deliver / value for money and commercial acumen for public sector teams

TLDR
For public sector teams whose work affects how value is created and delivered. Helps you think commercially and act resourcefully, connecting cost, impact and purpose through practical tools and habits that deliver genuine value for money.

Public sector teams are operating in an environment of tight budgets, high expectations and increasing scrutiny. Every project, service or decision must show clear impact and responsible use of public funds. Value for money is more than a compliance term, it’s a practical mindset that shapes how teams plan, deliver and improve their work.

This programme helps teams build the awareness, language and routines to think commercially and act resourcefully, grounding their work in a clearer understanding of cost, benefit and impact. It connects financial, operational, social and environmental value, recognising that effective public delivery means achieving outcomes that are efficient, equitable and sustainable.

Drawing on HM Treasury’s Green Book guidance, the session helps teams define SMART success factors, apply simple appraisal tools and adopt habits that strengthen transparency and accountability.

It is suited to delivery, operations, policy, digital and corporate service teams that want to strengthen commercial awareness and make clearer evidence-based choices about how they use time, budget and capability to achieve outcomes.

    • Develop a shared understanding of what value for money means in public service delivery, including financial, social and environmental dimensions.

    • Recognise how decisions on time, people, budget and risk affect value creation and public impact

    • Use straightforward tools to appraise options and prioritise investment, effort and partnerships

    • Define SMART success factors linked to organisational outcomes and Green Book principles.

    • Identify opportunities to reduce waste, streamline processes or repurpose under-used assets

    • Strengthen financial confidence when engaging with finance, procurement or suppliers

    • Establish simple routines for tracking, communicating and celebrating value creation to strengthen transparency and accountability.

    • A clear practical framework for applying commercial thinking to everyday work

    • Greater confidence in balancing quality, cost, risk and outcomes

    • Alignment with HM Treasury’s Green Book and a practical understanding of value recognition, management and optimisation.

    • Tools and templates to support better decision-making and evidence impact

    • A more connected view of how the team contributes to organisational performance

  • 09:30 – Welcome and introductions
    The fiscal context and why value for money matters now.
    What “value” means in public service – economy, efficiency, effectiveness and equity – and how financial, social and environmental outcomes link to delivery goals.

    10:00 – Mapping where value is created and lost
    Team exercise to trace costs, activities and outcomes.
    Identify duplication, bottlenecks and missed opportunities for efficiency.

    10:45 – Break

    11:00 – The basics of commercial thinking
    Plain-English overview of core financial ideas: fixed and variable cost, opportunity cost, whole-life value.
    Use Green Book logic and SMART success factors to define and measure value in real work.

    11:45 – Making choices and trade-offs
    Practical tools for option appraisal and prioritisation.
    Work through a live decision, balancing cost, quality, risk and wider public impact.

    12:30 – Lunch

    13:15 – Reducing waste and improving efficiency
    Techniques for simplifying workflows, removing duplication and using people’s time to best effect.
    Group redesign of a process or service step to release time or savings.

    14:00 – Making better use of what we already have
    Explore non-financial levers of value: data, relationships, skills, influence and physical assets.
    Examples of teams generating extra value through smarter use of existing resources.

    14:45 – Break

    15:00 – Managing and optimising value
    Recognise, monitor and sustain value through delivery.
    Embed checkpoints in plans and reviews to increase transparency and accountability.
    Short case exercise: spotting and fixing value leakage.

    15:45 – Demonstrating value
    Set light-touch metrics for cost, quality, risk and outcomes.
    Create a “value log” to track and communicate progress.

    16:15 – Commitments and next steps
    Identify one action per participant and a 90-day team plan to embed value-focused routines.

    16:30 – Close

  • Full-day programme
    Delivered virtually or face-to-face.

    Follow-up session (a month later) - OPTIONAL
    A 2-hour virtual session to:

    • Reconnect as a team

    • Review progress and challenges

    • Refresh commitments and embed learning

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Teamshaper's Innovate training module