Programme Diagnostics - Liverpool City Region Integrated Business Support

The five Liverpool City Region Local Authorities and Liverpool Vision came together with the Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise Partnership and a number of Chambers of Commerce to form a consortia to bid for European funding under ?Priority Axis 3 : Enhancing the Competitiveness of SME?s?.

The resulting business support programme, ?The Liverpool City Region Integrated Business Support Project? (LCRIBS), will provide a range of no-cost business support services designed to build both the capacity and confidence within those SME?s reluctant to engage with existing business support providers for either lack of knowledge or understanding or simply because they are reluctant to pay for, or do not perceive the value of, existing commercial provision.

The Liverpool City Region Integrated Business Support Project will be positioned between ?pre-start/start-up/post-start support?, delivered by a consortia led by the Women?s Organisation, and more specialist or bespoke support delivered by the private sector The Project will provide participating SME?s with the following demonstrable outputs:- ?

An intensive Business Diagnostic undertaken by suitably experienced and qualified, competitively procured, external consultants ?

An Action Plan for Growth focused upon the initial steps that a company must take, or the issues that the SME must address, to realise sustainability and growth ?

The provision of a dedicated contact person within either Halton Borough Council or Halton Chamber of Commerce and Enterprise, who will initially work with the company to begin the process of delivering the Action Plan for Growth but who will support the company with any other elements of their development.

Critically, that person will, wherever practical, remain a constant in the life of the business. ?

The provision of an informed and managed Brokerage Service, complementing the service provided by the Liverpool City Region Business Growth Hub, which will connect participating SME?s with additional, follow-on, commercial business support. ?

The Project will provide additional, more intensive, business support where a participating SME lacks the capacity, expertise or resources to begin the initial roll-out of their individual Action Plan for Growth.

Support will be tailored to meet the needs of each individual SME and will focus upon the fundamental elements which businesses must have in place in order to be firstly, sustainable and secondly, to grow.

Intensive support will be delivered by suitably experienced and qualified, competitively procured, external consultants