Evaluation

Introduction
How do we know that the Open Government Pioneers UK initiative is making a difference?
 * The evaluation of the core activities funded by the Big Lottery Fund UK will be delivered in partnership with an external consultant with expertise in this area selected by the Project board. Budget has been allocated for the consultants fee.
 * The evaluation of the equality activities will involve an equality impact assessment and further consultancy budget for specific equality expertise has been allocated for this.

Aims and objectives
We want the learn from the mistakes we make and build on the successes we create. Is there evidence that a diverse range of citizens and civil society are any closer to engaging the decisions that affect them as a result of the Open Government Pioneers Project UK?

Objective
Track progress towards the following four big outcomes.
 * 1) Empowered engaged citizens, leveraging their knowledge of SDGs.
 * 2) Political representatives have greater awareness of SDGs and types of actions required.
 * 3) Government officials have a better plan for involving citizens.
 * 4) Open government seen as instrumental, and a common good towards progressing SDGs.

Overall approach

 * To use an open and agile approach to monitoring, learning and evaluation
 * To assess how successful the project is at opening up government progress against the Sustainable Development Goals to citizen participation
 * To inform future activities that support Open Government approaches to delivering the Sustainable Development Goals

Agile learning approach

 * Initial data collected in the first quarter of the project will form a baseline (against the Data subjects in the table below)
 * An assessment will be made of any changes when reported (quarterly, monthly or annually as appropriate). Advice from Reference Group partners will be sought as appropriate.
 * A recommendation will be made to the Project Board by the Delivery Group to change project elements based in this assessment.

Independent evaluator
We need to ensure that the project success is properly and independently assessed by an independent evaluator.

We will openly advertise and recruit an evaluation partner (consultant) to deliver the independent evaluation, and another evaluation partner to deliver the equalities evaluation.

The evaluation will involve interviews with project partners, project participants and government, and will be supported by the data collected as part of the project's monitoring activities and a discussion with the project board and input from project's forums around evaluation priorities.

Project Impact
Updated May 2017

Overall impact assessment

 * The project has facilitated a renewal of interest in the Sustainable Development Goals which had been flagging since the launch of the SDGs in late 2015.
 * The project has also increased interest and visibility in the Open Government Partnership and action plans amongst the policy communities in Scotland and Wales.
 * The project has not yet broadened awareness and interest in OGP and SDGs in the broader public and media. However, a number of structures and planned engagements are now in place to progress this during the next six months of the project.