Website of the Department of Health

Social Enterprise Investment Fund (SEIF) Fund Management

The Department of Health seeks a contractor to take over management and operation of the Social Enterprise Investment Fund (SEIF) with effect from 1 April 2009. The broad aim of the SEIF is to promote, through the provision of business support and financial assistance, the development of social enterprises in the health and social care sectors in the context of the development of a plural and more diverse provider market in health and social care. The key objectives of the SEIF are to:

• Stimulate the start-up of new social enterprises in health and social care
• Enable growth in the delivery by social enterprises of health and social care services and products;
• Develop and offer a range of innovative financial products for start-up funding and longer term investment that are tailored to the needs of emerging and existing social enterprises in the health and social care sectors and which support their financial sustainability;
• Encourage social returns;
• Leverage investment from external investors.

Following the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review, the Government has committed £100 million of funding for the SEIF. The SEIF offers a range of products, including grants, loans, loan guarantees and quasi-equity or a mix of these.

Activities to be performed by the contractor will include marketing the SEIF to potential applicants, screening and appraising applications by social enterprises seeking financial assistance and investment, managing the draw-down of investment funding, monitoring the performance of the SEIF's portfolio of investments (including the SEIF's existing investments), and ensuring that SEIF investees meet their repayment obligations. The contractor will also be expected to offer business support services to both applicant and investee organisations,
and to engage with health and social care service commissioning bodies to test demand amongst such bodies for the services being offered by social enterprises applying to the SEIF for support.

Candidates wishing to be considered for this contract must register their expression of interest through the Department's Supplier e-tendering Portal. A link can be found on the main tendering page. The EOI reference is EOI 1284

Closing date for completed PQQS 12.00 on 1st September 2008

• Download Social Enterprise Investment Fund (SEIF) - Fund Management (PDF, 110K)