Form

Help to Grow: Digital – vendor application guidance (ecommerce)

Updated 15 December 2022

Vendor application and onboarding timeline

The timeline below provides an indicative overview of the key dates between this publication and the launch of ecommerce software on the Help to Grow: Digital platform. Beneath each date is the corresponding milestone and the actions eligible vendors should expect to take at each stage.

More information on these milestones and actions is provided in the How to apply and If your application is successful sections. Further details will be provided to eligible vendors.

Please note that these dates are subject to change.

25 February 2022:

• launch of vendor and product application window

4 April 2022 (5pm):

• vendor and product application window closes

21 April 2022:

• vendors notified of application outcomes
• unsuccessful vendors will be informed of the appeals process

By the end of April 2022:

• vendors receive additional information on technical requirements and grant token redemption
• vendors submit additional information for the product list

By the end of May 2022:

• deadline for changes on vendor site to accept grant tokens
• all testing of system and integration between vendor and system administrator to be completed
• vendors provide bank details and set up redemption process with scheme administrator
• ecommerce products ready for launching with SMEs now able to apply for grant tokens to purchase approved ecommerce software from vendor websites

Vendor eligibility

Vendors who wish to be eligible to provide ecommerce technology products through Help to Grow: Digital will be required to submit an application form providing details of their business and proposed products.

Eligible vendors will:

• be a UK company registered with Companies House
• be incorporated and actively trading for at least a year
• be a producer and vendor of eligible ecommerce technology or a key subcontractor providing the product in line with the terms and conditions (we are not accepting resellers or partner networks)
• demonstrate cyber security measures are in place (verified against a number of tests)
• be GDPR compliant

You will need to undergo fraud checks in line with the terms and conditions of the scheme. This will include credit checks to ensure financial viability and sanctions screening. Successful vendors will be subject to regular fraud and eligibility checks, at least every 12 months.

You will need to put in place additional technical capabilities to comply with the grant token requirements.

Product eligibility

Ecommerce products are the only technology eligible for this wave of the scheme.

You will need to demonstrate that products:

• meet the minimum functionality specifications for ecommerce products
• can be purchased through a complete online retail buying journey in a self-service capacity, at the time of the application (if your online buying journey is not clear from your website, you may need to provide additional evidence such as screenshots)
• have a listed price without the need for a negotiated sales process (if the price is not visible on your website, you may need to provide additional evidence such as screenshots)
• have out of the box functionality with minimum configuration required (the product should have business ready processes, screens, and data requirements available as a default solution)
• have an existing UK SME customer base, illustrating that it’s supporting UK SMEs (this will be reviewed against a threshold set by BEIS)
• provide the expected functionality and capability in a stand-alone solution that enables the SME to publish their own commerce presence and storefront online
• demonstrate adherence to cyber security protection measures
• are sold as a software solution (either as a Software as a Service (SaaS) or on-premise solution including monthly subscription, annual or multi-year contract) and not as a pay per use service (the software may have elements of pay per use within them, but costs associated with those functions would not be covered by the grant token, and the vendor should clearly state this to the SME)
• have a verifiable history of use (over 12 months) by SMEs using customer retention rates (this will be reviewed against a threshold set by BEIS)
• are endorsed by customers through the use of public rating sites (G2, Capterra or GetApp) (these reviews must be at product level and will be reviewed against a threshold set by BEIS)

All eligibility criteria listed above must be met at time of application. Applications will not be considered where the vendor must make changes to products or processes to make them eligible.

This eligibility criteria will be reviewed and may be updated ahead of future waves.

We intend to bring additional technology categories into the scheme in future waves.

Excluded products

Ecommerce must be the core capability provided by eligible products. It must not be a module within a larger product ecosystem.

