EPD personnel have worked on the progression of significant whitewater courses and EPD and its associates can deliver advice on how to acquire funding, formulate business plans, explore usage potential etc. Within our team we have experts on urban regeneration, schools curricular involvement, local club interaction etc.
Our Approach to Business Cases for Whitewater Courses
Stage 1 - Initial business case
The initial stage would involve identifying various development options and preparing an initial business case through the following process and tasks:
Initial briefing meeting - to refine and sign off the work programme and agree key objectives, key stakeholders.
Information gathering - we would undertake discussions with all the key stakeholders. In particular we would discuss what the various development options are likely to be in terms of existing and new sites. The existing performance of sites would also be required.
Market analysis - a key part of our work will be to undertake a market analysis and demand assessment to establish both the need for the facility and also the potential market for the facility.
Key parameter review - we would with the stakeholders and the results of the market analysis prepare the key parameters for the operation of the facility including:
Development of business plans - We will develop detailed business plans, based on the parameters identified, which will present future revenue projections. We will aim to present income and expenditure forecasts for five years with sensitivity analysis. The business plan will incorporate industry benchmarks to ensure you can be confident in the sustainability of the plan.
Development options - we propose to review the development options and identify indicative capital, revenue funding and whole life cost implications for each option.
Funding options - we would identify all funding options and assess in relation to the development of the brief. Funding options might include those from government and non-government sources including private sector sponsorship/operation and PPP type packages.
Stage 2 - Refinement of the Options
We anticipate that stage 2 will take a number (circa 1 or 2) of the options and develop more detailed business cases for them to enable a final recommendation to be presented on the way forward. This will include:
Further testing of the assumptions underpinning the business plans.
Detailed analysis of the whole life costing and potential funding scenarios.
Identification of the procurement and delivery route (for example, trust, private sectors or direct management).
Preparation of a detailed business case for the preferred option.
The key output from stage 2 will be a focused report combining the findings of stage 1 with our recommendations for the way forward, including an action plan for delivery.