CAPITAL CARDIFF PEERING FACILITY GRANT GUIDANCE NOTES

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1 CAPITAL CARDIFF PEERING FACILITY GRANT GUIDANCE NOTES The Capital Cardiff Peering Facility Grant has been established to assist businesses and third sector organisations to meet the upfront capital costs of peering in the Internet Exchange. This guidance contains information on who is eligible to apply, the application process and the Terms and Conditions of the Scheme. Should you have any questions regarding this document or the Capital Cardiff Peering Facility Grant in general, please do not hesitate to contact the Digital Cardiff Team on or 1. AM I ELIGIBLE TO APPLY? To be eligible for Peering Grant funding under this Scheme you must fall into the category of an SME as follows: (a) You must be a Small or Medium Sized Enterprise (SME) as defined by the European Commission: You employ between 1 and 249 persons You have an annual turnover not exceeding 50 million OR You have an annual balance sheet total not exceeding 43 million. If you are a start-up or pre-start-up business, you are eligible to apply. Charities, Social Enterprises, Community Interest Companies (CICs), SOHO s and sole traders can also apply as long as they meet the above criteria. (b) Your business must be located within Wales or the South West of England to be eligible for the scheme. If you are located outside of this area and are interested please contact the team directly to discuss. (c) You have not already received public sector funding to peer within an Exchange.

2 (d) You must confirm that you have not received more than 200k (approximately 165k) in public funding for all de minimis aid over a three-year fiscal period. You will have been issued with a letter by any schemes that run under de minimis telling you how much aid you have received. You can find more guidance at: This Regulation applies to aid granted to businesses in all sectors with the exception of the following. Businesses / organisations in these sectors are not eligible to apply to this scheme. Aid granted to businesses active in fishery and aquaculture Aid granted to activity in the primary production of agricultural products Aid granted to businesses active in the processing and marketing of agricultural products (in certain cases) Aid to export-related activities towards third countries or Member States Aid granted to businesses active in the coal sector Aid granted to businesses in difficulty If you are uncertain, please take professional advice to ensure you are eligible or contact the Cardiff Voucher Scheme Team directly. (e) Your business must be financially viable at the time you apply and have no outstanding debts to the Local Authority. Cardiff Council reserves the right to re-check the information provided in the application if the period between approval and claim of grant funds exceeds 6 months. (f) The grant is to represent up to 100% of eligible costs from a minimum of 200 up to a maximum of 20,000. If the eligible costs on the quote exceed the 20,000 maximum, we would still like to receive your application. 2. THE APPLICATION PROCESS (a) Before starting your application, you can check your eligibility by reading the guidance notes. If you are unclear about any aspect of the eligibility criteria please contact the Digital Cardiff Team (contact details can be found at the end of this document).

3 (b) Should you meet the eligibility criteria, you are asked to source one quotation that itemises the equipment and associated costs. (c) Once you are in receipt of a quotation, you can complete the application form which can be downloaded from or ed to you upon request. (d) The application asks that you make clear your status as an organisation. You are asked to provide the Company Registration Number, VAT Registration; Charity Registration; or sole trader Unique Tax Reference (UTR) number. Please note that this information is mandatory and failure to provide it will result in a delay your application. (e) If your application is successful you will receive a Capital Cardiff Peering Grant Offer Letter. This will be the formal confirmation of the value of your grant. You must place an order for the equipment within 14 days of the date of the Peering Grant Offer Letter. Any offer made will be withdrawn and the funding reallocated after the 21 days from the date of the offer letter, unless you have a genuine reason for the delay. (f) A Peering Grant Acceptance Form will be included with the Offer Letter. You must sign and return this form once the order has been placed within the aforementioned 28 days of the date of the offer letter. Failure to respond and return the Acceptance Form within this timeframe will result in the Grant Offer being withdrawn unless there is a genuine reason for the delay. (g) If your application is unsuccessful you will receive a letter of rejection explaining why such a decision has been made (reasons might include issues with quotations or value for money). In all cases, the applicant has the right to challenge any decision with additional information or evidence. If, however, you aren t happy with the feedback you receive there is a complaints procedure in place should you wish to make a formal appeal. 3. TERMS AND CONDITIONS If you are offered a Peering Grant, the following terms and conditions will apply: My Peering Service: a) As part of this project and funding you must peer in the Internet Exchange. b) Only one grant can be awarded per business to peer in the exchange.

