Child Poverty Action Plan – Programme Evaluation

The North East Mayoral Strategic Authority (North East MSA) is seeking an external consultant to undertake an independent programme-level evaluation of its Child Poverty Action Plan 2025–2030.

The £220,000 commission will evaluate the design, implementation and impact of the multi-strand programme, which is being delivered between August 2025 and March 2030.

The work will provide a programme-wide assessment designed to support strategic assurance, organisational learning and decision-making, while helping to inform future versions of the Child Poverty Action Plan and wider regional policy and investment decisions.

Evaluation Requirements

The appointed consultant will evaluate the Child Poverty Action Plan as a whole, considering directly funded activity alongside wider activity mobilised through the programme and selected aligned initiatives where appropriate and supported by available evidence.

Individual projects and interventions may be subject to separate monitoring, research and evaluation commissioned by the North East MSA or undertaken by delivery partners.

The programme evaluator will therefore be expected to bring together evidence from proportionate project-level evaluation activity, including light-touch monitoring and more detailed project deep dives, to develop a coherent assessment of the overall programme.

The commission is not intended to undertake primary project-level evaluations except where this is explicitly agreed.

The evaluation will consider both the evidence relating to individual interventions and the collective contribution of the wider programme towards achieving the intended outcomes of the Child Poverty Action Plan.

Wider Strategic Impact

A further element of the commission will examine the extent to which reducing child poverty has become embedded as a cross-cutting priority across North East MSA activity and the work of its partners.

This will include assessing the influence of the Child Poverty Reduction Unit and regional Child Poverty Action Plan on:

• Strategic priorities
• Programme and project design
• Funding decisions
• Delivery decisions
• Organisational policies, practices and activities beyond initiatives directly funded through the programme

The findings are expected to support future strategic decisions relating to child poverty, regional policy and investment across the North East.

Contract Information

Buyer: North East Combined Authority

Deadline: 12 October 2026, 11:59pm

Contract Value: £220,000

Delivery Length: 1 December 2026 to 1 December 2030

Tender Link: OPEN – Project Reference OPEN20261874

The deadline for supplier enquiries is 9 October 2026 at 11:59pm, with an estimated award decision date of 12 November 2026.

The contract covers activity across Durham, Northumberland and Tyne and Wear.

The opportunity has been identified as particularly suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and voluntary, community and social enterprises (VCSEs).

Evaluation Criteria

Tender submissions will be evaluated on:

• Quality – 80%
• Price – 20%

The disclosed quality criteria include:

• Approach and Methodology – 35%
• Understanding the Brief – 15%
• Delivery Team – 15%
• Project Management – 15%
• Value for Money – 5%
• Additional quality criterion – Not disclosed in the information provided

The procurement will be conducted through an open procedure.

The commission provides an opportunity for research and evaluation organisations with expertise in complex social programmes, public policy and programme-level impact assessment to support a major regional initiative addressing child poverty.

The findings will help the North East MSA understand the combined contribution of its Child Poverty Action Plan and provide evidence to support future policy, programme and investment decisions across the region.

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