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Technology Economics
Economic Analysis and Insights

Governments and industry rely on economic analysis to inform decisions about investments, policy design, and strategy. We are experts in economic analysis and trusted advisors to senior leaders when it comes to designing economic analyses and building useful insights from their results.

Governments and industry rely on economic analysis to inform decisions about investments, policy design, and strategy. We are experts in economic analysis and trusted advisors to senior leaders when it comes to designing economic analyses and building useful insights from their results.
Complex EIAs
$40 Million to
$70 Billion
in proposed expenditures
labour market studies across 8 sectors
Approach
In our experience, the key to an insightful EIA is a comprehensive understanding of the economic dynamics of the industry or policy in question. For example, the relative importance of capital versus operating costs, the source of economic input (domestic or imported) the length of a capital investment (e.g., 5 vs. 40 years), the quantity of labour, and the type of and regional distribution of labour are all key considerations to ensure that material factors are well accounted for in economic modeling. Our economic impact assessment work is guided by five core values:
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Value: Given our experience with EIAs, our project team can hit the ground running, delivering value immediately, given our familiarity with a range of reliable datasets and our ability to leverage our pre-configured EIA models.
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Balanced: Whether using static or dynamic models, we strive to present balanced estimates that account for both positive and negative effects when we evaluate the economic impact of a given policy event or economic “shock”
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Collaboration and Transparency: Our proprietary models are built to best practice, combining client-proprietary data with data from trusted sources such as Statistics Canada and BC Stats.
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Living Solutions: Our models are sound and flexible. They are easily updated and expanded to respond to a continuously evolving economic landscape, creating foundations that deliver immediately with an intent to continue doing so, well into the future.
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Independence and Agility: We are a boutique firm focused on high quality projects and long-term strategic relationships that push the edge of research and data science in partnerships that build and innovate together. We are focused on quality delivery for each mandate, while simultaneously uncovering new value potential at every step of a project.
Results
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Completed numerous EIAs for a provincial government related to resource development, focused primarily on the economic impact of large capital investments at the provincial, regional and community level. (These projects ranged from $40 Million to $75 Billion in proposed capital and operational and maintenance expenditures.)
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Led the economic modelling for many run-of-the river hydroelectric facilities in remote regions in Canada and estimated the financial and economic impacts of the North West transmission Line, the North East transmission line, and the Robson Valley transmission line for BC Hydro
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Completed a regional economic analysis to support a provincial government’s negotiations with local First Nations on a new land use framework
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Developed a dynamic economic model to estimate the general equilibrium effects of an economic policy at the household, sector and regional levels for a given province
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Creating sector-level economic baselines for a provincial government and a Crown corporation
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Conducted labour market studies and built corresponding labour supply-demand models for eight different sectors to inform their workforce development plans
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Reflections on Other Projects
White Paper: Why productivity should be a priority for British Columbian and Canadian governments
Case Study: Economic Modelling and Benchmarking for the B.C. Ministry of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation
Case Study: Labour Market Information Study and Workforce Development Plan for BC Wood
Expertise in Economic Impact Assessment
Strategy and Complex Procurements

Undertaking a major procurement can be one of the biggest challenges that an organization faces. Whether contracting a service provider to deliver cloud or telecom services, or outsourcing call centre or service desk operations, procuring effective service delivery without waste or unnecessary risk is a high stakes endeavour. Deetken has been supporting complex procurements since our inception. We know success requires a set of skills that, to some, may seem like odd bedfellows: rigorous economic and financial modelling skills, deep data science capabilities, a strategic mindset, sophisticated interest-based negotiation capacities, a high degree of emotional intelligence, tact and discretion, creative problem-solving, and, well, stamina.

