Form

SSG Guidance to Applicants

Updated 14 February 2024

Applies to England

• Publication for Northern Ireland
• Publication for Scotland
• Publication for Wales

This page includes guidance on how to apply to the Seed Sourcing Grant (SSG).

What to do before applying

Before completing your application, we advise you to:

• read this page and the SSG guidance thoroughly
• read the relevant priority Tree Seed Species Strategies if applying for a priority species
• consider the source of your 50% match funding if applying for a non-priority species
• ensure you have the funds available to purchase items and/or pay for work up front as the grant is paid in arrears
• get quotes for items so you are confident in the estimates you give in your finance spreadsheet and can ensure good value for money
• speak to suppliers and contractors about delivery times and availability to ensure items or work can be delivered on time

Overview of the application process

To apply, you must complete:

• an Application Form
• a Finance Spreadsheet

These should be submitted to ssg@forestrycommission.gov.uk. by 11:55pm on Tuesday 13 February 2024.

All sections of the application are mandatory, and you must complete the forms in English. Please do not make any alterations to the layout or format of the forms. A single-stage application process will be followed. This is a competitive grant so it is possible that not all eligible applications will be funded.

We will notify applicants of their SSG funding decision by Friday 22 March 2024.

How to complete your application

Part 1: Application Detail

The ‘Applicant Organisation’ is the organisation that will be named on the Grant Agreement if successful and to whom grant payments will be paid. Please give the organisation’s legal name. If this is different to how you are known publicly, please include the public-facing name in brackets.

Please include the name and contact details of the Lead Applicant.   Please note that the person included in this section must also sign the form in Part 10.

If there are multiple organisations associated with the proposed project, please nominate a lead organisation, with whom all correspondence should be conducted. If your application is successful, the lead organisation will become the sole agreement holder and will be the sole recipient of grant funding upon receipt of valid claims.

Eligibility Criteria

Please read the eligibility criteria in this section carefully and respond to each question by completing the columns on the right-hand side (Yes, No or N/A).

All projects will be assessed against these eligibility criteria before they are scored by the evaluation panel. If you answer ‘No’ or do not answer any questions, your application will be rejected.

Part 2: Project Details

The information provided in this section will form part of any grant agreement if successful.

Project Summary

Please summarise your project and its main objectives. Please note that we may ask for permission to share this publicly if your application is successful.

Register of UK Basic Materials

If you are applying to manage Seed Stands or source-identified Seed Sources which are already on the Register of UK Basic Materials, you will also need to provide the Basic Material IDs (BMIDs) for these. The BMID can be found on the Register of UK Basic Materials.

Land Ownership

If applicable, please give details about the land on which any resulting Seed Stands and/or Seed Orchards will be located. Please attach a map of the site highlighting where the Seed Stands and/or Seed Orchards will be located as part of your application. If you do not own the land on which resulting seed sources are located, please provide:

• evidence that the landowner is supportive of your proposal
• details about how sharing of benefits from transfer of plant material will be managed (for example, by a draft material transfer agreement)

Funded Activities

Please list your proposed activities. Break down the project step-by-step so the panel can understand what your project will involve. For example, ‘Installation of deer fencing’ or ‘Collection of scions from 30 plus trees’.

You are welcome to use bullet points.

You can find a list of eligible and ineligible costs on the SSG guidance page.

Outputs

What are the expected outputs of the project during the period of the grant award and when do you expect these to occur? What will result from the completion of the funded activities? Please include, where relevant:

• what species your will project cover
• what category of FRM your project will result in. The eligible FRM categories are Source-identified (SI) Seed Stands, Selected and Tested Seed Stands, and Qualified and Tested Seed Orchards
• how many Seed Stands or Orchards your project will result in being planted, managed or registered
• the estimated number of trees, if you are planting a new Seed Stand or Orchard
• the area of Seed Stand or Orchard that you will plant or manage

Please identify quantifiable milestones where possible.

If you’re not sure what category of FRM your project will result in, please read the Forest Reproductive Material Guidance or contact FRM@forestrycommission.gov.uk.

Long Term Outcomes

What do you expect the outcomes of the funding will be beyond the period of the grant award? What volume of seed do you expect to be brought to market annually? Please identify quantifiable milestones where possible.

