Public-sector trust begins with claims that can be evidenced, an independence boundary that can be explained and an engagement scope tied to a real decision.
This page gives public-sector buyers a due-diligence route for considering Enigma. It supports central-government and local-government engagements without asserting framework participation, certifications, insurance limits or formal policy positions that have not been verified.
Commission the decision, not an undefined body of consultancy
A proportionate procurement starts with the decision the client must make, the consequence of being wrong, the evidence available and the independence required. This allows the authority to define a bounded output, evaluation criteria and reporting route before choosing a commercial mechanism.
- State the decision, accountable owner and required date.
- Identify the delivery parties whose work will be examined.
- Define the evidence request and access constraints.
- Set the expected executive output and escalation route.
- Record conflicts, exclusions, assumptions and limitations.
- Choose an engagement model proportionate to the exposure.
Independence and conflicts
No party should independently assure delivery it directly owns. Before an engagement, Enigma should identify relevant delivery relationships, commercial interests and access dependencies, then agree the reporting line and escalation rights. The Independence and Conflict Standard provides the control model.
Evidence and audit trail
Assurance conclusions should trace to current, attributable artefacts and preserve contrary evidence. The Evidence Sufficiency Standard defines the threshold. The engagement record should show what was examined, what was unavailable, the basis of confidence, material limitations and the client’s final disposition.
Buyer due diligence
- Registered legal entity, company number, address and contracting contact.
- Relevant insurance evidence and limits for the proposed scope.
- Information handling, access, retention, secure disposal and incident notification.
- Subcontracting model, named accountability and quality control.
- Accessibility, inclusive communication and proportionate use of client time.
- Specific, deliverable and measurable social-value commitments where required.
Commercial routes
The appropriate route may be a direct consultancy procurement, a permitted framework route, a competitive process or delivery through an approved prime. The buyer must determine what is lawful and suitable for its organisation and contract value. Enigma will describe its actual route and status for the opportunity, supported by evidence, rather than implying access it does not hold.
What a good statement of work contains
- The assurance question and decision authority.
- Scope, exclusions, evidence access and named stakeholders.
- Independence declaration and conflict controls.
- Method, review points, deliverables and acceptance criteria.
- Reporting, escalation, confidentiality and information handling.
- Fees, assumptions, dependencies and change control.
Evidence-controlled claims
Enigma states corporate, insurance, certification and framework information only where the supporting evidence has been verified. Buyers can request the relevant due-diligence pack for a defined opportunity.
To discuss the decision and appropriate commissioning route, start an assurance conversation.