Guidance

Better Commissioning Pathways Programme: guidance for applicants

Published 15 July 2026

Applies to England

This guidance document is intended to support applications from prospective grant recipients and covers:

• an introduction to the Better Commissioning Pathways Programme
• information on grant recipient expectations
• information on the application process including assessment and scoring
• information on the grant awarding process

Summary

The Better Commissioning Pathways programme (the ‘Pathways Programme’) is a funding package of up to £2.03 million to deliver a national training and guidance offer to support voluntary, community, and social enterprise organisations (VCSEs) to develop the skills and capacity to enter into public sector supply chains.

The Pathways Programme is one of many UK government initiatives designed to realise the ambition of the Civil Society Covenant. The covenant calls for a strong, sustainable and independent civil society which collaborates with the government to benefit the public and achieve shared goals.

DCMS is seeking to select a single grant recipient to deliver training and guidance to VCSEs and public sector commissioners (PSCs), to support a wider range of VCSEs to bid for public sector contracts and to broaden the understanding of the unique role VCSEs can play in public service delivery among PSCs. This grant recipient could be a single organisation, or a consortium (with a lead partner making the application). The successful bidder will deliver this funding between October 2026 and March 2029. This funding can only be used for activity in England. 

Funding of up to £2,029,600 is available over three financial years as follows:

• Up to £430,000 in financial year 2026/27
• Up to £830,000 in financial year 2027/28
• Up to £769,600 in financial year 2028/29

The deadline for applications is 23:59 on Sunday 23 August.

Fund objectives

The objectives of the Better Commissioning Pathways Programme are to, by March 2029:

• support more voluntary, community, and social enterprise organisations (VCSEs) to build capacity, confidence, and knowledge to bid for public sector contracts, thus increasing the VCSEs’ share of the overall market, and
• support more public sector commissioners (PSCs) to better understand the value of having VCSEs as public sector delivery partners and how to make procurement processes more accessible for VCSE bidders

Eligibility, expectations and due diligence

Eligibility

Pass/fail

The grant funding will be provided under Section 70 of the Charities Act 2006. To be eligible to apply as a grant recipient for the Better Commissioning Pathways Programme, the applicant or lead applicant organisation for a consortium is required to demonstrate eligibility to receive a grant under Section 70. They must be an institution established for charitable, philanthropic or benevolent purposes, and provide the mandatory documents with their application.

Pass/fail

Applicants may apply as a single organisation, or a consortium (with a lead partner making the application). The aim of this grant funding is to appoint a single grant recipient, or the lead partner where there is a consortium - therefore applications to deliver part of the fund only, will not be eligible.

Pass/fail 

If bidding as a consortium, there must be a written agreement in principle between all parties, outlining budget splits and staffing arrangements. Legally binding agreements would need to be in place before the successful applicant commences delivery.

Pass/fail

The value of any grant requested in any given year must not represent more than 50% of the applicant’s average annual income for the previous 2 financial years or, in the case of a consortium bid, the lead applicant’s average annual income for the previous 2 financial years.

Pass/fail

You agree that your proposal delivers on a national-level (England only) against all the objectives of the fund as set out in the competition guidance.

Please note: Please be aware that for monitoring purposes, the Find A Grant platform asks all applicants to select the regions you are working in. Please ensure you select all England regions for this question.

Mandatory documents

For single applicants, and the lead organisation for consortium applications, please provide all of the following mandatory documents:

1. Evidence (for example, terms of reference, articles of association) that show that your organisation was established for a charitable, benevolent or philanthropic purpose.

2. Copy of annual report and audited or certified accounts, covering the last two financial years. For consortium applications, both the lead applicant and each participating member must provide this evidence. Please note: in the event your last financial year end was more than 6 months ago, we may request further accounting information at a later date as part of the due diligence process.

3. Declaration of any conflicts of interest that could compromise the conduct of this particular programme, by the lead organisation and any participating consortium members.

4. Requested documents detailed in Annex A (Application Requirements and Scoring Criteria). Namely, an organogram, project plan and project budget.

Expectations

Applicants will be asked to confirm how they meet the eligibility requirements set out above, referencing the mandatory documents. Applications which do not meet the eligibility requirements will not have their scoring continued as they will not be eligible to deliver the funding.

We are interested to hear how applicants will bring added value to their proposals to enhance the achievement, longevity and sustainability of the funded activities. This could include match funding, in-kind contributions, or other intangible benefits. This will be considered when DCMS assesses the value for money of proposals, however, match funding is not a prerequisite for applicants. 

