Over 120 local authorities from across the UK have subscribed to Performance Networks. Sports & leisure, waste management, building cleaning, building maintenance, parks & open spaces transport operations and catering are the service areas covered by the project in its first year.

ADLO has 247 local authority members and is an important source of information, keeping its member authorities informed of developments in best value, best practice and innovations in direct service delivery. ADLO also monitors private sector competition. Through its regular journal, Direct News, advice is given on competition developments and direct service issues. The Association also commissions and generates in-house market research and produces a wide range of publications and briefing papers on matters affecting direct services. ADLO runs a seminar programme for its members and holds an annual conference, which attracts high calibre speakers including Government representatives.

Prospex is used to create catchment areas for each service area. Simulating a drive time from the centre, for example, creates leisure centre catchments. The local population within these catchments is then analysed and similar leisure centres compared. The Super Profiles Geodemographic classification is used to gauge the lifestyles of the population and TGI income bands used to determine deprivation.

Prospex was introduced to ADLO via a meeting with David Knapman of IQSS in the autumn of 1998. Beacon Dodsworth worked with IQSS on a pilot project for ADLO before they decided to purchase the software.