Guide to delivering European funding (England only)
Building Better Opportunities programme homepage
We are currently reviewing our guidance and it's version control. Some recent changes are yet to be added to the guidance, but have been communicated through email updates to the lead organisation. Please be sure to read these updates below and apply them in conjunction with the Guide to delivering European funding.
We apologise for any inconvenience, but hope that this process will be beneficial in the long term.
Section 1
LAST UPDATED: SEPTEMBER 2018
Section 2
LAST UPDATED: MAY 2017
Section 3
LAST UPDATED: MAY 2017
Getting started v6 (PDF, 200 KB)
Section 4
LAST UPDATED: OCTOBER 2019
Payments, claims and monitoring v8 (PDF, 413 KB)
LAST UPDATED: JUNE 2021
Annex A: Your payment schedule v11 (XLSX, 181 KB)
LAST UPDATED: AUGUST 2022
Annex B: Project progress report v9 (DOCX, 106 KB)
LAST UPDATED: JANUARY 2019
Annex D: Changes to your project form v7.1 (DOCX, 76.7 KB)
LAST UPDATED: JANUARY 2020
Annex U: Staff list v3 (XLSX, 313 KB)
LAST UPDATED: JANUARY 2020
Annex V: Partner list v3 (XLSX, 89 KB)
Section 5
LAST UPDATED: JUNE 2021
Targets and project outcomes v7 (PDF, 140 KB)
LAST UPDATED: MAY 2019
Annex E: Target and project outcome schedule is no longer available online, please contact your funding officer for the latest version
LAST UPDATED: MAY 2019
Annex F: Target and project outcome schedule (Cor/2/1 only) is no longer available online, please contact your funding officer for the latest version
Section 6
LAST UPDATED: JULY 2019
Participants v11 (PDF, 412 KB)
LAST UPDATED: NOVEMBER 2019
Annex G: Participant file template v8 (DOCX, 122 KB)
LAST UPDATED: MAY 2021
Annex H: Participant entry form v13 (DOCX, 108 KB)
Annex H: Participant entry form black and white v13 (DOCX, 100 KB)
LAST UPDATED: NOVEMBER 2019
Annex I: Participant progress form v8 (DOCX, 115 KB)
LAST UPDATED: FEBRUARY 2019
Annex J: Participant exit form v8 (DOCX, 68 KB)
Annex J: Participant exit form black and white v8.1 (DOCX, 68 KB)
If you are a London area project see below Section 12, for your London specific information and exit form.
LAST UPDATED: JANUARY 2023
Annex L: Participant monitoring spreadsheet v14 (XSLX, 20.7 MB)
Updates in version 9 - Annex L Participant monitoring spreadsheet (DOCX 46KB)
LAST UPDATED: OCTOBER 2017
Annex L: Data schema (XSLX, 86 KB)
LAST UPDATED: DECEMBER 2018
Annex M: Participant definitions and data fields v8 (DOCX, 161 KB)
LAST UPDATED: FEBRUARY 2019
Annex R: Participant exit form - COR/2/1 v3.1 (DOCX, 70 KB)
Annex R: Participant exit form black and white - COR/2/1 v3.1 (DOCX, 68 KB)
Section 7
LAST UPDATED: MAY 2017
Partners and procurement v6 (PDF, 278 KB)
Section 8
LAST UPDATED: OCTOBER 2021
Costs and expenditure v10 (PDF, 305 KB)
LAST UPDATED: FEBRUARY 2019
Annex N: Participant expenses, allowances and incentives form v8.1 (DOCX, 76 KB)
Annex N: Participant expenses, allowances and incentives form black and white v8.1 (DOCX, 68 KB)
LAST UPDATED: APRIL 2022
Annex O: Financial monitoring spreadsheet v11 (XLSX, 4.4 MB)
LAST UPDATED: JULY 2019
Annex T: Hourly Rate Calculator v2.0 (XLSX, 115KB)
LAST UPDATED: JUNE 2019
Hourly rate guidance v2 (PDF, 399 KB)
Section 9
LAST UPDATED: JANUARY 2019
Section 10
LAST UPDATED: NOVEMBER 2020
Cross-cutting themes v7 (PDF, 154 KB)
Section 11
LAST UPDATED: FEBRUARY 2020
Evidence and retention v7 (PDF, 218 KB)
Section 12
LAST UPDATED: MAY 2017
Projects based in London v6 (PDF, 252 KB)
LAST UPDATED: FEBRUARY 2019
Annex P: Participant exit form (London only) v8.1 (DOCX, 74 KB)
Annex P: Participant exit form black and white (London only) v8.1 (DOCX, 72 KB)
Section 13
LAST UPDATED: MAY 2017
Glossary of terms v6 (PDF, 169 KB)
Section 14
LAST UPDATED: APRIL 2022
Essential updates
LAST UPDATED: MARCH 2023
- Essential update March 2023
Project closure update - Essential update October 2022
Project closure update - Essential update September 2022
Revised terms and conditions for Building Better Opportunities - Essential update August 2022
Annex B and procurement reporting and Action notes 085/22 and 088/22, Additional Funding Available for European Social Fund Direct Bid Projects - Essential update July 2022
Project Closure and Future Funding - Essential update May 2022 - Part 2
Update to Simplified Cost Options Guidance and Annex O - Essential update May 2022
Annex B - Essential update April 2022
People from Ukraine, Employment Allowance and Annex O - Essential update March 2022
Audit update - Essential update February 2022
Increases to Employer NI Contributions, financial forecasts as we approach the end of the programme and audit support post project closure - Essential update October 2021 - Part 2
1720 Hourly Rate update - Essential update January 2022
Reporting Data Breaches - Essential update October 2021 - Part 2
1720 Hourly Rate update - Essential update October 2021
Mobile Phone Contract Procurement, Procurement Registers, and an update to the Guide to Delivering European Funding Section Eight - Essential update September 2021 - Part 2