Undertaking a major procurement can be one of the biggest challenges that an organization faces. Whether contracting a service provider to deliver cloud or telecom services, or outsourcing call centre or service desk operations, procuring effective service delivery without waste or unnecessary risk is a high stakes endeavour. Deetken has been supporting complex procurements since our inception. We know success requires a set of skills that, to some, may seem like odd bedfellows: rigorous economic and financial modelling skills, deep data science capabilities, a strategic mindset, sophisticated interest-based negotiation capacities, a high degree of emotional intelligence, tact and discretion, creative problem-solving, and, well, stamina.
Major Procurements
Total Deal Value
Major Clients
Approach
Our experience is comprehensive; we have supported suppliers and buyers in both the public and private sectors. We have worked across the entire procurement lifecycle, from developing options/strategy, supporting market interactions and tendering, and articulating service requirements to developing contract performance regimes, undertaking financial tender evaluation, and leading final negotiations and end of term evaluations. With typical deal sizes ranging from $0.5 Billion to more than $2 Billion, we have supported a wide range of multi-year procurements in health, IT, financial services, business process outsourcing and major infrastructure.
While each deal is unique, we are able to draw on an expanding knowledge base of best practices to bring state-of-the-art tools and techniques to the ancient arts of deal structuring and negotiation. We often leverage our strong track record in economic and financial modelling, financial valuation and structuring, risk management and due diligence. Specifically, we have:
- developed rigorous and dynamic financial models to evaluate the economics of investments, alternative service delivery models, strategy and businesses;
- applied simulation and linear programming techniques to evaluate potential contract scenarios;
- evaluated the impacts of policy, projects and investments on economic factors such as tax revenues, supply/demand shifts, incomes, labour markets, trade, and industry competitiveness; and
- applied expert facilitation and workshop techniques and qualitative research methods, including structured and open interviews, focus groups, and surveys, to engage multi-stakeholder groups (e.g. internal, external, executive, management, front-line) in problem-solving and the development of solutions.
As experts in outcome-based contacting, we are thought leaders in transforming relationships between buyers and suppliers and aligning incentives in ways that lead to win-win solutions. We can design innovative service delivery models, contracts and strategic deals and/or business processes that move beyond conventional agreements and that are responsive to change while meeting or exceeding key performance metrics, including efficiency and quality as well as service and risk.
Results
Our work has contributed to high impact results. Specifically, we have:
- negotiated the Province’s first-ever outcome-based contract for a $1.6 Billion healthcare-related outsourcing contract
- introduced the concept of gainsharing into longer-term contracts for both private and public sector clients
- designed the deal architecture and financial models for the one of the largest procurements of a student information system in Canadian history
- designed, modelled and negotiated the deal that determined how telecommunications services will be delivered to the Provincial Government, Health Authorities and Crown Corporations over a 10-year period
- supported private sector clients in winning $~1.5 Billion in new business
- built the deal architecture and led the financial analysis of the procurement of a public health surveillance system to better manage communicable diseases
Choose another project
Reflections on Other Projects
Strategy and Complex Procurements

Undertaking a major procurement can be one of the biggest challenges that an organization faces. Whether contracting a service provider to deliver cloud or telecom services, or outsourcing call centre or service desk operations, procuring effective service delivery without waste or unnecessary risk is a high stakes endeavour. Deetken has been supporting complex procurements since our inception. We know success requires a set of skills that, to some, may seem like odd bedfellows: rigorous economic and financial modelling skills, deep data science capabilities, a strategic mindset, sophisticated interest-based negotiation capacities, a high degree of emotional intelligence, tact and discretion, creative problem-solving, and, well, stamina.

Undertaking a major procurement can be one of the biggest challenges that an organization faces. Whether contracting a service provider to deliver cloud or telecom services, or outsourcing call centre or service desk operations, procuring effective service delivery without waste or unnecessary risk is a high stakes endeavour. Deetken has been supporting complex procurements since our inception. We know success requires a set of skills that, to some, may seem like odd bedfellows: rigorous economic and financial modelling skills, deep data science capabilities, a strategic mindset, sophisticated interest-based negotiation capacities, a high degree of emotional intelligence, tact and discretion, creative problem-solving, and, well, stamina.
Major Procurements
Total Deal Value
Major Clients
Approach
Our experience is comprehensive; we have supported suppliers and buyers in both the public and private sectors. We have worked across the entire procurement lifecycle, from developing options/strategy, supporting market interactions and tendering, and articulating service requirements to developing contract performance regimes, undertaking financial tender evaluation, and leading final negotiations and end of term evaluations. With typical deal sizes ranging from $0.5 Billion to more than $2 Billion, we have supported a wide range of multi-year procurements in health, IT, financial services, business process outsourcing and major infrastructure.
While each deal is unique, we are able to draw on an expanding knowledge base of best practices to bring state-of-the-art tools and techniques to the ancient arts of deal structuring and negotiation. We often leverage our strong track record in economic and financial modelling, financial valuation and structuring, risk management and due diligence. Specifically, we have:
- developed rigorous and dynamic financial models to evaluate the economics of investments, alternative service delivery models, strategy and businesses;
- applied simulation and linear programming techniques to evaluate potential contract scenarios;
- evaluated the impacts of policy, projects and investments on economic factors such as tax revenues, supply/demand shifts, incomes, labour markets, trade, and industry competitiveness; and
- applied expert facilitation and workshop techniques and qualitative research methods, including structured and open interviews, focus groups, and surveys, to engage multi-stakeholder groups (e.g. internal, external, executive, management, front-line) in problem-solving and the development of solutions.
As experts in outcome-based contacting, we are thought leaders in transforming relationships between buyers and suppliers and aligning incentives in ways that lead to win-win solutions. We can design innovative service delivery models, contracts and strategic deals and/or business processes that move beyond conventional agreements and that are responsive to change while meeting or exceeding key performance metrics, including efficiency and quality as well as service and risk.
Results
Our work has contributed to high impact results. Specifically, we have:
- negotiated the Province’s first-ever outcome-based contract for a $1.6 Billion healthcare-related outsourcing contract
- introduced the concept of gainsharing into longer-term contracts for both private and public sector clients
- designed the deal architecture and financial models for the one of the largest procurements of a student information system in Canadian history
- designed, modelled and negotiated the deal that determined how telecommunications services will be delivered to the Provincial Government, Health Authorities and Crown Corporations over a 10-year period
- supported private sector clients in winning $~1.5 Billion in new business
- built the deal architecture and led the financial analysis of the procurement of a public health surveillance system to better manage communicable diseases
Choose another project
Reflections on Other Projects
Energy Economics

