Pricing is not an exact science when it comes to evaluation consulting. Here, I provide some guidelines based on three different scenarios; external evaluator for grants proposed, external evaluation for grants already won by an organization, and other services. No matter what your needs, there is at least one hour free for determining how to best help you with your project.
External Evaluator for Grants Proposed
If you are working on a proposal and would like to utilize services of an external evaluator, plan on budgeting 10-15% of total budget cost. If you are asking for $500,000/year, then at a minimum, save $50,000/year for some kind of evaluation. The services you can get and evaluation questions you can answer for this example depend on several factors. Here are just a few:
- Amount and type of data collection (interviews and focus groups cost much more per 10 people compared to surveys)
- Number of sites that need to be represented in the data collection
- The number and types of deliverables that need to be prepared
- The timeline constraints (The only way to entice subcontracted team members at the last minute is a ridiculous wage)
- Travel requirements
- The level of methodological rigor required (Quantitative experts in experimental designs generally have a higher daily rate than other associates)
- Number of monitoring calls
- Training/capacity building requirement
In most cases, we will help you write the evaluation section of the proposal with the understanding that we are written into the budget. Our payment depends on whether the proposal is funded.
External Evaluator for Grants Already Won
You or your organization have likely already fixed your budget. In this scenario, we typically see mostly underfunded evaluation. Similar to above, the amount of services you can get for the fixed price you have will depend on several factors. We are happy to see how we can help you.
Other Projects
Dr. Bayonas will often be asked to become a team member for a short-term project, with someone else as the Project Director. In this case, since there is no directing, the hourly rate will be the lowest. We have been paid up front and then just kept track of hours worked, or placed on payroll, or worked and kept track of hours and then sent an invoice. References are typically needed both ways in these circumstances.