1. Government evaluations - Views from the supplier perspective
James Wunsch – Research Director – Colmar Brunton

2. Some context – who am I? Research Director with Colmar Brunton
19 years in research & evaluation for government as supplier and buyer
Have conducted major evaluations across employment, immigration, mental health & education
View research & evaluation as complementary fields

3. Tips for running evaluation tender
Outline Program or Project Logic – how is the intervention supposed to work in theory?
“In scope” vs. “out of scope”
What data do you have (be specific)
Is ethics clearance required?
Will project team be “hands on” or “hands off”?
Specify budget
Don’t be too prescriptive regarding methodology

4. Where things work well Scope is clearly defined
Clear, ongoing communication
Key stakeholders have buy in from the outset
Addressing challenges as they arise
Both sides being aware of and working within key constraints (logistical, political, etc.)
Proper framing of the project within the Department (including all key stakeholders)

5. Key challenges Changing personnel/changing expectations
Silos can mean no-one has end-to-end perspective of a program or process
Lack of data, or data not useful (e.g. administrative/point in time, not longitudinal)
Unrealistic timeframes to observe meaningful change
Providing answers Department doesn’t want to necessarily hear

6. Adopt an evaluation mindset
Ensure budget is available for evaluation
Develop Program Logic Model
Identify key data likely to be needed and ensure this is captured and recorded appropriately
Can you identify a control group for evaluation purposes
Hard to “reverse fit” an evaluation if project or program aims & objectives not clearly defined at the start