Reporting Data Breaches - Essential update September 2021
Revisions to National Eligibility and Programme Guidance and Inaccessible Documents on TNLCF website - Essential update August 2021
Revision to Simplified Cost Options (SCO) Guidance on Annual Gross Employment Costs - Essential update June 2021 - Part 2
Update to the Guide to Delivering European Funding - Essential update June 2021
Annex A Version 11 - Essential update May 2021 - Part 2
Extensions, Procurement and State Aid - Essential update May 2021
Updated Annex H - Essential update April 2021
Updated Annex H - Essential update March 2021
Eligibility of European Economic Area Nationals (EEA) for ESF Support from 1 January 2021 - Essential update January 2021 - Part 2
Update to the Guide to Delivering European Funding, Annex L: Participant monitoring spreadsheet and Section 14: Project closure - Essential update January 2021
Update on the Eligibility of European Economic Area Nationals (EEA) for ESF - Essential update November 2020
Possible Future Funding for BBO, Revised Targets and Revised Terms and Conditions for BBO - Essential update November 2020 - Part 2
ESF National Eligibility Rules and Programme Guidance Updated - Essential update October 2020
Changes to Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme - Essential update October 2020 - Part 2
GDPR and Clarification on the process for reporting data breaches - Essential update September 2020
Update to Annex A - Essential update March 2020
Covid-19 response - Essential update March 2020 - Part 2
Covid-19 response - part 2 - Essential update February 2020
Guide to Delivering European Funding Section 11: Evidence and Retention
- Essential update January 2020 - Part 2
Annex U: Staff list and Annex V: Partner list - Essential update January 2020
Future grant payments - Essential update November 2019 - Part 2
Update on Procurement, pension contributions and direct staff costs - Essential update November 2019
General election, Purdah and funding extensions - Essential update October 2019 - Part 2
Materials update and managing Self-Declared Adjustments and Irregularities - Essential update October 2019
Procurement policy note – Preparing for the UK leaving the EU - Essential update September 2019
Grant closure guidance and additional direct staff costs methodology - Essential update August 2019
Focus on Procurement - Essential update July 2019
Updates to annex L and annex T - Essential update June 2019
Learning from Article 127 checks: Procurement compliance and hourly rate guidance - Essential update May 2019
European elections, Purdah and funding extensions - Essential update May part 2 2019
Immediate changes to annex L and annex O, the roll out of the disengaged participant policy, and grant holder access to BBOX - Essential update April 2019
Reporting potential fraud and data breaches, Feedback from Article 127 checks, Extensions, and annex updates - Essential update March 2019
Updates on annex L, A and E - Essential update February 2019
Updated Guide to Delivering European Funding, section eight (Costs and expenditure), section nine (Publicity) and annex D - Essential update January 2019
Update on pay rises for part time staff and Ecorys to launch participant telephone survey – January 2019 - Essential update January 2019 - Rebrand
Our new name, the logo, media and publicity and updates to section 9 of the Guide to Delivering European Funding - Essential update Irrecoverable VAT
Irrecoverable VAT and Kiteworks changes - Essential update November 2018
Updated Guide to Delivering European Funding section 6 (Participants) and annex H - Essential update September 2018
Changes to Article 125 testing - Essential update November 2017
Annex A, Types of publicity and Participant engagement activity - Essential update October 2017
Data Issues - Correct responses and formats, information in fields not relevant to projects, duplicate participants, #REF errors and Annex E
Project closure updates
GDPR notices
- DWP action notes
- Materials update
- Data controller changes, May 2018
- Changes to data fields, May 2018
- GDPR transition plan, April 2018
- GDPR essential update, April 2018
Hourly rates
- Essential update June 2018 1
Difficulties in our approval of the hourly rates - Essential update June 2018 2
Hourly rate calculations, your Q2 claim and Q3 payment - Essential update May 2018 1
1720 material release - Hourly Rate Guidance document
Annex S – Calculator for existing staff
Annex T – Calculator for new staff - Essential update May 2018 2
1720 calculations new staff (including on BBO less than 12 months), 1720 Evidence of defrayal, Can 1720 rates be re-calculated when a pay award is made? and Financial and target forecasts for Q2 2018 claim
Throughout the Building Better Opportunities programme, we have published questions asked by the general public and their answers. These have now been archived but are available for public viewing. Please contact esf@tnlcommunityfund.org.uk or call 0345 4 10 20 30.