A new report commissioned and endorsed by IACDI has reviewed the quality of DFID's evaluations, benchmarking them against work done by other aid agencies.

The report, by Roger Riddell, made a number of recommendations on how DFID should increase the quality of its evaluation work, and on making evaluation a bigger part of how it learns lessons about what it does.

Coming hot on the heels of DFID's new evaluation policy (June 2009), which reviewed evaluations carried out earlier, the report found that most DFID's evaluation work is good, and of a similar quality to other bilateral aid agencies around the world. But that DFID can, and should, aim higher.

It also found that DFID had a defensive attitude to evaluation. It recommended that DFID take steps to change its culture so that weaknesses are acknowledged, and evaluation welcomed and championed as a vital part of learning how to improve development impact and of its commitment to becoming more accountable to the UK tax-payer.

Next steps

Secretary of State Douglas Alexander in his response to IACDI's annual letter, commented:

"As we set out in the Development White Paper, the Government is committed to getting the best out of the resources available for development and ensuring value for money. Evaluation is an essential part of assessing impact, promoting transparency and use of high-quality evidence in decision making.

"I therefore welcome the recommendations in the report, including those you have highlighted as priorities in this letter."

DFID management responded to the report by saying:
"As an ambitious and high-performing organisation, lesson learning is important to DFID. Our response outlines the significant changes are underway in raising up the quality of evaluation across DFID since the publication of the new Evaluation Policy, and what we will do differently as a result of the Quality Review."

• IACDI's Press Release (4 December, 2009)
• Evaluation Quality Review (with DFID Management response)
• IACDI Chair's Annual Letter to the Secretary of State
• Secretary of State's reply

Key facts

• The Quality of DFID's Evaluation Reports and Assurance Systems) was written by Roger Riddell, a member of IACDI
• The Independent Advisory Committee on Development Impact (IACDI) was set up in 2008 to help DFID evaluate the impact of UK aid and will advise the Department for International Development (DFID) on the overall strategy, approach and priorities being adopted in its evaluation work. The Chair of IACDI writes an annual letter to DFID's Secretary of State. 
• Evaluation helps enhance both DFID's accountability to Parliament and the public and its impact in reducing world poverty. It identifies how results are achieved (or not) so that lessons can be learnt for the future. Read more about DFID's Evaluation Department
• IACDI has approved DFID's future programme (PDF) of central evaluations
• DFID's new Evaluation Annual Report 2009 summarises lessons learned from evaluation activity over the previous 12 months.

The paper has two purposes. Firstly, it summarises the methods used in the review, the main findings and recommendations. Secondly, it lays out recommendations, for enhancing evaluation quality and discusses whether the review provides IACDI with sufficient information on evaluation quality to fulfil its Terms of Reference.

This final version replaces the earlier one which was posted on the IACDI website in September. It has been amended following external comments, including those expressed at an expert roundtable on 4 November, and further discussion by IACDI. It also includes DFID's Management Response.

Click here to access.

•  Findings of the Quality Review
•  EvD's 3 year work plan and priorities
•  EvD's Annual Report
•  Evaluation Policy Implementation
•  IACDI's Annual Letter to the Secretary of State

 For full details of the above and other points discussed see minutes here.

Request for comments on reports ( by Roger Riddell, Burt Perrin and Richard Manning) commissioned by IACDI.

As part of its role in monitoring evaluation quality in DFID, IACDI commissioned a review to assess the quality of DFID's evaluation reports and its assurance systems. The review is now complete and available here on the website in 3 parts. It was undertaken by experts Burt Perrin and Richard Manning, managed by Roger Riddell, a member of IACDI, who has also produced an overview report drawing on and summarising the other two.

The review highlights 11 key recommendations for DFID to improve the quality of evaluation work, and to strengthen DFID's approach in using evaluation work for lesson learning (see pages iii - vii of Roger Riddell's report). As part of the review, DFID's evaluation systems were compared with other donor agencies, and found to be broadly on par with those of comparator bilateral agencies.

IACDI now invites and welcomes comments on the reports - particularly on the overview report by Roger Riddell. IACDI will be discussing the reports at its next meeting on 4th November, and would particularly welcome comments from external stakeholders before then, so that they can be taken into account at its meeting.

Please send comments to mail@iacdi.independent.gov.uk by 23 October 2009.

As part of its role in monitoring evaluation quality in DFID, IACDI commissioned a review to assess the quality of DFID's evaluation reports and its assurance systems. The review is now complete and available here on the website in 3 parts. It was undertaken by experts Burt Perrin and Richard Manning, managed by Roger Riddell, a member of IACDI, who has also produced an overview report drawing on and summarising the other two.

The review highlights 11 key recommendations for DFID to improve the quality of evaluation work, and to strengthen DFID's approach in using evaluation work for lesson learning (see pages iii - vii of Roger Riddell's report). As part of the review, DFID's evaluation systems were compared with other donor agencies, and found to be broadly on par with those of comparator bilateral agencies.

IACDI now invites and welcomes comments on the reports - particularly on the overview report by Roger Riddell. IACDI will be discussing the reports at its next meeting on 4th November, and would particularly welcome comments from external stakeholders before then, so that they can be taken into account at its meeting.

Please send comments to mail@iacdi.independent.gov.uk by 23 October 2009.

Thank you

'Building the evidence to reduce poverty' sets out an approach to evaluation focused around four pillars:

• increased independence in evaluation
• working increasingly in partnership not in isolation
• driving up quality of evaluation
• creating a genuine culture of learning

A copy of the DFID evaluation department forward work programme for 2009-10 is also available here.

The letter has two further attachments, which implement two of the Committee's recommendations: the first ever annual report from DFID on action taken to follow up recommendations - for 2006-07; and the first ever annual report by the Head of DFID's Evaluation Department drawing some overall lessons from evaluations carried out over 2006/07.