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STRATEGY & FUNDING
ENTERPRISE POLICY CONSULTING FOR
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
We create ambitious local economic strategies, vision statements and industry sector plans. We write winning bids for government funding programmes.
WHAT WE DO
Our clients provide strategic leadership to the business populations they serve. They convene employers in places and sectors around plans for their collective success. Our services empower them to identify their goals, what they need to do to achieve them and how to get their priorities funded. We work with business associations, local government, economic development bodies, civic-minded corporates and consultancies.
UK Shared Prosperity Fund
How UK local government should prepare for SPF and the end of EU Structural and Investment Funds
OUR OFFER
STRATEGY REVIEWS
We create strategies and investment prospectuses for local economic development; sector plans and area visions for enterprise and business growth. Our approach is to help our clients navigate a four-stage process of evidence gathering and stakeholder engagement. The process asks the questions: (1) Where are we now? (2) Where will we be if we don't change our ways? (3) Where do we want to be? (4) How do we get there? Sign up for our newsletter and get your free strategy template here!
FUNDING BIDS
We support our clients with Green Book compliant bids into public funding competitions. We help them win the resources they need for their enterprise and business growth programmes. Learn more about our success in securing the UK's largest funding award from the Community Renewal Fund here.
WHY US?
EXPERIENCE
We draw on two decades of experience working on strategies in commercial, local economic development and membership association contexts. We've written or contributed to plans for every economic strategy round in England since the mid 2000s. From Regional Economic Strategies to post-COVID economic recovery plans.
AGILITY
Our skills were honed in major 'change moments', including the Coronavirus pandemic; the financial crisis of 2007-8, the Brexit referendum of 2016 and the no-deal Brexit deadlines of 2019.
QUALITY
We know what makes an effective funding bid. We've judged competitions at the national and sub-national levels. We've pitched successful bids for public and non-governmental bodies. We draw on these perspectives to deliver the highest-quality bids. Our team's experience working with business groups and government means we know which strategies land best with each other's stakeholders.
VALUE
We don’t have the overheads of a big agency: we can work with freelancers and others to meet the scale of your needs.
BITE-SIZED COMMISSIONS
We know that sometimes you want direct support but need things quick without the commitment of a major commission. So subject to availability, PolicyDepartment offers a range of super-value, fast-turnaround consulting services for commissions taking between 2 hours and 2 days equivalent to complete.
WHY OUR CLIENTS LOVE US
...a highly valuable consultancy project for us, utilising depth and breadth of experience in the areas of business support, local government and wider economic policy. [This] gave us a fresh, insightful perspective...we’ve been implementing their recommended actions and are already starting to see positive outcomes.
— David Gimson, National Network Manager, Business & IP Centres, British Library
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