The challenge
The council had received a £4.87 million grant application from a UK manufacturer, part of a much larger US-listed parent group, to fund a new specialist testing and manufacturing facility. Before committing public money, the council needed to know that the requested grant was genuinely the minimum necessary, that the applicant's finances stood up to scrutiny, that the parent company's funding commitment was real, and that the revenue and cost assumptions underpinning the business case were realistic.
How we helped
We ran a structured due diligence exercise covering corporate and group context, historic financial performance of both the applicant and its overseas parent, the business plan and investment model, sources and uses of funding, and the viability gap, counterfactual and subsidy control position. We review every material assumption, from staffing and lease costs through to the revenue pipeline.
Alongside the financial review, we identified a material gaps as discovered. We translated these findings into practical conditions the council could attach to any award, including a Parent Company Guarantee, milestone-based drawdown and updated cost schedules once site details were confirmed.
The council particularly valued our willingness to challenge the applicant's own figures rather than simply validate them, giving them an independent, evidence-led view.
The results
We gave the council a clear, evidenced picture of the risks in the application, including gaps in parent-company funding commitments, unverified revenue assumptions and cost estimates that hadn't yet been tested against a confirmed site. This let the council go into its funding decision understanding the businesses financial standing.
Our recommendations gave the council practical tools to protect public funds.
About our team
Our grant advisory team combines financial rigour with hands-on experience of UK and EU funding schemes, subsidy control and capital project delivery. Every engagement is led by a senior Director or Partner who works closely with the funding body throughout, backed by consultants who understand both the funder's obligations and the commercial realities facing applicants.