Debates around energy economics – how we source and use energy resources and the consequences of our choices – are a regular feature of the daily news cycle. The drivers of supply and demand of the energy sources we depend on are not always easy to understand but directly impact our lives, our communities and our planet. Deetken has worked with project developers, policy makers, local communities and industry to shape energy policy, conduct project and investment due diligence, and negotiate co-investment agreements. We have earned the trust of these groups and developed an extensive track record in leading or supporting infrastructure investments in solar, hydro-electric, co-generation, natural gas, fuels and energy efficiency.

Debates around energy economics – how we source and use energy resources and the consequences of our choices – are a regular feature of the daily news cycle. The drivers of supply and demand of the energy sources we depend on are not always easy to understand but directly impact our lives, our communities and our planet. Deetken has worked with project developers, policy makers, local communities and industry to shape energy policy, conduct project and investment due diligence, and negotiate co-investment agreements. We have earned the trust of these groups and developed an extensive track record in leading or supporting infrastructure investments in solar, hydro-electric, co-generation, natural gas, fuels and energy efficiency.
In Due Diligence and Deal Structuring
Major Energy Company Partners
Renewable Energy Project Investments
Approach
Deetken has been providing analysis, modelling, and negotiating support in the energy sector for close to a decade. Over this period, we have frequently acted as the Provincial government’s core economic advisors and financial analysts on high-profile decisions relating to British Columbia’s natural resource industries. Our in-house skillset and breadth of experience has been leveraged by governments, industry groups and proponents to help understand and solution complex issues in the renewable and conventional energy markets, including solar energy, run-of-the-rivers hydroelectric energy, natural gas, marine fuel, and gas and diesel.
We have extensive experience in using data to understand the impact of market conditions and factors such as transportation costs, capital costs, and market structures on energy markets. We are able to evaluate the impacts of energy-related policy, projects and major investments on economic factors such as tax revenues, supply/demand shifts, incomes, labour markets, trade, and industry competitiveness. We use advanced simulation and machine learning capabilities to model small and large energy infrastructure projects and assess their broader economic implications.
Results
- Undertook a LNG competitiveness review that facilitated recent policy decisions and significantly influenced the final investment decision of LNG Canada with respect to its $40 Billion investment in British Columbia
- Acted as key economic experts for the BC Utilities Commission (BCUC)
- Led the economic modelling for many run-of-the river hydroelectric facilities in remote regions in Canada
- Estimated the financial and economic impacts of the North West transmission Line, the North East transmission line, and the Robson Valley transmission line for BC Hydro
- Undertook due diligence and deal structuring and invested in some of the largest renewable energy production facilities in Latin America, including the largest solar facility in Central America
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Reflections on Other Projects
Resource Planning Using Data Science

Knowing how, when and where to allocate staff resources may affect an organization’s effectiveness. When the delivery of critical services is on the line, getting this mix right is vital. Deetken combines our commitment to quantitative rigour with our ability to understand our clients’ unique services, processes and users to develop analytical solutions that support effective resource allocation.

