Enhancing Evaluation Tender Quality: Integrating Gender for Robust Results

Abstract

Evaluations play a key role in assessing the effectiveness of strategies, programmes and projects and drawing conclusions for their future development. Standards have been introduced to improve the quality of evaluations, focusing mainly on the evaluators. However, essential conditions for the evaluation are specified in advance, particularly in the calls for proposals. Tenders are expected to clearly communicate requirements and expectations, ensuring that proposals can be effectively compared, while allowing evaluators sufficient flexibility in their design and interpretation. However, evaluation standards often lack the integration of gender and diversity considerations, particularly in the initial stages such as in calls for proposals. This article assesses the inclusion of gender analysis and intersectionality within evaluation standards, with a focus on tender processes. The necessity for a systematic approach to embed gender and diversity considerations in evaluation practices is discussed, highlighting the gap in current standards. The article references a guideline developed by the Working Group on Gender Mainstreaming (AK GM) of the German Evaluation Society (DeGEval) as an example of efforts to address this gap. This guideline exemplifies a framework aimed at guiding evaluation practitioners and those issuing tenders towards more inclusive evaluation practices. In this way, evaluations not only comply with legal requirements, but also fulfil societal commitments to promote gender equality, especially in the field of research, technology and innovation.