Decentralized Evaluation Quality Assurance System (DEQAS)

Guidance

Outsourced Quality Support Advisory Service for Decentralized Evaluations

Version April 2016

1.  Purpose

1.  Identified in the new WFP Evaluation Policy 2016-2021, as a mechanism contributing to impartiality provisions for and quality of decentralized evaluations, the outsourced Quality Support Advisory service for DE (workstream 1.3 of the evaluation strategy) contributes to achieve independent credible and useful decentralized evaluations.

2.  Indeed, the outsourced DE QS contributes to

Ø  Useful and impartial evaluations which adhere to UN principles and norms and standards,

Ø  Enhancing capacity across WFP to meet stakeholders’ requirements for accountability and learning and in staff capacities to commission, manage and use high-quality decentralized evaluations.

Ø  improving the quality of evaluation products through timely feedback.

Ø  building evaluation capacity of Evaluation Managers as well as increasing the application of sound approaches and methods within WFP decentralized evaluations

Ø  improving programme quality, organisational learning and knowledge management.

3.  This outsourced service provides an impartial, constructive, actionable feedback and recommendations for improvements from an evaluation perspective to Evaluation Managers on the following draft decentralized evaluation deliverables:

Ø  Draft TOR

Ø  Draft Inception Report (IR)

Ø  Draft Evaluation Report (ER)

4.  Its utilization is mandatory for all decentralized evaluations. The Evaluation Managers are responsible for submitting the draft TOR, IR and ER for review. This note provides a quick guidance to Evaluation Managers and RMEAs/REOs to use this service.

2.  Approach

5.  Experienced evaluators external to WFP will review draft evaluation Terms of Reference (ToR), draft Inception Reports (IR) and draft Evaluation Reports (ER) against set criteria[1] and provide recommendations for how they can be improved where needed.

6.  This advisory service is available in English, Spanish and French and requires a turn-around to the Evaluation Manager of feedback on ToR within 3 working days and feedback on IR and ER within 5 working days with the expectation that they will in turn share these with the Evaluation Team Leaders.

Guidance on Quality Support Advisory Service for DEs Version April 2016 4 | Page

3.  Process to be followed by Evaluation Managers

4.  Quality Support Feedback Forms

7.  Quality Support Feedback Forms – There are 3 QS Feedback Forms, one for ToR, one for IR and one for ER. These have been designed using the DEQAS report Checklists and the DEQAS Step by Step Guide. Each Form includes space for reviewers to provide comments and recommendations on how to improve the deliverable. It also includes a quantitative rating of the quality of the individual elements, individual sections and the whole product.

8.  Recommendations (in the Feedback Form) – These will be specific recommendations for improvements prior to finalization of deliverables, relating to the criteria in the Feedback Form. It is expected that these recommendations will be implemented by the EM (in the case of ToR) and the Evaluation TL (in the case of IR and ER).

5.  Contact Details

Name / Role / Email address
IOD PARC generic email / All requests to be submitted to this email address /
WFP generic email / All requests and correspondence to be copied to this email address /

6.  Service Request Form

9.  The Service Request Form is a word table that can be copied and pasted into the body of an email and then completed

WFP Decentralized Evaluation Quality Support Advisory Service
Service Request Form
The following section should be completed by the Evaluation Manager and returned to :
Country Office/Unit
Please confirm that you have checked the draft deliverable against the DE Template
Please list all documents that are attached
What type of evaluation is it?
(Activity, Impact, Joint, Operation, Pilot, Thematic, Transfer Modality)
For IOD PARC use only
Reference number (to be allocated by IOD PARC)
Date sent to reviewer
Date due back to WFP
Date returned to WFP

7.  Customer Satisfaction Feedback on the quality of the DE QS advisory service Template

10.  The template to provide feedback about the service provided by the DE QS advisory service is a word table that can be copied and pasted into the body of an email and then completed.

WFP Decentralized Evaluation Quality Support Advisory Service
Customer Satisfaction Feedback Form
IOD PARC would like to know whether the service and feedback provided is satisfactory and if it can be improved. Your feedback is very important to measure performance and inform the DE QS Annual Review so please take a few minutes to tell us what you think.
Please rank the DE QS service (Good, Satisfactory, Unsatisfactory) as described below:
Rank / Criteria
Good / Addressed the service request in a coherent manner with a strong understanding of the evaluation requirements, providing feedback that can be used for this request.
Satisfactory / Addressed the service request in a coherent manner with a satisfactory understanding of the evaluation requirements, providing useful feedback to meet the request.
Unsatisfactory / Service request not addressed and feedback provided not usable by the service requester.
Please type your response here:
Please add any additional comments and/or suggestions for improvements:

For more information on Decentralised Evaluations visit our webpage http://go.wfp.org/web/evaluation/decentralized-evaluations

Or contact the DE team at:

Guidance on Quality Support Advisory Service for DEs Version April 2016 4 | Page

[1]The Criteria adhere to the ToR, IR and ER DEQAS template