How to develop Terms of Reference for Evaluation Projects

This Guideline provides an outline of the key issues to be covered in evaluation terms of reference. The Guideline can be adapted and used as a template to produce the TORs. Additionally, the Guideline can be applied and adapted accordingly for internal and external evaluations.

This Guideline is designed to apply across all spheres of government. We refer here to the role of the ‘evaluation custodian’. In evaluations under the National Evaluation Plan (NEP), the evaluation custodian is the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME). In evaluations under the Provincial Evaluation Plans the evaluation custodian is the Office of the Premier. In departmental evaluations the evaluation custodian is the M&E Unit in that department. In State Owned Enterprises and Municipalities this is likely also to be the M&E Units in an SOE.

Developing the TORs is a critical stage where the information needs for the evaluation are clarified, an outline methodology developed to answer those information needs, and where the key stakeholders in the intervention can agree what they want to get out of the evaluation. This will be revisited during the inception stage where there is interaction between the evaluator and the steering committee, and where the service provider or internal evaluation team is likely to suggest improvements to the methodology.

The suggested contents of the TORs include:

• Background information and rationale
• The focus of the evaluation
• Evaluation design
• Evaluation project plan
• Budget and payment schedule (if outsourced) linked to deliverables
• Management arrangements
• The proposal to be submitted (if outsourced) 
• Information for service providers (if outsourced)
• Intellectual property rights (if outsourced)
• Special and general conditions of contract (if outsourced)
• Enquiries