Annex 3: Scoring Mid Tier Applications
Published 29 June 2023
Applies to England
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/countryside-stewardship-cs-mid-tier-and-wildlife-offers-manual-for-agreements-starting-on-1-january-2023/annex-3-scoring-mid-tier-applications
The Mid Tier is competitive, except for the Wildlife Offers, which are non-competitive. Read about how applications are scored and ranked, and how to improve your application’s score.
We score and rank applications based on best value for money for the environment and UK taxpayers.
We will set national threshold scores for Mid Tier applications based on the available budget and minimum value for money. Applications that do not reach these thresholds are rejected.
How to improve your application score
The grants (options and capital items) you choose can affect the score your application receives. If your grants deal with an environmental priority in your area you will get a higher score - read Section 4.3.2 for information on how to identify these. This also means that we will give lower scores if your grants do not deal with an environmental priority in your area. This is because the score takes into account the total cost of the agreement in terms of value for money. You will also get a higher score if you use the Wild Pollinator and Farm Wildlife Package (WPFWP) or follow the advice provided by Catchment Sensitive Farming (CSF), or are part of a coordinated Facilitation Fund group.
Step 1: Scoring multi-year options in an application
Criteria
Each feature or issue on your land has a priority level of High, Medium or Low, as set out in local Statement of Priorities. Each priority level has an associated Priority Score.
The quantity of the option applied for is multiplied by the cumulative Priority Score for each feature or issue.
There is no score for any options which do not address the features or issues in the local priority statement.
The sum of all these scores provides the Annual Basic Score.
Scoring process
| Priority Level | Priority Score |
|---|---|
| High | 1,000 |
| Medium | 100 |
| Low | 10 |
Annual Basic Score = Sum of the area or quantity of each option multiplied by the Priority Score for each feature/issue addressed.
Step 2: Scoring capital items in an application
Criteria
Capital items are scored based on the quantity of the item in the application and the Priority Score of the features or issues addressed.
Scoring will depend on the type of capital item, as set out to the right.
The sum of the individual Capital Scores provides a Capital Basic Score.
Scoring Process
| Quantity | Capital Score calculations: |
|---|---|
| Length (m) | (length x 2 /10,000 x Priority Score) x 2 |
| Area (m2) | (Area/10,000 x Priority Score) x 2 |
| Number (units) | (Number x Priority Score) x 0.05 |
| Single unit (e.g. sheep pen) | Priority Score x 4 |
Step 3: Calculating the Basic Score
Criteria
The overall Basic Score is calculated by adding together the Annual Basic Score and the Capital Basic Score.
Scoring Process
Basic Score = Annual Basic Score plus Capital Basic Score
Step 4: Additional Score
Applying for additional CS elements will attract an Additional Score.
Criteria
1) Facilitation fund group: Applicant confirmed as being part of a wider coordinated Facilitation Fund group.
Scoring Process
20% of Basic Score
2) CSF Support: Applicant confirmed as acting on CSF advice and sited in CS High or Medium Priority Areas for Water or Air Quality will receive an additional score.
Scoring Process
| Level | Score |
|---|---|
| High | 5,000 |
| Medium | 2,000 |
| Low | 100 |
3) Wild Pollinator and Farm Wildlife Package: applicant meets the requirements of this package in targeted areas.
Scoring Process
- 1,000
4) Wild Pollinator and Farm Wildlife Package: applicant meets the requirements of this package and falls within or touches a ‘hotspot’ area (greatest density of pollinators or farmland birds).
Scoring Process
- 500
5) Educational access: applicants including educational access in their applications will receive an additional score.
Scoring Process
- 5% of the Basic Score
Step 5: Calculate Final Score (value for money)
Criteria
The overall Basic Score is calculated by adding together the Annual Basic Score and the Capital Basic Score.
Scoring Process
Final Score = Basic Score plus any Additional Scores divided by first year cost.
Step 6: Ranking of all applications
Criteria
The Final Score is used to rank all applications.