Small Investment Application for Support

SIF 1 -Single Investment Fund

Guidance Notes

The purpose of the application form is to enable us to assess the

This funding is available to assist eligible businesses grow and therefore increase Wales' GVA.

Questions 1 - 14

This is all about your business. Your Relationship Manager will have explained to you that at some point in the future we will want to measure the success your company has achieved and we therefore need some baseline information.

We also need to know that we are investing in a solvent business and that the person we are dealing with in the company has the authority to commission the project and implement it.

Questions 15 and 16

In terms of our investment, we need to know what it is you require our financial assistance for, what our return is likely to be, why you need it and who will deliver it for you.

Your project is what you are applying for in this instance although it is helpful to understand the overall context as regards how this fits in with your growth plans, particularly when making the case as regards economic benefit.

In terms of why you need our funding, we need to understand how our investment would help you to undertake the project e.g. it would not go ahead at all or it would be delayed or it might not go ahead so effectively.

In terms of support for advice, consultancy or mentoring you then need to tell us who will deliver the project for you (only the successful tenderer (tenderers if you are applying for more than one intervention) is required here) and their costs and what contribution you are applying for from the Single Investment Fund.

In terms of capital, you need to itemise the expenditure and the costs.

Question 17

The objectives by which we are measured are contained within this question and this is about quantifying our return on investment.

The information you should enter here needs to reflect the outcome of all of the activities that you have agreed with your Relationship Manager.

We understand that at this juncture, this could well be speculative and we will not be holding companies to account if the outcomes are not wholly achieved.

Question 19

Much of our funding is delivered through a mechanism called De Minimus where there are limits to the funds we can allocate to companies within a certain timescale, currently 200,000 Euros over a three year period. We need to know that we are not in breach of these limits. Previous assistance might include

Whilst grant schemes such as the former Regional Selective Assistance and Assembly Investment Grant do not form part of De Minimus, we do need to know whether such awards have been made as we need to be assured that the terms of those investments have been or continue to be met.

Question 19

We do need certain information to back up your financial statements and to demonstrate that there has been a value for money judgement as regards the deliverer of the project.

Generally, we would need the following:

We hope that this is helpful.

Jonathan Hughes 28/03/2009 1 of 4