CSES
CSES is a Birmingham-headquartered, partner-owned research and evaluation consultancy founded in 1999 that delivers impact assessments, feasibility studies, and policy evaluations to public-sector clients including UK Government, the NHS, the European Commission, the European Parliament, the EIB, the UN, and the World Bank.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1999
- HeadquartersBirmingham, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What CSES does
CSES (Centre for Strategy & Evaluation Services LLP) is a Birmingham-headquartered, partner-owned multidisciplinary research and evaluation consultancy founded in 1999. The firm provides strategy and evaluation services to public-sector clients across the UK, the EU, and selected international markets, organized around ten practice areas including cohesion policy and regional development, internal market, sector studies, SMEs and industrial policy, education and culture, research and innovation, employment and social affairs, justice and home affairs, environment, and legislative fitness checks. Service lines fall into two main groups: Strategy (impact assessments, feasibility studies, strategy development, performance improvement) and Evaluation (ex-ante, interim, and ex-post programme, policy, and legislative evaluation), delivered through methods such as focus groups, mediated workshops, statistical analysis, and econometric modelling.
CSES operates from registered offices in Birmingham (headquarters) and London, supplemented by a wholly-owned Dublin subsidiary, CSES Europe, established in June 2018 specifically to maintain continuity of service to EU institutions following Brexit. The firm generates revenue through project-based professional services engagements won via competitive tendering, framework contracts with the European Commission, European Parliament, and UK Government, and consortium partnerships with more than 25 European consultancies. Named clients span UK Government departments (including BEIS, HSE, EHRC, UK IPO, ACAS, Welsh Government, Scottish Government), the NHS, multiple European Commission DGs, the European Investment Bank, the Committee of the Regions, the United Nations, the World Bank, and the European Science Foundation.
The firm competes in a segment characterized by long institutional procurement cycles, framework-contract dependency, and consortium-based delivery. With 11-50 employees and 200+ completed studies since foundation, CSES occupies a specialist niche alongside larger diversified consultancies (Ecorys, Ernst & Young, PwC, Ramboll), differentiating through regulatory methodology depth, EU policy institutional knowledge, and a partner-led delivery model. There is no disclosed external funding, parent company, or M&A activity; the firm operates as an independent LLP with internal partner ownership.
CSES firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- CSES
- Legal name
- Centre for Strategy & Evaluation Services LLP
- Website
- https://cses.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1999
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- CSES is a Birmingham-headquartered, partner-owned research and evaluation consultancy founded in 1999 that delivers impact assessments, feasibility studies, and policy evaluations to public-sector clients including UK Government, the NHS, the European Commission, the European Parliament, the EIB, the UN, and the World Bank.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
CSES industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Policy Evaluation and Impact Assessment Consulting
- NAICS
- Management Consulting Services (54161), Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services (541611), Other Management Consulting Services (541618), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720), All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (541990)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Survey, Panel & Fieldwork Services (BPAHALAJ)
Keywords
Where CSES is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Birmingham
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
CSES business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Consulting and Advisory Services: CSES generates revenue through providing consultancy services including impact assessments, feasibility studies, evaluations, and strategic advisory work to public sector clients. Revenue is project-based, typically through competitive tendering for government and institutional contracts.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
CSES product offering
Product offeringCore offering
CSES is a multidisciplinary research and consultancy firm that delivers policy evaluations (ex-ante, interim, ex-post), impact assessments, feasibility studies, and strategic advisory services to public sector clients. Its work is organized around ten practice areas including cohesion policy, internal market, SMEs and industrial policy, education and culture, research and innovation, employment and social affairs, justice and home affairs, environment, and legislative evaluation. Primary clients include UK Government departments, the NHS, the European Commission, the European Parliament, the European Investment Bank, the UN, and the World Bank.
