Agentic UK Subsidy Control Act 2022 compliance assessment and transparency reporting service for small local authorities, housing associations, and grant-giving bodies required to self-assess subsidies and publish awards on the government's Subsidy Advice Unit (SAU) database. Replaces the public law solicitor or state-aid consultant who charges £1,200–£3,500 to conduct a subsidy assessment, draft the six-principles analysis, and submit the transparency report.
Why now
No live signal batch provided today; justified by the Subsidy Control Act 2022 coming into full force and the CMA's Subsidy Advice Unit publishing guidance updates through 2024–2025 that have left smaller public bodies scrambling for affordable compliance support — a persistent pain point visible in local government procurement forums and LGA communications.
Commercial value
The Subsidy Control Act 2022 created a new mandatory compliance burden for ~400 local authorities and thousands of public-body grant givers, most of whom have no in-house expertise. Solicitors charge £1,200–£3,500 per assessment. A £395–£795 per-assessment SaaS service targeting housing associations and district councils addresses a genuine budget line ('legal/procurement compliance'). Even 200 assessments/year = £100K+ ARR from a tiny customer base.
Go-to-market
Direct email to procurement and legal officers at district councils, housing associations, and LEPs. Use the SAU's public register to identify bodies already filing (warm leads who understand the obligation). Price: £395 per standard assessment, £795 for complex/novel subsidies. First 10 customers via LGA network and housing association procurement mailing lists.
2-week MVP
Structured intake form capturing subsidy type, beneficiary, value, policy objective, and market distortion factors. LLM produces a six-principles self-assessment narrative and a pre-filled SAU transparency report template. Founder reviews and delivers by email within 24 hours. No portal, no automation — pure document service. First customer pays £395 for a defensible written assessment they can file and retain for audit.
Agent score
0.64 — Commercial score is solid — mandatory obligation, identifiable budget line, and customers are institutions with procurement processes that favour fixed-fee professional services. Speed is high given the document-only MVP. Defensibility edges above 0.5 because the customer base is narrow and referenceable (public sector bodies talk to each other), and accumulated assessment templates become a proprietary library over time.
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Solve Studio is an independent AI automation and product studio founded by James Pates, working out of Brighton and London with clients across the UK. Get in touch at james@solve-studio.co.