Case study
Outline Business Case for a New Genomics LIMS
Delivering a first-pass-approved, Five Case Model business case for the procurement of a Laboratory Information Management System across an NHS Genomic Laboratory Hub.
Approved
5
7 → 5
100%
Sector
Scope
Framework
Duration
Outcome
The objective was not simply to produce a document, but to produce the one business case that would be approved the first time it was seen — by every board that had to see it.
glims replacement
A mission-critical system, a high bar for approval, and no room for a second attempt
A regional Genomic Laboratory Hub needed to replace its Genomics Laboratory Information Management System — the operational backbone through which genomic samples are booked, tracked, analysed and reported. Any replacement would be a significant, multi-organisation investment with direct implications for clinical service continuity, turnaround times and the Hub's ability to meet national genomic testing commitments.
Because the Hub is hosted across two partner NHS Trusts, the investment decision had to satisfy two sets of internal governance as well as regional and national oversight. To move to market, the client first needed a rigorous Outline Business Case that complied fully with HM Treasury Better Business Case guidance and the Five Case Model, and that built credibly on the previously approved Strategic Outline Case.
The client faced three compounding pressures: the OBC had to be comprehensive and evidence-led enough to withstand scrutiny at multiple boards; it had to be delivered against fixed governance deadlines with committee calendars that offered little slack; and it needed to achieve approval at first pass — a rejected or deferred business case would have pushed the procurement back by months.
A Better Business Case built on evidence, stakeholders and disciplined delivery
We were engaged as the supplier of Digital Transformation Programme Services to author the OBC end to end and to steer it through governance.
The work was structured around three principles: strict adherence to the Five Case Model, deep and early stakeholder engagement, and PMO-grade project control so that nothing slipped.
The OBC was written in full against the five dimensions of a Better Business Case, each evidenced and internally consistent:
| Case | What We Delivered |
|---|---|
| The Strategic Case | Confirmed the case for change, aligning the investment to the GLH’s service strategy, the national genomics agenda and the NHS Data & Digital interoperability framework; built directly on the approved Strategic Outline Case. |
| The Economic Case | Ran a full options appraisal — a long-list of seven options reduced to a short-list of five — with a cost and impact assessment (CIA) to identify the option delivering best public value. |
| The Commercial Case | Set out a deliverable, market-tested procurement approach and commercial structure, including route to market, contract scope and key terms. |
| The Financial Case | Established affordability across the partner organisations, with capital and revenue profiles, funding sources and a clear statement of net cost. |
| The Management Case | Evidenced deliverability through robust project governance, planning and risk management aligned to the Trusts’ PMO standards. |
Stakeholder engagement and workshops
Evidence was generated, not assumed. We designed and facilitated a series of structured workshops with stakeholders from across and beyond the genomics service, securing clear, documented outputs that fed directly into the business case as required by Better Business Case guidance.
To assemble the full picture, we engaged deliberately with teams outside genomics, including:
Trust Finance teams
To establish affordability, funding routes and the financial case.
Trust IM&T / digital teams
To confirm technical fit, interoperability and infrastructure implications.
Pathology network leads
To align the investment with the wider diagnostics and pathology landscape.
Throughout, we maintained strategic alignment with the national genomics agenda, the Data and Digital interoperability framework and relevant national informatics strategies — and facilitated the stakeholder discussions needed to keep that alignment live as the case developed.
Governance and project control
We implemented robust project governance aligned to the Trusts’ PMO standards, giving the client full visibility of progress and risk. This included a project plan and a clear approvals timeline mapped to the specific boards and committees the OBC needed to pass; a RAID log; a benefits realisation plan; and communication, resource, stakeholder management and procurement strategies.
Progress was reviewed with the Hub’s Finance and Contracts Manager on at least a bi-weekly basis, with any risk to timelines flagged early so it could be managed rather than absorbed.
THE OUTCOME
Approved at first pass — by both Trusts, on time
The Outline Business Case was completed and approved at the first time of asking by the finance boards of both partner NHS Trusts — the outcome the engagement had been designed to achieve. Every agreed deadline was met, and the case moved through governance without the delay that a deferral or rework cycle would have caused.
With approval secured, the client has moved into the next stage of the procurement for its new Genomics LIMS. A structured handover to the internal project and delivery teams was completed ahead of the close of the assignment, leaving the client fully equipped to carry the work forward.
FIRST-PASS APPROVAL
ON TIME
OPTIONS APPRAISED
STANDARDS MET
MOMENTUM
Capabilites Demonstrated
Full Five Case Model OBCs and SOCs to HM Treasury standards.
Long-list to short-list, cost and impact assessment, preferred-option identification.
Created the CIA, inputting all the financial data, sourcing accurate risk and benefit costs, NPSV etc. to present a coherent and compelling investment model.
Mapping and steering cases through multi-organisation internal, regional and national governance.
Securing documented outputs from finance, IM&T, pathology and clinical stakeholders.
project plan, RAID, benefits realisation, communications, resource, stakeholder and procurement strategies.
Why it worked...
A Better Business Case is judged on whether it can be believed and acted upon at first sight. This one was — by two boards, against the clock.
Three things made the difference.
First, single-author coherence: the OBC was written in its entirety by one lead consultant, so the five cases told one consistent, internally reconciled story rather than a stitched-together set of contributions — exactly what approving boards look for.
Second, evidence over assertion: workshop outputs and cross-functional engagement meant every claim in the case was traceable to a stakeholder or a source.
Third, disciplined delivery: PMO-aligned governance and bi-weekly reporting kept the programme ahead of its deadlines and surfaced risk early, so the case arrived at each board on time and complete.
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