Evaluation Services Unit Launched for Affordable Government Evaluation Support
Summary
The Open Innovation Team has launched the Evaluation Services Unit (ESU) to provide affordable, high-quality evaluation services to civil servants across UK government departments and arms-length bodies. Operating as an in-house consultancy, the ESU offers end-to-end support from scoping and design through to full delivery of process and impact evaluations. Work can be scoped and agreed within approximately one week, without a lengthy procurement process.
What changed
The Evaluation Services Unit (ESU) was launched by the Open Innovation Team to provide government civil servants with quick, affordable access to high-quality evaluation services. The ESU operates like an in-house consultancy, offering end-to-end support including process and impact evaluations. Work can be scoped and agreed within approximately one week without a lengthy procurement process.
This announcement does not create compliance obligations for external parties. Civil servants and government departments seeking evaluation support may voluntarily contact the ESU to access these services.
What to do next
- Contact the ESU at enquiries@evaluationservices.gov.uk for evaluation support
Archived snapshot
Apr 16, 2026GovPing captured this document from the original source. If the source has since changed or been removed, this is the text as it existed at that time.
News story
Evaluation Services Unit
Delivering high-quality, affordable evaluation services across government.
From: Open Innovation Team Published 15 December 2025
The Evaluation Services Unit (ESU) was launched by the Open Innovation Team in 2024 to make it quicker, easier and more affordable for civil servants to deliver high-quality evaluations.
Operating like an in-house consultancy, the ESU works across the evaluation lifecycle. Our team of experienced specialists provides end-to-end support, from advice on scoping and design to full delivery - including process and impact evaluations.
Since its launch, the ESU has supported projects including:
- Trials on tackling organised exploitation (Home Office)
- A randomised controlled trial of a police video call pilot (College of Policing)
- Evaluations of Sanctuary Schemes (Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government) We work with all government departments and ALBs, and partner with the Cabinet Office’s Evaluation Task Force to ensure our work is joined up and adds maximum value.
Teams across policy, analysis, delivery, and other functions can access ESU support without a lengthy procurement process. Scoping and agreeing work can take as little as a week.
To find out more, download the ESU “About Us” deck or contact the team at: enquiries@evaluationservices.gov.uk.
Resources:
- About ESU (MS PowerPoint Presentation, 718 KB)
Share this page
The following links open in a new tab
Updates to this page
Published 15 December 2025
Related changes
Get daily alerts for Uk Open Innovation Team
Daily digest delivered to your inbox.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime.
Source
About this page
Every important government, regulator, and court update from around the world. One place. Real-time. Free. Our mission
Source document text, dates, docket IDs, and authority are extracted directly from OIT.
The summary, classification, recommended actions, deadlines, and penalty information are AI-generated from the original text and may contain errors. Always verify against the source document.
Classification
Who this affects
Taxonomy
Browse Categories
Get alerts for this source
We'll email you when Uk Open Innovation Team publishes new changes.
Subscribed!
Optional. Filters your digest to exactly the updates that matter to you.