Products not currently eligible for the scheme include:

• add-ons and integrated solutions that extend capability following an ecosystem approach (this applies to all technologies that take a similar modular approach to providing capabilities or have an app marketplace that sells add-on components developed by independent software vendors or partners (ISVs/ISPs))
• single product ‘business management solutions’ targeting fuller operational capability and broader functional coverage providing capability for end-to-end operational management
• existing marketplace ‘seller accounts’ that allow an SME to publish and sell their product catalogue

This is not an exhaustive list of excluded software types or packages. You should consider how your product fits against all eligibility criteria when submitting your applications.

Product assessment

The scheme intends to include high quality products that have a track record of meeting UK SME customer needs and improving productivity. Products will need to meet the eligibility criteria set out in the guidance.

Demonstrating eligibility

In determining eligibility, products will be assessed against defined lists of minimum standard capabilities. An eligible product must compare favourably against the expected minimum requirements.

Advanced capabilities may also be included as part of products offered via the scheme, but will not be used to determine eligibility.

Where a product is measured against a threshold BEIS will not be publishing the threshold as part of this guidance. BEIS reserves the right to alter these thresholds if required. All products will be assessed consistently against these thresholds.

Demonstrating a UK SME customer base

Products will need to demonstrate an existing UK SME base that is successfully using the products. This will be done through the use of UK SME users and retention rates data and information from external product review sites.

Product reviews must be at product level and pass thresholds set by BEIS. These thresholds will include both the overall rating and the number of reviews. Websites such as Google or Trustpilot where the reviews are unverified or at a company rather than product level will not be accepted as evidence of customer endorsement. Neither will customer case studies, industry awards or magazine reviews (as there is no consistent standard of quality assessment). If you have product level reviews from comparison sites that you believe may be eligible, please provide these and we can assess their suitability, however, inclusion remains at our discretion.

Cyber security considerations

Over the past few years, we have seen a significant rise in the number of cyber-attacks targeted at businesses. Given the reliance of many organisations on software-based products, it’s more important than ever that we take steps to reduce the likelihood of them containing software vulnerabilities, which can, if successfully exploited, significantly impact a business’s ability to operate.

Alongside the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) we have identified 8 controls, which significantly increase your product’s resilience to cyber-attack. Demonstrating alignment with the controls below will be important for SMEs looking to purchase these software products. These controls are set out in the application form, you will be asked to confirm if you and your product meet these controls.

If you would like to find out more about how you can support your development team to deliver more secure software, take a look at the Developer Security Toolkit that has been developed through research sponsored by NCSC.

In order to provide evidence of resilience against compromise, you will need to tell us what security measures from the list below apply to your product:  

• has undergone appropriate verification (such as testing, review and static code analysis) to reduce the risk of defects and exploitable vulnerabilities being present
• contains no default passwords or, where this is unavoidable, forces them to be changed immediately 
• implements 2-factor authentication (2FA) on all ‘important’ accounts (that is ’high value’ accounts (such as administrator accounts))
• validates all input data, whether that be entered via user interfaces or transferred from other systems (perhaps through the use of application programming interfaces (APIs))
• only contains third-party components that are frequently monitored to determine whether they contain vulnerabilities (for example, through regular scanning) and where vulnerabilities are detected prompt and appropriate action is taken
• has been developed with human factors and usability in mind so it is easy to install, configure, use and maintain and, to support these aims, is provided with up-to-date and technically accurate documentation.
• is kept updated, with easy to implement updates of assured provenance (for example, through the use of cryptographic hashes that can be verified before installation) released to supported customers in a timely manner
• has a vulnerability disclosure policy that contains a suitable mechanism by which externally discovered security defects can be reported (this will enable mitigations to be developed, tested and deployed before flaws can be exploited)

Within the application form you will have the ability to, include any additional information you feel is relevant including any accreditation or certifications you have in place.

Product metrics and extensions at additional cost

The grant token does not cover usage-based payments on top of fixed subscription or licence inclusions. Examples could include transactional fee costs, extra storage space or costs per additional service execution API calls.

