more often if necessary), to make sure that things get pulled back on track before they go seriously wrong.

Making It Happen

You may be surprised what people are capable of when they are given the challenge to succeed.  We believe in knocking down barriers, challenging the status quo and making a difference every time.  Even small positive differences are worth making!

Putting in the Claims

This may be the boring part but if it’s not done correctly there’ll be plenty to moan about, when the cash doesn’t come in on time.  Claims need dedicated attention – it’s the only way to get it right first time and not waste valuable time and money.

 

Signing up the Beneficiaries

Checking Eligibility

Are you eligible?  It may sound a silly question but if you don’t check eligibility you could be on a hiding to nothing.  No funder will pay for outputs they didn’t order!  Eligibility criteria is really important to take to heart, because once the delivery team know who they can sign up it becomes very simple.  We always have a session with our delivery people to ensure they know the exact eligibility criteria and then we write it into the delivery manual just to make sure there’s no excuse.

Ring Fencing

Sometimes funders or project sponsors like to ring fence certain parts of a project so that its only for a particular target market.  This can make sense (especially when tackling disadvantage).  It may be something to consider when writing your recruitment plan.

Targeting

Whether you ring fence or not, most projects require a market segmentation plan to show which audiences are best targeted for which products or services.  We tend to produce a market segmentation matrix for all projects.  Even if you don’t stick to it, it can help focus the mind and ensure that no target market is being left out.

Making an Offer

It is remarkable how often projects go to market without a specific offer.  No wonder some of them fail to achieve the sign ups they anticipated.  We look carefully at the target market and make sure that there is a viable offer for each  sector we are aiming at.

Tracking

It is easy to lose your way in a project which has a lot of sign ups to achieve.  Who has been contacted? Who has signed up?  What stage is this business at?  Without a good tracking system a lot of time can be wasted.

Filling the forms

….And you will probably know by now… that forms are the common denominator for almost all of these projects.  Certainly if you are signing up a learner or a business – it will mean exactly that – getting them to sign at least one form.  As we tend to say to delivery partners – no form no payment!

 

Evaluation

Gathering

Good evaluations depend on sound information being available about the project.  It is a good idea not to delete any files relating to the project;  they may provide the missing link for a cracking evaluation.  Gathering the evidence as the project progresses also helps. 

Analysing

It is often a good idea to create a project database at the start of the project.  We tend to create a new one for each project and then input the learner and business data into the database as we go.

Creativity

It makes a big difference to have everything in one place when you come to telling the story of the project.  We have carried out several independent evaluations for clients and have sometimes used DVD, glossy reports and fliers to convey information in a more meaningful way, which might otherwise have come across as rather boring.

 

Getting Back on Track when Things go Wrong

Identifying the Problem

No one likes to think about failure but it can sometimes be helpful to identify the problem before it becomes all encompassing.  There will usually be only a handful of really critical success factors in a project and its important to test each of these to see how a problem can be rectified.  Over the years we have rescued one or two clients projects at different stages of their life and we’ll be happy to discuss with you how we can help get your project back on track.

Exploring Possibilities

There is a great deal to be gained from sitting down with people fresh to the project and looking at all the possibilities.  There is usually a very good solution hiding among the panic and familiarity.  We will be pleased to talk through your project problems on a strictly confidential basis.

Involving Potential Key Players

Sometimes a project can be rescued simply by bringing in the right players.  Knowing who to contact and what to offer is key.

Providing a Solution

Finally….. a solution!  Easy to say but sometimes so difficult to find.  We will always give you an honest opinion of what can be achieved and, more often than not – we will provide a solution.