Lot 17 - Strategic evaluations supports the European Commission services in conducting external, evidence-based evaluations of EU external action in partner countries, regions worldwide, and globally.
Strategic evaluations can encompass various scopes, including:

• Evaluations of EU external action support in a single country or a group of countries/region
• Thematic and sectoral evaluations with global coverage or focussing on a group of countries/region(s)
• Evaluations of EU external financing instruments (e.g. NDICI, IPA III)
• Evaluations of financial instruments (e.g. blending and guarantees at country/region(s) or

instrument level)

• Evaluations of implementation modalities (e.g. budget support operations with a country,

trust funds at country/region(s) or instrument level)

• Evaluations of the EU’s strategic relationship with specific implementing partners or types of partners (e.g. implementing partners under indirect management)
• Evaluations of Joint programming/Team Europe initiatives
• Other types of evaluation assignments (e.g. Meta Evaluations, Systematic Reviews)

These evaluations are considered complex because they comprehensively analyse EU policies, strategies, and actions from design to implementation, assessing the combined results of both spending activities (such as a portfolio of interventions (projects and programmes) and non-spending activities (such as policy dialogues) over a significant period, typically at least four years.
Evaluations are carried out through individual assignments defined and contracted through ‘Specific Contracts’.