The quality of evaluations is becoming increasingly important as their role in public management and democratic debate grows. A variety of methods have been tested to guarantee the quality of evaluations, for example, the creation of a scientific committee, or inviting experts to steering committee meetings.

In the absence of these methods or in addition to them, Euréval provides assistance at every key level of the process. Its purpose is to ensure that evaluations comply with codes of practice and with international and national professional standards.

Its specialisation also enables Euréval to suggest technical improvements. We have the capacity to rapidly circulate experience and innovations between sectors and countries, while constantly reacting to the problems encountered in each mission.

The mission

Euréval’s mission may directly concern either the commissioner of the evaluation or the team responsible for carrying it out. The mission may consist in providing either advice or training. We are able to provide some or all of the following services :

• Validation of work schedule
  Our first step concerns the detailed schedule for collection and processing of information, which involves checking that evaluation criteria have been clearly understood and match the proposed indicators, and checking the technical validity and feasibility of the planned survey.

• Validation of data collection
  This involves certifying that data have been collected according to the work schedule and professional standards.

• Controlling the quality of conclusions and recommendations
  Here we assess the work already performed at the draft final report stage. This opinion concerns :
  - the validity of imputed causality
  - the impartiality of conclusions and the way in which they are justified by collected information
  - compliance of the evaluation with national and international codes of practice and methodological rules
  - content of the final report and particularly its methodological annex.

They trusted us

Commission Européenne - Direction Générale Agriculture : Contribution to quality assistance in several evaluations concerning the Common Agricultural Policy.

Commission Européenne - Directorate General Regional Policy : Studies on evaluation of the impacts on employment of european structural policies. The results of these studies gave birth to several publications in the framework of the MEANS programme.

France - Agence de l’Eau Seine-Normandie : Quality Assurance for the evaluation of the politicy of water’s quality.
The agency wanted an expert to produce an analysis of the quality of the evaluation on going works in the framework of policy of water’s quality in order to check the reliability and strongness of the conclusions and recommendations.

France - Région Rhône-Alpes : assessment of the quality of evaluations performed by the Region.

France - Caisse des dépôts et consignation : quality assistance concerning the Urban Renewal Programme.

France - Agence de l’Environnement et de la Maîtrise de l’Energie : quality control for the evaluation of the national waste management policy.