Strategic commercial interventions: evaluation guidance

Annex 1: Evaluation Checklist

Outcome Evaluation

Does the outcome evaluation:

Assess whether the objectives set at the outset were appropriate and also whether the intervention met these objectives

Compare actual outcomes observed from the intervention with the outcomes expected for the counterfactual (which is what is likely to have happened in the absence of the intervention) to determine the extent to which the changes observed can be attributed to the intervention

Provide an assessment of whether the intervention remains value for money

Process Evaluation

Does the process evaluation:

Consider whether the intervention followed correct processes and procedures (audit-type check)

Draw on feedback (e.g. via interviews) from key internal and external stakeholders involved in the intervention to assess how well the intervention was implemented

Key things to bear in mind

Proportionality: the scale of the evaluation should reflect the scale of the financial investment/intervention in the business. Timescales for decision making will also have an important bearing on the scale of the evaluation possible.

Timing: broadly, process evaluations should be undertaken six months to one year after the intervention. Outcome evaluations should be undertaken three to five years after the intervention or, if necessary, at a key decision point.

Resourcing: in considering whether the various parts of the evaluation can and should be undertaken in-house or commissioned externally, capacity and capability to undertake the work in-house as well as implications for the independence of the evaluation should be taken into account.