Delivering Infrastructure Projects

The Council has a formal process for those interested in making bids for S106/CIL/NCIL. The bid structure for received S106 financial contributions and Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) funds can be summarised as per the stages below:

• Bid Window and Expression of interest
• Bid Collation and guidance
• Bid development and “Approval
• Drawdown/transfer of approved funds
• Management and monitoring

A more detailed breakdown of this structure is set out below:

• Bid Window and Expression of Interest

Each year (usually around May time), a single bid window will be set and advertised internally and externally where all bodies wishing to bid for project funding can express their interest (and start the process). Community groups will generally be bidding for neighbourhood CIL (NCIL) funding. Public Bodies (Council departments, NHS, TfL etc) will generally be directed to/bid for S106 and Strategic CIL funding.

• Bid Collation and Guidance

Once the bid window is closed, the bids will be collated, checked and sorted, and bidders will be directed/redirected down the route most likely to result in success.

• Bid development and Approval

The ‘approval’ route for bids will differ depending on what form of funding is sought (Strategic CIL, S106 or Neighbourhood CIL).

S106 and Strategic CIL (KCIL)

For these monies, the next stage will be the referral of the bid to the Strategic Planning and Infrastructure Programme Board (SP&I). The function of the SP&I board is to provide the relevant ‘planning checks and recommendations to the Capital and Infrastructure Board (and later on, to the Corporate and Resources Committee, and finally to Full Council). 

After this point, bids will effectively enter the established budget cycle process managed by the Corporate, Finance and Investments (CFI) Team. The bids will proceed to the Capital and Infrastructure Board (C&I) in the first instance. This board has additional informational requirements and will provide additional guidance for the larger and more complex bids. These bids will continue through the established budget cycle process, with a final decision on the Council budget (and project funding) being confirmed at full Council the following March. 

Neighbourhood CIL (NCIL)

All the information on the Neighbourhood CIL process can be found online. 

• Drawdown/transfer of approved funds

Once bids have been approved, bidders will need to follow the relevant process to obtain the approved funds. 

IMPORTANT: All authorised bids for funding are TIME LIMITED. If an application to transfer the approved funds is not made within the agreed timeframe (usually within 3 years of the date of the approval), then any authorisation/approval is no longer valid and the project manager will need to bid again for the funding. 

• Management/Monitoring

Successful project bidders will be expected to report back on their projects to the relevant forum (eg Neighbourhood Committee for NCIL) on a regular basis (at least annually). For external bidders, reporting and monitoring will likely be secured via a signed agreement prior to the funds being released. 

Advice and guidance for bidding agencies 

The above sets out a very brief summary of the bid structures and processes at RBK. If you are a community group and want more information on the NCIL process, please see here in the first instance. If you are a public body/department which is looking for guidance, please contact the infrastructure planning and delivery programme office at (cil@kingston.gov.uk or s106@kingston.gov.uk)