Evaluation plans for 2014-2020 programming period in Poland Experience and new arrangements Ministry of Infrastructure and Development, Poland Athens, 15th May, 2014 Joint Evaluation Network Meeting

Institutional context for evaluation planning European Commission National Evaluation Unit Operational Programmes Evaluation Units Evaluation Units – Intermediate Bodies 16 Regional Operational Programmes Evaluation Units (ESF + ERDF) ESF Evaluation Unit 7 persons 20 persons 60 persons 35 persons 43 persons Closer coordination as a main challenge for 2014-2020 period

Polish experience on evaluation planning 2007-2013 2007-2013 period: evaluation plans established for NSRF and all operational programmes Strategic evaluation plans for the whole 2007-2013 period strategic goals for evaluation process organisational arrangements (thematic steering groups) main thematic areas main evaluation capacity building activities Annual evaluation plans list of evaluation studies + description evaluation capacity building activities

Polish experiences on evaluation planning 2007-2013 All plans examined by the National Evaluation Unit Shortcomings: difficult to coordinate no strategic integration of an evaluation process with implementation and intervention logic → annually planned evaluations mainly for current informational needs no coherent evaluation agenda for the whole Cohesion Policy Advantages: high degree of flexibility

Evaluation planning 2014-2020 in Poland Process of evaluation planning in Poland to be regulated by the Guidelines on evaluation activities in the 2014-2020 period (draft) In the field of the evaluation plans the Guidelines contains: general rules obligations for institutions, and role of the main stakeholders structure and content of evaluation plans deadlines and logistic/organisational matters list of obligatory evaluation studies (e.g. ex-ante, mid-term, ex-post, each priority evaluation, annual systematic review of evaluation studies, gender equality evaluation)

Evaluation planning – general principles Evaluation process closely related to the intervention logic evaluation plans (esp. scope and timing) reflect the intervention logic of the programme intervention logic as a starting point for identification of the informational needs (what kind of and when evaluation evidence will be needed) all planned evaluation activities should be justified in this context (2) Planning process closely coordinated by NEU in order to ensure the coherence of the evaluation system twofold aim of the planning: 1) effective evaluation of each programme 2) effective evaluation of the whole Partnership Agreement intervention coherent evaluation agenda is needed → operational programme evaluations + evaluations in the PA level (meta-evaluations, systematic reviews, strategic and horizontal evaluations)

Evaluation planning – general principles (3) Monitoring of evaluation plans implementation whole evaluation process monitored by National Evaluation Unit special emphasis on recommendation implementation process → Recommendations Implementation System (RIS) annual reports on the progress of implementation of evaluation plans (esp. recommendations implementation)

Evaluation planning in Poland – proposed rules and procedures Evaluation plans prepared for every operational programme by the Evaluation Units for the whole programming period National Evaluation Unit preparing the Evaluation Plan for Partnership Agreement 2014-2020 Annual update as a tool for changes and supplementation Dilemmas: Evaluation plan for the whole period contains all evaluation studies planned for each programme vs. contains only strategic and most important studies Annual update of one plan vs. annual plans as a supplement for the strategic plan Evaluation Units are obligated to ensure: linkage between the planned evaluation studies and the intervention logic of the programme high quality of evaluation studies identification of needed data resources needed for evaluation process

Evaluation planning in Poland – proposed rules and procedures All evaluation plans and their annual updates accepted by National Evaluation Unit NEU’s opinion based on the criteria of: adequacy, coherence, feasibility, and efficiency in order to ensure the coherence of the whole cohesion policy evaluation process After the NEU decision, evaluation plans are accepted by Monitoring Committees

Main challenges for evaluation planning strategic planning vs. current evaluation needs → annual update or annual plans as a tool for flexibility effective integration of evaluation process with the intervention logic (and then implementation process) within evaluation plans → high expert and evaluation potential needed → cooperation with external experts + high quality trainings effective coordination in order to establish coherent evaluation agenda for the whole Cohesion Policy → National Evaluation Unit responsibility identification and access to the needed data (in particular for counterfactual studies)