The standard limits that the vendor imposes on SMEs who use the technologies will be requested during the product application process. The limits provided by the vendor solution in this context should be enough for an organisation with between 5 to 249 employees to operate for more than 1 year, based on vendor experience with similar sized customer organisations in similar sectors or industries, and be part of an existing product configuration that has been sold to other customers prior to the launch of the scheme.

Additional costs in relation to exceeding these standard limits, along with any product support enhancements or uplifts beyond a standard support offering, are not included in the scheme for redemption. However, SMEs participating in the Help to Grow: Digital scheme should be able to access enhancements at the same price as available to other customers and vendors should ensure that any price for enhancements offered to SMEs is equal to or lower than the price advertised on the vendor website to other customers.

Product definitions and capabilities

Ecommerce platforms in their simplest form allow businesses to sell their goods and services online via customer self-service. Many platforms have also been developed to include additional features such as order management, inventory management, website building tools, accounting, and customer service platforms.

Ecommerce products included in Help to Grow: Digital must be provided as standalone software enabling the SME to publish their own commerce presence and manage an independent online storefront. Existing marketplace ‘seller accounts’ that allow an SME to publish and sell their product catalogues within a third-party market solution are not eligible for the scheme.

Minimum capability required

The list below sets out what is the minimum capability for an ecommerce solution that the scheme will accept. Vendors will need to confirm that their product reaches this minimum capability; this will be reviewed as part of the assessment process. We may require further evidence in the event that we cannot find any of the capabilities listed. Vendors may wish to provide additional evidence alongside their application form to assist in assessment.

Online store front management:
The ability to launch a standalone site with branding and user experience specific to the business in order to present a product catalogue and capture customer purchases.

Product catalogue management:
The ability to manage the available products that can be purchased via the platform.

Pricing management:
The ability to manage data that control or represent the current price of items in the product catalogue especially for static pricing models.

Product content management and presentation:
The ability to manage all data relating to products that can be purchased on the site (such as product specifications, marketing copy, digital imagery).

Shopping cart management:
The ability to collect runtime data that allows a customer to browse and select items that will be paid for at checkout, including the ability to indicate that they want to add more of a particular item or remove an item prior to completing the purchase.

Order management:
The ability to record and appropriately share the data related to the purchase for the purpose of fulfilment, tracking, provisioning or otherwise orchestrating the required outcomes as well as providing a record of the user order history for registered accounts.

Account/customer management:
The ability to capture and store customer related information and deliver a secure/authenticated user experience including user history such as previous order information.

On-website customer experience and user journey management:
The ability to control and configure the buying journey and checkout process within the customer-facing website. 

Payment management:
The ability to either process and authorise payments directly, or use 3rd party payment processing providers to communicate with payment card suppliers to confirm authorisation of purchases and collect payment via those providers.

User management:
The ability to create data that relates to users of the systems and assign the users appropriate permissions required to perform their function.

Advanced capabilities

In addition to the required minimum capabilities, eligible softwares can also include more advanced capabilities as set out below. These are not mandatory but could be beneficial to the SME customer. Vendors will be asked to highlight what advanced capabilities their product has in the application form. If you have any additional capabilities that are not listed, you will be able to provide these on the application form.

• pricing rule management 
• transactional configure, price, quote (CPQ)
• discount management 
• coupon management 
• order orchestration 
• inventory management
• supply chain and distribution integration 
• commerce analytics 
• product analytics 
• personalisation 
• digital marketing 
• loyalty management 
• currency management
• service activation and provisioning
• product search 
• product comparison 
• product recommendation 
• order history management 
• return materials authorisation (RMA) management 
• customer review management 
• customer service integration 
• warranty and entitlement management 
• translation and region variants

Grant tokens

The Help to Grow: Digital scheme offers eligible SMEs up to £5,000 to cover up to half of the costs of pre-approved, digital technology solutions for 12 months.