Part 3: Assessment Questions

The questions in this section will be scored by the evaluation panel. The weighting of the scores is given in brackets next to each question. See ‘How applications are assessed’ for more information on how applications are scored.

You must answer all questions in this section. Each question has a word limit and any information exceeding this will not be evaluated.

You may append documents to your application to support your answers (for example, Gantt charts, quotes, maps, or CVs). If you do, please clearly refer to these in the relevant question.

Question 1: Species seed strategies (20%)

Please outline:

• how your project will implement any of the 21 priority Tree Seed Species Strategies. Strategies are recommended but not prescriptive so a well-explained alternative approach to increasing supply of a priority species is acceptable here
• if your project is based on a non-priority species, outline why the activity is important and how the proposed activities will enhance quality, quantity, or diversity of English seed supply as well as explaining the rationale for your proposed approach
• how the proposed activities will increase domestic treescape resilience to climate, disease, or pests
• for projects related to planting Seed Stands and Orchards, your approach to selecting the origin and genetic diversity of the basic materials, including numbers of individuals/populations/propagules to be sampled

A list of priority and eligible non-priority species can be found on the ‘Species List’ tab of the Finance Spreadsheet. You can find the 21 priority species strategies in the Tree Seed Species Strategies document.

Question 2: Sector capacity (20%)

Please outline:

• the impact that the proposed activity will have on seed available for tree production and planting across England
• how and when the proposed activities will benefit the market. For example, when the Seed Stand or Orchard will become productive for seed collections and how you plan on ensuring seed is collected and brought to market

Question 3: Longevity (10%)

Please outline:

How you will ensure that the proposed activity will continue to be used for seed collection in the future. For example, how you plan on maintaining the Seed Stand or Orchard after the project delivery window.

Question 4: Team resources and track record (10%)

Describe the roles, skills, and relevant experience of all involved partners in relation to the proposed activities.

Please outline:

• you and/or your organisation’s track record in delivering similar projects. The resources, equipment, and facilities required for the proposed activities and how you will access them
• the details of any vital external parties, including sub-contractors, who you will need to work with to successfully carry out the proposal

Question 5: Deliverability (10%)

Please outline:

• how you will manage the project
• the main milestones of the project, proposed timescales and how you plan to meet these. You may submit a supplementary Gantt chart or similar project plan in support of your response to this question
• the approach to project management, identifying any major tools and mechanisms that will be used to ensure a successful outcome

You may include a Gantt chart with your application. If so, please refer to it in your answer.

Please note that this round of funding is for the 2024-2025 financial year only. All project work must be completed between 1 April 2024 and 27 March 2025.

Question 6: Risks (10%)

Identify the main risks and uncertainties of the project, including any technical, commercial, managerial, and environmental risks. Highlight the most significant ones, providing a risk register if appropriate. Explain how each of these risks will be mitigated.

You may include a risk log with your application. If so, please refer to it in your answer.

Question 7: Additionality (10%)

Tell us if the proposed activities could or would go ahead in any form without public funding. If not, why? If so, explain the difference the public funding would make.

Question 8: Costs and value for money (10%)

Please reference your finances spreadsheet (see below) where appropriate, and:

• outline how much the different elements of the proposal will cost and how this represents good value for money for the Forestry Commission and the taxpayer
• justify the total project cost in terms of the project goals, explaining how goods and services will be procured to ensure value for money.
• justify any sub-contractor costs and why they are critical to the project
• if the proposal is being match funded, outline where this match funding will come from
• if you have received, applied for, or intend to apply for any other government funds, declare it here

Please explain how you have estimated your costs and what you have done to ensure best value for money. For example, this may include whether you have weighed up different options, compared quotes from different suppliers, or will be contributing any of your own resources to the project.

The panel will also use your Finance Spreadsheet to score this question.

Panel members will be subject matter experts with a good knowledge of standard costs within the sector, which they will use to assess your evidence provided for this question. 

Part 4: Finances

You must complete and submit a Finance Spreadsheet with your Application Form. This forms part of your answer to Question 5: Value for Money.

See ‘How to complete your Finance Spreadsheet’ below for more information.

Parts 5-9

Please read the information in these sections carefully.

In Part 8: Declarations, tick each box to show that you have read, understood, and agree to each declaration. If you fail to comply with any obligations your application may be rejected.

