The Irish Government, led by the Department for Public Spending and Reform, requires high quality business cases before it will approve capital spending.  The Public Spending Code sets out the steps that all those seeking government funding must pass through to secure this funding. These steps can be complicated, and many projects stall due to failure to achieve timely approvals. Outside technical support and guidance can help ensure projects remain on track and allow organisations to remain focussed on delivering outcomes rather than business cases.

Dr Benjamin Warner has worked on some of the largest business cases in Ireland, such as MetroLink and the New Children’s Hospital, meaning he has the skills and experience to guide even the most complex business cases through to completion.

Services offered in this area are:

• Strategic case development: The strategic case sets out why the project is required and what the project will deliver. Many projects fail to gain approval due to a lack of a clear strategic direction or measurable objectives. We can support the development of the business case by taking an independent view of the project and work with you to develop a compelling case for change.
• Cost Benefit Analysis: A CBA is a key component of any business case and sets out the value for money of the proposed projects. It can be complex to develop and requires specialist skills and knowledge. Alongside issues with the strategic case, challenges to the CBA are one of the main reasons that projects fail to get approval. We have been developing and scrutinising CBAs for 20 years and are highly familiar with the types of questions and challenges which tend to arise.
• Authorship: Even once all the information has been gathered, this needs to be presented in a single cohesive document which clearly demonstrates compliance with the Public Spending Code. We can work with a wide variety of contributors and stakeholders to ensure a compelling case is made.
• Post project evaluation: There is now an increased focus on learning lessons and ensuring that future projects build on the successes, and challenges, of previous projects. This requires the delivery of Project Completion Reports and Post Project Evaluations. We can guide you through this process and help to deliver projects which celebrate project success whilst also developing practical lessons to be learnt for future projects.