Summary

This is about helping clients impartially to choose and use the services and service providers that they need to achieve their business goals.  This requires that you help them specify what they want providers to do, develop criteria to select them and access funding to pay for it.

What you need to show

You must make sure that your practice meets the following requirements.

a.    Identify a range of service providers who are able to meet the client’s requirements for business support services.

b.    Advise clients on appropriate methods for choosing and using suppliers, including any criteria that have to be met if public funding is to be used.

c.    Provide assistance to clients, as and when required, to specify their requirements for business support.

d.    Enable clients to provide an effective brief to potential suppliers in order that comprehensive and realistic quotes can be obtained.

e.    Enable clients to develop and use criteria for selecting suppliers that are most likely to provide them with the service that they require and provide best value.

f.     Monitor the support programme to make sure that it meets the legislation, advisory regulations and organisational guidelines that apply to business support.

g.    Help clients to fund their requirements for business support using the sources of finance most appropriate to their needs.

h.    Record management information on the chosen brokerage solution appropriately on the customer relationship management system.

i.      Ensure that at all times the responsibility for choosing and using suppliers is retained by the client.

What you need to know and understand

You need to know, understand and be able to apply each of the following.

Business support services

1.    The range of relevant internal and external business support services and how to contact them.

2.    Ways that the different support services can provide focussed and relevant support and expertise.

3.    The sources of information available for clients about suppliers offering business support services.

4.    How to use to the supplier database used in your organisation and ways to bring new suppliers to it.

5.    The business support services that you can help the client to access through the Business Link brand.

6.    The procurement rules and brand values around impartiality and independence of advice and guidance.

Business Link brokerage

7.    The information that should be included in a brief for suppliers.

8.    Ways to develop criteria to select suppliers that will best meet clients’ needs.

9.    What records need to be kept about brokerage solutions.

10. How to make sure clients retain responsibility for choosing and using suppliers.

11. The legislation, advisory regulations and organisational guidelines that the support programme should meet.

Funding

12. The range of potential funding opportunities.

13. The methods for accessing and applying for funding from the different funding agencies.

Personal behaviours

You need to show the following behaviours.

14. Tailor your approach to align with the client’s goals and circumstances. ^IiP1.2

15. Respect the client’s need for information, commitment and confidentiality. ^IiP1.3

16. Gain respect by operating in a credible and professional manner. ^IiP2.1

17. Think strategically and take a holistic view of the way forward. ^IiP3.1