Our clients benefit from our extensive knowledge and expertise in policy, procurement, legislation and regulation; expertise gained from decades experience working with multiple levels of government on a diverse range of issues. We specializes in dealing with government administrative law at both the federal, provincial and municipal levels. In doing so, we provide a number of services such as monitoring, policy analysis, research, and consultation. These services are designed to add value and insight to our clients initiatives and proposals. Each level of government calls for a different approach; we tailors the approach in order to best serve the needs of our clients. We analyzes provincial public policy to create strategic solutions that garner the most benefit for our clients.
Our knowledge of both the political and bureaucratic levels of government equip our clients with the resources to gain the fullest exposure and fairest consideration. Our team is familiar with the workings of Council and staff offices, to fully prepare you and your firm, no matter what obstacles lie ahead.
Our Services:
1. Public Relations and Image Enhancement
Finely-tuned and directed public relations are a key element of any successful public affairs campaign. The role of the media in shaping the immediate perceptions and attitudes of government is significant. We can access the right journalists on your behalf, as well as organize press conferences, media events, and produce media materials, providing an understanding of your issue among key journalists and editors – and as a result, among the politicians. We can also work as a team with dedicated local public relations companies, or we can advise on which local agency will best serve your interests. Popular preconceptions about a company cannot be left to chance. We advise on corporate positioning and philanthropy, with a view to having your actions and intentions considered on the most advantageous terms. Through understanding the network of charitable bodies we can advise on which activities it would be best for you to focus. We also have experience in a range of Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives which will enhance your local reputation, and help you build relationships that last.
2. Monitoring and Intelligence
We focus our resources on gathering relevant information from a wide range of printed and electronic sources developments on your key economic, political and legislative issues. Based on this, we are able to offer a monitoring and early-warning service, alerting you in advance to proposed policy measures that affect your interests. Sounding out policy-making circles, we can also provide feedback on the attitude taken by the authorities towards you or your competitors. We believe that our intelligence-gathering capability in the region is second to none, ensuring that when we plan your campaign we are aware of all the potential challenges as well as opportunities ahead. We are happy to provide reputational checks on individuals and companies that you may be dealing with, checking with both open and informal sources. We pride ourselves in the breadth and depth of our contacts in the journalistic and political world. If it is happening – we will know about it, and tell you promptly. If it is a rumour – we can verify it quickly and efficiently, so that you can make the right decisions on the basis of facts, not fiction.
3. Audit and Perception Analysis
We analyse with you your case and the issues to be resolved. We will assess the strengths and weaknesses of your position; the perceptions of officials and elected politicians; your reputation in the media and the broader journalist community; and the allies and opponents likely to be found among opinion-formers and other public constituencies. Such a survey will enable us to judge the feasibility of your project and identify the factors critical to your success. Over the years, we have established unrivalled access to those in media and politics who shape broader attitudes in the decision-making community, and are able to understand what they really think about you not just what they say in public. During the campaign itself we will listen carefully to our interlocutors, and adjust our strategy accordingly, whilst keeping your strategic goals intact. We want to be flexible, and to recommend to you feasible and realistic ways of changing the way in which you are truly perceived.
4. Access and Advocacy
Having understood your facts and authored the scenario for success, Trustman then identifies the decision-makers you ought to reach. We insist on being open about who we represent when we approach decision-makers, and we insist our clients adhere to a similar commitment to transparency. We will of course help you prepare your case to the highest standards. Whether you wish to represent yourselves or choose us to undertake advocacy on your behalf, we will ensure the most effective presentation of your message as well as the most favourable reception. We spend much time and energy in understanding the real relationships and ties that make decisions happen, looking not only at the formal structures of power in government and in parliament, but also understanding the informal web of personal and party influences that are often as important as the official ones – if not more so. We want to be confident that when you meet an interlocutor on our advice, you are not wasting your time – or his. Whether at the level of central or local government, parliament or administration, political parties or advisory institutions, Trustman Government Relations will initiate a programme to ensure your message is heard by the right people at the right time.
5. Coalition Building
Third party endorsement is often crucial to a campaigns success. Mobilizing support for your aims among the media, professional associations, think-tanks, pressure groups and at grass-roots level is one of our core strengths, and one that can add considerably to the credibility and legitimacy of your case. On the basis of our in-country experience, we know the relationships and sensitivities that can make third-party endorsements work or fail. Managing those sensitivities and ensuring that the message is the same from all the partners is a difficult and full time task. Our experienced staff will work closely with you to ensure your coalition stays on track, whatever the tensions of the campaign. In the broader battle of policy ideas, we pride ourselves in our contacts with local think-tanks and encourage our clients to engage in the public debates on politics, business and international affairs that will ultimately shape the environment in which their businesses operate.
6. Regulatory Impact Assessment
We are always working to provide our clients with new tools with which to influence the policy process, and Regulatory Impact Assessments are one of the most useful means of doing so. As the policy process in Central Europe becomes more complex and professional, so clients need to make full use of specific and concrete arguments to make their case. Providing objective and sound information to decision-makers who are frequently under informed is one of the most useful services that advocacy specialists can perform for their clients. By working with a range of specialists we are able to provide you with custom-made Regulatory Impact Assessments of the decisions that you are seeking to influence, where they are legislative or administrative. A well-written RIA will provide a detailed and systematic appraisal of the potential impacts of a new regulation in order to assess whether the regulation is likely to achieve the desired objectives. Usually there is a high risk that regulatory costs may exceed benefits and there is a need to prove that a regulation will be welfare-enhancing from the societal viewpoint.