Post Payment Monitoring of the Worcestershire LEADER Programme - AWARD

In 2015 Worcestershire County Council secured ?1.77m Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) funding to deliver LEADER within Worcestershire. LEADER is a funding programme aimed at creating jobs and growth in rural businesses and communities. The grants of between ?2,500 - ?50,000 (up to 40% of the total project cost) support businesses, farmers, foresters, land managers and communities for projects that support one or more of the following 6 LEADER priorities: o support micro and small businesses and farm diversification o boost rural tourism o increase farm productivity o increase forestry productivity o provide rural services o provide cultural and heritage activities The funding is now fully allocated, and the programme is closed for new applications. 85 projects have been supported with grants. Worcestershire County Council (WCC) wishes to commission a suitably qualified individual/organisation to carry out post payment monitoring checks on funding applications relating to Worcestershire LEADER - RDPE funding programme. The purpose of Post Payment Monitoring (PPM) is to ensure: o That any outputs that have not been declared at the time of the final claim are collected and recorded o That any outstanding special conditions have been met o That where outputs and special conditions have not been met Worcestershire County Council is notified and can take appropriate action Post Payment Monitoring will also help to ensure that delivery of RDPE funded projects continues in line with the Terms and Conditions of the County Council's Grant Funding Agreement with DEFRA Please find attached a countersigned variation for your records. If you wish to view the documents for this opportunity please click `Express Interest`. Following this, if you wish to apply for this opportunity please click `Opt in` which will then enable you to view and complete the Standard Questionnaire and upload the relevant documents. After uploading all required documents and completing the questionnaire(s) please remember to press the `Submit your Return` button at the bottom of the page. Suppliers will receive a system generated email to confirm successful submission of their return. Any questions or clarification should be conducted via `Correspondence` through this portal.