The grant token is redeemable with eligible vendors, for approved products. It’s for vendors to calculate and provide the discount when an SME makes an eligible purchase, in line with the terms and conditions (PDF). It’s the vendors responsibility to seek reimbursement for the value of the grant token from the scheme administrator.

What the grant token covers

The grant token covers:

• 12 months of eligible product core costs (as set out above) exclusive of VAT

Vendors are expected to price any eligible products listed through Help to Grow: Digital in line with pricings on their public websites. Their pricing through Help to Grow: Digital should be equal to or lower than their public website, this includes discounts whether time limited or ongoing.

Free trials

SMEs should have access to any free trials offered to customers through the vendor’s public site. Any free trial period will not count towards the 12-month grant token period. An SME can cancel their grant token at any point during a free trial period and move to another eligible provider.

Discounts

SMEs should have access to any discount periods offered to customers through the vendor’s public site, this includes time limited offers. These discount periods will be included within the 12-month grant token period. Any vendor discount must be applied before the Help to Grow: Digital discount is calculated. Vendors can propose an alternative structure to their discounts, but the value of the discount must be the same or more over the 12 months as their publicly published discount at the point of purchase by the SME. Any proposal must be agreed by BEIS or the scheme administration, agreement is at our discretion.

What the grant token does not cover

The grant token does not cover:

• VAT
• implementation (planning or delivery) services
• vendor professional services beyond what might be included as standard or that are incurred at additional cost
• support package uplifts that are provided at additional cost and provide more than the standard vendor support model
• scenarios not adhering to the approved upgrade options
• training (end user or technical) beyond what might be included as standard or that are incurred at additional cost
• infrastructure costs (for on-premise solutions or private cloud options whether externally hosted, or deployed within the customer SME data centre and where infrastructure costs are separate)
• extensions to the standard product capacity limitations
• application management services provided by the vendor or a third-party to support system administration and overall operational support and management of the product
• back-up and recovery tools or services related to customer data management if the back-up and recovery services the vendor would be providing as part of delivering their cloud-based service does not include customer data
• business continuity or disaster recovery solutions
• other ineligible products being procured from the vendor at the same time as the eligible product (add-ons)
• products developed by partners or independent solution vendors (ISVs) intended to work with the core product and sold as integrated components or via a vendor app store or marketplace
• usage-based payments on top of fixed subscription or licence costs, such as transactional fee costs or service execution API calls
• multiple eligible products

SMEs may wish to add additional functionality or services that are not covered by the grant token when making a purchase. It’s the vendor’s responsibility to ensure SMEs are aware that they’re solely liable for these costs and that they must ensure the grant token is not applied to out of scope functions or services.

Upgrades

The Help to Grow: Digital scheme is primarily intended for SMEs adopting new to firm technologies. However, upgrades of existing products will be permitted in some circumstances providing the outcome is to improve firm level productivity.

The scheme is presently focused on enabling SMEs to purchase software with the core features of the eligible product categories. The grant token may not be used to extend an existing solution already in use by the SME with either partner products or other supporting modules. The grant token cannot be used to cover the full purchase price of core software plus these add-ons for new customers. The grant token can only be applied to the core product price.

For example, ecommerce add-ons or solutions that integrate with the core ecommerce platform product to enable the vendor’s ecosystem or modular product strategy are not eligible to be purchased under the scheme. Existing SME customers cannot use the grant token to purchase solutions that extend their current systems beyond the core product capabilities, and new customers will only receive a grant token on the core product price if they choose to include any add-ons during their purchase.

This applies to e-commerce solutions that take a similar modular or ecosystem approach or that have an app marketplace that sells add-on components provided by the vendor, their partners or other independent software vendors (ISVs) that provide compatible solutions to expand the core product capabilities.

