About Us
Bringing huge experience to everything we do
Our directors have worked together since 2006 across three different organisations. Together we bring more than 60 years’ experience of working with and for public services commissioners, social sector providers and with private and social investors.
ATQ stands for "Answer the Question" which we always promise to do.
We're experts in
Evaluation and measurement of social impact
We provide research and evaluation of programmes for government and other agencies. We also provide implementation support to major programmes, supporting both funders and providers
Commissioning of Social Outcomes Contracts and Social Impact Bonds
We advise the public sector on the design and implementation of outcomes-based contracts, including options appraisal, feasibility studies and detailed project design and implementation
Social investment
We provide appraisal and business case support to social investors. We also help social sector organisations become investment ready and engage with social investors
Capacity building
We support social sector organisations to grow and expand through business planning and development, operational improvement and better measurement of their social impact
Commercial readiness
We help social sector organisations become better prepared to compete with the private sector through research into new market opportunities and direct support to bidding for public contracts
Meet our team
Edward Hickman
Edward Hickman has more than 30 years’ experience as a consultant. For the last 15 years, his work has been on the boundary of public, private and voluntary sectors supporting the commissioning, delivery and evaluation of front-line public services aimed at social inclusion. Edward is an experienced evaluator and manager of evaluation and monitoring projects. He has also led on numerous projects to support VCSEs in winning contracts and better measuring and monitoring social impact and the achievement of outcomes. Prior to this Edward’s consultancy career spanned a range of sectors including employability and skills, occupational health, recruitment and financial services. An economist by training and graduate of York University and IESE, Edward is a non-executive Chair of SCIA Group, a social care and other wellbeing services charity, and Chair of Merton Music Foundation, a music education services charity.
Neil Stanworth
Neil Stanworth has 30 years’ experience as a consultant, solution designer and project and programme director. He has specialised since 2011 in the design, implementation and evaluation of projects that deliver social impact and has particular expertise in outcomes measurement and cost value analysis. Neil has led or been a major contributor to projects for local authorities, central government departments, social investors and The National Lottery Community Fund. Experienced in managing complex projects including multi-stakeholder management, Neil was for two years a visiting Fellow of Practice at the Government Outcomes Lab. Educated at Cambridge University, Neil held a number of senior roles prior to founding ATQ in the civil service, in consultancy and in organisations delivering public services. He is a Non-Executive Director of Family Psychology Mutual CIC, a staff-led social enterprise that delivers evidence-based interventions to families with complex needs.
Equality, diversity and inclusion
We promote inclusion and value diversity in everything we do and across every engagement with partners, clients, stakeholders and service users
You can read our equality, diversity and inclusion policy here. It commits us to avoid discrimination and to deliver all our services in a way that recognises structural inequality and values diversity and difference. It applies both within ATQ and to all our interactions with a wide range of organisations and people including: our partners in the delivery of services; our clients and the communities that they serve; and all other stakeholders with whom we engage while delivering advisory or evaluation services.