2.4.15 Establishing a range of options can be challenging. The Green Book suggests the following actions:
• Research existing reports, and consult widely with practitioners and experts, to gather the set of data and information relevant to the objectives and scope of the problem.
• Analyse the data to understand significant dependencies, priorities, incentives and other drivers.
• From the research, identify best practice solutions, including international examples if appropriate.
• Consider the full range of issues likely to affect the objective.
• Identify the full range of policy instruments or projects that may be used to meet the objectives. This may span different sorts or scales of intervention; regulatory (or deregulatory) solutions may be compared with self-regulation, spending or tax options.
• Develop and consider radical options. These options may not become part of the formal appraisal but can be helpful to test the parameters of feasible solutions. Well-run brainstorming sessions can help to generate such a range of ideas.
Examples of strategic and operational options include: • Varying time and scale • Options to rent, build or purchase • Changing the combination of capital and recurrent expenditure • Refurbishing existing facilities or leasing and buying new ones • Co-operating with other parts of government • Changing locations or sites • Provision of the service, such as maintenance, or facility by the private sector • Co-locating, or sharing facilities with other agencies • Using IT to improve delivery, as part of wider organisational changes • Transferring service provision to another body, or improving partnership arrangements • Varying the balance between outsourcing and providing services (or retaining expertise in-house) • Engaging the voluntary, community or private sectors • Regulation, including private sector self regulation, and voluntary action • Different standards or compliance procedures for different groups (e.g. large and small businesses) • Varying quality targets • Different degrees of compulsion, accreditation, monitoring, and inspection regimes, including voluntary codes, approved codes of practice or government regulation • Action at a regional, national, or international level (e.g. European wide) • Better implementation of existing measures or initiatives • Information campaigns • Deregulation and non-intervention • Changes that will be permanent in the foreseeable future, or initiatives with specified time horizons |