Critical Friend Review of your draft application

The competition window for Wave 2.1 of the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund is set to open imminently. Through our experience supporting bidders in SHDF Wave 1, our team has gained a wealth of insight into what makes a strong, deliverable bid.

To help you develop a high-quality application, the SHRA service is here to give a ‘critical friend review’ of your drafted application form before the end of the bid window.

How does it work?

Starting one week after the final documentation is released and for the following four weeks, we will be booking in bidders for critical friend reviews. We will read through your completed application form and give you feedback on how well we think it complies with the funding policy and guidance. We will also give recommendations where we think some extra detail is needed.

How do I receive a critical friend review?

If you have a support manager, please let them know as soon as possible when you’d like them to read your application form. They will agree a specific date when we need to receive your application form and a date when you will receive feedback. We recommend you give yourself enough time to act on our feedback before the bid window closes.

If you have not engaged with the SHRA bid support team and do not have a support manager, you can still receive a critical friend review. Contact us at info@socialhousingretrofit.org.uk so that we can book in a date with you.

Why do I need to book a specific date?

We are assisting over 300 separate bids. We need to manage our resources and our diaries so that we can continue to provide support to all of our bidders. By booking a specific date with us, you will allow us to assign a ‘critical friend’ reviewer, book the time in their diary and give them sufficient scope to read and respond to your documentation.

Can I query your feedback?

If our feedback is unclear or needs extra explanation, we are happy to provide this, noting the limitations on our resources and the need to provide critical friend reviews for many other bidders in a very short timescale.

What if I don’t agree with your feedback?

This may happen. We cannot tell you if your bid will gain funding - that is the job of the SHDF assessors when they evaluate your application form after submission. Our review will act as a fresh pair of eyes and will provide recommendations for improvements that we believe are necessary, including if your application complies with the requirement of the guidance. It is up to you how you act on our feedback and recommendations.

Can I receive more than one review?

Unfortunately not. Because of the number of bidders we are supporting, we can only commit to one critical friend review per bid.

What’s the earliest I can receive a review?

We suggest waiting until the government releases the final application documents. Once these are released, and if you think you’re in a position where you have a well-drafted application form (including all appendices or ancillary documents), then you can contact us to book in your review.

Contact us at info@socialhousingretrofit.org.uk so that we can book in a review date with you.