Contracting
Bad experiences with contractors are largely the result of unclear expectations, undefined research questions and limited involvement between program staff and the contractor.
To prevent these problems, you should not contract out your evaluation until you have completed at least the first four steps of this planning process and have established a list of evaluation questions, your purpose, audience and end products.
The more complete your Evaluation Plan is, the more guidance can provide to your contractor.
You should also read through all of the evaluation steps to ensure that you have the knowledge to work successfully with your contractor. In addition, a Glossary of Key Terms (DOC 94 kb) has been developed to assist you with working with your contractor.
To get the most out of a contractor you need:
A clear quote
Be specific about what you expect from your contractor and include as much detail as possible in your request for quote document. If you need to seek advice on your methodology, you can request this in the quote. You can then revise your original quote to include the chosen method and send it back out for a re-quote.
A reputable evaluator
Can they meet deadlines? Are they willing to work closely with your organisation? Will they undertake quality research? Will they produce high quality and usable products for your organisation?
Involvement in the planning process
Develop your Evaluation Plan as much as possible before seeking a contractor and then work closely with your contractor to complete the plan. Always check the final Evaluation Plan carefully to ensure that it covers all of your requirements and confirm all the details about what will happen and what will be generated prior to commencing the evaluation.
Involvement throughout the evaluation process
You know your work, your processes and your requirements better then the contractor so it is important to remain involved throughout the process to provide direction for the contractor. Establish clear milestones at the points where you want to be involved in the process. In particular, set aside time to work on drafts to ensure that the structure and the focus meet your needs. Don’t leave this until the end of the process.
Complete the Contracting Worksheet (DOC 94 kb).
Tips for assessing tenders and quotes.
- Method - Do they offer a suitable methodology that will answer your questions?
- Product - Do they have experience in delivering the product that you are requesting?
- Timelines - Can they meet your timelines and have they identified opportunities for your involvement?
- People – Who will be undertaking your evaluation and do they have the skills to carry out the work? (Check that your evaluation is not going to be passed on to someone not included on the quote.)
At this point you should have a completed the Contracting Worksheet (DOC 94 kb) and have established a detailed plan for working with your chosen contractor. Now return to Planning or Collecting and continue reading through the rest of the steps so that you will have a good knowledge of the process your contractor will help you to undertake. |
Linked page opens in a new window