Access Alliance Programme Project Managers Workshop at Markham Vale Environment Centre

Access Alliance Programme Project Managers’ Workshop Markham Vale Environment Centre 10 March 2010

Programme • What is the Access Alliance Programme? • Why am I here today? • Aims of the seminar • Introduction to the projects • Marketing and promoting projects • Financial Claims • Output Monitoring and Evidencing • Project Sustainability • The Capital Assets Register & Inventory • Summary and Next AAP Events

What is AAP? • The Access Alliance Programme • Managed by STAR on behalf of DEP • Phase 1 Nov 2006 to Nov 2008 • Phase 2 Dec 2008 to Nov 2010 • To develop sustainable transport schemes in Notts and Derbyshire • To assist people in Notts & Derbyshire to access jobs and services, esp. those without access to a private car and young people • To assist County Councils to deliver their Accessibility Strategies

Why am I here today? • Why do I have to do anything – I’ve already been paid? • What’s the point of the financial returns? • Why do I have to keep completing the outputs profile? • What’s the benefit for my project? • I haven’t done this before! Why start now? • Why do I have to report so often? • Who can assist me?

Aims of the Seminar • Explain reporting procedures • Explain monitoring procedures • Answer your questions and queries • Share experiences among project managers • Save time for you & STAR • Share top tips for an easy life with AAP!

Introduction to the Projects

Case Study Elmton & Creswell Village Company Serving the Community with Transport to Training

Marketing & Promoting Projects 1 • Success of projects often depends on getting the word out • Relatively short time to get projects up and running • Avoid ‘if we build it, they will come’ mentality • Hammer the message home! • Engage employee referral partners to promote the project • Use local media to promote good news in difficult economic climate

Marketing & Promoting Projects 2 • Take photographs of the project in action! • Ask punters what they think of the transport provided & what it has meant for them • Tell us how you are promoting your project • Submit evidence of marketing efforts with your claims

Project Plan • Schedule 4.2 of your AAP contract • We encourage all new projects to prepare a project plan • Key milestones • Helps to focus the mind • Assists you in preparing claims • are we where we planned to be? • If not, why not? • Submit plan to STAR to be filed with your project documentation

Financial Claims 1 • Claim dates as per award letter and contract • E-copy and signed hard copy • Justification of what has been spent • AAP grant and wider project / matched funding • Intervention rate shows maximum AAP funding • Spend to be in line with Spend Profile • If not, reprofile

Financial Claims 2 • Section 2 – Claim Summary • One line per time of expenditure • Specify revenue / capital • Provide invoice / receipt reference • Provide hard copy of receipt / invoice • Ensure figures sum correctly • Ensure figures agree with claim total on front page of claim • Ensure figures tally with Spend Profile (Section 6) • Ensure you provide details and evidence of all project spend

Financial Claims 3 • Section 6 – Spend Profile • Actual / Forecast at head of each column • Split between capital and revenue expenditure • Provide “total” project costs – AAP funding plus matched funding on which intervention rate is based • Show AAP spend separately • Reprofile the costs, if necessary • Ensure total project costs and total AAP grant spend remain consistent throughout • Avoid underspend of matched funding and AAP grant

Project Spend - Pitfalls • STAR is required to reclaim AAP funding from project managers if • you do not spend grant which has been paid upfront • you do not obtain or spend matched funding • you do not evidence matched funding or AAP grant spend • you do not use it for the purposes set out in the funding application • you do not make any efforts to record outputs • But we do not want to reclaim funds!

