Introduction/Overview

Project leaders, analysts, contract managers and others involved in commissioning or funding ‘external’ research, or evaluation studies face special challenges in managing for their effective delivery. They typically need to successfully navigate the appropriate scoping and specification of the project, the commissioning process and selection of well-placed contractors as well as subsequent contract scrutiny and management to provide for responsive delivery and where pressures on budgets and often intensive timetables add to the challenges of doing this well. This course provides an intensive introduction to practical processes for managing externally contracted projects, working relationships and minimising delivery risks and challenges. It is aimed at participants from governmental and other public bodies, research councils, larger charities and other organisations commissioned research and evaluation studies.

NB. A parallel course, Research and Evaluation Project Management for Project Leaders, focuses on the different project management challenges and skills needed for those designing and delivering commissioned or funded projects. The two separate courses can be taken separately over one day or together over two consecutive days.

Objectives:

By the end of the workshop, participants will:

• To introduce the principles of ‘deliberative’ project management and how this underpins responsive and agile delivery of contracted research and evaluation
• To understand essential content and integration of the four contracting pillars – project scoping, specification, commissioning and contractor management
• To understand how to translate user expectations into well-defined ‘SMART’ project objectives and outlining indicative method and evidence requirements
• To recognise options for proportionate governance and/or steering, progress and trajectory scrutiny to optimise responsive project delivery and deliverables
• To appreciate how to appropriately engage stakeholders and set and manage contractor relationships including for in-project ‘difficult’ discussions.

Topics:

The course will cover:

• Scoping project purpose and boundaries to reflect clear and realistic expectations of contracted delivery including in multi-stakeholder situations
• Translating purpose into a viable project requirement reflected in an overarching goal and SMART objectives
• Determining content for an intelligent, proportionate and fit for purpose specification for the project specification
• Using ‘guided’ procurement processes (with existing procurement rules) to optimise tender/bid quality and for selection of well-placed contractor(s)
• Project governance, steering and contract management options for in-project progress and trajectory review and amplifying stakeholder engagement
• Practical tips for managing working relationships with contractors including for difficult discussions on direction or under-performance
• Contract management role and boundaries in guiding and scrutinising formative, summative and (an) additional deliverables to meet user requirements.

Who will benefit?

Practitioners working in policy, programme or other development roles where their responsibilities include specification and management of externally contracted research or evaluation projects. The course will be relevant to those who are new to contract management as well as those looking for more insight into how project management can minimise risks to commissioned projects, embed constructive critical relationships and optimise quality and utility of project delivery and deliverables.

Learning outcomes:

By the end of the course, participants will:

• Understand how to manage expectations in pre-specification scoping for projects, and translating this to fit-for-purpose objectives and indicative evidence needs
• Review the role of effective specification of a project, the relative merits (and fit) of light touch or fully directed project specifications
• Understand what constitutes ‘good’ specification, how to avoid pitfalls and the use and necessary focus for ‘guided tendering’ to inform successful commissioning
• Appreciate practical options for making best-fit choices of R&E contractors compliant within procurement requirements
• Understand the distinctive role of relationship management of externally-contracted R&E projects including governance options, proportionate oversight and scrutiny, contractor communication and managing pitfall including shortfall
• Assess the important of project management for ensuring responsive and high utility deliverables for interval, summative and other R & E deliverables.

Course tutor:

Prof. David Parsons is a practising evaluator, consultant and advisor who has led (or co-directed) approaching 60 independent evaluations of (mainly) public policy and programmes in the last two decades. He also brings experience of contract specification and contractor selection as a former senior analyst in government service and as an independent advisor on commissioned research and evaluation projects to government departments, NDPBs, devolved administrations and regulators. Other project clients have included What Works Centres, larger charities and international bodies including the European Commission, ILO and OECD.

Author of Demystifying Evaluation (Policy Press, 2017), and Purposeful Evaluation (Policy Press, forthcoming) he was elected to the Academy of Social Science in 2018 for contributions to cross-conceptual evaluation practices and is a member of the HM Treasury-Cabinet Office Evaluation Trial and Advice Panel. David leads the (six course) evaluation practitioner development programme for the UKs Social Research Association and regularly runs in house courses for government departments, devolved government, NDPBs and others. .

Looking to book for four or more people from your organisation? Contact [email protected] to ask about our in-house courses.