Please note, if you are bringing match-funding or in-kind contributions, you will be asked to provide evidence of this in the application form.

Due diligence

DCMS does not tolerate fraud, bribery or corruption. To be eligible for this programme, shortlisted applications will be checked against various databases to assess the accuracy of the information provided. Any shortlisted applications which do not satisfy due diligence checks will be rejected. DCMS will monitor the grant throughout its lifetime and may conduct additional assurance exercises to ensure that funding is being spent correctly. 

We expect applicants to provide further information, if requested, as the result of due diligence and risk assessment checks. DCMS will conduct its due diligence checks through processes including (but not limited to):

• the government’s online automated due-diligence tool ‘Spotlight’
• manual pre- and post-award checks in line with Cabinet Office’s Guidance for General Grants, including reputational checks such as social media

Examples of issues that arise during due diligence checks - and may preclude applicants from being eligible for funding - include (for the lead organisation or any participating consortium member):

• non-provision of the mandatory documentation
• inaccurate or incomplete information on the Charity Commission register / Companies House register 
• inaccurate or incomplete budget and cash flow documents
• inaccurate or incomplete project plan

Funding 

The maximum total grant funding available to the successful bidder is up to £2,029,600 over the financial period between October 2026 and 31 March 2029:

• Up to £430,000 in financial year 2026/27
• Up to £830,000 in financial year 2027/28
• Up to £769,600 in financial year 2028/29

All annually allocated funds awarded must be spent by 31 March of each financial year, and any unspent funds cannot be carried forward into future years. There is no funding for capital expenditure.

DCMS will also fund and procure an independent third-party evaluator, which is not included in the financial breakdown above.

The funding may be spent on the following activities:

• Staff costs, where they relate directly to the Better Commissioning Pathways Programme activity i.e. salaries, employer’s national insurance contributions, employer’s contributions to any occupational pension scheme or stakeholder pension scheme and travel and subsistence (within parameters agreed in advance with DCMS).
• Communication and marketing (subject to Cabinet Office controls).
• Delivery of training programmes (webinars, short courses, long courses).
• Administration costs related to delivering the programme. These costs support overall business operations and include things like rent, utilities, administrative staff, senior oversight and office supplies etc.
• Monitoring and data collection activities to support the independent evaluation.
• Bursaries to enable access and travel expenses to enable VCSE attendance.

This is not an exhaustive list but an indication of eligible spend. We may consider funding other types of activities as long as they are not listed as ineligible below.

The funds may not be used for:

• capital expenditure
• payment that supports lobbying or activity intended to influence or attempt to influence Parliament, government or political parties, or attempting to influence the awarding or renewal of contracts and grants, or attempting to influence legislative or regulatory action
• redundancy costs for any staff assigned to the Funded Activities. For these purposes, redundancy costs mean any statutory redundancy pay entitlement (calculated in accordance with Part XI of the Employment Rights Act 1996) and any contractual redundancy pay entitlement to the extent it exceeds the statutory redundancy pay entitlement
• using grant funding to petition for additional funding
• input VAT reclaimable by You from HMRC
• payments for activities of a political or exclusively religious nature
• goods or services that You have a statutory duty to provide
• payments reimbursed or to be reimbursed by other public or private sector grants
• contributions in kind (i.e. a contribution in goods or services, as opposed to money)
• depreciation, amortisation or impairment of fixed assets owned by You
• the acquisition or improvement of Fixed Assets (with ‘Fixed Asset’ defined as an asset that would be capitalised under DCMS’s own capitalisation policy, as set out in DCMS’s annual accounts) by You
• interest payments (including service charge payments for finance leases)
• gifts to individuals other than prize money as set out in the provided budget
• entertaining (entertaining for this purpose means anything that would be a taxable benefit to the person being entertained, according to current UK tax regulations)
• statutory fines, criminal fines or penalties
• liabilities incurred before the issue of this funding agreement unless agreed in writing by Us
• use in respect of costs reimbursed or to be reimbursed by funding from any other source
• use to purchase buildings or land

Final agreed eligible spend will be set out in detail in the successful bidder’s grant offer letter.

Financial requirements 

Please note: The DCMS financial year runs from 1 April to 31 March. If successful, drawdown requests and budgets must fit the DCMS financial year.

Payments will be made quarterly and in arrears. 

