MANAGING APPRAISALS AND EVALUATIONS

2.17 Conducting an assessment can be resource-intensive. Appraisals and evaluations should therefore be carried out collaboratively wherever possible between stakeholders, but lead responsibilities need to be well defined, and accountability for accuracy and thoroughness clearly understood. Carrying out assessments should never be regarded as a specialist activity, and therefore sidelined.

2.18 Departments and agencies should consider how appraisals and evaluations are integrated with decision-making processes and governance structures. To ensure a coordinated approach to conducting assessments, departments and agencies are encouraged to consider:

❑ Establishing formal evaluation or assessment units, or other centres of technical expertise;

❑ Formalising access to internal and external auditors. In complex cases, it may be helpful to discuss appraisal methodology with sponsor departments, the Treasury or the National Audit Office;4

❑ Providing incentives for conducting thorough and timely appraisals; and,

❑ Maintaining an accessible archive.5

2.19 For individual assessments, consideration needs to be given at the outset to:

❑ The availability and cost of financial and specialist resources that may be needed;

❑ The possible need for quality assurance, for example, by academic experts and service providers;

❑ How the findings are to be disseminated (e.g. publication of assessments; dissemination via web sites, etc);

❑ The possibility of deferring a proposal pending further research; and,

❑ Establishing a project plan for the assessment, setting out key milestones, resources and work streams.

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4 See NAO website: http://www.nao.gov.uk/

5 See CMPS Knowledge Pools (http://policyhub.gov.uk), and 'Adding It Up' (http://www.addingitup.gov.uk/)