BTWEA - ESG Enterprise Support Grant

Tubbins

Morning all, I've been on the BTWEA scheme for a while now (about 6 months) and submitted an application for an Enterprise Support Grant for some hardware that's pretty vital to my business.

I was just wondering if anybody with experience in the ESG (and grants in general I suppose) could help me out;

I applied in early July being told it could take up to 5 weeks, this was 10-11 weeks ago. Is this standard fare? My BTWEA approval took all of one day...

Also, will I be given money into my account or will it be some kind of invoice related circlejerk? (it's been so long, I'm prepared to buy the hardware with what little cash I have and await the money if it ever does come).

Thanks in advance for any advice/assistance


P.S. I phoned my local centre who basically said 'claim is lodged, don't ring back, we'll phone you if there's an issue'.

Giving it holly

Hi. I started back to work in March and applied for the Tactical Assist Fund to get some flyers and printing and my Safepass done. Still haven't heard a thing. I rang about this back in May and was told 2 weeks. I had to get quotes done and they should send the money straight to the printers. 75% of quote. I could do with it now but ringing them is a waste of time because they don't care. Public sector get paid every week regardless.

Tubbins

Giving it holly wrote: »

Hi. I started back to work in March and applied for the Tactical Assist Fund to get some flyers and printing and my Safepass done. Still haven't heard a thing. I rang about this back in May and was told 2 weeks. I had to get quotes done and they should send the money straight to the printers. 75% of quote. I could do with it now but ringing them is a waste of time because they don't care. Public sector get paid every week regardless.

Thanks for the reply, good (or is it bad!?) to know that the time period can be so long, I may just have to bite the bullet soon. I found the quote system to be ridiculous too, my hardware doesn't exist in Harvey Norman or PCWorld :P

Timfy

The ESG is turning into a bad joke for me!

I submitted all my paperwork in May, registered myself for tax, VAT and set up my company via the CRO

I started trading as of 1st July and, as I had forecast earnings within my business plan and was possibly a little to honest when it came to informing all parties, I lost my rent allowance and my fuel allowance. This was expected and if my plans took off would not be a problem.

Now, my start-up is reliant on some fairly specialist equipment and I was under the impression that everything that I had submitted (which included several quotes for each item) would be ready to pay for almost immediately. Not so. I had to resubmit everything a second time... a lot of extra work but not the end of the world.

The equipment that I need to purchase is in a sector where prices are very dynamic, with prices changing on a daily basis. Quotations were only viable for 24hrs and the welfare office didn't have a clue how to deal with this.

Finally the submission was approved in mid October. I placed the order immediately, paying my 20%. I was told that as soon as the Welfare Office received the invoice showing my payment then the balance would be transferred and the order shipped. That invoice was in their hands the same day!

A couple of weeks go by and my vendor is starting to get twitchy. He quite rightly states that my order, that is currently gathering dust in his warehouse, could be sold to other customers many times over. In fairness to him, he gives me some breathing space and I get back on to the Welfare Office.

I am advised that there will be around a five week delay in payment as there are "back-logs" and was told that it would most likely be December before the payment was honoured.

So in a nutshell, I have been running a business whereby I can't actually do any work as I don't have the tools since July 1st. I have lost several benefits, I have pissed off several key clients as I have had to turn their work away and it still seems like a lifetime until my grant is completed. All for the sake of a poxy welfare accountant going click click click enter on an electronic bank transfer. Oh, and I have a not inconsiderable sum of money tied up on a dusty pallet somewhere waiting to be delivered.

In hindsight, I should have just gone to the bank and got a business loan, but the ESG Back To Work scheme was heavily sold to me. Hey, at least I'm not on the live register any more!

I would like to finish this on a positive note. Within the Welfare offices I did find one shining ray of hope. The person will remain nameless but she has tried her darnedest to help me out and my heart goes out to her having to work within a system such as exists within the Welfare Office today.