You will need to provide a breakdown of actual, eligible expenditure to make a claim. We will only pay out the amount you can evidence as spent.

Variations between proposed drawdown amounts and actual drawdown requests across quarters of the same financial year will be accepted, subject to explanation and justification. Any funds not drawn down by the end of the financial year will become unavailable.

You must be able to transparently report on a quarterly basis and provide evidence of expenditure on the use of the Better Commissioning Pathways Programme. The Better Commissioning Pathways Programme must be shown as restricted funds in your accounts and you must be able to identify separately the value and purpose of the grant in your accounts. You will be asked to describe in your application the financial management systems and processes you will put in place to ensure you can achieve this.

Monitoring and evaluation 

We are committed to ensuring that funded work is appropriately monitored and evaluated and that lessons learnt and examples of good practice are made widely available.

Monitoring and evaluation requirements will be finalised in grant agreement documents, but are expected to include: 

• a minimum of quarterly reporting to the DCMS programme team, both in monitoring meetings and written performance reports
• reviewing performance against the intended objectives, as set out in the grant agreement
• providing expenditure reports and, on request, a sample of invoices to evidence expenditure.
• providing financial reconciliation statements
• submitting an end of grant review signed off by DCMS
• working with the external evaluator on evaluating the programme which will be appointed through a procurement competition

The DCMS Monitoring and Evaluation Strategy sets expectations for proportionate, robust and impactful evaluation. It will be the responsibility of DCMS to bring in an external evaluator which will assess the effectiveness of processes used in delivering the programme, the key factors involved in achieving the intended outcomes, and what could be improved in future.

The grant recipient(s) and any delivery partners are expected to collaborate closely with the external evaluator and make sure the evaluator fully understands the programme as a whole, the specific activities, their objectives and aims. This ensures that the evaluator can effectively assess the programme against its objectives. The external evaluator is also expected to access the relevant data to perform their role effectively.

The grant recipient is expected to collect and share monitoring and evaluation data which will complement (and support) the activities of the external evaluation supplier. The exact nature of this data will need to be agreed between DCMS and the successful applicant.

We would also expect the successful applicant to spend some time discussing collected data with the evaluator to ensure it can be interpreted correctly.  DCMS will review and sign off the final monitoring framework.

Application process

Indicative timeline

The timeline below is indicative and subject to change:

• Competition opens for applications: Wednesday 15 July 2026
• Deadline for clarification questions: Tuesday 28 July 2026
• Publication of answers to clarification questions: Friday 31 July 2026
• Deadline of the application: Sunday 23 August 2026
• Application assessment period: end August 2026 to mid September 2026.  Clarification questions may be asked of the highest scoring applicant during this period.
• Notification of recommendation for approval /of unsuccessful applications: mid to end September 2026
• Programme commences: October 2026

Any clarification questions should be directed to BCPP@dcms.gov.uk by 23:59 on Tuesday 28 July 2026.

All other enquiries should also be directed to BCPP@dcms.gov.uk.

How to apply

Please follow the steps below to apply:

1. Ensure you have fully read this competition guidance document.

2. Complete the online application form hosted on Find A Grant (search ‘Better Commissioning Pathways Programme). Applications open on Wednesday 15 July 2026 and close at 23:59 on Sunday 23 August 2026.

Any applications received after the closing date will not be assessed.

It is your responsibility to ensure your application is concise, fully completed, and that you supply all the necessary supporting documentation.

Completing your application form

General tips

• The criteria against which you are scored is set out in Annex A. Where a question is required but not scored or is desirable, this is made clear in the application form.
• There are a number of guidance notes included in the application form, please read these carefully and respond to all relevant points set out in the guidance notes.
• Write clearly and concisely avoiding the use of jargon or abbreviations.
• Please keep to the word limit set out in the application form. Information provided that is over the word limit and / or supplementary documents provided will not be included in the assessment. 
• Please read the guidance for applicants in full before completing your application.

The application form requires you to input details relating to the lead organisation. Please ensure that the contact details given are for the day-to-day contact for all enquiries relating to the application.

We welcome consortium applications, but require one organisation to take the lead role as the applicant, main point of contact, payee for funds, and responsible body who agrees to ensure the terms and conditions of the grant offer are upheld by all involved.

If applicable, you should list all participating consortium members involved, it is expected that you have correspondence from authorised representatives at each partner organisation, that confirms involvement in the programme as described in your proposal and acknowledges submission of your application. You will be asked to provide evidence of this in your application form.

