Publication - Advice and guidance

Strategic commercial interventions: assurance playbook

Published: 30 September 2025
Directorate: Economic Development Directorate
Topic: Economy
ISBN: 9781836919124

As part of the drive for continuous improvement we have developed specific and targeted operating procedures in relation to managing strategic assets. This includes detailed policy and guidance, signposting to existing best practice for those who are managing interventions.

Supporting documents

Principles for Developing a Business Case

What is it?

A business case is a document that helps set out to and seek approval from decision makers in relation to the justification for undertaking a project. The business case helps provide clarity around the perceived benefits, costs and risks associated with various options, and sets out the rationale for the preferred solution.

This guidance summarises existing business case guidance, providing detail on the Five Case Model from the HM Treasury’s Green Book. It also provides useful hints and tips on the key aspects of a business case required in time-critical situations, where a comprehensive business case may not be possible. Finally the guidance sets out the governance and sign-off process with links to other helpful resources.

What is its purpose

The development of a business case is an important stage of the decision-making process when considering financial support to a distressed business as it helps set out the rationale for Scottish Government (SG) intervention, the intended outcomes and the best route to deliver these.

Whilst it is important to provide decision makers with a full options appraisal to support an investment decision, it is recognised that in certain rare circumstances investment decisions are required to be made ‘at pace’. Such instances could relate to providing financial support to a business to support critical national infrastructure, or secure jobs in a strategically important industry where there is an immediate liquidity problem.

This guidance therefore looks to provide direction on developing business cases in general for commercial interventions, with judgement being applied on the essential aspects to focus on where there is time pressure.

When should it be used

This guidance is designed to support officials when there is a requirement to develop a business case, typically in support of investment decisions.

It is not intended to replace existing guidance on business case development within HMT Green Book and the Scottish Public Finance Manual, but instead distils and summarises key aspects of these, providing useful links and templates to follow.

The intended audience is colleagues considering financial interventions, most notably those in Strategic Commercial Assets Division, however the principles can be applied to other areas of SG and the wider public sector.