FOUNDATIONAL ECONOMY CHALLENGE FUND DEVELOPMENTAL EVALUATION AND COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE

Descriptions

BackgroundThe Welsh Government wishes to commission the developmental evaluation of the Foundational Economy Challenge Fund and the establishment and servicing of an associated community of practice. The purpose of the £3 million Fund is to support organisations and businesses active in the foundational economy to conceive and introduce innovative ways of working which help to raise the profile of the foundational economy and to stimulate debate and learning on what works.The foundational economy consists of those fundamental and basic goods and services on which every citizen relies and which keep them safe, sound and civilised. Care and health services, food, housing, energy, construction, tourism and retailers on the high street are all examples of the foundational economy.The Fund opened for applications on 14 May 2019. Successful projects will be notified in September 2019 and will need to complete by March 2021. . It is estimated that some 30-40 projects will be supported, spread across Wales and covering the broad definition of the foundational economy.AimsThe Fund is intended to surface the potential of the foundational economy as an area for Welsh Government investment which is capable of delivering the aspiration for making communities stronger and more resilient. The evaluation and community of practice work is to inform how the Welsh Government and others can best support the foundational economy and spread good practice across Wales. What works, what is scalable?The outputs will include case studies of each of the supported projects, a summary of lessons learned, and recommendations for future policy and programme interventions for the Welsh Government on realising the potential of the Foundational Economy. The community of practice will need access to a suitable platform to share learning and good practice. They will also need to meet at least once during the lifetime of the Fund and participate in themed workshops.The bidder will need to present a methodology and evidence the capability to address the following:Intervention evaluation including provision for development work with projects•What lessons can be learned from the range of interventions tried by the supported projects in terms of: service improvement/effectiveness/efficiency; workforce improvements; local economic resilience•What wider lessons can be learned to inform any future roll outA platform/mechanism for a community of practice to learn and share good practice•Introduce a platform/mechanism for learning and sharing, accommodating a diversity of projects and locations.•Review and report how well they worked and lessons/barriers to adopting good practice.Assessment of the feasibility and cost effectiveness of scaling up and spreading good practice•Whether the interventions address the challenges and opportunities in the foundational economy, offer potential for scaling up and spreading, recommendations on priorities for scaling and spreading, along with what the cost/impact could be.•Make recommendations for good practice to inform future roll out and policy.NOTE: To register your interest in this notice and obtain any additional information please visit the Sell2Wales Web Site at https://www.sell2wales.gov.wales/Search/Search_Switch.aspx?ID=92475.