Part 10: Authorisation 

Once you have completed your Application Form and Finance Spreadsheet, please sign the form.

You must either add a digital e-signature by clicking on the signature box, or print the form, sign it by hand and scan it back in. We cannot accept typed signatures. The person signing the form must be the Lead Applicant named in Part 1.

How to complete your Finance Spreadsheet

Your Finance Spreadsheet outlines how you propose to spend the grant funding and will form your budget for the project if you are successful.

You must list all proposed project costs in your Finance Spreadsheet and which species and activity these relate to. Please be as specific as possible, listing each item or piece of work to be completed.

Any costs relating to priority species can be funded up to 100%. Any relating to non-priority species can be funded up to 50%.

If you are VAT registered, all items should be exclusive of any VAT that can be recovered from HMRC. Please reflect this when calculating proposed costs.

Please seek quotes before applying and ensure all costs are deliverable between 1 April 2024 and 27 March 2025. Items must be received, and work completed within this period. Any costs incurred after 27 March 2025 will not be eligible to claim back.

If you are likely to need Millennium Seed Bank resources, please contact MSBUKSeeds@kew.org to provide costings before the application is submitted and include these costs in the Finance Spreadsheet.

Before submitting, please check that:

• the ‘Summary of costs’ table is correct
• the total funding applied for is no more than £75,000 across all your SSG bids
• the total cost of your project is no less than £2,000
• you are only applying for up to 50% funding towards any costs associated with non-priority species

How to submit your application

Submit your completed Application Form, Finance Spreadsheet, and any supporting documents by email to ssg@forestrycommission.gov.uk. Please check your Application Form and Finance Spreadsheet before submitting and ensure every section is completed.

How applications are assessed

Scoring will be based purely on the detail included within the application form. The evaluation panel will apply the following evaluation system to each of the assessment questions:

0: Unacceptable
Nil or inadequate response. Fails to demonstrate how the eligibility criteria are met.

1: Poor
Response is partially relevant and/or poor. The response contains insufficient/limited detail or explanation to demonstrate evidence of meeting the eligibility criteria.

2: Acceptable
Response is relevant and acceptable. The response provides sufficient evidence of meeting the eligibility criteria and covers the majority of points expected for a given criteria.

3: Good
Response is relevant and good. The response provides full details of how the eligibility criteria will be fulfilled covering all of the points expected for a given criteria.

4: Excellent
Response is completely relevant and excellent overall, possibly exceeding requirements. A well thought through project with all elements of question fully addressed and detail provided that exceeds some or all of the requirements. The response is comprehensive and provides a high level of detail on how the eligibility criteria are met.

For question 1 (Species seed strategies) and question 2 (Sector capacity), the scores will be doubled, giving these criteria a 20% weighting. In the event of a tie and there being insufficient funds to support all projects, responses to ‘Species seed strategies’ will be used to break the tie, with the highest score winning. If the applications are still tied, the decision will be up to the evaluation panel.

If your application scores 0 for any of the scored questions or scores less than 20/40 overall, it will be unsuccessful.

Example:

Question	Score (out of 4)
Species seed strategies (20%)	3
Sector capacity (20%)	2
Team, resources, and track record (10%)	4
Market awareness (10%)	2
Deliverability (10%)	2
Risks (10%)	3
Additionality (10%)	3
Costs and value for money (10%)	3

The score for Species Seed Strategies and Sector Capacity would be doubled (3 x 2 = 6, 2 x 2 = 4) and added to the remaining 6 scores giving a total score of 28/40.

Further information

Terms and conditions

The terms and conditions that will apply to this grant are available online at the Seed Sourcing Application form page.

Confidentiality

If you consider the information contained within your application to be commercially sensitive, you must notify the Forestry Commission of this when submitting your application. This will then be considered when requests for clarification are received. If relating information is relevant to all applicants and you have indicated that you consider this commercially sensitive, we will discuss with you before releasing any information and may be unable to support the request due to the competitive bids process.   

The Forestry Commission reserves the right not to answer clarifications where it considers that the answer to that clarification would or would be likely to prejudice commercial interests.

Contact us

If you have questions about the SSG or the application process, please contact us at ssg@forestrycommission.gov.uk.

Find out how to make a complaint or appeal.