If applicable, you should list all delivery partners involved if you are applying as a single organisation but intend to work with other organisations to deliver the programme. Unless delivery partners have been, or will be chosen through a competitive and transparent procurement exercise, then funding made available to delivery partners will be subject to the same terms and conditions of this grant as the lead organisation. Where delivery partners are procured through a fair, open, and transparent process, they may be paid based on contractual costs. If delivery partners are not formally procured, they may only claim actual costs, and the funding made available to them will be strictly subject to the same grant terms and conditions as the lead organisation.

Assessment

A panel will assess the applications. Please assume that assessors have no or limited background knowledge of your organisation, its aims, and what it does. It is therefore important that your application is as clear, concise, and unambiguous as possible.

1. Initial sift

We will review your application to check that it meets the eligibility requirements (see Eligibility section). Applications which do not meet all the eligibility requirements will not have their application assessed. 

2. Assessment and moderation of eligible bids

We will then score eligible bids in line with our key criteria. The table below outlines what we are looking for and the weighting across the application sections.

Application form section	Weighting
Proposal: Programme Design	40%
Experience and Capability	20%
Approach to Delivery and Learning	20%
Value for money and legacy	20%
Total	100%

Annex A provides further information on the scoring criteria used to assess applications. 

We will assess applications based on the information provided to answer the application questions and each question response will be evaluated and marked on a scale of 0-4 where:

• 0 – Serious concerns: for example, does not meet requirements, and/or raises serious concerns
• 1 – Minor concerns: for example, meets some requirements but with gaps and/or some minor concerns
• 2 – Adequate confidence: for example, meets most/all requirements, but lacks sufficient detail or evidence in some areas
• 3 – Good confidence: for example, meets all requirements and provides a detailed response but lacks evidence in minor areas
• 4 – Excellent confidence: for example, meets all requirements, provides a detailed response and evidence which demonstrates a particularly strong understanding of the requirements

Applications will be assessed on their individual merits according to the criteria for funding outlined above. Your overall score will be a percentage and will be determined by the marks awarded for each criteria (out of 4) in accordance with the applicable weighting.    

You will not be contacted by DCMS to provide further information on your application. It is your responsibility to ensure your application is concise, fully completed and that you supply all necessary supporting documentation. 

However, where two applications receive the same score, we reserve the right to contact these bidders to seek additional information to make our final decision.

We will conduct due diligence checks on eligible applicants, including fraud risk indicators (see Due Diligence section). The relevant documentation is expected to be provided alongside your application form.

Grant award 

Acceptance of approval

DCMS will aim to notify the successful applicant who will be recommended for approval to be the grant recipient by the department by 30 September 2026 (subject to change). 

Your grant offer letter will set out the level of funding and the terms and conditions that apply specifically to your grant. The letter will also set out what the grant is for and the payment schedule. Once we have awarded a grant, we will ask you for regular financial and performance monitoring reports and a final project report at the end of the funding term.

Please note:

• the successful applicant will be required to work with DCMS’ independent evaluator. This may include sharing programme data, participating in interviews or focus groups, and promoting evaluation participation with programme beneficiaries
• prior to the grant agreement being signed, we will require a fraud risk assessment for the programme
• grant money will not be paid until we have received your written acceptance of the terms and conditions attached to your grant offer
• if applying as a consortium application, all participating partners will also be required to provide written acceptance of the terms and conditions, it will be the lead applicant’s responsibility to seek this acceptance
• you must acknowledge you have received our grant in your annual report and accounts covering the period of the project
• if there is any breach of the terms and conditions, or your organisation (or participating partners) ceases to operate before the grant has been spent, grant monies may have to be repaid
• when the grant ends, DCMS does not have a commitment to provide any further funding for the project
• anyone found to be acting dishonestly in making an application for funding or spending the grant will be reported to the police and may be liable for prosecution

Grant terms and conditions

Initial spend eligibility requirements are set out above (see Funding section). Detailed terms and conditions will be set out within the final grant agreement letter, which will include DCMS’ standard terms and conditions. Please ensure you have read these before applying.

Unsuccessful applications

We will inform all unsuccessful applicants of the outcome of their application by the end of September 2026. We will issue written feedback to unsuccessful applicants which passed the pass/fail questions by 30 September 2026.

Please note that the decision will be final.

Advice and support

All available information and guidance relating to this grant funding is contained above and in the application form.

