Projects awarded £2 million grant or more will need to appoint an external, independent evaluator. Smaller projects may still choose to appoint an external evaluator to get an independent perspective on how the project has performed and why. Evaluation costs are eligible for Structural Fund assistance: they should be included in your overall eligible project costs.

Project Evaluation Plans

All projects submitted to WEFO will need an Evaluation Plan, setting out what evaluation activity will be undertaken. It should include details of when the evaluation will take place, who will carry out the work, and what the evaluation methods will be. Evaluation Plans will be agreed by a WEFO Project Development Officer, taking into consideration issues such as the size, risk and complexity of the project. Guidance on methods for collecting and analysing evaluation data are provided on the WEFO website, and there is more information in the 'evaluation' section of this website.

Coverage - Project Evaluation Plans should:

• Demonstrate the need for your project, examine original assumptions and track changes over time. Larger projects may include feasibility studies to investigate needs and good alignment with the Operational Programme.
• Test Project Process - the methodology will establish whether processes and systems (management, financial, etc) are working well.
• Establish Project Outcomes - achievements, what has worked well (or not so well) and the reasons why. Focus on impacts and outcomes, and consider how external factors and project processes may have had an influence - and whether results could have been achieved in any other way.
• Report against Impact Indicators - shaped by the questions set out in the relevant Strategic Framework document. Provide answers to questions which correspond to the Priority-level indicators in the Operational Programme.

Next steps - commissioning and managing an evaluation

One your project has been approved, you will need to design, commission and manage your project level evaluation. Further guidance on each of these reporting stages is available from the WEFO website. Time and resources need to be allocated to do this well.

Evaluation - working for you

Over and above the technical requirements of the Structural Fund evaluation process, project sponsors will be able to benefit from the information and insights that well-designed evaluations can bring. Projects become easier to manage, deliver and measure. Please click on the link below to find out more about evaluation types, tools and techniques.