Monitoring, evaluation, and learning

Monitoring and evaluation is an essential step in learning what works in policies and programmes designed to reduce poverty and disadvantage. It enables governments and other decision makers to understand challenges, improve what they are doing, and learn from the results.

We have extensive experience carrying out independent monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) across different sectors, delivering credible and useful recommendations to inform policy decisions. We do this by incorporating high-quality designs based on rigorous quantitative and qualitative methods, and involving relevant stakeholders right through the MEL process. Our expertise is broad and includes:  

  • Independent evaluation: we carry out all types of independent evaluation across all areas of OPM’s sectoral expertise – including developmental evaluation, process evaluation, formative evaluation, as well as outcome and impact evaluations, using a wide range of theory-based approaches.  
  • Quantitative impact evaluation: the design and implementation of experimental and quasi-experimental impact evaluation is one of our core strengths, often implemented as mixed-methods approaches.
  • Value for Money assessment: we have developed an approach that combines cutting-edge evaluation practice with concepts from economic evaluation to provide accountability and good resource allocation.
  • Third Party Monitoring & Verification: we have extensive experience in mixed-methods approaches to independently monitor and verify results.  
  • Adaptive MEL systems: we design and implement MEL systems for programmes and projects that are focussed on learning and positive adaptation.

In all of our MEL work we pay special attention to stakeholder engagement and evidence uptake, ensuring our work is well-communicated, understood, and used by policymakers and other stakeholders in order to deliver to drive improved programming and sustainable policy reform.   

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