A Manager's Guide to Gender Equality and Human Rights Responsive Evaluation

Evaluation is defined by UNEG Norms as “an assessment, as systematic and impartial as possible, of an activity, project or programme.” Impartiality is an important feature of evaluation and forms an important part of the UNEG Ethical Guidelines for Evaluation in the UN System and UNEG Code of Conduct for Evaluators. These are references that should be included in the ToR.

For our purposes, impartial is taken to mean the evaluation is NOT biased by those who have a vested interest in the programme. This relates to those who conduct the evaluation and to the management of the evaluation. The section of this guide on evaluation types explains self evaluation versus independent evaluation, which looks at who manages the evaluation. Managers can consider engaging an external source to manage the evaluation process, thus creating distance between the program delivery and the evaluation of the program. More information on this approach is found in the Guidance on Management Structures. Impartiality, as it applies to the conduct of the evaluation, looks at the use of external evaluation resources, notably those who have not previously been involved in the design or implementation of the programme.

The recruitment and selection of external evaluation professionals will be governed by the organization’s internal contracting policies and procedures. Generally these include: deciding on the sourcing option; identifying the best value from potential candidates; notifying the successful candidate; negotiating and signing the contract and providing feedback to unsuccessful candidates. There are some basics to keep in mind in the recruitment process.

Process – undertake an open and competitive process to recruit the evaluation team. The process should be impartial, fair and transparent and there needs to be sufficient time allowed to do the recruitment. It often includes the rating or assessment of proposals from consultants, and an example matrix is provided to guide you in that process. The process may then involve an interview with the top rated firms / evaluators. Both of these recruitment activities need to be developed based on your specific needs. Criteria in the assessment of proposals and questions in the interview need to be drawn from the ToR – based on what is needed for your evaluation.

Participation – include key stakeholders (members of or the full reference group) in the definition of skills required, criteria for selection, selection process (interview, proposal review, etc.) and decision making.

Expertise – Consider carefully all of the expertise that may be required to do the evaluation based on the nature of the program and its context. Look for evaluation expertise, knowledge of GE and HR, expertise in the subject of the programme (such as health, education etc.), relevant language skills, experience in and sensitivity to the cultural and social environment. This expertise may not be found in a single individual, but rather as the collective expertise of the evaluation team.

Engaging local professionals – is a priority as it provides better understanding of the local context and can be a catalyst for “buy-in” of the evaluation. It can build local professional capacities, tends to lend credibility to the evaluation process and recommendations. Finally, local professionals will reduce evaluation costs.

Suitability –  In addition to the language and cultural expertise defined above, consider the overall team suitability. Will the individuals function well as a team? It is also important to ensure that the different skills and perspectives are in a good balance:  can team members demonstrate their capacity to appreciate and include each other’s expertise and perspectives? How will the evaluation team perform during site visits? Does this evaluation team have a proven ability to deliver results and meet expectations? Does the team understand the principles of GE/HR sensitive evaluation and have the expertise to fully address them?

Locating the right expertise or combination of expertise is not easy and requires time and effort. A list of web sites where these opportunities may be posted / advertised is provided with this Guide.

Getting the resources right

The resources needed for an evaluation include:

• Human resources – getting the management and advisory people in place and recruiting the evaluation team. Time is an important consideration for you and the management and reference group members. Think in terms of 3-4 months to recruit the evaluation team and then anywhere for 3-12 months to conduct and finalize the evaluation (a very rough guideline).
• Financial resources- ensuring appropriate budget is allocated for the evaluation and is managed in the process, with scheduled payments based on evaluation deliverables. The recommended allocation for each evaluation is a range of between 3 and 10 percent of the programme budget depending on the total size of the programme. Further advice is provided in the UN Women Evaluation Policy.
• Information resources – including information needed to conduct (be provided for) the evaluation and the information produced by the evaluation.

Thinking through these three elements as you complete the preparation for the evaluation will make the conduct and use of the evaluation more efficient and effective.

Tips: You may need roughly 3 months (and perhaps longer) for the full recruitment process, from developing the posting to finalizing the contract. Be realistic in what you are looking for. Use the recruitment process to take advantage of evaluation expertise and suggestions on how to improve your upcoming evaluation.