Clarification questions may be sent to BCPP@dcms.gov.uk by 23:59 Tuesday 28 July 2026, after which no more will be responded to.

All clarification questions will be anonymised and made public so that all potential applicants are able to access any additional information. 

As the application process is competitive, we are unable to provide support in completing the application.

Privacy notice

Who is collecting my data

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) helps to drive growth, enrich lives and promote Britain abroad.

We protect and promote our cultural and artistic heritage and help businesses and communities to grow by investing in innovation and highlighting Britain as a fantastic place to visit. We help to give the UK a unique advantage on the global stage, striving for economic success.

Purpose of this Privacy Notice

This notice sets out how we will use your personal data. We have to provide this information as part of our legal obligations set out in Article 13 of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA) when data is received directly from you.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s personal information charter (opens in a new tab) explains: 

• how we handle your information
• how you can ask to view, change or remove your information from our records

What is personal data

Personal data is any information related to an identified or identifiable natural living person, otherwise known as a ‘data subject’.

A data subject is someone who can be recognised, directly or indirectly, by information such as their name, identification number, location data, online identifier, or about their physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural, or social identity. These types of identifying information are known as ‘personal data’.

You can find more in the Information Commissioner’s Office’s (ICO) guide to understanding personal information.

What personal data do we collect

The personal information we collect and process is provided to us directly by you. This includes personal identifiers, contacts, such as your name, work email, work address, telephone number and your job title. 

How will we use your data

Data protection law applies to the processing of personal data, including its collection, use and storage.

We use personal information for a wide range of purposes to carry out our functions as a government department. This includes: 

• assessing applications to the Better Commissioning Pathways Programme competition
• use of personal data as part of due diligence

What is the legal basis for processing my data

The lawful basis that we rely on to process your personal data will determine which of the following rights are available to you. 

Much of the processing we do in DCMS is necessary to meet our legal obligations or to perform a public task. If we hold personal data about you in different parts of DCMS for different purposes, then the legal basis we rely on may be different for each case.

Our legal basis for the processing is that it is necessary for performance of a task in the public interest.

Your personal data is being collected and processed by DCMS to perform fraud checks, assess your application and suitability for this funding

What will happen if I do not provide this data

If you do not provide this data, DCMS will not be able to assess the application or carry out due diligence as part of the grant competition. 

Who controls the information you provide

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) controls any personal data you provide in your answers. 

Who will your data be shared with

• Your personal data may be shared with colleagues in DCMS and external individuals participating in the assessment panel or as part of the grant management process.
• We may also share your personal data with third parties if we are required to do so by law — for example, by court order, or to prevent fraud or other crime.
• We will not transfer your personal data outside of the European Economic Area (EEA) or to international organisations.
• If we are required to share details of your application further or use your responses to illustrate findings, we will ensure that neither you nor the organisation you represent are identifiable.
• DCMS may share information (excluding personal data) relating to your application with third parties outside government where required to do so by law, for example in accordance with access to information regimes (these are primarily the Freedom of Information Act 2000, and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004).

We do not intend to use the data for any other purposes. 

How long will we keep your personal data for

Information relating to successful grants will be stored for 7 years after the conclusion of any agreement in line with  DCMS retention policy. Unsuccessful grant applications will be stored for 12 months and then disposed of with support of DCMS Knowledge and Information Management Team. 

Will my data be used for automated decision making or profiling

We will not normally use your personal data for any automated decision making, for example, as part of the decision making for this grant. If any changes to our service mean we need to start doing so, we will let you know.

What are my data protection rights

You have rights over your personal data under the UK General Data Protection (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA 2018).  

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is the supervisory authority for data protection legislation, and maintains a full explanation of these rights on their website. DCMS will ensure that we uphold your rights when processing your personal data.

Who controls this data

Data Controllers: DCMS, Civil Society and Youth Directorate

Data Controllers Address:

DCMS,
1st Floor,
100 Parliament Street,
London,
SW1A 2BQ

Data Controllers email address: civilsocietyhub@dcms.gov.uk.

If you would like to exercise any of these rights, please contact our Data Protection team at dcmsdataprotection@dcms.gov.uk, or please contact us at:

Department for Culture, Media and Sport 
First Floor, 100 Parliament Street
London
SW1A 2BQ

How do I complain

If you’re unhappy with how we have handled your personal data, you have the right to complain to our Data Protection Officer at any time. 

