Experienced evaluation office
In recent years, Decisio has gained extensive experience in conducting evaluations. These include evaluations of laws, policies, programmes, specific policy instruments (such as subsidies and implementation schemes), and public–private partnerships (process and strategic governance evaluations). We also regularly conduct research for audit offices. Our approach to evaluations is characterised by:
- Evaluations conducted according to professional standards: Decisio has now carried out more than 100 evaluations in a responsible and high‑quality manner.
- A team of experienced professionals: we deploy a team of highly experienced staff with deep subject‑matter knowledge, accustomed to executing complex projects involving multiple interests.
- Flexibility and creativity: we adapt to unforeseen circumstances—both substantive and procedural. We remain open to suggestions from clients and stakeholders to further explore or highlight specific aspects within the research.
- Future‑oriented: we have conducted numerous evaluation studies in which, in addition to looking back, we also provide recommendations for concrete adjustments for the future.
Evaluations in various policy areas
We conduct evaluations across a wide range of policy areas for municipalities, provinces, ministries, partnerships, and audit offices. Substantively, our work covers domains such as regional economy, infrastructure and sustainable mobility, water safety and water quality, social policy (societal, youth, education), nature, and the environment. Much of the required knowledge and expertise is available in‑house. Where necessary, we collaborate with sector specialists or subject‑matter experts.
How does evaluating work?
The way we conduct evaluations naturally depends on the question, the topic, the scope, and the steps clients intend to take after the evaluation is completed. Nevertheless, in practice we always follow the steps below:
- Policy reconstruction: reconstructing the rationale behind a policy, project, programme, or subsidy to understand the intended effects and objectives. If these are no longer entirely clear, we estimate what was likely intended. This reconstruction results in a policy theory and provides a practical assessment framework that forms the basis for the rest of the evaluation.
- Research into instruments, activities and resources: what activities were carried out with which inputs (capacity and resources)? In this step, we clearly map out which instruments, activities, and resources were deployed to implement the policy or realise the project or programme.
- Research into goal attainment: what did the efforts yield? Which results were achieved, and which objectives were or were not met?
- Research into the effects of the policy, project, or programme: beyond the results, it is important to provide insight into the (societal) effects that these results have produced.
- Assessment of effectiveness and efficiency: this concerns how the results relate to the intended goals and effects for which the policy, project, or programme was created. It also involves assessing the importance of the policy, project, or programme in achieving these goals and whether the resources were used efficiently. The key question is what we can learn from the evaluation for the near future; often expressed in concrete recommendations.
