An Introduction to SEP Ltd

SEP Ltd was the Programme Management Executive (PME) that has worked on behalf of the wider partnership to implement the 2000-06 Structural Funds Programmes in the Western Scotland region.

SEP Ltd was established as a company limited by guarantee in 1996. It ceases to trade as a company at the end of January 2009. The members of the company were the 12 Councils, Scottish Enterprise and the five Local Enterprise Companies in the region, and the West of Scotland Colleges' Partnership on behalf of the wider college partnership. The main functions of SEP Ltd since 2000, were to manage all aspects of the 2000-06 European Structural Funds Programme implementation delegated by The Scottish Government, as managing authority, and to serve the wider aims of the Strathclyde European Partnership. The company's financial and personnel matters were managed by a Board of Directors.

The 2000-06 Western Scotland Objective 2 and Clyde Waterfront URBAN II Structural Funds Programmes were managed within a partnership context. Around 200 agencies were involved in Strathclyde European Partnership, including the Scottish Government, local authorities, enterprise bodies, further and higher education, voluntary and community organisations and the environmental and equality agencies.

SEP Ltd itself is a European Funds project, deriving up to 50 per cent of its income from a Technical Assistance grant. The co-finance for Technical Assistance is raised by partners' contributions, through a Voluntary Management Contribution (VMC), based on the total value of ERDF and ESF grants approved. The VMC approach is flexible, equitable and transparent and is consistent with the approach in the other Programme Management Executives in Scotland.

In December 2006, SEP Ltd was advised that the company had been unsuccessful in its bid to manage the 2007-2013 Lowland and Upland Scotland Programme of European Structural Funds. As the management of Structural Funds Programmes was the core business of the company, the SEP Ltd Board of Directors reluctantly agreed on 8 May 2007 that it would not be feasible for SEP Ltd to continue operating beyond the current 2000-2006 Programme and that it would therefore be appropriate for the company to commence implementation of a Programme Closure date of December 2008, with an anticipated company closure by January 2009.

SEP Ltd always sought to achieve high standards of customer care and responsiveness, communication and creativity are priorities. The SEP Ltd business plan set out detailed proposals to December 2008, reinforcing the company's values, outlining key activities and committing to challenging performance standards.