Upgrades that are currently permitted on the scheme:

• moves between vendors for similar products (an SME may wish to move to a supplier that has software solutions that better meet the needs of their company and deliver improved productivity)
• major upgrades that represent an architectural shift and change in operations, for example from desktop-based applications to cloud based software as a service (this will be allowed for existing vendor customers)
• new product variants from the existing vendor, or a new vendor, to expand the functionality and include additional capability (the new variant must be an ecommerce product)

We will review and update the eligibility criteria ahead of future waves.

How to apply

1. Agree to the terms and conditions

At the beginning of the application form, you will be asked to agree to the terms and conditions for being an eligible vendor in the scheme.

You will need to be authorised to agree to the terms and conditions on behalf of your company. These terms and conditions will be legally binding throughout your time participating on the scheme, so you should ensure you have reviewed this document in detail and are able to comply in full.

Vendors with complex corporate structures should ensure that they have considered how the signatory organisation (that must meet eligibility criteria) and any of its key sub-contractors comply with the terms and conditions. We may ask vendors in these scenarios to provide additional assurance.

Vendors should note that by submitting the application form they are accepting how we will use and process the data provided, as outlined in the privacy notice. The privacy notice gives permission for their information to be shared with other government departments if necessary, and the future scheme administrator.

2. Complete the application form

You will need to download a copy of the application form and complete the form offline.

The deadline for applications to be submitted to BEIS is 5pm on 4 April 2022.

You will need to provide an application for each product you wish to be considered for inclusion in Help to Grow: Digital (though these multiple applications can be done through a single spreadsheet-based application form, see below).

You can submit up to 3 eligible ecommerce products per technology category for this wave. Each product will need to be submitted separately within the application form.

If you have tiered offers within your products (for example, basic, standard, ultimate) you will need to submit these as separate products using separate tabs in the application form.

An accessible .odt version of the application form is also available. Please note that if you use the accessible .odt version of the form, unlike the spreadsheet version where you can submit multiple products in a single application, you will need to submit a separate application for each product.

If you need any help preparing for, or submitting your self-assessments or application form, you can contact us at: vendors.helptogrow@beis.gov.uk.

Further information about what to expect in each section of the application can be found below:

Section 1: Vendor (Company) Self-Assessment

Section 1 asks questions about the vendor’s company itself, such as whether it is registered in the UK and has been trading for at least 12 months.

It is essential that your application responds ‘yes’ to all the statements as part of the minimum eligibility requirements for being a vendor on the scheme.

If for whatever reason you believe that you are eligible despite answering ‘no’ to one of these questions, please email us at vendors.helptogrow@beis.gov.uk.

Section 2: Vendor (Company) Details

This section asks for essential information about your company, including details that can be checked against records held by Companies House and others, and to facilitate anti-fraud checks.

This section also asks for the contact details of the primary (and if needed, secondary) points of contact going forward. Please be aware that we will only correspond with individuals named in this form, or explicitly authorised via future correspondence with the original named point(s) of contact.

Section 3: Product Self-Assessment

This section asks questions about the product, such as whether it’s compliant with the core capabilities required for ecommerce technology.

The product ‘minimum capabilities’ question specifically requires you to review the lists provided in this guide: ‘Product definitions and capabilities’. There are specific requirements that must be met by the ecommerce solutions in order for them to be eligible for the scheme.

It’s essential that your application respond ‘yes’ to all the statements as part of the minimum eligibility requirements for being a vendor on the scheme.

If for whatever reason you believe that you are eligible despite answering ‘no’ to one of these questions, please email us at vendors.helptogrow@beis.gov.uk.

Section 4: Product Details

This section asks for essential information about the product itself to assess eligibility.

Some information is asked for that will not be used to assess the product directly, but for reference only. This information will be important to assist BEIS in the future development and evaluation of the scheme.

The product ‘advanced capabilities’ question specifically requires you to review the lists provided in ‘Product definitions and capabilities’.

In the spreadsheet version of the application form, additional sheets are provided so that you can submit up to 3 products in a single form. If you’re using the accessible .odt version of the application form you will need to submit a separate form for each individual product.

