Tender for Evaluation of the Low Carbon Dorset Programme

The Low Carbon Dorset programme is a three-year programme of activities to help stimulate growth in Dorset's low carbon economy and reduce its carbon footprint.

The programme offers free technical support and grant funding for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects to businesses, public-sector and community organisations in Dorset. And aims to help Dorset based organisations to improve energy efficiency, increase the use of renewable energy, and aid the development of new low carbon products in Dorset.

The programme is led by Dorset Council (DC) and the Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

The programme launched in April 2018 and is now in its final year of delivery. Dorset Council recently submitted a bid for a further £4.26m of ERDF funding, which, if successful will extend the programme by a further three years and will bring its total value up to £14.9m. The Council will be notified on whether it has been successful in securing the additional funds in July 2020.

As part of the contractual requirements of ERDF funding, Low Carbon Dorset is required to procure a supplier to conduct an impact evaluation of the programme, known as a "Summative Assessment". We wish to identify a suitably experienced organisation to undertake this summative assessment for the existing 3-year programme, and, providing the additional funding is secured, the additional 2-year programme extension.

This specification sets out the key requirements for the summative assessment and its development. The provider shall be required to work closely with the Council to undertake a programme evaluation and provide a final summative assessment report together with a summary in line with the requirements of the ERDF summative assessment guidance and further requirements noted within the tender Specification Schedule document and linked ERDF guidance.