Where do I look for an external evaluator for a federal grant?
The best places to look for an external evaluator for a federal grant are usually the people who have already worked with one. Colleagues who have managed federally funded projects, your institution's grants or sponsored programs office, and principal investigators on funded projects similar to yours can tell you who evaluated their work and what that working relationship was like. That kind of recommendation tells you something a website can't: whether the evaluator was useful to the project team over several years.
Professional directories can widen the search. The American Evaluation Association's Find an Evaluator listing is one example: it lets you search its members who are available for evaluation consulting by name, firm, area of expertise, and location. The association describes the listing as a public service, says it doesn't endorse any consultant or firm, and notes that a member's listed area of practice doesn't indicate certification or expertise. A directory gives you names to contact, but deciding who fits your project is still up to you.
What does experience with federal grants look like in an evaluator?
Experience with federal grants means an evaluator understands what your funder expects from the evaluation and can design one that meets those expectations while still being useful to your team. Requirements differ by funder and program, so it's worth reading your solicitation first. NSF's Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program is one example of how specific a solicitation can be. It requires an evaluation plan clearly aligned with the project's goals, objectives, intended outcomes, activities, and deliverables. It also requires a timeline showing when data will be collected, when reports will be submitted, and how often the evaluator and project personnel will communicate, along with funds for an evaluator independent of the project. Your own solicitation may ask for something different, and an experienced evaluator will read it with you.
An evaluator with this experience can also tell you how the evaluation will work in practice: how they'll share findings with your team during the project rather than only at the end, how the evaluation will fit your academic calendar or program schedule, and how they'll handle IRB review when it's needed. Does my program evaluation need IRB approval? explains when it is.
When should I start looking for an evaluator?
Start looking for an evaluator before you write the proposal's evaluation section, early enough that the two of you can agree on the evaluation's scope and budget before either is fixed. An evaluator brought in a few days before the deadline may have time only to review a plan someone else wrote. One brought in earlier can design the evaluation questions, methods, timeline, and budget with you, and can often write the evaluation section. What can an evaluator actually do for me before I submit the proposal? describes that work.
It's also worth checking your institution's rules first. Some institutions require evaluators to be selected through a competitive process after the award, which affects whether you can name one in the proposal. Do I need to name an external evaluator before my grant is funded? covers those rules and the options they leave you.
How do I narrow down the evaluators I find?
To narrow down the evaluators you find, talk with each of them about your project before you decide. A conversation shows you how they think about evaluation in a way a résumé or website can't. Listen for whether they ask what your project needs to learn before they talk about surveys or methods, and whether you'd want to work with them for three, four, or five years. What questions should I ask an evaluator before hiring them? gives you the questions, and How do I choose between two evaluation firms that both look qualified? helps when more than one could do the work.
The Grantibly perspective
Lauren's perspective
At Grantibly, we work with project teams during proposal development whenever possible so the evaluation questions, methods, timeline, and budget are designed by the people who will actually conduct the evaluation.
We see ourselves as a partner, not a vendor. We want clients to call us when they are considering a change, struggling with participation, trying to understand an unexpected result, developing a new strategy, preparing for a funder conversation, or wondering what data would help them make a decision. That's worth keeping in mind while you search, because you're looking for someone you'll want to call for the next several years.
