Groups and Committees

Concept Viability

Intellect Concept Viability is a service offered by Intellect, which allows public sector clients to take market soundings to test the practicability of their ideas at the earliest stage.  Within the Gateway process this would be before Gate 1 (and may even be before Gate 0), and before any public commitment (political, financial or “go live” date) has been made. 

In essence, the earlier the concept is tested, the better; clients will gain greater understanding of the achievability of their ideas and high-risk proposals can be modified or abandoned before any substantial investment has been made.

One of the key challenges facing the public sector is how to transform policy ideas into the desired outcomes, particularly when this involves IT-enabled business change. Concepts that appear straightforward on paper can be extremely difficult to execute, especially when the technology is new or emerging, or when transaction volumes are very high.

The Office of Government Commerce recommends early involvement of suppliers. Suppliers welcome the opportunity to meet with prospective customers and advise them on the "do-ability" of their idea and to discuss key issues related to potential solutions. This allows suppliers to show the client how the market can meet their need, provides early visibility of key risks and issues, and gives suppliers the opportunity to manage expectations of what the market can and cannot contribute to the proposed programme. Intellect fully endorses this approach and offers a Concept Viability service to public sector clients in return of a small fee to help them consult the market.

Clients with business needs that require either a large-scale commitment or demanding solution would approach Intellect to test the viability of the concept. As the leading representative body for the ICT industry with approximately 800 member companies, Intellect is well placed to draw on the expertise clients need. Intellect is also technology-neutral and so will be able to draw on a range of companies providing fundamentally different solutions, thereby enhancing the variety of options and perspectives available to the client. If the client suggests the involvement of specific companies outside its membership, Intellect will be pleased to include them in the process.

This service is intended to assist the development of a more comprehensive assessment of projects at their earliest stages. To this end, the assessment proposed in this document should not be viewed in isolation, but rather as part of a wider consultation undertaken by the client (i.e. this will not replace work which the client undertakes on proof of concept or feasibility, but rather seeks to inform it).

Companies and public sector organisations are invited to contact Intellect – at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it - if they would like further information once they have read the brochure.

Concept Viability Brochure (pdf 157KB) more»