Services

Our Services

Demonstrating economic impact

There is an increasing need to demonstrate the positive economic and social impacts of public sector activities and those of individual companies. There is a requirement for robust, evidence-based research to support new or continued investment by the public sector, or to show the important contribution made by individual companies or specific sectors of the economy. The main services provided by Reference support these requirements.

Area-based economic analysis

Area-based analysis can form part of a wider assessment of the need for public sector support for regeneration. It can also be used to place the findings of economic impact assessments in their wider context.
Our work in this field has involved analysis of local and regional economies using a range of measures. Typically these include population, employment and business structure, income and GVA, economic activity and unemployment. We have extensive experience in using data from official economic datasets. We understand both their strengths and their limitations - particularly for data below the national level.

Project and programme evaluation

Robust evaluations are needed to assess whether particular interventions should continue and, if so, any changes that are required. Clients are also increasingly seeking a review of process issues and external factors, as well as sound assessments of economic impact.
Our evaluations draw on a range of sources including project records, interviews with project officers and stakeholders and surveys of beneficiaries. Our aim is to demonstrate not only what has been achieved to date but why this is the case. Our conclusions are expressed clearly and concisely, accompanied by forward-looking recommendations. 

Economic impact assessment

Assessing the economic impacts of proposed or actual public sector investments is one of our major areas of work. Our assessments use a range of sources. These can include business plans, interviews with project officers and funding applicants, surveys of beneficiaries and other stakeholders, and secondary data and reports.

The measures used to assess economic impacts include employment, income and GVA. We have extensive experience of calculating impacts at the local, regional and national levels, including the appropriate use of multipliers. A key element of the work is the assessment of net additional economic impacts: that is, the impacts attributable to the public sector intervention.
In addition, we also undertake research assessing the economic impact of:
  • Major employers-including private companies, military establishments, airports and HEIs.
  • Sectors-such as aerospace and sea transport.
  • Changes in transport provision-such as changes to fares and frequency, the introduction of new services and provision of new infrastructure

Project and programme appraisal

Sound appraisal is required to demonstrate the value for money of proposed projects and programmes. Economic impact assessment is a key element of this. However, increasingly clients are requiring our assistance in the wider appraisal of new activities. This includes: assessing the underlying rationale for specific interventions; robustness of the business case; key issues that will determine success; setting targets for outputs and impacts; and monitoring and evaluation procedures.

Demand and market assessment

Clients may need a review of specific markets to assess whether intervention is required and what its impact could be. Our assessments cover market size and structure, main players, the importance of factors such as price, and the key elements likely to affect the market in future. Our approach typically combines secondary data, published and unpublished reports and interviews with suppliers and customers.
Alternatively, we may be asked to assess demand for new products or the need for changes to existing ones. We have considerable experience in the design, undertaking and analysis of business and consumer surveys. These can range from a small number of key businesses to literally thousands of consumers.

Client support

We also provide a range of other support as requited. This includes:
  • Ad hoc provision of research and intelligence. Increasingly this involves compiling information on a subject from a range of disparate sources and providing structured findings and conclusions. 
  • Drafting research briefs and responses to government consultations. 
  • Representing client interests through providing presentations and attending meetings on their behalf.
Share by: