Business Case (Level2)

Question 1

How have you prepared a business case?

Answer 1

By structuring it around the Five Case Model (strategic, economic, commercial, financial, management).

Collected requirements, analysed options (renew vs relocate vs co-locate), assessed costs/benefits/risks, and presented recommendations with quantified data.

Question 2

How have you engaged with stakeholders?

Answer 2

Held workshops and meetings with Cefas, ABP, MMO, Defra functions.

Used requirement forms and structured consultation to gather operational needs.

Built consensus and secured buy-in for the recommended option.

Question 3

How have you collected business case data?

Answer 3

Requirement forms (space/utilisation needs).

Market benchmarks (rent, FM, service charge).

Landlord costings (new warehouse build).

Financial inputs from Finance (including IFRS 16 treatment).

Condition surveys and energy ratings.

Question 4

What was the financial impact, and how do financial standards apply?

Answer 4

Considered rent, service charge, rates, dilapidations, fit-out, and operational efficiency savings.

Finance colleagues ensured IFRS 16 compliance; I applied appraisal tools (NPV, Payback, CBA, sensitivity testing) to test viability and VfM.

Question 5

How does IFRS 16 affect your advice on business cases?

Answer 5

IFRS 16 brings lease liabilities onto balance sheets.

It doesn’t change my appraisal tools, but it affects affordability presentation.

Finance colleagues build this into datasets; my role is to apply that data in option testing.

Question 6

What did you include within the business case?

Answer 6

Executive Summary, background, options appraisal, quantified costs/benefits, risk register, stakeholder engagement summary, recommendations.

Visual aids: site plans, options comparison tables, cost charts.

Question 7

How did you assess costs, benefits, and risks?

Answer 7

Costs: rents, dilapidations, fit-out, lifecycle costs.

Benefits: co-location efficiencies, improved labs, reduced travel, collaboration.

Risks: underutilisation, build delays, dilapidation exposure.

Question 8

How did you consider dilapidations liabilities?

Answer 8

Factored cost of exiting Commercial Road into financial appraisal.

Weighed against landlord contributions for new facility.

Question 9

What potential savings did you identify?

Answer 9

Reduced duplication of space (co-location).

Operational efficiencies (shared facilities, reduced travel).

Avoiding higher market rents by securing agreement with ABP.

Question 10

What key assumptions did you make?

Answer 10

Space requirements based on forecast utilisation.

Landlord delivery of new warehouse to agreed specification.

Steady rent levels over lease term.

Question 11

Which option did you recommend and why? What did your client choose to do?

Answer 11

Recommended relocation to North Quay Terminal with new build warehouse.

Best balance of affordability, operational efficiency, long-term estate alignment, and value for money.

Client accepted the recommendation and proceeded with ABP negotiations (Heads of Terms agreed)

Question 12

How did you align the business case against long-term estate objectives?

Answer 12

Aligned with Defra Group Estate Strategy and sustainability goals.

Reduced estate fragmentation by co-locating operations.

Ensured solution worked for both short-term operational needs and long-term vessel replacement planning.

Question 13

How did you present quantifiable data?

Answer 13

Used NPV, Payback, sensitivity tables.

Charts comparing costs across options.

Benchmarks against government space standards and rents.

Question 14

What did you include in your Executive Summary?

Answer 14

Problem statement, options considered, preferred option, headline costs/benefits, risks, recommendation.

Question 15

What visual aids did you use and why?

Answer 15

Site plans and maps (to show proximity to quay).

Options appraisal tables (for comparability).

Cost charts and bar graphs (to simplify finance for non-specialists).

Question 16

How did you evidence value for money?

Answer 16

Used NPV, Payback, CBA, sensitivity analysis. Balanced financial savings with non-financial benefits like carbon reduction and collaboration.

Question 17

How did you ensure proportionality in your business case?

Answer 17

Depth of analysis matched scale/risk. Used SOC/OBC level proportionality, not a full FBC, as spend was below Cabinet Office thresholds.

Question 18

How did you handle conflicting stakeholder requirements?

Answer 18

Negotiated compromises (e.g. Cefas needed additional lab/storage capacity vs ABP’s space offer). Documented decisions transparently.

Question 19

How did you measure non-financial benefits?

Answer 19

Qualitative assessment (staff efficiency, collaboration, reduced travel time), cross-checked with stakeholder priorities.