The Standards
How the Standards evolved
The SFEDI Business Support Standards are the latest edition of standards that have shaped business support in the UK for nearly two decades.
Timeline
2007
SFEDI publishes the Introduction to Enterprise Support standards, for people new to business support.
2008
SFEDI publishes the Business Information standards, for information and enquiry roles.
2010
SFEDI publishes the Business Support standards, setting out the main functions of a business adviser.
2013
SFEDI's standards are updated as the national Business and Enterprise Support standards, with a review due in 2016.
2025 to 2026
The national standards for business information and for business and enterprise support are classed as legacy and are being removed from the UK's National Occupational Standards database.
2026
SFEDI publishes the SFEDI Business Support Standards, version 1.0.
From the original units to 41 Standards
This edition replaces the 32 units in SFEDI's three original suites, and the 22 units of the 2013 update, with 8 Core Standards, 24 Specialist Standards, 4 Business Information Standards and 5 Introduction to Business Support Standards. Every Standard carries an "Evolved from" line, and the tables below show where each original unit is now.
Business Support Standards (2010)
19 units
Unit | Original unit | Now in |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maintain effective business support relationships with clients | C1; S22 (account relationships); S24 (relationships with under-represented clients) |
| 2 | Help the client to analyse the business and decide the way forward | C2; S17 (risk assessment); S20 (consultative diagnosis) |
| 3 | Enable clients to implement changes in their business | C3; S17 (contingency planning); S20 (influencing action) |
| 4 | Encourage clients to act for themselves | C3; S4, S5 and S20 (modes of support) |
| 5 | Develop networks to provide access to information, support and resources | C8; C4 (clients' use of networks); S24 (community networks) |
| 6 | Evaluate the quality of your own practice in business support | C8; C5 (impact of practice); S21 (reflective practice) |
| 7 | Develop your own ability to provide business support | C8; S15 and S16 (sector practice) |
| 8 | Monitor the performance of the business support service | C5; S2 (service level) |
| 9 | Apply your knowledge and experience of business and its core functions | C6; greater depth in S1, S8, S9, S10, S15, S16 and S23 |
| 10 | Broker clients to business support services | C4; S22 (coordinating support around a business) |
| 11 | Manage a business support client portfolio | S2; S22 (account management); C7 (acting in the client's interest when delivering targets) |
| 12 | Help the business to appreciate the link between improved business performance and the contribution of skills | S8; C6 (awareness) |
| 13 | Help the client to critically assess a business support service provider's offer | C4 |
| 14 | Broker deals with business support service providers | C4 |
| 15 | Help the client to build confidence and capacity to evaluate and broker their own solutions | C4; C5 (evaluation) |
| 16 | Help the client to assess the environmental impact of their business | S7; C6 (awareness) |
| 17 | Develop or deliver policies or programmes that help small businesses | S14 |
| 18 | Deliver professional services that give added value to small business clients | S13 |
| 19 | Deliver enterprise training to small business clients | S6; S21 (group learning) |
Business Information Standards (2008)
8 units
Unit | Original unit | Now in |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Deal with initial business information enquiries from clients and identify their needs | I1; C1 and C2 in part; S4 (how clients take in information) |
| 2 | Research and provide clients with the business information they need | I2; C2 in part |
| 3 | Contribute to administering and promoting business information services | I3 |
| 4 | Provide and maintain the materials needed to deliver business information | I4 |
| 5 | Develop networks to provide access to business information, support and resources | C8 |
| 6 | Evaluate the quality of your own practice in business information | C8 |
| 7 | Develop your own ability to provide business information | C8 |
| 8 | Develop your knowledge and experience of a small business and its core functions | E5; C6; S9 |
Introduction to Enterprise Support (2007)
5 units
Unit | Original unit | Now in |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Build relationships with others | E1; C1 |
