The Government Actuary's Department has reported that its 2025-26 client feedback survey again returned a 4.8 out of 5 score for being highly valued. According to GAD's published summary, every respondent awarded the department at least 4 stars on that measure, marking the first time the figure has reached 100 per cent. The result comes from a survey sent to 168 client contacts, which produced 81 replies from 40 organisations. In Policy Wire terms, this is not a new policy announcement. It is, however, a formal performance signal from a department whose advice is used across government, and it gives a current readout on how client bodies assess the quality of that work.
GAD's published data show movement in three of the five service measures assessed, with overall improvement against the previous year. Two measures did not improve. Delivery to budget was unchanged at 96 per cent, while the share of responses saying work was within scope slipped marginally from 100 per cent to 99 per cent. That pattern points to stable delivery rather than a step change in performance. For departments and public bodies using GAD's services, the more material point is that cost control and scope management remained very close to full satisfaction even where the survey did not record an uplift.
The survey also carried a qualitative element. GAD said 52 of the 81 respondents provided written comments alongside the star ratings, giving the department a fuller account of how clients view service levels and working relationships. For an organisation that provides technical advice, that written feedback matters as much as the headline score. Numerical results show consistency, but the comments help identify where commissioning, timetabling and communication can still be tightened. GAD's own summary describes that material as an independent assessment of performance and client relationships.
The reporting period also covered the first year of GAD's 2030 Strategy, and the department used the survey to test client views against those longer-term objectives. On GAD's figures, 97 per cent of respondents agreed that the department is succeeding in its aim to unlock value in its core work, while 94 per cent agreed that it is making more impact on policy. Those figures matter because they move beyond day-to-day service delivery and into strategic positioning. A client body can be satisfied with a project without concluding that the work is shaping wider decision-making. GAD is therefore using the survey to argue that clients increasingly see its advice as relevant to policy outcomes as well as technical delivery.
For Policy Wire readers, the main significance is operational rather than legislative. The release does not set out a new programme, a consultation, or a change in guidance. Instead, it shows how one government advisory department is measuring trust, value and policy relevance as it enters the second year of a published strategy. That matters because internal capability and client confidence affect whether analytical advice is commissioned early, used properly and carried through into departmental decisions. The survey cannot by itself verify policy impact, but it does show that respondents reported a high level of confidence in GAD's current performance.
GAD Engagement Lead Joanne Ghosh said the results reflected the dedication and expertise of staff across the department and thanked clients for their feedback. She also said GAD would use the challenge set by clients to strengthen partnership working and continue improving its offer as the 2030 Strategy moves into year two. Taken together, the 2025-26 results present a picture of broad client confidence, steady service standards and positive early sentiment around GAD's strategic direction. The department's own publication leaves the headline score unchanged at 4.8 out of 5, but the fact that all respondents rated GAD at 4 stars or above gives this year's survey a clearer institutional message.