Investment and business case

Make a solid case for investment.

A robust business case is central to achieving investible projects and goes a long way to securing the right outcomes. 

It establishes agreement on objectives, identifies risks and weighs costs: is the project good value when all the benefits are taken into account, or would it be better to invest in something else?

What can we do for you?

By bringing together all the strategic information that is key to success, a well grounded business case can have a transformative effect on securing investment and delivering successful outcomes. 

Our skills combine business case and multidisciplinary technical expertise. This means that the advice you’ll receive is informed by deep understanding of infrastructure and buildings across all sectors, and across the project lifecycle.

That whole-life project knowledge makes us different. It enables us to add value for you when deciding whether to invest. And it can help you win support from investors and lenders, regulators and planning authorities – as well as your own staff, customers and stakeholders.

We can help you to: 

  • Identify the need for a project by examining your drivers – the needs and expectations of your business and stakeholders. 
  • Prioritise projects for investment, weighing the benefits of a project against its costs to determine if it represents a sound investment. 
  • Undertake optioneering and project selection.
  • Decide whether to proceed.
  • Secure provisional funding approval, presenting the necessary evidence and providing project advocacy.
  • Navigate statutory processes and detailed design.
  • Ensure the objectives set out in the business case are realised through project delivery.

Building strong investment and business cases for global projects

We have a multidisciplinary skill set and draw on industry-leading guidance and approaches, including the UK government’s Green Book and five-case model, which are internationally recognised. Many of our specialists are accredited under the government’s Better Business Cases initiative. 

Our experience

  • Cardiff Council’s 21st Century Schools and Education programme, UK
    We were the council’s strategic partner in bidding for two rounds of Welsh government funding for school building and improvement. We helped shape a portfolio of projects and worked with individual schools to maximise the value of investment.
  • Leeds flood alleviation, UK
    Working for Leeds City Council, we studied the social and economic impacts of flooding, paving the way for the second phase of the city’s defence programme. We examined three levels of risk: 1:75-year flood, 1:100 and 1:200. We assessed the social and economic impacts of each on businesses, jobs, housing, tourism, transport, critical telecommunications and electricity infrastructure. We calculated that the benefits would be up to £775M over ten years.
  • Ontario Line, Canada
    We were appointed in 2020 as part of the technical advisory team that has prepared the overall project for procurement. Our key inputs have included producing the business case for the line and developing reference design and technical requirements for the alignment, tunnels, stations, and track, as well as for a variety of other elements.
  • Stadium for Cornwall, UK
    Truro City Football Club and the Cornish Pirates rugby union team each needed a new home in order to fulfil their aspirations of progressing to higher leagues. We developed the business case for Cornwall Council to construct a single stadium to house both of them together, with costs and benefits shared by the local further education college and a community organisation. The business case justified the council’s own investment and match funding by the UK government.