5. Submit the application form

You will need to attach your application form to an email and send it to the central vendor inbox (vendors.helptogrow@beis.gov.uk) using the subject line: APPLICATION [Company Name].

If you’re submitting additional evidence to support your application, please label this clearly.

After you’ve applied

After submitting your application, you will receive an automatic confirmation that your application has been successfully received.

You will later receive a follow up email which will include a unique reference number for your application. You will need to quote this in any follow up communication to help us to process your query.

Your application will be reviewed, alongside checks to confirm the validity of the details provided, and any history of fraud associated with your company. This includes carrying out credit checks and sanction screening.

Vendors will be notified about the outcome of their application by 21 April 2022.

If you’ve previously submitted an application to the scheme for an ecommerce product you can resubmit these products if you believe them to be eligible. Please note you will need to provide a full application, do not submit any previous applications as the application form and guidance have been updated.

For those applications which are unsuccessful there are routes available to appeal or make a complaint.

If your application is successful

Next steps

1. Receive additional information on website change requirements

Technical instructions will be communicated to your company on how to make the necessary changes to your website so that it will be able to accept and process the grant tokens that SMEs will use to make their purchases. Details of the functionality that will be needed to accept grant tokens and redeem funds from the scheme can be found below.

These changes will need to be completed by the end of May 2022.

Support will be available in the form of technical advice to vendors’ digital staff or providers. Email vendors.helptogrow@beis.gov.uk.

2. Submit additional product information

Product information for approved products will need to be provided for use on the Help to Grow: Digital platform. This will provide core information for the product list that we will create, and will be presented to SMEs in a comparable manner.

The product list will also be used to help SME customers to easily compare products and choose the best technology for their needs. See examples of the comparison tool for CRM and accounting software.

Please note this will require a price to be listed for the product and kept up to date, as set out in the terms and conditions. You will be asked to review product information on a regular basis to ensure it remains up to date and compliant. Spot checks may also be made to ensure compliance.

3. Successful onboarding and scheme goes live

BEIS is in the process of bringing in PricewaterhouseCoopers as scheme administrator to help deliver the Help to Grow: Digital scheme. Further information, including bank details and product information, will need to be provided to them in April and May.

Whilst the launch date is yet to be confirmed, we will require all information to be provided and any technical changes required by the vendor to effectively operate as part of the scheme, by May 2022. Testing of the platform will be required ahead of launch. Further information will be provided to successful applicants at the time of approval and further technical information.

If all the above steps are completed successfully, your product will be onboarded onto the product list in time for the launch. SMEs will then be able to use their grant tokens on your company’s website to purchase software. Your company will in turn be able to reclaim the value of the grant token from the scheme. Details on this process will be communicated in due course.

Vendors will continue to be able to access administrative and technical support from the scheme during its operation via vendors.helptogrow@beis.gov.uk.

4. Seeking reimbursement of grant tokens

Once an SME has signed up to an eligible technology the vendor will be able to submit evidence for reimbursement through the Help to Grow: Digital portal. It will be the vendors responsibility to calculate the SMEs discount and apply for the reimbursement from PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Vendors will be required to submit information in order for us to validate and verify the redemption. This information will need to include details of the SME, their grant token and the purchased technology. This will be supported by the grant token redemption URL approach outlined below. Where a grant token is redeemed against a monthly subscription, the vendor will be required to redeem the grant token pro-rata on a monthly basis, for up to 12 months.

Vendors will be required to inform us if an SME cancels or reduces their subscription to ensure any future redemption is correct. Any changes to the subscription or product that results in any increased costs (such as new licences or users) are not eligible for any discount.

5. Requirements for the grant token URL approach

To facilitate the scheme and ensure we are able to provide the correct grant to SMEs and reimburse vendors correctly we are implementing an URL based approach for grant token redemption.

This is designed to:

• ensure a smooth SME journey and hand over to the vendor
• provide vendors with reassurance of SME eligibility and grant status
• allow BEIS and the scheme administrator to monitor grant token use In order to participate, a vendor will need to take the following actions:
• develop a grant token redemption URL endpoint in their website where they would like the SME to land, when directed from the Help to Grow: Digital platform or email link (the URL endpoint should have the ability to extract the grant token code added to the URL as a query parameter)
• develop a call back to the service (API) for finding out the grant token details like discount available, SME details, Product SKU and authorisation code
• adapt their service to use the scheme logic to ensure the right discount is being applied to only eligible products
• develop a call back to inform the service that a grant token is being redeemed
• send an end of day reconciliation of all purchases made with a Help to Grow: Digital grant token for the day via an API

How the grant token will work

In order for the grant token to work there will need to be a number of transfers of data between the grant token application process and the vendor via APIs.

Schematic of how the grant token approach will work

Onboarding approved products

During the product upload process, the vendor will need to declare a forwarding URL on their site to which the SME will be redirected in order to redeem the grant token.

This may be the vendor’s basket page, their product page, or any other custom URL that the vendor deems fit. The grant token redemption URL will be appended with the encrypted grant token as a query parameter which the vendor will need to extract from the URL.

SME application and creating the grant token

Once an SME has had eligibility confirmed they will be required to choose a product listed on the Help to Grow: Digital platform against which they can redeem their grant token.

The grant token will be produced. This will be an encrypted code that will be appended to the forwarding URL. The grant token will be allocated a grant amount, a product code, the timestamp it is valid from and an expiry date. The grant token can either be used immediately by the SME by clicking through to the vendor site or can be used later via an emailed link.

The grant token will be registered against that SME application on the scheme administrator’s system. It will include the approved product, expected price and expiry date.

Vendor validating the grant token

When the SME is ready to make the purchase, they can use the grant token URL to be directed to the vendor’s website for the approved product. The vendor will need to extract the grant token information from the URL. Once the grant token is extracted from the URL, the vendor will need to call a pre-set API on the Help to Grow: Digital scheme administrator’s system to retrieve the details of the grant token. This API will work instantaneously so that it does not disrupt the SME journey and to provide vendors certainty of the SME’s eligibility.

The call to the API will return details about the grant token to the vendor, including an authorisation code, details of the SME, the name of the eligible product that the SME is approved to purchase with their grant token, the funding available and any other necessary information to process the grant token.

Vendor informing scheme of grant token redemption

Once the vendor has received this information they will need to calculate the relevant discount on the product tagged in the grant token, in line with the terms and conditions of the scheme.

The grant token is valid for up to 50% of the cost of the primary applicable product, up to the maximum value of £5,000 excluding VAT. Please note, SMEs may wish to add on additional products or services that are not eligible against their grant token. Vendors will need to ensure that SMEs are aware that they are liable for the whole costs of these and that the discount calculation does not include these.

The vendor will need to call a Help to Grow: Digital API at the completion of the purchase to inform Help to Grow: Digital to deactivate the grant token from further use, marking it as redeemed.

End of day reconciliation

The vendor will need to call an end of day reconciliation API to report all their Help to Grow: Digital eligible sales to the grant administrator including invoices and receipts if required.

The Help to Grow: Digital scheme administrator will conduct necessary checks and create automated payment files in order for the vendor to claim reimbursement of funds.

Make an appeal or complaint

If you’re informed your application is unsuccessful you have the right to appeal the outcome within 10 working days of the receipt of your application outcome.

You also have the right to make a complaint at any stage of the application process, or during the operation of the scheme for successful applicants.

For more information on how to make an appeal or complaint, email us at vendors.helptogrow@beis.gov.uk.

Help and guidance

You can find more information in the following documents:

• application form
• terms and conditions

If you cannot find the answer to your question in this document or the others linked above, please email us at vendors.helptogrow@beis.gov.uk and we will respond to your query as soon as possible.