Publication - Research and analysis

Business support to third sector organisations contract review: research summary

Published: 10 July 2018
Directorate: Economic Development Directorate
Topic: Business, industry and innovation, Communities and third sector
ISBN: 9781787810792

Summary findings of the review of the business support to third sector organisations contract, the service known as ‘Just Enterprise’.

Supporting documents

Footnotes

1. Subsequently, a workshop was undertaken to present, share and reflect on the review findings with stakeholders who participated. A period of time was given for stakeholders to provide further comments. These comments were then addressed where appropriate in this report, and the more detailed commentary has been collated in a separate document to inform future considerations.

2. The Enterprise and Skills Review work and the Social Enterprise Strategy (see context for the review) recognise that the social enterprise offer needs to be strongly aligned with an overall approach to business support to be as effective as possible.

3. The review specification acknowledged the complexities of doing this as there is no control group. A possibility highlighted was to compare to Business Gateway which is delivered differently in each local authority.

4. Just Enterprise (2012), Annual Report June 2011-May 2012.

5. Scottish Procurement and Commercial Directive (2017), Case/203247: Business Support for Third Sector Organisations Amendment No2. Since completion of the review, a further contract extension is now in place to May 2019.

6. Just Enterprise (2013), Annual Report June 2012-May 2013; the consortium delivery partners are subcontractors to the consortium partners.

7. http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0051/00511500.pdf

8. http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0051/00516611.pdf

9. http://www.ceis.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Census-2017-Full-Report.pdf http://www.ceis.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Census-2017-Summary.pdf

10. http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Economy/EntandSkillsreview/publications

11. http://www.gov.scot/Resource/Doc/228582/0061861.pdf

12. Just Enterprise (2014), Annual Report June 2013-May 2014.

13. Just Enterprise (2013), Annual Report June 2012-May 2013.

14. Just Enterprise (2012), Annual Report June 2011-May 2012.

15. Just Enterprise (2014), Annual Report June 2013-May 2014.

16. Just Enterprise (2013), Case Studies.

17. Just Enterprise (2014), Impact Report . To note all percentage responses are of those that responded to the Just Enterprise surveys to measure impact and are NOT representative of all recipients / beneficiaries.

18. Our survey of participants for this review across Years 1 - 6 found satisfaction levels 80%+ for some but not all aspects of support. Over 80% of respondents ranked their satisfaction as four or higher out of five for the following three aspects: quality of the service provided, level of expertise of the support provider and the method of engagement. It was just under 80% for: relevance of the support to my organisation (79%), the duration of support (72%) and the timing of support (79%) (in relation to the stage of your business). This is a more detailed assessment of satisfaction than in the Year 1 - 3 review. Chapter 3 presents the full analysis.

19. Just Enterprise (2012), Annual Report June 2011-May 2012 ; Just Enterprise (2013), Annual Report June 2012-May 2013 ; Just Enterprise (2014), Annual Report June 2013-May 2014.

20. The duration of support can vary from half day workshops to five days or more business support advice.
In all tables, percentages do not always add up to exactly 100% due to rounding.

21. Figures in Tables 2.11 to 2.14 relate to support instances to organisations (recipients are organisations).

22. http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0052/00524559.pdf

23. Ibid

24. Ibid

25. In the tables, total number of respondents varies as not all respondents provided a response to some questions. Further, in the tables in this chapter where column % does not total 100% this is because questions allowed multiple responses. Percentages in the tables relate to the total number of respondents reported in each table (row number divided by total number of respondents). To avoid confusion percentage totals have not been reported here.

26. Please note that a small number of Third Sector Interface respondees (10) responded to the survey as service recipients / beneficiaries.

27. http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0052/00524559.pdf

28. Just Enterprise Monitoring Data.

29. Recipients of Just Enterprise support.

30. As a reminder, as noted in footnote 25 on page 31. Percentages in the tables relate to the total number of respondents reported in each table (row number divided by total number of respondents). To avoid confusion percentage totals have not been reported here.

31. It should be noted that the application process was designed to filter applicants towards appropriate and relevant support.

32. Ekosgen (2011). Business Gateway National Evaluation and Future Arrangements for the Delivery of Business Gateway.

33. As a reminder, in this table (3.9) and tables 3.11 to 3.14, multiple responses were allowed. Percentages in the tables relate to the total number of respondents reported in each table (row number divided by total number of respondents). To avoid confusion percentage totals have not been reported here.

34. Respondents were asked to self-identify, and 272 of the 390 respondents to this question identified as Start-up, Business Support or Leadership beneficiaries.

35. The median is reported as the mean averages are skewed heavily by outliers, therefore the median is a more accurate average.

36. Questions in relation to Tables 3.10 and 3.11 were asked of all respondents, so Table 3.11 is more than the 150 respondents in Table 3.10 that expected economic impacts.

37. Respondents were asked to self-identify, and 275 of the 387 respondents to this question identified as Start-up, Business Support or Leadership beneficiaries.

38. Respondents were asked to self-identify, and 277 of the 387 respondents to this question identified as Start-up, Business Support or Leadership beneficiaries.

39. Of those respondents that self-identified as Start-up, Business Support and Leadership beneficiaries.

40. Although this was a response to the survey, it should be noted that this Programme was not initiated.

41. Within the Just Enterprise contract - although not capacity building - The Highlands and Islands area has additional resource for promotion and engagement reflecting the geography of the region.

42. http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0051/00511500.pdf

43. http://www.gov.scot/publications/enterprise-skills-review-report-phase-2-enterprise-business-support//4

44. http://www.gov.scot/publications/scotlands-economic-strategy/

45. http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0051/00511500.pdf

46. http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0051/00511500.pdf

47. http://www.gov.scot/publications/enterprise-skills-review-report-phase-2-enterprise-business-support//4

48. https://news.gov.scot/news/social-enterprises-on-world-stage

49. http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/88920668/social-enterprise-is-fast-becoming-the-new-charity-in-new-zealand

50. Social Enterprise London (2002) Social cooperatives in Italy: Lessons for the UK.

51. European Commission (2013) Social economy and social entrepreneurship: Social Europe Guide Volume 4, p.35

52. http://www.dinf.ne.jp/doc/english/resource/employment/Social_Firms_in_Europe.html#ORGANIZATIONAL

53. https://www.britishcouncil.org/sites/default/files/canada_-_social_enterprise_in_a_global_context_-_final_report.pdf