Mr Vuyo Tetyana:
National Treasury: Government Technical Advisory Centre: Head: Monitoring & Evaluation
Project: SME Business Incubators Meta Evaluation (2016)

Impact Economix has shown an exceptional grasp of various research methodologies and contributed to the building of knowledge around SME support initiatives. I highly recommend Impact Economix as a consulting, research and evaluation service provider.

Ms Annette Griessel
Deputy Director General: Performance Monitoring and Evaluation: Office of the Premier: Gauteng Provincial Government
Project: Expert Evaluation Support: Provincial Evaluation Plan (2015/2016)

Impact Economix’s Evaluation Support was valuable to the Office of the Premier and assisted us in providing guidance and strengthening the quality of several evaluations…Impact Economix provided a professional, responsive and good quality Evaluation Support Service and I would highly recommend Impact Economix as an evaluation service provider to other organisations.

Mr Faith Kolala:
City of Cape Town: Head: Sector, Trade & Investment: Economic Development Facilitation
Project: Investor Confidence Assessment of Cape Town as an Investment Destination (2014)

Working with Impact Economix was great as they were able to bring private sector experience and combine it with our public sector knowledge. Impact Economix was very professional and thorough in their approach to the project. They were able to not only lead in terms of fresh ideas that were outside the scope of the project but also addressed the terms of reference as agreed. They have experts in consulting; were timeous in submitting work packages and were always available for consultations.

Impact Economix has greatly helped us in assessing the investor needs and also in crafting strategies of how to address these needs. Their methodologies were quite effective and easy to implement in achieving and addressing the needs of the project. Impact Economix managed to simplify a very complex project in an effective and efficient way in a short space of time. They were keen to co-oporate and go beyond the terms of reference in order to satisfy all stakeholders. I will not hesitate to recommend or work with Impact Economix in the future. Keep up the great work!”

Tshose Seeta Patience:

Directorate: Monitoring and Evaluation: National Department of Home Affairs 
Project: Review of the Department’s Monitoring and Evaluation Policy Framework and Performance Monitoring and Reporting Guidelines (2014)

“We had pleasure in working with Impact Economix to assist the Department of Home Affairs in the refinement of the M&E Policy Framework and Guidelines. The engagement assisted us to identify the gaps in our M&E processes as a whole. Importantly, we were reminded of the importance and role of the M&E function in the reporting value chain as prescribed by the National Treasury. It was also invigorating to get technical advice and guidance from such a knowledgeable team-  keep it up.

Working with Impact Economix has reminded the M&E practitioners (M&E Directorate and M&E nodal points) of the need and importance of managing performance information in the organisation i.e. where are the data sources, who owns the data, the role of M&E in the value chain. We are in the process of developing the data management SOPs for implementation from 01 April 2015.

Impact Economix went beyond the project specification by giving us feedback on the task at short intervals, responding to our frequent questions and queries promptly, communicating the concerns and successes of the Department’s practice before consolidating the final technical report. The presentation by Impact Economix at our Quarter 2 Review Session on 29-30 October 2014 came in strategically to the benefit of the M&E practice in the Department; all senior managers (Chief Directors and above). The technical report was well received and noted for consideration. We have already noted a slight improvement in terms of compliance and documentation of performance evidence in our last quarterly review session. We hope the influence and the change will be implemented and embraced going further. The task was delivered timeously and really exceeded our expectations and we would like to thank you once again.”

Glen Robbins
University of Kwazulu-Natal: School of Development Studies: Honorary Professor and Research Fellow.

I have known Rae for well over a decade and worked him in various capacities. He works to a very high standard and is constantly seeking innovative ways of responding to challenging assignments. His experience working in large organisations, in the public and private sector, provides him with a grounded perspective of how policy and research can be developed in such a manner to support effective implementation.”

Mr John Peters
Chief Director: Integrated Economic Development Services
Department of Economic Development and Tourism: Western Cape Government (2014)

It is indeed a pleasure for me to write this testimonial for Mr Rae Wolpe and hiscompany Wolpe Strategic Economic Consulting TIA Impact Economix.

Impact Economix was appointed by the Department of Economic Development andTourism to develop the Western Cape Entrepreneurship and Business Development Strategy during 2014.

This project required Mr Wolpe and his team to conduct extensive national as well as international research regarding Enterprise Development. The research conducted by their team was exhaustive and introduced our department to many new developments and trends within the Enterprise Development arena. The development of the strategy was a very interactive process where meetings and workshops on the strategy were conducted with a broad range of stakeholders. Mr Wolpe and his team attended all these meetings and provided us with a report on each meeting.

This culminated in the development of a high quality Western Cape Entrepreneurship and Business Development Strategy which we could use to great effect in the development of our five year strategic plan.

Mr Wolpe was always prepared to meet with us (even after hours) to discuss the development of the strategy and also performed functions at no costs that went beyond the ambit of the agreement. He can be described as extremely professional, very sincere, honest and hardworking. He is of immense value as a team player and will work with great resilience and diligence towards a common goal. The company focus is on integrity and providing the utmost level of customer satisfaction.

We are highly satisfied with the quality of work Mr Wolpe and his company Impact Economix has developed and we would recommend them to any prospective institution or client to assist them with strategy development.

Sharon Lewis
South African Cities Network (2008)

Project: Impact of Fiscal Incentives on Urban Development

I have been very impressed with Rae’s independent and results-oriented approach to consulting. His project planning is clear and detailed enough to ensure that he meets (and exceeds) his client’s expectations.