| 2 | Use your expertise and experience to help others | E2; C1; C7 and B9 (working within your competence) |
| 3 | Evaluate and develop your own performance | E3; C8 |
| 4 | Help others to set and realise objectives | E4; C3; S4 |
| 5 | Knowledge and experience of a small business and its core functions | E5; C6; S9 |
Business and Enterprise Support (2013)
22 units
Unit | Original unit | Now in |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Develop awareness amongst potential clients as a source of trusted and responsible support | C1 (reaching potential clients); C8; I1 and I3; S18 (creativity and innovation); S23 (professional presence online); S24 (reaching under-represented clients) |
| 2 | Research the background and experiences of the client | C2; I2; S20 (preparing for conversations) |
| 3 | Build a relationship with the client | C1; E1; S24 (building trust) |
| 4 | Maintain an effective relationship with the client | C1; C4 (funding and costs); S22 (account relationships) |
| 5 | Help the client to analyse the business opportunity | C2; C6; S9; S19 (business models) |
| 6 | Use personal experience and expertise to identify the needs of the client | C1; E2; C7 and B9 (working within your competence); S20 (identifying underlying needs) |
| 7 | Apply your knowledge and experience of business and its core functions | C6; E5 |
| 8 | Help the client to set and agree objectives | C2; C3; E4 |
| 9 | Encourage the client to act for themselves | C3 |
| 10 | Enable the client to implement changes | C3 |
| 11 | Help the client reflect on the link between improved performance and the investment in learning and skills development | S8; C6 (awareness) |
| 12 | Monitor and evaluate own performance with the client | C5; C8 |
| 13 | Develop own networks and relationships to provide access to information, support and resources | C8; C4 |
| 14 | Introduce the client to other sources of support | C4; S22 (coordinating support around a business) |
| 15 | Help the client to critically assess a business and enterprise support offer | C4 |
| 16 | Help the client to build confidence and capacity to evaluate and access their own solutions | C4; C3 and C5 (planning and evaluation) |
| 17 | Evaluate the quality of your own practice in business and enterprise support | C8; C7 |
| 18 | Develop your own ability to provide a business and enterprise support service | C8 |
| 19 | Support the client through developing personal enterprising skills | S18; S9; S19 (business model frameworks) |
| 20 | Support the client through enterprise mentoring | S4 |
| 21 | Support the client through enterprise training | S6; S21 (action learning) |
| 22 | Support the client through a professional consultancy service | S13; S20 (consultative practice); C3 (modes of support) |
What is new in this edition
- AI and Digital Adoption (S3), Supporting Businesses in Difficulty (S11), Rural and Land-based Business (S15), Creative Industries (S16) and Business Resilience (S17) are new Specialist Standards
- Business Model and Value Proposition Design (S19) is a new Specialist Standard on using visual tools such as canvases to design, test and improve how a business creates and earns from value
- Developing Enterprising Skills (S18) brings forward the 2013 standard on enterprising skills, for people on any path, not only those starting a business
- Consultative Advisory Practice (S20), Action Learning Facilitation (S21), Business Account Management (S22), Digital Marketing and Social Media (S23) and Inclusive Engagement with Under-represented Businesses (S24) are new Specialist Standards that give depth to the advisory, facilitation, relationship and outreach skills set out in the Core Standards
- Ethical and professional practice (C7) is now a Standard in its own right, rather than being left to the guidelines of each organisation
- Reaching and engaging potential clients is now part of the Core Standards (C1)
- The Business Information and Introduction suites keep their original numbering (I1 to I4 and E1 to E5), updated for digital channels, online research and AI, accessibility and data protection
- Measuring and evidencing impact (C5) is drawn together into a single Standard
- Data protection, digital and remote delivery, and the responsible use of AI are built into the Core Standards
- Mentoring and coaching, previously treated as modes of consulting, now have their own Specialist Standards (S4 and S5)
- The personal behaviours repeated in every original unit are set out once (B1 to B11)
- Dated references (for example to Business Link, regional economic strategies, fax and named funding schemes) have been removed, and duplicated units have been merged