Our offering
MEL assignments completed worldwide
We help partners clarify or refine their vision – articulating the societal impact they seek to achieve. From there, we can support the design of actionable plans – by identifying what lies within their sphere of control and mapping the pathways to influence broader systems and outcomes. This may also imply providing targeted support to organisational development, where we help to establish the structures, systems, capacities and processes needed to achieve strategic objectives. Effective monitoring and continuous learning from experience is key in this. When external insights are needed, we deliver independent monitoring services by following the implementation of a project closely, identifying potential risks and tracking progress toward goals. Our evaluations rigorously assess whether the desired change is being realised by finding out what works (and not) and why. Across all areas of engagement, we prioritise continuous learning– ensuring that evidence, insights and reflection are systematically informing further decision-making and future programming with the view to strengthen overall impact.
Providing actionable insights for our clients to support scaled positive impacts for people and planet. Our breadth of experience includes working at organisational, portfolio, programme and project levels. We have in-depth sectoral and thematic expertise in climate change, energy & sustainable land use; forestry, landscape & biodiversity; agriculture & food security; governance & democracy; civil society support; gender & human rights; peace & security; sustainable economic growth (trade, employment & private sector development); and education, skills development & research-for-development (R4D). Our client base spans across multilateral donor agencies, bilateral donors, philanthropic foundations, private-sector clients and numerous civil society organisations (CSOs).
We are committed to continuously evolving our approaches by integrating emerging technologies and embracing new thinking in the MEL space. We do so by keeping abreast of new developments in the field and presenting our reflections at various conferences and events. Equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) principles, shifting power dynamics, and promoting anti-racism – both within MEL and the broader field of international development – are central to our work. We actively reflect on and refine our practices to advance these values and contribute meaningfully to ongoing dialogue. On the technology front, we leverage cutting-edge digital tools and are at the forefront of responsible innovation, including the thoughtful application of natural language processing technologies like ChatGPT.
Our services
At NIRAS, we take a strategic, client-centred approach to MEL, designed to empower our partners to deliver meaningful and lasting change. Whether helping to clarify long-term strategic direction or supporting implementation of an existing strategy, we tailor our approach to meet organisations where they are.
Our service offer covers all aspects of strategic support and MEL. For each assignment we develop a customised approach and methodology, tailored to individual requirements and underpinned by our extensive experience, deep contextual and thematic expertise, and strong understanding of monitoring and evaluation theories and approaches. We prioritise utilisation, methodological rigour, practicality and quality. We put the user’s needs at the heart of our approach, ensuring that evidence is relevant for decision-makers and shared in ways which promote learning.
Across all services and assignments, high ethical standards are consistently applied in accordance with our comprehensive set of systems and processes. These have been developed over several years through joint work with university ethical clearance systems and are fully aligned with global ethics standards, including the OECD DAC Quality Standards for Development Evaluation and UN Evaluation Group Ethical Guidelines.
Our people
Highly experienced in-house MEL specialists
located across our offices and hubs in Africa (Tanzania, Zambia, Kenya, Mozambique), Europe (Sweden, Finland, Denmark, France, Germany, Switzerland, UK, Poland, Ukraine, Serbia), Asia (Indonesia, Philippines, Cambodia, Laos), and Latin America (Colombia).
Evaluators and technical specialists
Supported by our diverse network of evaluators and technical specialists, we are able to operate with a truly global geographical reach.
Our mix of in-house expertise and network of tried-and-tested external experts allows us to tailor teams to suit the needs of each MEL assignment, with strong understanding of the country and regional contexts, and mobilise resources quickly. For each MEL project, we develop blended teams from in-house staff and expert networks with the technical specialism, subject/theme knowledge, level of experience, language skills, and familiarity with the operational context needed to successfully deliver that assignment. Our network also extends to the US, where we have built strong links with US-based experts and agencies through the delivery of our growing portfolio of MEL assignments for philanthropic foundations.
Futures thinking and strategic foresight
The tendency of MEL experts to extrapolate from evidence from the past or present to inform conclusions and recommendations relating to the future can be problematic in situations of volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity. A solution is to integrate foresight methods into the MEL cycle. Futures thinking enables us to anticipate and navigate the complexities of an ever-changing world. We are exploring and pioneering forward-looking and future-sensitive monitoring and evaluation approaches. These range from integrating some basic considerations of futures-thinking into a ‘traditional’ evaluation, integrating foresight methods into the evaluation methodology, and – most advanced – bringing in ‘futures literacy’ to ‘use-the-future’ to innovate in the present, using methods like the Futures Literacy Laboratory (developed by UNESCO) or Futures Frequency Workshop (developed by the Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra).
Gender, equity and social inclusion (GESI) and human rights in MEL
NIRAS has strong in-house expertise in applying a human rights-based and GESI-lens to MEL. We have a dedicated Gender and Human Rights Community of Practise and staff specialised in mainstreaming GESI into MEL, whether in individual external evaluations, in the design and delivery of programme M&E, or in learning and communication products and activities. Human rights/GESI specialists are included in MEL project teams to ensure best practice is followed. Our understanding and approach are informed by and aligned to known external frameworks and guidelines, such as the UN Evaluation Group's Integrating Human Rights and Gender Equality in Evaluation handbook.
We have a strong track record that illustrates our in-depth understanding of gender and disability, working with marginalised groups and conducting meaningful constituent engagement (see, for example, assignments for the Ford Foundation, the Gates Foundation and NORAD cited in the Evaluation services section).
Our approach to integrating human rights and GESI considerations in MEL typically includes the following activities and approaches:
Stakeholder mapping to ensure marginalised groups are included in data collection, consultation and dissemination and, where possible, study design
Participatory methods including key informant interviews and community consultations with key sub-groups, and use of participatory methods such as Outcome Harvesting, to ensure the unique needs and perspectives of marginalised groups are fully explored and given voice
Providing guidance and capacity building to project teams, including delivery partners to ensure common understanding, sufficient capability, and access to tools for integrating GESI/human rights in their activities
Utilising data collection methods disaggregated by gender, disability, poverty level and other key characteristics to identify disparities in benefits derived by different groups
Disseminating learning to all stakeholders, including end-users/participants, using accessible formats in local languages, such as this material we produced for Timor Leste.