New GSA MAS Subgroup for Program Evaluation Services

Since the passage of the Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018 (Evidence Act), activities surrounding the collection and use of data for productive decision-making have increased across the federal government. Specifically, the Evidence Act calls on agencies to develop Learning Agendas and Annual Evaluation Plans to identify the types of evidence needed to answer specific questions and evaluate how best to effectively answer those questions.

Additionally, the Biden Administration signed the Memorandum on Restoring Trust in Government through Scientific Integrity and Evidence-based Policymaking to prioritize data and science at the highest levels of federal decision making, as well as pursue new initiatives to produce evidence-based results.

Federal agencies are currently publishing Learning Agendas and Annual Evaluation Plans on Evaluation.gov, previewing the activities they will take each year to acclimate to evidence-based decision making and policymaking.  

Program Evaluation Services Subgroup

Under GSA’s Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) Refresh 17, GSA announced the formation of the Program Evaluation Services subgroup under Special Item Number (SIN) 541611: Management and Financial Consulting, Acquisition and Grants Management Support, and Business Program and Project Management Services. The aim of the new subgroup is to create “a group of qualified, pre-vetted contractors that can be selected by Federal agencies to design and carry out program evaluations,” according to GSA’s announcement.  Qualified large and small businesses under SIN 541611 are invited to submit an application for the subgroup, and if accepted, are invited to join the subgroup without needing a contract modification. Instructions on how to apply can be found here. Starting October 2023, federal agencies will be able to release Requests for Proposals (RFPs) directly to the subgroup for program evaluation and evaluation-related projects. According to GSA, federal program evaluation investments totaled over $500M from FY 2018-2022.

FY 2024 Budget: Building and Using Evidence to Improve Government Effectiveness

Within the FY 2024 President’s budget request, in the Analytical Perspectives section, the administration describes anticipated funding for new and ongoing evidence-based activities at federal agencies. Activities include, among others, initiatives to establish an evaluation function at agencies, enhance evaluation at agencies where needed, sustain long-term evaluation functions, and invest in qualified evaluators and leaders.

Sample investments from the FY 2024 budget request include:

• VA: a direct investment is requested for the Veterans Benefits Administration to build and use evidence, including program evaluation, to ensure benefits are delivered to veterans
• Education: authorizes the agency to set aside funding for evaluations of higher education programs
• Labor: directs Labor to set aside up to 0.75% of appropriations to conduct significant and rigorous evaluations
• EPA: $4.5M for an independent program evaluation fund at the agency
• SBA: $1M to build on a 2023 proposal for a cross-agency Equity in Procurement evaluation

Additional examples of evaluation investments can be found on Evaluation.gov and under individual agency FY 2024 evaluation plans.

A Win-Win

Within GSA’s announcement of the subgroup, the agency states that members of the subgroup will be given the opportunity to meet regularly with federal teams to provide input on program evaluation procurement, starting November 2023. Declaring it a win for both procurement staff and contractors, GSA states that with the subgroup, “Agencies can target solicitations for evaluations and evaluation-related projects to contractors with verified expertise in program evaluation, and contractors in the subgroup can more easily learn about the large and growing Federal investment in program evaluation.”