The development of an Evaluation Statement of Work (SOW) is one of the most significant steps in the evaluation planning process. The SOW communicates to the evaluation team why the evaluation is needed, how it will be used, and what evaluation questions managers need answers to. Before finalizing the Evaluation SOW, the Mission or Washington Operating Unit Program Office will organize an in-house peer technical review of the Evaluation SOW including no less than two individuals in addition to the Program Office Evaluation POC (or designee). Relevant and non-procurement sensitive parts of the SOW may also be shared with external stakeholders as needed and appropriate. The Program Office is responsible for ensuring that the SOW is compliant with ADS 201mab, USAID Evaluation Statement of Work Requirements. Most of the guidance in this section assumes that USAID is the author of the SOW for a competitively procured external performance evaluation. However, SOWs may differ for internal evaluations, for evaluations planned within an existing evaluation contract, or for more complicated impact evaluations.
Additional Links
- Webinar: Good Practices for Peer Reviews of Evaluation SOWs
- Tool: Assessing the Quality of Education Evaluations
- Resource: A Commissioner's Guide to Probability Sampling for Surveys at USAID
- Resource: Evidence-based practical guidance and templates on how to successfully design and implement a Developmental Evaluation for funders of DEs