The Heritage Fund has a Register of Support Services (RoSS), a framework of external consultants it uses to help successfully deliver the projects it funds. It is currently seeking expert consultants to apply to its new RoSS Framework from April 2024. Tender applications are open until 5pm Monday 19 June 2023.
What is a RoSS consultant?
The expert RoSS consultants play an important role in monitoring projects funded by the Heritage Fund and mentoring grantees and potential applicants. They also provide expert advice to the Heritage Fund on the diverse range of projects and applications it funds.
The register of consultants is split into four areas of expertise:
- heritage and culture construction project management
- business development and management
- public engagement with heritage
- natural environment
What do they do?
RoSS consultants provide a range of services:
- Monitoring support: analysing risks, commenting on project plans, reviewing budgets and progress against timescales and evaluating project impacts.
- Mentoring support: helping grantees develop their project, support learning and development activities and overcome barriers during the delivery of their project.
- Supporting Heritage Fund staff: providing training and advice on specialist subjects.
- Grantee discussion sessions: facilitating ‘mini-surgeries’ with grantees on various topics, such as volunteering.
- Post completion and operational readiness reviews: helping grantees understand the ‘readiness’ of projects to open to the public. Identifying post-completion risks and agreeing remedial actions.
- Supporting engagement work: providing support to the Heritage Fund’s Engagement teams, for example when mentoring and engaging under-served applicants.
- Providing expert advice: supporting the Heritage Fund’s decision-making process by providing specialist advice on aspects of a project application.
- Providing support to groups of grantees: mentoring small groups of grantees, helping them to address challenges and encouraging them to network.
Procurement
Consultants are appointed to the framework via a tendering process compliant with public sector procurement requirements.
Retendering of the RoSS framework is now live until 5pm Monday 19 June 2023. The evaluation and selection of tenders will be complete in late autumn 2023, and the new framework will begin in April 2024.
More information and how to apply is detailed on the Heritage Fund website.