Claim Forms – Top Tips 1 • Ask for advice if you need it • Liberal use of highlighter! • Consistency of figures • Transparency of figures • Underspending is bad • Don’t bury you head in the sand • Tell us if things aren’t going so well • VAT claims – depend upon your VAT status

Claim Forms – Top Tips 2 • Provide evidence with every claim • Ensure spend is correctly recorded as capital or revenue • Reprofile spend and outputs • Ensure you talk to STAR • Agree monitoring programme with STAR

Output Monitoring • Funding award relates to the number of outputs to be delivered • Output numbers in contract are minimum expected • If you are unable to achieve outputs profiled for each claim, let us know before claim due date! • All outputs must be evidenced with supporting documentation, submitted with each claim form • If your evidence is one line of a document or letter, highlight it! • Output profile within the claim form - change the ‘F’ to an ‘A’ • Use the new output monitoring forms

T1 Outputs • Jobs created or safeguarded • Jobs must be • Permanent • Paid posts (not voluntary work), and • Full time (although part time can be counted pro-rata)

T1 Outputs (continued) • A job is created and counted when it is • New • Has a life expectancy of at least one year • A post that is actually filled as a result of AAP intervention • A job is safeguarded if it • exists and is forecast to be lost within 1 year of when the project was approved • is still in existence at the time of counting and no longer at risk of being lost within a year

T2 Outputs • People assisted to get a job • The output is the number of people who have been assisted regardless of their success • Those assisted must be • Resident in Derbyshire or Nottinghamshire • Unemployed or economically inactive or • In employment but at risk of losing their job • This output does not include assistance with skills development (T6)

T4 Outputs • Businesses assisted to improve their performance • The output is the number of businesses who have been assisted regardless of their success • Businesses assisted do not have to be based in Derbyshire or Nottinghamshire

T5 Outputs • Public and Private regeneration infrastructure levered • i.e. funding levered from other sources by AAP funding • Public or private sector sources • If other agencies are counting this output, the outputs should be apportioned between them • Need a copy of a grant award letter from agencies to confirm that funding has been levered

T6 Outputs • People assisted in their skills development • The output is the number of people who have been assisted regardless of whether their skills were developed • Assistance to attend vocational training or general education course • Training does not have to be certificated • People of any age • Only extra-curricula training for those of school age • Minimum of 6 hours training • People who are resident in Nottinghamshire or Derbyshire

Qualitative Surveys 1 • Exit survey / questionnaire • SMS / text survey • On-bus survey • Stakeholder interviews • User focus groups • Stakeholder focus groups • Intercept survey, etc

Qualitative Surveys 2 • STAR to advise • STAR to conduct (some) focus groups • STAR to analyse results • STAR to assist as necessary • Ask for help !

Output Monitoring in Action Jayne Ball, Portland College

Project Sustainability • AAP funding is to pump prime projects • Some projects will have achieved everything they set out to achieve • Others need to think about how to ensure the project continues after AAP • Start to think about it now – not at the 11th hour • Who could / should fund in the future? • How can I demonstrate the positive impacts of the project to potential funders?

Capital Assets Register & Inventory What is ‘capital’ spend? • Equipment or assets • £1000 or more • Useful life of more than 12 months • Feasibility study leading to capital project • (adding value to assets) • Other costs including administration are “revenue”

Capital Assets Register 1 • Owner • Description • Price paid (net of recoverable VAT) • AAP funding applied to asset • Location of title deeds (if applicable) • Location of asset • Serial / Identification Number • Date of disposal • Sale of proceeds (net of VAT)

Capital Assets Register 2 • Items worth more than £1,000, and • Items with more than £2,500 AAP funding • Recording of disposal of assets • Project Manager to notify STAR / DEP of disposal of asset • AAP / DEP may require a share of the proceeds • Disposal value must be actual / estimated market value • Clawback will always be applied unless explicitly agreed otherwise • Change of use of asset / needs of AAP / funds recovery

Capital Assets Inventory • Items worth less than £1,000 • Items with less than £2,500 AAP funding • Same asset descriptions as for Register • Same requirements re disposal of asset

Any Questions

AAP Diary Dates Weds 14 April @ 12:00 with lunch AAP Publicity Event at MVEC Weds 6 Oct 9:30 – 13:00 AAP Conference at National Fluid Power Centre www.accessalliance.co.uk

Thank you for coming along Lunch is served!

Access Alliance Programme Project Managers Workshop at Markham Vale Environment Centre