What we did
Question Factory provided early support to develop Liverpool City Region’s Office of Public Service Innovation (OPSI) – a central capability for public service reform, digital transformation, and data sharing across six local authorities, public service partners, and the VCSE sector, serving a population of 1.6 million.
Our ‘Start Right’ work helped define user needs, delivery and resourcing models, prototyping and engagement methods, and the creation of core project governance, setting the conditions for success and informing the outline business case.
We also delivered key formal outputs, including a high-level technology pathway exploring different scenarios for skills, investment, core services, and agile working; and a deep dive review of the digital and data landscape across councils, the NHS, housing, and other partners.
How we did it
We worked with digital and public service leaders across the Liverpool City Region, drawing on previous work on data devolution to rapidly identify key design choices and models that OPSI might follow. We tested this advice through detailed 1:1 discussions with key teams in local authorities and partner agencies. This approach helped raise awareness, build buy-in, and mobilise commitment across the City Region.
Our work focused on shaping not only the technical foundations but also the ways of working and relationships that would underpin OPSI’s success. By modelling collaborative and user-centred approaches from the outset, making introductions from professional networks and advising on the internal and external positioning of the work, we helped set the right tone for the project.
The impact we had
Our work set the strategic and practical foundations for a major new cross-sector initiative. The tools and frameworks we produced provided clarity and momentum, while the early relationships we helped establish across the region continue to sustain and grow the project.
OPSI is now positioned as a bold vehicle for joined-up public service reform, rooted in real insight and shared capability.