Product overview
CSES (Centre for Strategy & Evaluation Services) is a multidisciplinary research and consultancy services firm rather than a software product company. The company provides professional consulting services organized around ten Practice Areas covering: Local and Regional Development, Internal Market, Sector Studies, SMEs and Industrial Policy, Education and Culture, Research and Innovation, Employment and Social Affairs, Justice and Home Affairs, Environment, and Evaluating Legislation, Fitness Checks and Legal Reviews. Their core service offerings include Strategy services (feasibility studies, impact assessments, development of strategies, performance improvement) and Evaluation services (programme evaluation, policy evaluation, evaluation of legislation). The company serves clients including UK Government, NHS, European Commission, European Parliament, EU Agencies, European Investment Bank, Committee of the Regions, United Nations, World Bank, and other international organizations. CSES Europe is a Dublin-based subsidiary established in June 2018 to serve EU institutions post-Brexit.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Companies that use CSES
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
CSES technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
CSES partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
31 partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- RAND EuropecoreAppointed alongside CSES by EISMEA to undertake study on gender investment gap affecting women-led companies and women-led investment funds.
- Spark Legal and Policy ConsultingcoreConsortium partner for DG GROW Framework Contract and multiple evaluation studies including Mutual Recognition Regulation, Measuring Instruments Directives, and New Legislative Framework evaluation.
- WavestonecorePartner on Impact Assessment for Product Liability Directive revision.
- Grimaldi Studio LegalecoreItalian law firm partner on Product Liability Directive impact assessment.
- VVA GroupcoreItaly-based partner working with CSES on Study to Support Fitness Check of EU Consumer Law on Digital Fairness.
- Tetra TechcoreInternational consultancy partnered on European Excellence Initiative study, EU Consumer Law fitness check, and EPPO Regulation impact assessment.
- WIKcorePartner on EU Consumer Law and Digital Fairness fitness check study.
- Blomeyer & SanzcoreSpain-based consultancy partner enabling CSES to undertake research and consultancy assignments on a pan-European basis. Worked together on studies such as the Contribution of Sport to Regional Development through the Structural Funds.
- CASE ResearchcorePoland-based research partner in CSES's European partnership network for pan-European consultancy assignments.
- CEDRUcorePortugal-based consultancy partner in CSES's European partnership network.
- CSIL (Centre for Industrial Studies)coreItaly-based consortium partner that worked with CSES on evaluations such as the ex post evaluation of Cohesion Policy programmes 2007-2013, Product Liability Directive impact assessment, and Fertilising Products Regulation evaluation.
- Economisti AssociaticoreItaly-based economics consultancy partner in the CSES European partnership network.
- EcoryscoreUK/Netherlands-based consultancy that has partnered with CSES on European Capitals of Culture evaluations, Satellite and Cable Directive studies, and other EU Commission projects.
- Europe EconomicscoreEU-focused economics consultancy partner in the CSES network.
- European Citizens Advice Service (ECAS)coreBelgium-based partner in the CSES European consultancy network.
- Institute for Advanced Studies (IHS)coreAustria-based academic partner in the CSES network for pan-European research assignments.
- London EconomicscoreUK-based economics consultancy partner in the CSES European partnership network.
- Office for Economic Policy and Regional Development (EPRD)corePoland-based partner in the CSES European consultancy network.
- Oxford ResearchcoreDenmark/Scandinavia-wide consultancy partner in the CSES network. Also worked on Single Market Scoreboard update.
- Panteia GroupcoreNetherlands-based partner; member of pan-EU ENSR network of SME research organisations. Partnered on European Excellence Initiative study.
- Public Policy Management Institute (PPMI)coreLithuania/Baltic States-based institute in the CSES partnership network. Partnered on legal statute for university alliances study and ERA policy framework evaluation.
- RPAcoreUK-based consultancy partner in the CSES European partnership network.
- Prognos AGcoreConsortium partner in DG GROW Framework Contract and Study on Competitiveness of EU Engineering Industries.
- IDEA ConsultcoreBelgian consultancy consortium partner for DG GROW Framework Contract and EU Engineering Industries study.
- Viegand MaagøecoreDanish consultancy consortium partner in DG GROW Framework Contract.
- Trilateral ResearchcoreUK-based consultancy partner for Single Market Scoreboard update and DG RTD EDAR Framework Contract.
