The Evaluation Task Force has recently published a Government Major Projects Evaluation Review. The report provides an in-depth look at the state of evaluation across 227 projects with a total cost of £834 billion, in the Government Major Projects Portfolio in 2023-24 (GMPP).
Encouragingly, 63% of major projects now have some form of evaluation plan in place – a significant improvement since the last review in 2019. However, only 34% of projects (representing £378 billion in value) were assessed as having good quality plans in place. The remaining 66%—covering projects worth £456 billion—either had no plan or submitted plans that did not meet the review’s quality criteria.
The review sheds light on key barriers still holding back progress:
- Operational challenges: such as late planning and lack of access to data
- Cultural challenges: with evaluation sometimes viewed as optional rather than essential
- Resourcing challenges: including staff capacity, funding, and evaluation expertise
To address these challenges, the Evaluation Task Force (ETF) – working alongside HM Treasury and the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA) – has developed a four-part action plan:
- Evaluation governance – embedding evaluation requirements into funding approvals and project oversight.
- Evaluation capability – upskilling teams through tailored resources and examples of best practice.
- Embedding evaluation into delivery – setting out clearer expectations and tracking progress through the Evaluation Registry.
- Promoting the value of evaluation – encouraging departments to see evaluation as integral to project success.
Nick Posford, Executive Director of the UK Evaluation Society responded positively to the review’s findings and next steps:
“It’s great to see evaluation getting more traction in the delivery of major public projects. We welcome this review from the Evaluation Task Force, and we fully support the action plan. Focusing on governance, capability, delivery and culture is exactly what’s needed to keep improving.”
The UK Evaluation Society’s Manifesto for Evaluation, published in July 2024, called for evaluation to be at the heart of policymaking. It is heartening to see real progress since then, with growing momentum across government.
The Government Major Projects Evaluation Review marks another step toward more accountable, evidence-based decision-making across government—and sets the stage for more informed, impactful public investments.
We’ve supported the evaluation community for over 30 years — building knowledge, leadership, and lasting impact.