What Blake Stevenson does

Blake Stevenson is an independent research and consultancy firm founded in 1992 and headquartered in Edinburgh, United Kingdom. The firm delivers social research, programme evaluation, facilitation, and organisational development services to public sector bodies (Scottish Government, NHS, Police, local authorities), voluntary and third sector organisations (major UK trusts and charities), and community groups. Its core service lines are Research and Analysis, Evaluation and Self-Evaluation, Facilitation and Organisational Support, and Organisational Development and Support, all delivered through commissioned project engagements. The firm is led by Directors Jennifer Lambert and Onyema Ibe, who took over from founding partner Glenys Watt in November 2016, supported by a core team of nine consultants plus specialist associates.

The company's service offering is built around bespoke qualitative and quantitative social research methodologies — surveys, focus groups, interviews, deliberative workshops, community consultation, case studies, feasibility studies, mapping studies, options appraisals, and impact assessment. There is no proprietary technology platform; the firm operates as a pure professional services consultancy whose deliverable is human analyst labour and bespoke reports. Notable engagements include a Scotland-wide evaluation of the Third Sector Interface across all 32 TSIs, development of an impact measurement framework for Edinburgh International Book Festival, and research informing the National Strategy for Public Libraries in Scotland.

The revenue model is professional services fees negotiated on a per-project basis, with multi-year contracts typical for public sector clients. The firm goes to market through direct commissioning, leveraging its long-standing reputation, repeat engagements, and referrals within Scottish public and third sector networks. Marketing is minimal, consisting of a professional website and a Twitter account. The firm holds Cyber Essentials accreditation, the Scottish Business Pledge, and Real Living Wage Employer status, supporting its eligibility for values-based and security-compliant public procurement. The market is geographically concentrated in Scotland with selective UK-wide engagements.

Name

Blake Stevenson

Legal name

Blake Stevenson Ltd

Website

https://blakestevensonresearch.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Blake Stevenson is an Edinburgh-based independent research and consultancy firm founded in 1992, delivering social research, programme evaluation, and organisational development services to Scottish public sector bodies, NHS, and third sector organisations across the UK.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Edinburgh

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Research and Analysis Services: Consultancy fees for primary and secondary research, surveys, focus groups, interviews, deliberative workshops, community consultation, case studies and impact assessment for public and third sector clients.
2. Evaluation Services: Fees for programme evaluation, outcomes development, and self-evaluation support for organisations ranging from large national programmes to smaller community projects.
3. Organisational Development and Support: Fees for bespoke support including feasibility studies, mapping studies, options appraisals, strategic planning, business planning, and consultation facilitation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Blake Stevenson is an independent research and consultancy firm delivering primary and secondary research, programme evaluation, facilitation, and organisational development services to public sector bodies, charities, and community organisations across Scotland and the wider UK. Engagements typically cover evidence gathering for policy and strategy, impact evaluation, community consultation, and bespoke support for service design and planning. The firm operates on a project-by-project, commissioned basis.

Product overview

Blake Stevenson offers a unified suite of research and consultancy services organized into four interconnected core offerings: Research and Analysis (primary and secondary research to establish evidence bases), Evaluation and Self-Evaluation (measuring impact of programmes and developing organizational capacity for self-assessment), Facilitation and Organisational Support (event facilitation, service design, and stakeholder engagement), and Organisational Development and Support (strategic planning, feasibility studies, and business planning). The company operates as a professional services consultancy rather than a software product company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Research and Analysis Primary and secondary research services for clients on various topic areas to establish justification or feasibility of initiatives and inform strategy development. Includes surveys, focus groups, interviews, deliberative workshops, community consultation, case studies and impact assessment.
• Evaluation and Self-Evaluation
• Facilitation and Organisational Support
• Organisational Development and Support

Quantifiable outcome

• Developed impact measurement framework for Edinburgh International Book Festival's Booked! Programme
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers30 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Arrivo ConsultingcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 December 2016Partnership with Arrivo Consulting commissioned by Scottish Government to evaluate the role, function and effectiveness of the Third Sector Interface model and Voluntary Action Scotland. Comprehensive study involving survey of all 32 TSIs with depth studies in 11 areas.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Ipsos Public Affairs (UK): Major research group's public affairs division running large-scale social and opinion research for UK and devolved governments. Overlaps with Blake Stevenson on social research for Scottish public sector clients but at far greater scale.
• Kantar Public UK: UK public-sector practice of Kantar delivering social and policy research, evaluation and behavioural insight for government. A broader incumbent with overlapping capabilities and competing for similar Scottish public-sector tenders.

Direct peers

• EKOS Ltd: Glasgow-based economic and social research consultancy serving Scottish public sector, enterprise agencies and third sector clients. Highly comparable in scale, geography and service mix to Blake Stevenson.
• NatCen Social Research: UK's largest independent social research charity conducting surveys, evaluation and policy research for government and the third sector. Directly comparable in mission, methods, and client base to Blake Stevenson but operating at much greater scale.
• ScotCen Social Research: Scottish arm of NatCen delivering social surveys and evaluation for Scottish Government, NHS and charities. The most direct competitor to Blake Stevenson in Scotland, operating with a similarly public/third-sector focus.
• Progressive Partnership: UK research and evaluation consultancy working with public, charitable and social enterprises on impact evaluation, theory of change and outcomes measurement. Similar niche positioning around social impact.
• Diffley Partnership: Scottish social research and evaluation consultancy working with public and third sector organisations on policy, impact evaluation and community research. Closely overlaps with Blake Stevenson on sector focus and methodology.
• SQW Group: UK economic and social development consultancy providing evaluation, feasibility and strategic planning for government and the third sector. Comparable offer to Blake Stevenson's organisational development and feasibility practice.
• Rocket Science UK: Edinburgh-based consultancy delivering evaluation, research and strategic advisory for UK government, local authorities and charities. Comparable service portfolio (evaluation, feasibility, organisational development) and similar regional focus.

Regional players

• Wavehill (Wales): Welsh social and economic research consultancy providing evaluation and policy research for Welsh Government and third sector. Comparable in scale and service mix but operating in a different UK devolved nation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/blakestevtweets

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Blake Stevenson