Data Protection Officer
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
1st Floor, 100 Parliament Street
London
SW1A 2BQ

You can also email dpo@dcms.gov.uk.

How to contact the Information Commissioner’s Office

If you believe that your personal data has been misused or mishandled, you can make a complaint to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), who is an independent regulator. You can also contact them for independent advice about data protection, privacy and data sharing. 

Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

You can also call the ICO on 0303 123 1113.

Any complaint to the Information Commissioner is without prejudice to your right to seek redress through the courts. 

Changes to our privacy notice

We may make changes to this privacy policy. In that case, the ‘last updated’ date at the bottom of this page will also change. Any changes to this privacy policy will apply to you and your data immediately.

If these changes affect how your personal data is processed, DCMS will take reasonable steps to let you know.

This notice was last updated on 08/09/2026.

Annex A: Application requirements and scoring criteria

Please note, anything provided in excess of the word limits provided or out of scope of the supplementary documents requested will not be assessed. This is to ensure fairness across all applications.

No.	Section	Description	Weighting (%)
1	Programme design (1000 words)	Applicants must be able to clearly explain their proposal and how they intend to achieve the Better Commissioning Pathways objectives by 31 March 2029. Assessment question: How convincing is the applicant’s argument for how and why their proposal is likely to meet the objectives of the grant funding within the set timescale? We are looking for applicants to: 1. Detail their approach to meeting the strategic aims of the Better Commissioning Pathways Programme. 2. Given the diverse audience, applicants are encouraged to explain how their offer will support different types of VCSEs, including how they will enable access by smaller organisations. 3. Demonstrate how their approach is underpinned by evidence of past practice, evaluations and research. 4. Clearly explain their proposed delivery model. Applicants may use a diagram on one page of A4 to clearly show what activities and outputs are proposed (for example, this might look like a customer journey map or a theory of change).	40%
2	Experience and capability (750 words)	Applicants must demonstrate they have the necessary experience and capability to deliver the funding objectives at a national-level (England only) programme. Assessment question: To what extent has the applicant demonstrated they have the experience and capability required to deliver the programme? We are looking for applicants to: - Demonstrate a track record of supporting VCSEs to navigate public sector procurement and capacity building. - Demonstrate expertise in training or working closely with Public Sector Commissioners. - Demonstrate experience in project and financial management required to manage a government grant of up to £2,069,600,000. - Provide details of key staff and their relevant credentials, including an organisational chart with proposed roles and responsibilities (mandatory).	20%
3	Approach to delivery and learning (500 words)	Applicants must set out how they will manage the delivery of the programme, manage risk, monitor progress, track participant outcomes, and support DCMS’s independent evaluation. Assessment question: How robust is the applicant’s plan for delivery and learning? We are looking for applicants to: - Provide a project plan detailing how and when they will deliver proposed programme outputs (mandatory). - Summarise the key risks in the programme and their risk and issue management approach. - Outline proposed metrics and data collection methods to track whether VCSEs report increased confidence, and PSCs report greater understanding of VCSE value (to be refined with DCMS and the selected evaluation partner). - Detail their approach to collecting pre-agreed core data in years 1 and 2, and fully commit to supporting the independent evaluator in 2028/29 (including sharing programme data, participating in interviews or focus groups, and promoting evaluation participation with programme beneficiaries).	20%
4	Value for money and legacy (500 words)	The applicants should demonstrate how the proposal secures value for money for the taxpayer and explain how the benefits of the programme will outlast the 2029 funding period. Assessment question: To what extent has the applicant demonstrated that their proposal is the most economical and efficient, and will provide value for the tax-payer during the funding period and beyond? We are looking for applicants to: - Provide a detailed and realistic budget, clearly splitting out budget lines for different types of activity, including as a minimum delivery, administration, and monitoring costs (mandatory) - We judge that the onward support provided by the successful applicant is likely to be a subsidy as defined by the Subsidy Control Act 2022. We intend to award such subsidies as Minimal Financial Assistance. Applicants should therefore calculate and assign a Gross Cash Equivalent (GCE) monetary value to the different types of training or support proposed. Please ensure you are familiar with the MFA Guidance. DCMS will support the successful applicant with this. - Describe the financial management systems and processes it will put in place to ensure it can transparently report on a quarterly basis, and show the funds as restricted funds in its account. - Explain how resources and expertise will be converted efficiently to meet the high volume of participants. - (If applicable) Provide details about any match funding or in-kind contributions and how this will extend or expand the reach of the programme.	20%