- Tech4i2corePartner on Radio Equipment Directive impact assessment and DG RTD EDAR Framework Contract.
- CoffeycoreInternational development consultancy partner in DG RTD EDAR Framework Contract.
- IpsosMoricoreResearch partner in DG RTD EDAR Framework Contract consortium.
- SPIcorePortuguese partner on European Excellence Initiative study and DG RTD EDAR Framework Contract.
- Resilience Advisors NetworkcoreCivil protection experts partnered with CSES on Union Civil Protection Mechanism studies.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
CSES competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Ecorys: Major European research and consultancy firm headquartered in the Netherlands, directly comparable to CSES in policy evaluation, impact assessment, and EU framework contracts. A long-standing CSES consortium partner, both firms compete and co-bid on the same Commission DGs.
- Wavestone: French-headquartered consulting firm with a substantial EU policy and regulation practice, frequently competing on and winning EU evaluation framework contracts alongside CSES. Named CSES partner on the Product Liability Directive impact assessment.
- IDEA Consult: Belgian consultancy specializing in innovation, SMEs, industrial policy, and economic development evaluations, often within the same DG GROW and DG RTD framework contracts where CSES competes and partners.
- Spark Legal and Policy Consulting: Belgium-based legal and policy consultancy with strong focus on internal market and product safety legislation evaluations, frequently co-bidding with CSES on DG GROW assignments including Mutual Recognition Regulation and NLF evaluation.
- London Economics: UK economics consultancy with a strong EU public sector practice spanning competition policy, regulatory impact assessment, and trade - highly comparable client base and analytical style; an established CSES consortium partner.
- RAND Europe: UK- and Belgium-based policy research organization producing evaluations and impact assessments for EU and UK clients; co-bid with CSES on the 2024 EISMEA gender investment gap study. Comparable in multi-disciplinary social-science orientation and public sector focus.
- Oxford Research: Scandinavian consultancy focused on policy evaluation, regional development, and Single Market studies, comparable in scale and methodology orientation; partnered with CSES on the Single Market Scoreboard update.
- Public Policy Management Institute (PPMI): Lithuania-based policy research and evaluation firm with a comparable mix of EU framework contract work and national-level assignments. Co-bids with CSES on studies such as legal statute for university alliances and ERA policy framework evaluation.
Broad incumbents
- Ramboll Management Consulting: Large Nordic-rooted consultancy with a sizable EU policy, climate, and sustainability evaluation practice that competes with CSES on Commission tenders but offers much broader service lines including engineering and environmental consulting.
- ICF International: Large global consultancy with a major European policy evaluation practice serving the European Commission, EEA, and UK government. Directly competitive on framework contracts, with much deeper bench and geographic reach.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
CSES social profiles
Digital presenceCSES financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
CSES leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles19 records
CSES subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
CSES funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
CSES M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about CSES
What does CSES do?
CSES is a multidisciplinary research and consultancy firm that delivers policy evaluations (ex-ante, interim, ex-post), impact assessments, feasibility studies, and strategic advisory services to public sector clients. Its work is organized around ten practice areas including cohesion policy, internal market, SMEs and industrial policy, education and culture, research and innovation, employment and social affairs, justice and home affairs, environment, and legislative evaluation. Primary clients include UK Government departments, the NHS, the European Commission, the European Parliament, the European Investment Bank, the UN, and the World Bank.
Is CSES a public or private company?
CSES is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was CSES founded?
CSES was founded in 1999. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is CSES based?
CSES is headquartered in Birmingham, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does CSES make money?
One revenue line is on record: consulting and Advisory Services.
Who are CSES's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Ecorys, Wavestone, IDEA Consult, Spark Legal and Policy Consulting, London Economics, RAND Europe, Oxford Research and Public Policy Management Institute (PPMI). Broad incumbents are Ramboll Management Consulting and ICF International.
Does CSES have an API?
No public API is recorded for CSES.
What industry is CSES in?
CSES's product category is Policy Evaluation and Impact Assessment Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHALAJ, Survey, Panel & Fieldwork Services. Its NAICS code is 54161 and its SIC code is 8742.