CP1178-15 Business Support Framework

Local authorities across the Heart of the South West LEP area are committed to supporting businessesto prosper and grow. We recognise that good quality advice and support is one of the key ways to do this,encouraging people to start up, grow and be innovative in their business thinking. There are a wide variety of economic strategy documents relating to the geographies that make up the HOTSWarea, at district, county and unitary authority level. The LEP itself has distilled much of this information, toinform the development of its Strategic Economic Plan (SEP), which analyses the strengths, weaknesses andopportunities in the local economy and where further support may be required. All local authorities work closelywith the LEP to try and ensure that the work to support the local economy is well co-ordinated, structured andmakes sense to residents and businesses. When considering the business support needs of the area, it isimportant, therefore, to ensure that whatever is put in place takes account of local needs in each area, but alsothe strategic approach developed by the LEP and its partners. Further details of the analysis and conclusionscarried out by the LEP into the business support needs of the area are outlined within the tender documentation,and this has been used to inform the development of this tender framework, alongside local knowledge andintelligence of business needs.