Evaluation and Value for Money (VfM) – December 2024

This workshop provides practical guidance, underpinned by a sound theoretical framework, for evaluating VfM. It focuses on unpacking a process of explicit evaluative reasoning (using
rubrics) and the use of mixed methods (qualitative, quantitative, and economic).

Course Summary

It is important for good resource allocation, accountability, learning and improvement that policies, programs and other initiatives undergo rigorous evaluations of value for money (VfM). Many evaluators, however, lack training and experience in this area.

This workshop offers a set of techniques to address that gap. Combining strengths of evaluation and economics, the approach builds on theory and practice that will already be familiar to many evaluators, though there are also evaluators and commissioners to whom these techniques may be new.

This workshop includes a brief overview of economic methods of evaluation (e.g. cost-benefit analysis) including considerations for determining when to use these methods in a VfM assessment and when to combine them with other methods. It doesn’t provide detailed instruction in the design and implementation of economic evaluations, as there are other courses that focus on economic methods of evaluation.

Audience

The training is designed for evaluation commissioners, researchers, evaluators, and monitoring, evaluation and learning specialists of all levels from novice to expert. The training is suitable for those who want to learn about rubrics generally, as well as those who want to learn how to apply rubrics to value for money specifically.

Learning Outcomes

Participants will learn how to:

Frame an evaluative question about VfM
Develop rubrics, comprising criteria (aspects of performance) and standards (levels of performance), to provide a transparent basis for making sound judgements about VfM
Combine multiple sources of evidence to support nuanced evaluative judgements
Incorporate economic evaluation within a VfM framework, where feasible and appropriate
Interpret the evidence, using criteria and standards, to make sound evaluative judgements
Present a clear and robust performance story, guided by the criteria and standards.

Trainers

Julian King specialises in evaluation and value for money. Julian’s PhD research developed the Value for Investment system that will be shared in this workshop (www.julianking.co.nz/vfi/). Julian received the 2021 Australian Evaluation Society Evaluation Systems Award, recognising the widespread adoption and use of the approach. Julian has delivered workshops on this approach for evaluation societies and private sector organisations in Australia, New Zealand, Europe, USA, Africa, Asia, and to UKES (with Alex Hurrell, in 2018).

Daniel Wate specialises in the management of large and complex international programmes. He has ten years of experience developing VfM frameworks and conducting VfM assessments for programmes and organisations. He was previously Co-Lead of the Oxford Policy Management’s VfM Technical Community of Practice and is currently Assistant Director of Programmes at Options Consultancy providing oversight of global programmes including supporting teams to deliver VfM. He is particularly interested in how VfM approaches can generate and apply learning to improve the performance of project and programme delivery.

Zara Durrani is a senior consultant in the Education Practice at Oxford Policy Management (OPM) and leads its work on Inclusive Education. She has over 10 years’ experience specialising in design, management, and policy analysis for large-scale social development projects, particularly using qualitative and mixed methods. Zara has worked extensively in sub-Saharan Africa, and South- and East-Asia. Her interests include gender, quality and inclusive education, and public finance for development. Zara has led numerous evaluation, training and capacity building assignments, including currently working on a payment by results verification project in Tanzania, and developing and reporting against value for money (VfM) frameworks for the Data and Research in Education – Research Consortium (DARE-RC) and Sub-National Governance II (SNG II) programmes in Pakistan, and the Assessment and Examinations Reform Support (AERS) in Myanmar. Zara has experience working with the Ministry of Finance Govt. of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (Pakistan). She has worked out of OPM’s Pakistan and U.K. offices (presently based in the U.K.) and is an MPhil in Development Studies from the University of Cambridge.

Shiva Faramarzifar is an experienced senior programme manager and VfM consultant at OPM. Shiva co-leads OPM’s VfM Technical Community of Practice and is a VfM Lead on several programmes – developing frameworks, supporting regular VfM reporting, and conducting annual assessments using the King/OPM approach.

Access Details:

This course is offered fully online. Access details will be provided after the booking window closes on 9 December 1000 GMT.

If you have any alternative support needs in order to effectively participate in this training, please let us know before booking or as soon as possible after booking by emailing our team on hello@evaluation.org.uk . We look forward to assisting you in whatever way we can.

Refunds/Cancellations:

Refunds will only be provided for participant cancellations received at least 14 days prior to the event. UKES reserves the right to cancel the event, in which case a full refund would be provided.

Fees

Members £250 + VAT *
Student Members £200 + VAT *

Members have priority booking through 6 October 2024.

Non-Members £300 + VAT *

General booking opens on 7 October 2024.

All bookings close at 1000 GMT on 9 December 2024.