WP3438 - Summative Assessment of the Black Country ERDF Technical Assistance Project - AWARD

Walsall Council, on behalf of the Black Country Technical Assistance Team (BCTA), is seeking a high quality provider to undertake an expert independent summative assessment of the:

Black Country ERDF Technical Assistance Project (2016-2018).

Walsall Council is the accountable body for the Black Country European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) Technical Assistance Project. This project is part funded through the European Union's European Regional Development Fund Programme 2014-2020, the Black Country Consortium and the four Black Country Local Authorities (Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton City Council). The project was awarded ?274,364 ERDF monies plus ?274,364 matched funding between January 2016-December 2018.

The Black Country ERDF Technical Assistance Team's role is to support the development of ERDF activity across Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton. Working closely with the Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership, Black Country Consortium, the four Black Country Local Authorities and other public, voluntary sector and private partners, the Team: o Supports applicants with development of ERDF eligible and compliant projects o Enhances delivery of ERDF communications o Captures best practice and presents achievements on the Black Country ERDF Programme.

Further information on the Technical Assistance Project and ERDF Programme for the Black Country can be found in the Black Country ESIF Strategy (https://www.blackcountrylep.co.uk/business-growth/funding-opportunities/european-investment/) or via the Black Country Technical Assistance website (www.bcta.org.uk).

All ERDF projects are required to undertake a summative assessment of their activity. There is a requirement for the ERDF Programme as a whole to be evaluated and the evaluations undertaken by projects will contribute to this. ERDF's approach to summative assessment has been designed to: o Help projects robustly demonstrate their achievements o Enable projects to identify and share best practice which will help to improve performance across the programme o Provide project-level evidence that supports the evaluation of the programme as a whole that collectively demonstrates to a range of audiences the performance, achievements and impact of the projects that have been delivered o Inform the development of any future programmes o Help projects plan and implement successful exit strategies.

In line with the latest ERDF guidance published in August 2017 (as noted below), we are seeking tender proposals for the provision of the summative assessment of the Black Country ERDF Technical Assistance Project.