RPS has just completed an important review of a flagship UK climate change policy package for the House of Commons Environmental Audit Select Committee. RPS was commissioned by the National Audit Office to assist in the completion of a micro-level evaluation of the effectiveness of the Climate Change Levy and Climate Change Agreement policy package.

Senior-level interviews were completed with a variety of companies spanning 15 sectors of the UK economy. The findings of the interviews were supported by the analysis of quantitative data on energy use, emissions, production and other financial information provided by the organisations taking part in the review. In addition, the analysis was supplemented by investigations into how embedded this policy package has become within businesses by considering their behavioural responses.

RPS – awarded the project in January 2007 – planned, executed, analysed and produced the assessment of 40 companies and 20 sector associations in just two months. Whilst the bulk of the data manipulation and analysis was completed by the climate team in the Brighton office, it was the multi-skilled experience of the interview team, assembled from across the Group – and the ability to integrate and deploy this mix of skills rapidly – that secured and delivered this high-profile contract. The project, which was won under the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) framework, demonstrates that RPS has the skills in-house to win and deliver multi-disciplined projects with a climate change related focus.