Evaluation of Cross Cutting Themes for the Welsh European Funding Office

Descriptions

WEFO Cross-cutting Themes EvaluationBackground to the EvaluationCurrent Programmes (2007-2013)In accordance with the requirements of EU General Regulation 1083/2006 Articles 16 and 17 and Regulation 1081/2006 Article 6 the two cross cutting themes of Equal Opportunities and Environmental Sustainability are being integrated into all aspects of the ERDF and ESF Convergence and Regional Competitiveness and Employment Programmes in Wales. The Operational Programmes state that projects qualifying for funding support must incorporate the Cross Cutting Themes as these are essential for the development of a well balanced, sustainable and innovative economy.WEFO requires projects to demonstrate how they will contribute to the Cross Cutting Themes at EOI and Business Plan Development stage and checks on the integration of the Themes are included in WEFO financial control visits to projects. The Cross Cutting Themes Advisors attend the Review Meetings for approved projects where the performance and delivery of projects is discussed, in particular projects’ delivery of the Themes and the extent to which they meet targets related to the Themes.AimThe evaluation will assess the integration of the Cross-Cutting Themes into projects’ delivery of activities across both the European Social Fund and European Regional Development Fund in Convergence and Competitiveness Programme areas. The research will also examine the progress and delivery of the Cross-Cutting Themes Indicators for the 2007-2013 Structural Funds Programmes in Wales. A particular focus of the study will be to assess the barriers to the consistent delivery of the Cross-Cutting Themes by EU-funded projects, and to consider and make suggestions for any further support that projects may require in delivering the these Themes. Additionally, the evaluation will provide an assessment of the support provided to sponsors by the Cross-Cutting Themes Unit and identify areas of best practice.A series of recommendations based upon the research findings will be made for the integration and projects’ delivery of the Cross-Cutting Themes in the post-2013 Programmes.MethodTenderers are invited to propose a methodology that incorporates mixed methods. We envisage that the fieldwork will involve interviews with WEFO staff (to include Cross-Cutting Themes Advisors, Project Development Officers, Priority Controllers, and Senior Management),,staff from project sponsor and delivery organisations, and the Specialist European Teams (SETs). Approaches that incorporate fieldwork with beneficiaries would be advantageous, possibly as part of a case study design. WEFO routinely collects monitoring data on projects’ delivery of the Cross-Cutting Themes targets, and has ERDF Business Survey data on businesses that have received support on equalities and environmental management systems. Tenderers are strongly advised to design methodologies that incorporate and utilise both sources of data.WEFO will make key sources of documentation on the Cross-Cutting Themes available for the successful contractors to review. These include: projects’ Cross-Cutting Theme scores (as assessed by the Cross-Cutting Themes Unit), Project Review Meeting Minutes, and completed project evaluation reports (where these are available). Consideration should be given for how the documentary review can complement the other strands of fieldwork in the research design. Tenderers should also detail how the fieldwork can be complemented by a formal literature review on the management of horizontal themes in European Programmes. In particular, WEFO expects the successful contractor to take account of findings relevant to the Cross Cutting Themes from completed WEFO evaluations, especially the Evaluation of Programme Implementation.