Knowing how, when and where to allocate staff resources may affect an organization’s effectiveness. When the delivery of critical services is on the line, getting this mix right is vital. Deetken combines our commitment to quantitative rigour with our ability to understand our clients’ unique services, processes and users to develop analytical solutions that support effective resource allocation.
Approach
Deetken has helped a variety of clients understand the true sources of their workload and the relationship between workload, client demand, processes and policies, and resources. Our clients have used this is newfound transparency to make data-driven decisions to ensure they have the staff resources they need to deliver on their core mission and mandate. We often work with clients who need to be able to respond to unpredictable service levels, meet diverse customer/user needs, and adhere to non-linear or iterative processes. We know that if we don’t account for variability, our analysis will be flawed and, when the needs of vulnerable populations hang in the balance, the cost of error can be unacceptably high. The tools that we leverage allow us to account for the unique requirements of each of our clients, and can range from an easy-to-use Excel model to a web-based product that enables near real-time analytics and predictions.
For example, for a safety organization, we developed an analytical model that connected demand for services with management decisions related to business processes, resourcing, and service levels. This tool was used to help organizations struggling to allocate staff to meet critical situations where citizen safety was at risk. For an organization seeking to transform its service delivery model for adults with disabilities, we modelled the workforce implications and staffing requirements for a new case management role and estimated the number of these roles required across the province.
Across all our resource planning and optimization projects, we are able to draw on our economic modelling and data science toolkit to, for example, develop predictive workload simulations and identify critical resource gaps and related risk factors. When more qualitative engagement is required, we conduct interviews and consultations across an organization to build a deep understanding of how work gets done and to identify opportunities to optimize workflow, decision-making and reporting processes. Ultimately, our findings help management make fact-based policy, process, and resource decisions.
Results
Through our resource planning and optimization work, we have:
- Provided data-driven results to inform key management decisions including financial plans, and resource allocation strategies such as mobile response, policy development, business model transformation and service standards
- Identified and prioritized workload streamlining opportunities to free up staff time to focus on client service activities and/or speed up service to clients
- Deployed several near real-time resource allocation models for use by centralized teams as well as geographically diverse executives
Choose another project
Reflections on Other Projects
Resource Planning Using Data Science

Knowing how, when and where to allocate staff resources may affect an organization’s effectiveness. When the delivery of critical services is on the line, getting this mix right is vital. Deetken combines our commitment to quantitative rigour with our ability to understand our clients’ unique services, processes and users to develop analytical solutions that support effective resource allocation.

Knowing how, when and where to allocate staff resources may affect an organization’s effectiveness. When the delivery of critical services is on the line, getting this mix right is vital. Deetken combines our commitment to quantitative rigour with our ability to understand our clients’ unique services, processes and users to develop analytical solutions that support effective resource allocation.
Approach
Deetken has helped a variety of clients understand the true sources of their workload and the relationship between workload, client demand, processes and policies, and resources. Our clients have used this is newfound transparency to make data-driven decisions to ensure they have the staff resources they need to deliver on their core mission and mandate. We often work with clients who need to be able to respond to unpredictable service levels, meet diverse customer/user needs, and adhere to non-linear or iterative processes. We know that if we don’t account for variability, our analysis will be flawed and, when the needs of vulnerable populations hang in the balance, the cost of error can be unacceptably high. The tools that we leverage allow us to account for the unique requirements of each of our clients, and can range from an easy-to-use Excel model to a web-based product that enables near real-time analytics and predictions.
For example, for a safety organization, we developed an analytical model that connected demand for services with management decisions related to business processes, resourcing, and service levels. This tool was used to help organizations struggling to allocate staff to meet critical situations where citizen safety was at risk. For an organization seeking to transform its service delivery model for adults with disabilities, we modelled the workforce implications and staffing requirements for a new case management role and estimated the number of these roles required across the province.
Across all our resource planning and optimization projects, we are able to draw on our economic modelling and data science toolkit to, for example, develop predictive workload simulations and identify critical resource gaps and related risk factors. When more qualitative engagement is required, we conduct interviews and consultations across an organization to build a deep understanding of how work gets done and to identify opportunities to optimize workflow, decision-making and reporting processes. Ultimately, our findings help management make fact-based policy, process, and resource decisions.
Results
Through our resource planning and optimization work, we have:
- Provided data-driven results to inform key management decisions including financial plans, and resource allocation strategies such as mobile response, policy development, business model transformation and service standards
- Identified and prioritized workload streamlining opportunities to free up staff time to focus on client service activities and/or speed up service to clients
- Deployed several near real-time resource allocation models for use by centralized teams as well as geographically diverse executives