Community Engagement and Stakeholder Management

At WSP, we know that successful projects are underpinned by effective engagement with the communities that our projects serve. Through collaboration with the full spectrum of diverse stakeholders and audiences, we contribute to the creation of a better future for our cities, regions, communities and environment.

Expert-led community engagement and stakeholder management with multi-sector expertise

Our engagement team has a wealth of experience in developing bespoke strategies to engage and communicate with our clients’ target audiences.

By involving stakeholders and communities to shape proposals and develop stakeholder engagement plans, we can reduce social and reputational risk, minimize project delays and maximize stakeholder support. With well-designed communication and engagement strategies at the front-end continuing throughout the respective project or study, we deliver successful, innovative projects for clients across a full range of sectors and business lines.

The proof of our community engagement and stakeholder management expertise is in the award-winning projects we have delivered for more than 30 years. These projects include resilient property developments, precincts, and cities; major transportation and infrastructure projects; power generation and transmission solutions; and diverse initiatives and community projects for all levels of government and not-for-profit organizations.

The power of co-creation: community engagement and stakeholder management shapes meaningful project outcomes

The evidence shows that the most positive impacts of projects on communities are achieved when stakeholders are part of the process from the start – from engagement around the policy through all stages of the project life cycle, from concept to delivery to decommissioning.

We enable different stakeholders to help shape projects at the outset, so that our clients can make informed decisions based on the best available evidence and insight. Using a research-led approach with our trained professionals in certifications such as IAP2, we take time to understand the unique requirements of each client and the context of their project, as well as identify the needs and concerns of the key stakeholders and communities of interest. This enables us to position our clients’ projects and initiatives in strategic, inclusive and visually engaging ways to enable delivery.

Effective engagement reduces project risks, creating opportunities for both improved efficiencies in project delivery, and, importantly, better solutions for the affected communities.

Our approach involves

Strategy

We develop research led, bespoke engagement plans designed for the local social, economic and technical context.

Clarity

We provide clear and concise information to enable stakeholders to form their views, while reducing potential objections.

Tools

Increase agility. Manage risks. Informed decision-making. We are at the forefront of integrated digital solutions to support our clients.

We bring together diverse capabilities to deliver the right solutions

We bring the best of WSP’s diverse capabilities to our clients across the project lifecycle, from strategy through to delivery. We integrate our wide-ranging services across strategic advice, urban planning, urban design, policy, infrastructure, environment and sustainability with our expertise in digital and traditional communication techniques and program and project management skills, in order to deliver innovative, smart, practical and strategic solutions.

In this way, we support the delivery of projects that are resilient, future-ready, supporting stakeholder buy-in and acceptance, creating the best outcomes for our clients and collaborating with stakeholders to help shape their communities.