1-2. Most of the evaluation in development projects is carried out by an individual or a team, a team usually represents an evaluation consultancy organization. During the Covid19 pandemic, the evaluation becomes more flexible in terms of outsourcing some of the evaluation activities to the local individual or a team due to limited mobilization. For example, conducting field data collection and inputting data, after online intensive training on how to carry the field works. Thus, the main responsibility such as managing the evaluation, analysis, and reporting remains in the hand of hired consultants or consultancy organizations.
3. For the evaluation the funding remains the same, depending on who needs the evaluation, and for what purpose. In the project, the evaluation funds usually very small (re. less than 5% of the total project budget), so usually the evaluation process also involved the data collection from the evaluated project internal monitoring system and using more less-rigorous methodologies or expensive activities.
4. The challenge to outsourcing some of the evaluation activities was 1). how to ensure the quality of data collections and inputs, 2). how to balance the client expectation vs onsite reality, also 3). During the pandemic, the target isolated region become another challenge to access target respondents with limited communication infrastructure.
RE: Making more use of local institutions in evaluation
Dear Isha,
Greeting from Indonesia.
I agree with Lewis and Abubakar,
1-2. Most of the evaluation in development projects is carried out by an individual or a team, a team usually represents an evaluation consultancy organization. During the Covid19 pandemic, the evaluation becomes more flexible in terms of outsourcing some of the evaluation activities to the local individual or a team due to limited mobilization. For example, conducting field data collection and inputting data, after online intensive training on how to carry the field works. Thus, the main responsibility such as managing the evaluation, analysis, and reporting remains in the hand of hired consultants or consultancy organizations.
3. For the evaluation the funding remains the same, depending on who needs the evaluation, and for what purpose. In the project, the evaluation funds usually very small (re. less than 5% of the total project budget), so usually the evaluation process also involved the data collection from the evaluated project internal monitoring system and using more less-rigorous methodologies or expensive activities.
4. The challenge to outsourcing some of the evaluation activities was 1). how to ensure the quality of data collections and inputs, 2). how to balance the client expectation vs onsite reality, also 3). During the pandemic, the target isolated region become another challenge to access target respondents with limited communication infrastructure.
Cheers,
Hiswaty