Business and Technology Consultants

Experts-conseil en affaires et technologies

 
Babin Després Consultants Inc. is an approved Digital Advisor for the Canada Digital Adoption Program (CDAP) Boost Your Business Technology stream.

What is the CDAP - Boost Your Business Technology grant?

The Boost Your Business Technology grant helps small and medium-sized businesses adopt new digital technologies by providing:


  • Up $15,000 to consult a Digital Advisor and develop a digital adoption plan.
  • Up to $100,000 in interest-free loans from BDC to help implement the digital adoption plan.
  • Funded work placements up to $7,300 per 18-30 year old hire who can help with implementing the adoption plan.
 
Who qualifies for the grant?

Before applying, your business must meet all of the following eligibility criteria:

  • Be incorporated federally or provincially, or be a Canadian resident sole proprietor.
  • Be a for-profit, privately owned business.
  • Have between 1 to 499 full-time equivalent employees.
  • Have at least $500,000 but less than $100M of annual revenues in one of the previous three tax years.

If you meet the above criteria, you probably qualify.
 
How does the BDC loan work?

Once your Digital Adoption Plan has been approved, you can apply for an interest-free BDC loan to implement your Digital Adoption Plan.

If your annual business revenues are between $500,000 and below $5M: you can request a loan up to $50,000.
If your annual business revenues are $5M and above: you can request a loan up to $100,000.

The BDC loan is for a 5-year term with 12-months capital postponement (total of 6 years). There are no fees and interests.
 
Why do you need an approved Digital Advisor?

To obtain the grant or interest-free loan, your digital adoption plan must have been prepared by a pre-approved Digital Advisor.
 
What is a digital adoption plan?

A digital adoption plan is a document describing your current technology situation, where you would like to be in a few years, and the resources and steps needed to get there. At a minimum, the digital adoption plan must include the following elements:

  • Information about the current state of the SME that will help the digital advisor understand the strategic goals, the business and process challenges of the SME and the current baseline of their current technology.
  • Technology options analysis, for those SMEs who have some components of a digital strategy or analysis. With the digital advisor's expertise, identify what types of digital solutions it should consider and how those solutions align to the business goals and business imperatives.
  • A digital strategy and associated business benefits which take into account the SMEs governance and culture, its business model, its key processes that technology can help to optimize, its current digital strategy, its work methods, its informational and technological capabilities as well as its cybersecurity maturity.
  • Implementation roadmap to identify key business actions to be done prior to adoption of digital solutions as well as a proposed list of technology projects or initiatives. For the main projects proposed in the digital adoption roadmap, the advisor will also provide high-level project timelines, dependencies and an appreciation for the costs, the complexity and level of change adopting these new technologies will require.

Since every SME has different needs, the digital adoption plan can be tailored to their specific needs.
 
How much will an adoption plan cost?


The rule for how much grant money you receive is a bit complicated. The grant value = (90% times (eligible cost plus tax)) but you cannot receive more than $15,000.

We try to keep the cost to $15,000 plus HST. At that price, you receive the maximum grant of $15,000.

Sometimes situations are more complex than normal. In these exceptional cases, we might provide an estimate that may exceed $15,000.
 
Why choose Babin Després Consultants?

  • We are an approved Digital Advisor for the CDAP Boost Your Business Technology program.
  • We have over 60 years of experience in multiple industries and many technologies.
  • As seasoned grant writers, we increase your chances of receiving government funding.
  • We are very flexible and easily adjust to your business needs.

The Babin Després Consultants team has close to 60 years of experience in many sectors, including IT, Online business, Manufacturing, Tourism, Government Services, R&D, Aquaculture, Consulting, E-health, E-learning, Gaming, Book Publishing, Professional Certification, Training, Educational Products, Insurance, Retail, Museums, and the Music Industry. We've owned and managed businesses. We understand entrepreneurs, and we understand business processes.

As independent consultants, we do not push any company's products or technologies. Instead, we analyze problems and try to find the solutions that align best with your company goals. We strongly believe that business must drive technology, not the other way around.
 
Our Lead Consultant



Gilbert Babin, BSc. (Industrial Engineering)
CDAP Approved Digital Advisor

Our lead digital transformation consultant, Gilbert, holds an Industrial Engineering degree supplemented with 40 years of experience in business and technology.

He is well-versed in business systems analysis, business systems design, process improvement techniques, business planning, and project management, which are essential for a successful digital transformation.

He also has considerable hands-on experience with social media marketing, digital content, e-commerce, portal development, online business, cloud technologies, custom software development, PLC programming, APIs, RFID, AI, robotics, electronics, mechatronics, database management systems, data analysis, hardware and software installations, software solutions, and various technologies. Over the years, he has been involved in many large projects totaling several million dollars.

 
How can I apply for the Boost Your Technology grant?

Contact us today at (506) 871-7313 or info@upsizeyourbusiness.com, and we will be happy to guide you through the application process!

But if you want to do this on your own, click here!
 
 

A practical result-oriented approach