Wessex 5 MuseumsPartnership Project

Evaluation Brief

Role:Evaluator for the Wessex 5 Museums

Location:Home-based with travel to the 5 partner museums across Dorset and Wiltshire.

Fee:Fixed price of £7000

Status:Freelance supplier

Reporting to:Project Manager for the Wessex 5 Museums Partnership Project and Wessex 5 Museums Project Board

Contract:October 2015 to June 2017

  1. Introduction

The Wessex5 Museums Partnership is a young and evolving partnership of the five leading museums across the counties of Dorset and Wiltshire, namely:

Poole Museum

Dorset County Museum (Dorchester)

Russell Cotes Museum & Art Gallery (Bournemouth)

Salisbury Museum

Wiltshire Museum (Devizes)

The partnership have recently secured resilience funding from Arts Council, England to deliver a major partnership project, which is intended to facilitate a significant step change for the individual museums and the partnership as a whole. It is recognised that the five organisations share much common ground and potential, and the project aims are to:

• Raise the profile of Wessex museums and attract new and more diverse audiences and visitors

•Improve the resilience of the museums’ business models by developing diverse new income streams

• Develop the workforce’s organisational skills in fundraising, tourism and marketing

•Strengthen the strategic partnership

•Share learning to promote excellence both within the partnership, and across the wider museums sector

  1. Purpose of the Brief

The purpose of the brief is to undertake the evaluation of the Wessex 5 Museums Partnership Project and to produce interim and final evaluation reports for the Project Board and Arts Council England, evaluating the impact of the project against the stated aims and agreed programme, and making recommendations for the partnership going forward.

The findings of the evaluation will directly inform the future work of the Wessex 5 Partnership and feed into the advocacy and dissemination of the project.

  1. Role and Outputs

Evaluation Framework & Methodology

The Project Evaluator will be required to develop a robust and meaningful evaluation framework and methodology for the project, in response to the project aims (as stated above) and the agreed programme of activity, which is focussed around four workstreams:

•Partnership development

•Governance, fundraising & membership

•Cultural tourism

•Skills sharing

Alongside this, the Wessex 5 Museums are currently developing a new strategic plan, which will encapsulate the partnership’s vision, values and future plans for collaborative working. This plan will include key performance indicators for the partnership and it will therefore be essential that the evaluation framework is also responsive to this partnership strategy.

The evaluation methodology should accommodate the need to collect quantitative, qualitative and analytical data for the final report. It will need to evaluate both the deliverables in each of the five partner museums and those across the partnership. The methodology will also need to be responsive to the diverse range of stakeholders engaged in the project, including:

•Wessex 5 Project Board

•Museum directors

•Museum staff

•Museum volunteers

•Museum audiences

•Museum governing bodies

•Local Authorities

•Arts Council England

•Other funding bodies

Evaluation Report

The evaluator will be expected to produce two reports during the period of the contract.

The interim evaluation report will be expected to provide an assessment of the project to date against the project aims and the agreed programme. It should capture the learning from Year 1 of the project and make clear recommendations for Year 2. The evaluator will be asked to present the interim report at a meeting of the Wessex 5 Museums Project Board, and the report will be submitted to the Arts Council.

The final evaluation report will be expected to provide a comprehensive assessment of the Wessex 5 Museums Partnership Project against the project aims and agreed programme, as well as examining the learning and legacy of the project. The report should make use of quantitative, qualitative and analytical data about the project to assess its impact, and should include case studies linked to each of the five partner museums and/or four main project workstreams. The report format should include an executive summary capturing the key learning points and incorporating the main recommendations in the report, followed by the full report.

Key milestones for the Project Evaluator:

  • Early October 2015 – Project Evaluator contract start
  • October 2015 - Evaluation Framework agreed
  • April/May 2016 - The Project Evaluator will be expected to present the findings of the interim evaluation report to the Wessex 5 Museums Project Board.
  • End May 2016 – Interim Evaluation Report submitted to Arts Council England.
  • April/May 2017 - The Project Evaluator will be expected to present the findings of the final evaluation report to the Wessex 5 Museums Project Board.
  • End May 2017 – Final Evaluation Report submitted to Arts Council England.
  1. Copyright

The copyright for any material produced by the Project Evaluator during the course of the contract will be the property of Poole Museum (as lead partner) and the other four partner museums in the Wessex 5 Partnership.

  1. Location

The person appointed will work from their own premises, but will be expected to attend meetings and conduct evaluation exercises in the Dorset and Wiltshire museum locations. The contract requires access to the internet, a phone line and the ability to travel to meetings.

  1. Remuneration for the Contract

The fee for this contract is£7000, inclusive ofVAT and travel expenses.It is anticipated that the contractor will provide at least 25 days work for the total sum quoted.

The Project Evaluator will be responsible for their own National Insurance and Tax.

Poole Borough Council will deal with financial matters.Payment will be made against agreed outputs and paid in three instalments; 25% upon signing the contract, 25% on submission of the interim evaluation report, and 50% upon submission of the final evaluation report.

  1. Qualifications, Skills and Experience

The Project Evaluator must be able to work independently and work with a wide range ofpartner organisations. The criteria below must be met:

Attributes / Criteria / Method of Assessment
Experience / Substantial track record of evaluation of projects in the museums and/or arts sector.
Demonstrable experience of using a range of evaluation techniques appropriately.
Experience of evaluating projects for major funding bodies, (e.g. Arts Council England, HLF). / CV
CV & Interview
CV
Aptitudes & Abilities / A highly developed level of written communication.
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
Ability to analyse data to reach reasonable conclusions.
Able to meet deadlines under pressure.
Experience of using a range software packages to present evaluation information. / CV
Interview
CV & Interview
Interview
Interview
Knowledge& understanding / An understanding of the working environment for both local authority museums and independent museum trusts.
A working knowledge of the ACE funding context.
Extensive knowledge & understanding of different evaluative tools and techniques, and how they can be applied with a range of stakeholders.
Strong understanding of how different kinds of data can be used to inform evaluation. / CV & Interview
CV
CV & Interview
CV & Interview
AttitudeMotivation / Highly self-motivated with the ability to drive the project forward and maintain high standards.
Ability to negotiate, persuade and advocate.
Friendly, helpful attitude.
Take ownership of any particular task and see it through to completion. / Interview
  1. Insurance

The Project Evaluator will be required to have professional indemnity insurance.

  1. Health & Safety

The Project Evaluator will be responsible for managing their own health & safety and those they work with, complying with all relevant legislation.

Desk space can be made available at Poole Museum for designated or ad hoc periods and should the consultant wish to use these facilities, the site specific health and safety regulations should be adhered to. A briefing will be provided.

  1. Proposals

Proposals for the evaluation of the Wessex 5 Museums Partnership project are invited from suitably qualified and experienced consultants. Proposals should include:

  • An up-to-date CV
  • Outline proposal (no more than 4 pages) outlining your approach to the brief, evaluation methods, and confirming your ability to meet the required project milestones.
  • An outline activity plan setting out the tasks required to deliver the brief, withthe estimated number of days against each activity.
  • 2 examples of comparable work.

Please apply to Kristina Broughton, Wessex 5 Museums Project Manager,

The deadline for proposals is: 12pm on Friday, 25 September 2015

Interviews will be held at Poole Museum on: Wednesday, 7 October 2015

For an informal discussion or additional information about the role, please contact Kristina Broughton, Wessex 5 Museums Partnership Project Manager on 07792 407 101 or email