The service provides the opportunity for an applicant to check that the stakeholder engagement and defining of outcomes in their analysis have been done in alignment with the Report Assurance Standard criteria. The service is not designed for reports which have already been completed. Instead, this allows for refinements to be made at a relatively stage in data collection and report development.

This service has been developed in response to the desire to check the defining of outcomes earlier in the analysis, before a report is submitted for full Report Assurance. A key part of the process is the application of Principle 1: Involve Stakeholders, and Principle 2: Understand What Changes, and so a check that covers this allows for an opportunity for enhanced learning as a part of the assurance process.

This allows for better defined outcomes, more robust data, better capture of the value that is being created through the activity under scope, and a higher likelihood of meeting the full Report Assurance Standard.

The Outcomes Check Service will review the submitted documentation against the following Report Assurance Standard criteria:

1.1 Identification of Stakeholder Groups

1.2 Stakeholders involved in defining outcomes (qualitative phase)

2.1 Scope

2.2 Defining Outcomes

2.3 Context of Outcomes

It is advised that the applicant reads all of the Report Assurance Standard criteria before applying. The full Report Assurance Standard is available to download here.

What do I submit?

The applicant must submit evidence of their stakeholder mapping and stakeholder engagement, and how these have been used to define outcomes. The applicant must submit a document outlining this process in a transparent way such that a third-party assessor can fully understand the approach taken. This document will likely be a first or partial draft of their final report.

In the process the assessor will be looking to see how the applicant has defined and engaged with stakeholders and how the outcomes have been defined. The assessor will also be looking to make sure that the scope of the report is clear.

The list of criteria that will be checked is included at the end of this document. This has been taken directly from the Report Assurance Standard that would be checked in full should the report progress to the Report Assurance stage.

Cost

The cost for the Outcomes Check Service is £500. If the applicant chooses to progress to a full Report Assurance application, they will receive a discount of 10%. This is for both Standard and Fast-Track Report Assurance applications. The discount will not apply to the cost of an amendment period (if one is required).

Timeline

We aim to return feedback to an applicant within five weeks.

There is no set time frame in which changes suggested in the feedback must be implemented, but the SVI team ask to be kept informed of the expected resubmission date if the applicant wants to progress with a full Report Assurance application. This is so that the same assessor can be engaged for both applications.

To make an application, please use the button below: