Polish Evaluation Society

The Polish Evaluation Society was founded in 2000 by persons involved and interested in evaluation.

Our mission is:

• to promote the development of a culture and practice of evaluation, 
• to organize and integrate the evaluation community,
• to propagate knowledge about evaluation to ensure quality evaluation research and activities.

The Society aims to promote the development of evaluation culture and promulgate evaluation as a democratic and participatory process through the following activities:

• organizing studies, courses and workshops,
• performing evaluations,
• exchanging experiences with other associations, institutions and organizations,
• organizing meetings, seminars and conferences,
• publishing,
• consulting and advising.

We are a non-profit, non-governmental organization. We are staffed by volunteers and currently have no permanent, paid employees.

Until 2004, we performed evaluations in response to market needs and the dearth of firms capable of conducting evaluations. Since then, the evaluation market has grown dynamically, enabling PTE to redirect its activities to other areas and concentrate more fully on integrating and supporting the development of the evaluation community in Poland. Currently, PTE will provide fee-based services related to evaluation only at the specific request of an institution. The Society does not participate as an offerer in competitive bids.

Important events in PTE’s history

1. PTE specialists have been teaching at the Post-graduate Study Program in Evaluation for the the Educational Managers Study Program in Kalisz since 2000.
2. In May 2002, a delegation of PTE members participated in a three-day training conference on performing evaluations as part of Phare’s Country Ex-Post Evaluation and Capacity Building activities in Copenhagen, Denmark. This course continued on the Internet with the Phare Country ex-post Evaluation on-line training E-learning system.
3. PTE was represented at the United Kingdom Evaluation Society’s conference in London - „The Art of Evaluation: artistry, discipline and delivery" held December 11-13, 2002. An EU grant made attending the conference possible and enabled members to acquire books for PTE’s lending library, available to members and other interested persons.
4. Delegated members attended the “European Union Evaluation Policy” Conference December 2-4, 2002 in Barcelona, where PTE presented a paper on „The qualitative and democratic approach to evaluation of the Polish Evaluation Society”. The European Commission provided support enabling PTE members to participate in this event.
5. The OECD Conference in Paris on  „The Centre for Education Research and Innovation” and its new applications was attended by a PTE member delegated by the Board.
6. On March 31, 2003, PTE members together with the Bogdan Jański Academy held a conference entitled “Evaluation – an important element in the development strategy of an organization”. Several dozen persons interested in evaluation attended and heard lectures given, among others, by PTE members. Conference results were published in “Emaus”, a periodical published by the Bogdan Jański Academy.
7. With the onset of 2004, PTE initiated its monthly seminar series on issues related to evaluation, led by PTE members, friends and special visitors.
8. PTE members participated in the fifth European conference on evaluating Structural Funds, entitled „Challenges for evaluation in an enlarged Europe”, held in June 2004. The costs of attendance were jointly covered by PTE and those members who participants.
9. Renata Wasiewicz held a training for PTE members and friends on “Cost analysis in evaluating project effectiveness” on September 11, 2004.
10. The European Evaluation Society’s Conference “Governance, democracy and evaluation”, held in Berlin from September 30 to October 2, 2004 was attended by a PTE delegation. Details of the conference proceedings were presented to members and friends during one of PTE’s monthly seminars. The cost of attendance was jointly assumed by PTE and its delegates.
11. Together with KPMG and Kobiko Consulting, PTE conducted training for Ministry of Economics and Labour staff on evaluation, audits and evaluating large projects. In April - June 2005, PTE provided three days of training, KPMG – one day, and Kobiko Consulting – two days. A publication on the topics covered by the training was also prepared. 
12. A one-day training on “Performing evaluations for socio-economic programs” was held for staff of the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development on May 24, 2005.
13. PTE delegates participated in an October 2005 meeting of the Consultants’ Group to establish guidelines for the evaluation of Poland’s 2007-2013 National Development Program.
14. On September 15, 2005, PTE sponsored a meeting with Elliot Stern, a renowned British expert on evaluating EU Structural Funds and a past president of the European Evaluation Society.
15. The Office of the Committee for European Integration invited PTE to present its activities during a training seminar held as part of the “Building Capacity in Monitoring and Evaluation” Project on November 9, 2005.
16. Under the patronage of PTE, the Sociology Institute of Warsaw University offers the first edition of the Post-graduate Studies of the Evaluation of Social Programmes during the 2007-2008 academic year. Over 30 persons attend the 160-hour course of study developed for future evaluators and commissioners of evaluations.
17. PTE worked with practitioners, public sector commissioners and the academic community to develop Evaluation Standards, published in July 2008.  Work on the standards was funded by the EU 2005 Transitions Facility Programme “Strengthening evaluation capacity in the public sector” administered by the Cooperation Fund Foundation.
18. Three PTE delegates and several other members attended the European Evaluation Society’s Conference “Building for the future: Evaluation in governance, development and progress” in Lisbon from October 1-3, 2008. PTE presented its project of developing evaluation standards in Poland during one of the paper sessions. A full report on the conference was presented to members and friends at a seminar in November 2008.

PTE members serve on the following Evaluation Steering Groups:

1. Evaluation Committee of the 2007-2013 National Development Programme
2. Evaluation Steering Group of the 2004-2006 National Development Programme
3. Evaluation Steering Group of the 2004-2006 Sectoral Operational Programme  Human Resource Development