Description
Next delivery
Dates: Wednesday, 16th April 2025
Times: 9.00AM–5:00PM (NZST) includes breaks
CPD: 6 hours (CEP framework)
Venue: Live online via GoToMeeting
Trainer: Dr Mike Hopkins (CEO at CEP)
Q&A Session: A follow-up Q&A will be scheduled approximately two weeks after the workshop.
Download Course Overview (PDF)
Course overview
Struggling to get your projects approved? This workshop is designed to help consultants and in-house energy managers create compelling business cases that secure project funding.
You’ll learn how to effectively present financial benefits, understand key investment assessment tools, navigate decision-making drivers and overcome common funding roadblocks.
Key learning outcomes:
- Build stronger project proposals
- Understand how financial decision-makers evaluate investments
- Identify potential hurdles and learn how to overcome them
- Enhance your business case presentation skills
Course content
- What Drives Financial Decision-Making (Cash flow vs. profit, cost of capital, decision-maker mindset)
- Investment Assessment Tools (Payback, NPV, IRR – and how to use them properly)
- Understanding Capital Constraints (Ranking & prioritisation of projects)
- Adjusting for Risk (Sensitivity & scenario analysis)
- Dealing with Unquantifiables (Handling intangible benefits in decision-making)
- Presenting the Business Case (What to include and what to leave out for maximum impact)
Note: This workshop is Excel-based—participants will need a laptop or PC for full participation.
What past participants say
“Gives you an understanding of how to make sound financial decisions and use them to build strong investment cases for projects.”
— Shane Gogo, Carbon & Energy Advisor, Hutt City Council
“Mike brings a wealth of experience, and it’s surprising more people haven’t taken this course. Incredibly valuable—I gained key insights into how decision-makers assess business cases.”
— Will Smith, Client Engagement Manager, BraveGen
“A really valuable course where the learnings can be implemented into my everyday job. Mike is a great teacher—I’d definitely attend another CEP course.”
— Janine Kerr, Programme Lead, EECA
“I liked that the course covered the financial aspects of a business case in detail—really helped me understand what makes a strong proposal.”
— Veronica Mitchell, Project Engineer, Worley
Register now
Seats are limited! We require a minimum of 6 participants (maximum 15) to confirm the course.
Register ASAP to secure your place. If you need a letter of support for funding approval, please contact the CEP Office.
Before registering, please review our Refund Policy.
