SECRETARÍA DE ESTADO
DE COOPERACIÓN INTERNACIONAL Y
PARA IBEROAMERICA
MINISTERIO DE ASUNTOS
EXTERIORES Y DE
COOPERACIÓN
SECRETARIA GENERAL DE COOPERACIÓN
INTERNACIONAL PARA EL DESARROLLO
División de Evaluación de Políticas para el Desarrollo
y Gestión del Conocimiento
EVALUATION PRINCIPLES
for the evaluation team
The evaluation shall follow the OECD DAC Quality Standards for Development
Evaluation and Spanish Cooperation’s Evaluation Policy. Throughout the evaluation
process, the evaluation team must respect the following principles:

Independence and impartiality: The evaluation team must guarantee its
independence with regard to the evaluation object. Team members shall sign a
declaration of lack of conflict of interest, give respectful and non-discriminatory
treatment to all persons or groups involved in the evaluation process, and perform
their duties with integrity and honesty.

Anonymity and confidentiality: Throughout the evaluation process, respect for
privacy and the appropriate treatment of personal data must be guaranteed. In
situations of conflict or of risk to personal integrity, extreme caution must be taken
to prevent possible harm due to identification of the persons participating in the
evaluation.

Credibility: For its deliverables to be credible and acceptable for the different
stakeholders involved, the evaluation must respond to the different information
needs; be carried out according to the established schedule; and be conducted in a
systematic, methodologically sound and sufficiently well-justified manner, showing
a clear line of reasoning. Its findings, conclusions and recommendations should be
well-grounded and presented separately, with a clear, logical distinction between
them.

Utility: The evaluation deliverables must make evident the evaluation
shortcomings, reflect different perspectives regarding the evaluation object, and
offer a balanced view of the evaluation object perspective that makes possible to
appreciate its achievements and strengths, as well as its possible shortcomings
and weaknesses. In the event of significant discrepancies within the evaluation
team, or between the evaluation team and the evaluation management bodies,
these discrepancies must be reflected in the final report.

Dissemination: Presentation of the evaluation results must take into account the
purpose, the objectives and the expected utility of the evaluation. The deliverables
must be worded in a user-friendly manner. The narrative rationale of the final report
must make it easy to identify the well-argued responses to the different evaluation
questions.

Incidents: In the event of problems or unforeseen circumstances arising during
fieldwork or during any other phase of the evaluation, these must be reported
immediately to the evaluation management unit/committee. Failing this, the
existence of such problems may not, under any circumstances, be used to justify
noncompliance with what is established in the terms of reference.

Submission of reports: In the event of a delay in submitting reports, or if the
quality of the reports submitted were significantly lower than what was agreed, the
measures set forth in Spanish Royal Legislative Decree 3/2011, of 14 November,
whereby the consolidated text of the Public Sector Contracts Act was approved,
shall be applicable.