Conditions of Grant

Every award made by the Grants Office of the Velocity Interoperability Network is subject to the conditions on this page. They are set out in full in the award agreement, which a recipient signs before the first payment is made, and they apply from the date of the award until six years after the final payment. The conditions are the same for all six programmes; where a programme adds a condition of its own, it is stated in the award agreement.

The conditions exist for one purpose: to give public assurance that money awarded from the Grant Fund is spent on the work for which it was sought. A recipient who is uncertain whether a proposed step is within the conditions should ask the Office before taking it. The Office answers such questions within ten working days, and an answer given in writing may be relied upon.

The conditions. Eight conditions attach to every award.

The grant is used only for the work described

A grant meets the costs set out in the budget accepted by the Office and no others. Money may be moved between categories of the budget up to a tenth of the award without approval; any greater movement requires the written agreement of the Office before the expenditure is incurred.

The work is carried out within the period of the award

The period of the award runs from the date of the award agreement to the completion date stated in it. Costs incurred before the award, or after the completion date, are not eligible. An extension of up to three months may be granted once, on written request made before the completion date.

Purchases above 10,000 credits are competitively sought

Where a single purchase from grant funds exceeds 10,000 credits, the recipient obtains at least three written quotations and keeps them with the records of the award. Where three quotations cannot be obtained, the recipient records the reason before the purchase is made.

Equipment bought with grant funds remains devoted to the work

Equipment costing more than 5,000 credits is entered in the recipient's asset register and is used for the funded work for at least three years after completion. It may not be sold or transferred within that period without the written agreement of the Office.

Results are published and may be reused

Reports, specifications, training material and research results produced with a grant are published in a form that others may read and reuse without charge, within twelve months of completion. Where publication would disclose a security matter, the Office may agree in writing to restrict it.

Changes to a funded project are notified

A recipient tells the Office within twenty working days of any change to the work, the period, the budget, the person responsible for the work, or the standing of the recipient body. The Office may vary the award, suspend payment or, in a serious case, end the award.

Records are kept and may be inspected

A recipient keeps the accounts, invoices, quotations, timesheets and correspondence relating to an award for six years after the final payment, and produces them on request to the Office or to the Audit Office of the Network. Inspection is arranged by giving at least ten working days' notice.

Grant may be recovered

The Office may require repayment of all or part of a grant where the work is not carried out, where money is spent otherwise than on the work described, where a condition is broken, or where the application contained a material inaccuracy. Repayment is sought within sixty working days of the demand.

Claiming payment. The six steps below run from the notification of an award to the final payment. Amounts are in credits.

1. 1

   Step 1: Accept the award

   Return the signed award agreement within twenty working days of notification. The award lapses if it is not accepted within that period, and the provision returns to the programme.

2. 2

   Step 2: Receive the first payment

   Awards of up to 25,000 credits are paid in a single sum within fifteen working days of acceptance. Larger awards are paid in instalments, the first being a quarter of the award, paid on the same terms.

3. 3

   Step 3: Incur the expenditure

   Spend against the budget accepted by the Office, keeping the invoices, quotations and records that support every item. Expenditure outside the accepted budget is met by the recipient.

4. 4

   Step 4: Submit a claim

   Claim each further instalment by sending a statement of expenditure to date and a short account of the work done, signed by the person responsible for the accounts. Claims may be made no more often than monthly.

5. 5

   Step 5: Receive the instalment

   The Office checks the claim and pays within twenty working days of receiving a complete claim. Where a claim is incomplete, the Office says what is missing within ten working days.

6. 6

   Step 6: Complete the work and report

   Send the final report and statement of expenditure within the period set for the value of the award. The final tenth of an award is paid after the final report is accepted.

Payment and reporting by value of award. What a recipient must report, and when, depends on the value of the award.

Records and how long they are kept. The periods below run from the final payment of the award concerned.

If something goes wrong. A recipient who cannot complete funded work should write to the Office as soon as the difficulty is known. Where the work can be completed later or on a smaller scale, the Office will normally vary the award rather than end it. Where an award is ended, the Office recovers only the part of the grant not properly spent, and the recipient is not barred from applying again once the account is settled.

The programmes to which these conditions apply are set out on the Programmes page and the procedure for applying on the How to Apply page. Awards already made are listed in the Register of Awards. Questions about a condition, a claim or a report may be sent to contact@grants.gov.vin.