What counts as ROI in public innovation?
Evaluating ROI in public service innovation is rarely as simple as comparing spend against a single financial return.
The harder (and more useful) task is to understand what changed, who benefited, what value was created.
We work where innovation happens in messy real-world systems. Such as mixed data, multiple partners, indirect outcomes and plenty of pressure to prove value without over-claiming it.
We combine Green Book discipline with practical frameworks that help public bodies make stronger decisions about future investment
What we’re seeing in practice
1. ROI is often broader than cashable savings
Public service innovation can create economic, social and distributional value, beyond immediate budget reductions
2. Good ROI work avoids fairy tales
Where monetary valuation is appropriate, it should use recognised proxies and tested assumptions. And a clear process that avoids over-claiming impact
3. The best evaluation is more useful, than it is impressive
Frameworks, templates and guidance do help teams assess value consistently over time. Not just produce one decent report and move on
Always Possible evaluated a West Midlands Combined Authority grant programme that distributed more than £675,000 to grassroots projects delivering environmental and community outcomes.
The work required us to assess the impact of relatively small grants across a varied portfolio, combining documentary review, stakeholder interviews, survey evidence and social value modelling.
Across 27 funded projects, the evaluation looked at participation, inclusion and community outcomes alongside biodiversity and habitat data.
The result was evidence of £4.12 in social, environmental and economic value for every £1 invested, supported by a final report and policy-facing outputs for future funding use.
More importantly, the work helped show how modest investments can deliver strong local returns, and gave funders clearer recommendations on programme design and scaling.
Questions worth asking
What kind of value are we actually trying to measure?
Which outcomes are direct, indirect or longer-term?
What can be monetised credibly, and what should not be?
Are we proving contribution, not pretending to prove total causation?
Will this evaluation help future decisions, or just justify past spend?
Are we being honest about uncertainty as well as impact?
This is where Always Possible tends to work best: helping organisations turn messy delivery, mixed evidence and complex outcomes into clear insight that supports better decisions.
That might mean an evaluation framework, a Theory of Change, social value modelling, stakeholder research, contribution analysis, or a sharper story about what has changed and why.
