The purpose of evaluations is to improve the quality, effectiveness and consistency of the assistance from the Funds and the strategy and implementation of the Operational Programmes with respect to the specific structural problems affecting the BMW Region while taking account of the objective of sustainable development and of the relevant Community legislation concerning environmental impact and strategic environmental assessment.
Evaluations will be carried out by experts functionally independent of the Programme authorities. The results shall be published according to the applicable rules on access to documents. Evaluations will be financed from the budget for technical assistance. The Irish authorities will provide the resources necessary for carrying out evaluations, organise the production and gathering of the necessary data and use the various types of information provided by the monitoring system.
Ex Ante Evaluation
An independent Ex Ante Evaluation of the Border, Midland and Western Regional Operational Programme was conducted by Fitzpatrick Associates in parallel with the drafting and finalisation of the OP between July 2006 and February 2007. The overall aim of the evaluation was to improve the quality, effectiveness and consistency of the Structural Funds assistance and the implementation of the OP. The ex ante evaluation addressed the following:
• Appraisal of socio-economic analysis and relevance of the draft programme
• Evaluation of the rationale of the draft programme and its consistency
• Appraisal of coherence of the strategy with regional and national priorities
• Evaluation of expected results and impacts
• Appraisal of proposed implementation and monitoring systems
A summary of the main findings of the evaluation is set out in section 3.7 of the OP. The Ex Ante Evaluation Report is available on the Regional Assembly’s web-site www.bmwassembly.ie
Ongoing Evaluation
During the Programming period, the Managing Authority will commission and launch evaluations linked to the monitoring of the Operational Programme, in particular where the monitoring of Programmes reveals a significant departure from the goals initially set or where proposals are made for the revision of the Operational Programme. Thematic evaluations may also be undertaken over the lifetime of the Programme. The results shall be sent to the Monitoring Committee for the Operational Programme and to the Commission.
Evaluation is primarily the responsibility of the Managing Authority, who have built up considerable expertise in these field in commissioning various evaluations during the previous programming period. Sufficient financial resources have been provided within the Technical Assistance Priority to facilitate a comprehensive programme of evaluations Technical advice is available from the Central Expenditure Evaluation Unit within the Department of Finance which has a remit to promote best practice in the evaluation and implementation of programme and project expenditure across all Government Departments and Public Sector Agencies.
Ex Post Evaluation
Ex-post evaluation will be the responsibility of the Commission in partnership with the Member State and the Managing Authority. The ex-post evaluation will be organised under the general arrangements for the co-ordination of evaluations. It will examine the extent to which resources were used, the effectiveness and efficiency of Fund Programming and the socio-economic impact, draw conclusions for the policy on economic and social cohesion, identify the factors having contributed to the success or failure of the implementation of the Operational Programme and identify good practice. It will be completed by 31 December 2015.
Implementing Recommendations of Evaluation
The Managing Authority will consult with the relevant Intermediary Bodies covered by the evaluation recommendations relevant to the Operational Programme as to how they propose to address the recommendations. The Managing Authority will then submit a response paper to the Monitoring Committee for approval, addressing all the recommendations. The Monitoring Committee will exercise its discretion whether to implement the response as proposed or to vary it.
