It is up to you to decide whether you want to commission an external evaluator or carry out self-evaluation using your own project team and resources.
Or you might prefer to use a mixture of both approaches. The benefits of each approach are as follows:
Advantages of doing self-evaluation yourself:
- You and your staff have in-depth knowledge of how your organisation works. You are sensitive to the needs of your project and its users
- It enables your staff to learn new skills
- It actively encourages reflection and learning by those involved, which is more likely to lead to change in your organisation
- You will save on project costs
Advantages of commissioning an external agency to do self-evaluation:
- The evaluation will take up less staff time
- Interviewees may talk more freely
- External evaluators may find it easier to identify areas of weakness
- It avoids conflicts of interest as the evaluators are independent
- Specialists will have evaluation skills
- The end result may be seen as more objective/credible by others
