Framework for the Provision of Commercial Advisors

The Rapid Response Unit (RRU) has been created to tackle a wide range of economic challenges as a result of Covid-19 and Brexit to enhance The Scottish Government's (SG) support for business resilience and ensure ensure access to economic analysis, company information and sector specific inputs capable of obtaining risks and offering help and support. Accordingly, to assist a business in crisis, the RRU will: - Scale up and enhance analytical capacity to provide for evidence-based decisions on business support reinforced by a number of new systems and tools; and - Scale up and enhance existing capacity to deal with actions emerging from special cases, where interventions involve repurposing or some other form of longer term support for transition before handing back to policy teams for business as usual activities. Pace is critical when responding to companies at risk and the aim is to establish a timely, efficient and effective mechanism to conduct a range of due diligence on companies in difficulty to inform decision making. Due diligence assignments will encompass a wide range of activities including financial analysis, market information and risk assessment to inform the viability of companies facing challenges and assess the likelihood of successful outcome. It is uncertain as to the number of instances of referral of businesses in crisis and as each case will be unique, it is difficult to determine as to the duration of the due diligence that would be undertaken by commercial advisors. It is likely that the commercial advice and inputs required may vary considerably due to differing contexts and business considerations. Six suppliers are appointed to the framework offering a range of integrated professional services including but not limited to: accountancy/financial management, and tax advice, commercial advisory services, restructuring and turnaround specialisms, specialist technical expertise such as economic and market analysis and other considerations including impacts of Subsidy Control (formerly State Aid).