Preparation to evaluation planning in Poland National Evaluation Unit prepared detailed Guidelines on evaluation activities in the 2014-2020 period with section dedicated to evaluation planning. After the discussion with the OP Evaluation Units, NEU decided to support evaluation units, and to organise the evaluation planning process in closely coordinated manner. NEU is going to launch the project: Process of preparing evaluation plans for Cohesion Policy 2014-2020. In cooperation with experts on evaluation and sectoral matters Main goals of the project: Development of the evaluation planning methodology (taking into account intervention logic) Preparation of evaluation plans for Operational Programmes and Partnership Agreement

Preparation to evaluation planning in Poland Main stages of the project: Pilot project – preparation of an evaluation plan for one chosen Polish region (Regional Operational Programme) intervention logic analysis → expert panel workshops with main Regional Operational Programme stakeholders and partners preparation of the Regional Operational Programme Evaluation Plan Preparation of the Partnership Agreement Evaluation Plan presentation and discussion on a pilot project findings workshops with main stakeholders and partners preparation of the Partnership Agreement Evaluation Plan

Preparation to evaluation planning in Poland Preparation of evaluation plans for all Operational Programmes with the support of the NEU (help desk) and external evaluation experts NEU opinion Monitoring Committee approval Sending plans to European Commission Main products: evaluation plans for OP’s and PA methodology document on evaluation planning

EVALUATION PLAN OF KNOWLEDGE – EDUCATION – DEVELOPMENT OPERATIONAL PROGRAMME – MAIN ASSUMPTIONS

A ROLE OF EVALUATION PLAN Programme evaluation management Predictable information needs fullfilment Evaluation WWW - (What When Who) Rising awarness about preparations to be done Transparency Stakeholder’s interest taken into account

MAIN PRINCIPLES OF THE EVALUATION PLAN 1 EP for 1 OP Evaluation experts functionally independent Evaluation capacity building Social partners involvement Long-term orientation = flexibility of provisions

FLEXIBILITY OF THE EVALUATION PLAN EP should be a strategic oriented document. List of evaluation studies is open and indicative. The list covers only evaluation studies that are predictable. Detailed information about the studies will be updated yearly.

ELEMENTS OF THE EVALUATION PLAN Definition – Goals – Challenges and Principles for evaluation process Data access and provisions Process of coordination Capacity building and evaluation culture Use and dissemination of findings Indicative list of planned evaluation studies

EVALUATION STUDIES CHARACTERISTICS Subject /area Purpouse and scope Who Evaluation approach planned Tentative term – usually approximately Budget – broadly estimated Other information if necessary

TEMPLATE - EXAMPLE LP. SUBJECT/ AREA GOAL/ RATIONALE EVAL. UNIT EVALUATION APPROACH 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 COST (pln) OTHER INF. 1 ESF IMPACT ASSESMENT ON VET TRAININGS QUALITY DEVELOPMENT …………… Ministry of Education TBE   x 200 000 Cooperation with Polish Agency for Enterpreneurial Development  

Metaevalution, syntheses Diagnoses, needs and barriers identification TYPES OF EVALUATION STUDIES Obligatory studies Metaevalution, syntheses Diagnoses, needs and barriers identification Horizontal principles Specific target groups oriented Comparability studies Capturing the effects Ad hoc studies

Research obligatory or necessary Proposals from ex-ante evaluation MAIN SOURCES OF IDEAS Research obligatory or necessary Proposals from ex-ante evaluation Proposals made by the IB’s 2004-2006 and 2007-2013 experience Policy makers needs – if possible to identify

Thank you for your attention! Ministry of Infrastructure & Development Tomasz.Kot@mir.gov.pl Michał.Sułkowski@mir.gov.pl Ministry of Infrastructure & Development POLAND