Grant-funded providers
The WMCA will issue Grant agreements on an annual academic-year basis. Where there is underperformance, we reserve the right to rebase providers’ allocations.
In 2022/23, as part of the Performance and Management rules, we are setting a cut-off date of April (R08), for in-year AEB contract reductions, where these may affect the end-of-year outcome and reductions.
Where providers have identified and worked with us to manage this underperformance, we will discuss the requirement for re-basing and repayment, where providers do not declare underperformance, we may rebase allocations automatically.
We will be open to discussions about growth in year but there is no guarantee that we will be able to award this. Any growth requests will need to follow the WMCA business case process and will need to be in line with the AEB Strategy. Equally, there is no guarantee that any over-delivery will be funded.
Over delivery and/or delivery towards non-approved qualifications will not be funded unless an appropriate business case has been submitted and approved in writing by WMCA.
We will pay providers operating under grant agreement a standard profile in line with the ESFA national funding arrangements We will continue to consult with Colleges West Midlands (CWM) and Adult and Community Learning Alliance (ACLA) during the year on the appropriateness of this profile and will consider alternative arrangements should they be proposed.
We will hold performance management meetings up to three times a year, which will focus on strategic and future plans, how you are progressing towards achieving the activity set out in your Delivery Plan, and funding returns. At these points, significant under-delivery may be redeployed and payments re-profiled in discussion with you.