Approach


Are you looking to raise your organisation's profile, strengthen your relationships or do business, with one or more of the:
  • Key decision-makers in Edinburgh, Belfast, Cardiff or Westminster, both within the political and civil service spheres?
  • Key decision makers in Local Authorities and their representative bodies in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland?
  • Key decision makers in Health Boards?
  • Key decision makers in Universities and Colleges, and within the Skills & Lifelong Learning sector?
  • Key decisions makers in Government agencies, Quasi Autonomous Non Government Organisations (Quangos) and Non Departmental Bodies (NDPBs)?
MJI has the capacity to design and manage a policy & business influencers programme for your organisation. This will ensure that those considering and overseeing legislative, regulatory or broader policy developments, or seeking to engage with other parties to deliver services do so with a full understanding of the capabilities, values, aims and objectives of your organisation.

MJI are also able to provide practical advice and assistance for organisations seeking either to write or bid for public tenders. Much has been written recently about "competitive dialogue" and how it has improved the quality of tender response. We understand the tender process from both sides, and can maximise the likelihood of success for all parties involved. We can bridge the gap to everyone's benefit, and minimise the cycle time within a strict European and UK procurement and regulatory framework, to produce more informed and impactful tender responses.

With major tenders, we work also with appropriate legal advisers such as DLA Piper to ensure that tenders are conducted fairly and within the rules, especially where there are complex public private partnerships proposed, joint ventures etc. We also can provide detailed procurement advice either for those developing tenders or seeking to tender, working with an outstanding UK procurement professional.

We achieve your objectives by employing a wide range of tools and techniques including a carefully honed approach to structured dialogue and by utilising a team of experienced individuals, with a vast range of expertise in public, private and third sector.
  • All of our team have operated at CEO, Chairman or elected political office in recent years, often working with MJI as part of a portfolio of roles in public life.
  • The best way to describe MJI structurally is a virtual, wholly inclusive organisation established to identify opportunity for you to work with others in all sectors to bring your expertise and resources to bear on improving public service design, delivery and accountability
  • We believe firmly that public policy outcomes and public services can only be effectively delivered by the joint engagement of public, private and third sector organisations and individuals.
  • We help to identify common purpose and align the outcomes demanded by different stakeholders: from Government Ministers, Parliamentarians and councillors, Chief Officers to private sector Boards and Third Sector Councils and officers.
MJI was founded in 1989, and has developed its expertise, networks and track record ever since. MJI brings particular expertise to the growing challenges of delivering effective public-private engagement across the UK and within the four devolved Regions of England, Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland.

We are not a lobbying organisation, a professional or trade body. Neither are we a publicly funded intermediary. We are a private company which holds together a group of passionate individuals who care about the society we live in, believe passionately in public services but also believe that the public sector cannot and should not claim a unique knowledge and position in the effective delivery of policy outcomes.

We believe in the need for a new partnership between the sectors, and a concordat that will help to drive sustainable economic growth in the UK.

At the heart of MJI's philosophy is the belief that collaborative working is the core of effective delivery of citizen centred, public policy development and inclusive commissioning and the delivery of public services.

In practice this means that our work is often about building common understanding and conviction. We might facilitate a joint venture, providing support on creating an understanding of what is effective governance, and the proper engagement of citizens. On the other hand, we might help a major professional services organisation build on their existing success in Local Government or Health. Or perhaps we might develop a market entry strategy for an enterprise seeking to expand their service or product offering.

In particular we have developed a reputation for assisting private sector organisations who see their core role as providing professional advice and services to Government and other public sector organisations.

We know that however good the quality of work and services provided, private sector organisations must both build effective relationships and fully understand policy and political contexts if the often considerable investment in tendering for work is to provide a viable return.

If you are a private sector organisation looking to protect your business by starting to work with the public sector, or wanting to increase your share of public sector contracts, our advice is simple.
  • Do not bother tendering until you have established a basic understanding of the policy context in which you are tendering
  • Build relationships' before the formal invitation to tender is issued. It's too late to seek to build relationships and increase understanding during the tender process. And it's not allowed in many instances.
  • If you don't know what an OJEU is, then find out before you allocate hundreds of wasted man hours to the submission.
MJI can assist you in all three areas.