4 c) You cannot use the grant to pay for any revenue services, specifically administration fees, joining fees or any other associated running costs. d) You must provide evidence of the successful installation of your equipment in the Internet Exchange in order to claim your grant. Further information on this can be found in the payment claim section. My application e) You are responsible for providing all the information reasonably requested in the application process and from the wider Peering Grant Scheme. This includes any additional information that may be necessary for the purposes of processing your application or deciding on your grant award amount. f) Information submitted on application forms will be shared with other associated organisations for the purpose of processing the application. You have the right to request this information under data protection laws. (h) You must be willing to assist us with regards to the promotion of the peering grant scheme, including providing information for a case study and taking part in any evaluation surveys. (i) All applications must be completed, grants offered, and orders for the equipment placed before 29 th August No Peering Grant Approvals will be issued after the 29 th August 2014 to allow for the administration to be complete by the 31 st December (j) Should the Internet Exchange facility fail to be operational by 5 th December 2014 there is no obligation on any party to honour the Peering Grant Offer. (k) You are responsible for paying the ongoing peering subscription services costs. This cannot be claimed under the Peering Grant Scheme. (l) All payment claims must be made by 5 th December We cannot pay claims submitted after this date. You should satisfy yourself that you will receive the invoice for the capital works and have time to submit a payment claim before this date. Payment of my Grant (m) Payment of your grant will be made following receipt of paid invoices from you for the capital equipment installed.

5 (n) The grant will not cover any VAT costs and the invoices should be itemised for ease of identifying the items and associated costs. (o) The value of your individual Grant will be confirmed in the Peering Grant Offer Letter, which you will receive if your application is successful. You can claim the actual cost of the capital works or the grant value, whichever is the lower. If the capital expenditure costs are less than the grant offered, you can only claim the actual cost. If the costs are higher than the grant, you will be responsible for paying the difference. The Capital Cardiff Peering Grant scheme is not liable for any payment in excess of the grant amount. (p) Grants are for the one-off, upfront capital costs to peer within the Exchange. These costs must be reasonable and in line with current market estimates, as evidenced by the quotation requested in the Application. Costs may include router equipment and any other essential technology. Only Capital expenditure which falls within the definition compliant with Public Sector Accounting Regulations can be accepted. (q) Computer and ICT equipment cannot be claimed for under this scheme, and you are responsible for paying the on-going peering services costs. We can only reimburse expenditure deemed capital in accordance with Public Sector Accounting Regulations. (r) You should not enter into any contracts, commitments or expenditure prior to receiving a Capital Cardiff Peering Grant Offer Letter confirming the value of your voucher. Any expenditure you make before the date of your Offer Letter cannot be claimed back. General conditions (s) The Peering Grant scheme is not liable in any way for lost or damaged applications, user errors or unauthorised use of the webpage and application materials. (t) The Peering Grant Scheme is not liable in any way for incomplete, false or misleading information given by applicants. Where incomplete, false or misleading information is given, the Peering Grant Scheme reserves the right to either decline the application or reclaim the grant in full. (u) The Peering Grant Scheme reserves the right to discontinue or otherwise vary the terms of the scheme in any way without further notice. Current terms and conditions are available on the website or on request at any time. (v) There are a limited number of grants available at any time. The Peering Grant Scheme reserves the right to end the scheme when funds run out. Otherwise the scheme will on 5 th December 2014 as projected, or when advised by the UK government.

6 (w) Cardiff Council, and any other bodies specified in the overarching grant agreement with DCMS, retains the right to audit any of the works carried out as a direct result of this support scheme. Applicants should also be aware that the European Court of Auditors may audit any body or person managing or receiving Community funds. In particular, it audits the Community institutions and bodies, the national, regional and local authorities and the final recipients of Community aid. (x) The Peering Grant Scheme does not endorse any particular provider or product and you should undertake all normal checks to satisfy yourself of the standing of the supplier and suitability of the product before placing an order directly with the supplier of your choice. (y) The Peering Grant Scheme accepts no liability for any work undertaken. It is the responsibility of the supplier to ensure that the equipment is installed correctly and without loss or damage. You should assure yourself that the equipment has been correctly installed before making your claim. If you require further assistance please contact the Digital Cardiff Team on or or Digitalcardiff@cardiff.gov.uk.