2. Guidance Documents

According to HM Treasury's Better Business Case guidance, the purpose of the Strategic Assessment is to establish the strategic context for a project and demonstrate how it aligns with wider organisational, regional, and national priorities.

A project is most effectively initiated when it is grounded in a clear business strategy that outlines:

• Where you are now.
• Where you want to be.
• How you will get there.
• How success will be measured.

Completing a Strategic Assessment provides an early opportunity for the organisation, the MWGD team, and key stakeholders to:

• Influence the direction, scope, and content of the project.
• Confirm the project's strategic fit within the MWGD portfolio.
• Ensure the project is well-structured, resourced, and governed for successful delivery.

Your Strategic Assessment Should:

• Demonstrate how the project supports national, regional, local, or organisational policies and targets aligned with the MWGD.
• Show how the project fits within your organisation's business strategy and delivery plans.
• Provide a clear understanding of the critical path for delivery, including:
  • Anticipated outcomes and outputs
  • Key milestones and timescales
  • Expected benefits and associated risks
• Validate that the project is:
  • Organised and funded appropriately
  • Supported by the necessary governance, standards, resources, and capabilities
• Clearly articulate the business needs and service opportunities the project aims to address.

The Strategic Assessment Form is designed to guide you through this process. While largely self-explanatory, the following additional guidance will support you in completing it effectively.

Please complete the following fields in the Strategic Application Form. These details help assess your project's strategic fit, readiness, and financial structure.

Project Details

• Project Title:  A clear and concise name for your project.
• Lead Organisation:  The organisation responsible for leading the development and delivery of the project.
• Senior Responsible Owner (SRO):  The senior individual within the lead organisation accountable for the successful delivery of the project.
• Project Manager:  The person responsible for day-to-day project development and coordination.
• External Project Capacity:  Indicate if any external professional project management support is being used.
• Key Stakeholders:  List other organisations actively involved in developing or supporting the project.

Financial Overview

• Total Capital Cost (£):  The full capital cost required to deliver the project (Ranging from £500k - £25m).
• MWGD Ask (£):  The amount of funding requested from MWGD (must not exceed 40% of the total capital cost).
• Match Requirement (£):  The remaining capital funding required (i.e. Total Capital Cost minus MWGD Ask).
• Potential Private Sector Investment (£):  Any anticipated or confirmed private sector contributions toward the match funding.
• Development Revenue Costs (£):  Estimated revenue costs for developing the project.  Note: MWGD cannot fund development revenue costs.
• Indicative Benefit Cost Ratio (BCR):  If known, provide the BCR—a measure comparing the project's expected benefits to its costs.

If ill-informed at this stage, leave blank. Please avoid speculative estimates.

The Proposal

In this section, you should provide a clear and concise description of your project proposal. Your response should cover the following key areas:

• Purpose of the Project

Explain what your project aims to achieve. Describe the core idea, the problem or opportunity it addresses, and the rationale behind its development.

• Evidence of Demand

Provide supporting evidence that demonstrates the need or demand for your project. This could include:

o   Market research or stakeholder engagement

o   Policy or strategy alignment

o   Identified service gaps or economic opportunities

• Anticipated Impact

Outline the expected outcomes and benefits of the project. Consider:

o   Economic impact (e.g. job creation, GVA uplift, investment leverage)

o   Social or environmental benefits

o   Contribution to regional resilience or innovation

• Strategic Fit

Explain how the project aligns with:

o   The priorities of Growing Mid Wales

o   The strategic objectives of the Mid Wales Growth Deal, such as:

Driving innovation and productivity

Supporting decarbonisation and net zero ambitions

Enhancing skills and employment

Improving connectivity

Strengthening the foundational economy

A strong response will clearly demonstrate how the project contributes to regional goals and complements other initiatives within the MWGD portfolio.

The Self-Assessment

As part of the Strategic Application Form, applicants are required to complete a self-assessment, using a scoring scale of 1 to 5, supported by Robust Explanatory Notes.

• Guidance on what constitutes a low (1) or high (5) score is provided within the form.
• Each Robust Explanatory Note must be no more than 150 words and should clearly justify the score given.

Purpose of the Self-Assessment

The self-assessment is a key tool for evaluating how well your project aligns with the Critical Success Factors of the Mid Wales Growth Deal. These factors help ensure:

• Proposals directly support the Growth Deal's goals — including transformational change, inclusive growth, and sectoral development
• A standardised and transparent framework is used to assess diverse projects across all stakeholders

The Critical Success Factors underpin the information requested in the Strategic Assessment Form and are grouped into two key areas:

• Table A: Strategic Value - assesses alignment with regional priorities, policy fit, and potential impact
• Table B: Mobilisation - evaluates readiness to deliver, including planning, governance, and resource capacity

Completing this section thoroughly will strengthen your application and help the Growing Mid Wales team assess your project's fit within the wider portfolio.

Strategic Assessment Summary Matrix

Once you have completed Table A (Strategic Value) and Table B (Mobilisation), you must summarise your results using the Strategic Assessment Summary Matrix.

This matrix provides a visual representation of your project's overall position, helping to inform prioritisation and decision-making.

Mobilisation Summary:  You will need to provide an overall judgement for Table B (Mobilisation), based on the four key aspects assessed:

• Affordability.
• Complexity.
• Timeliness.
• Management.

Judgement descriptors are provided in the form to guide your assessment.

Plot your project on the matrix using the combined outcomes of:

• Strategic Value (from Table A).
• Mobilisation (summarised from Table B).

This will help the Growing Mid Wales team assess the relative strength and readiness of your proposal within the wider portfolio.