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Edition 2027 · effective 1 January 2027

For governments & public bodies

Public trust is the infrastructure every policy runs on.

Public bodies manage PPPs, procurement, consultations, inter-agency disputes and citizens’ grievances. Neutral processes give those decisions legitimacy, save public money and reduce court backlogs.

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§ 01What you really need

Five needs, in your words.

Drawn from how people in your position actually describe the problem, not from procedure.

(Needs)

Legitimacy

Processes the public accepts.

Value for money

Fewer, shorter, cheaper disputes.

Accountability

Transparent and auditable processes.

Access to justice

Routes for citizens beyond overloaded courts.

Continuity of services

Disputes that do not stop public services.

What usually goes wrong: treating consultation as a formality; letting every PPP issue escalate politically; leaving citizens only the court route.

(Avoid)

Frame your question Commissioning guides

§ 02The cost of waiting

What the evidence says.

Sourced and dated. Use the calculator to estimate your own.

5.1bn

People with at least one unmet justice need: a broad 2019 estimate that also counts legal exclusion and extreme injustice.

World Justice Project, Measuring the Justice Gap · 2019 ↗
54m+

Cases pending across India’s courts at 31 December 2025 (district courts 47.7m, High Courts 6.4m, Supreme Court 92,101).

Ministry of Law and Justice reply to the Lok Sabha, via IANS · 2025 ↗
US$21.8tn

Economic impact of violence on the world economy in 2025, about 10.5% of global GDP.

Institute for Economics & Peace, Global Peace Index 2026 · 2025 ↗

Estimate what a conflict is costing you →

§ 03Evaluation for you

6 questions people in your position bring to an evaluator.

Major project health check01Projects & operationsEvaluation PanelWill this project deliver its scope, on what timeline and at what cost, on the evidence today?A procurement or tender award02Projects & operationsEvaluation PanelOn the published criteria and the evaluation record, are there indicators that this tender departed from its stated process, and what specialist or statutory review route should follow?Is this AI system fit for its use03Technology, data & AIEvaluation PanelWithin an agreed evidence and testing scope, does this AI system perform as claimed for its intended use, and what remains unassured?Choosing between policy options04Public bodies & institutionsEvaluation PanelWhich policy option best meets the stated objectives, on the evidence, and at what cost?Fairness of funding decisions05Public bodies & institutionsClarity Snapshot™Were these grants or funding decisions made fairly and consistently?Community impact of a project06Public bodies & institutionsEvaluation PanelWhat will this project mean for the community, and are the claimed benefits and mitigations credible?

§ 04Situations you may face

6 situations where a Neutral helps.

Change and restructuring01WorkplaceFacilitation · Mediation · ConciliationThe organisation must change. The people it changes need a voice in how.A live project under strain02Projects & contractsDispute Board · Standing Neutral · Neutral EvaluationThe project must keep moving. The people delivering it have stopped trusting each other.Long-term contract friction03Projects & contractsStanding Neutral · Facilitation · Neutral EvaluationThe contract was signed for ten years. The world changed in two.A development the community disputes04Community & public lifeFacilitation · Neutral Evaluation · MediationA new road, plant or building is planned. The people who live there were not part of the plan.Public–private project interface05Community & public lifeStanding Neutral · Dispute Board · Neutral EvaluationA public authority and a private partner share a project, and different accountabilities.Multi-stakeholder policy dialogue06Community & public lifeFacilitation · Neutral Chairing · Neutral EvaluationMany interests must shape one policy. None of them trusts the others’ process.

§ 05Roles that fit

The Neutral roles people like you use most.

  1. FacilitationHow does a group move forward together?01
  2. Standing NeutralWho is there before the problem becomes a dispute?02
  3. Dispute BoardWho keeps a major project moving when issues arise?03

§ 06How we can help

Evaluation services for people in your position.

Scoped fixed fee or capped day rates

Evaluation Panels

Two or three qualified evaluators from different disciplines, one chairing, who report jointly. A selective, high-value format for major projects, AI systems, institutional reviews and public decisions, where specialist recruitment and governance are demanding.

Programme fee

Evaluation Capability

Developed consultatively: evaluation policy and governance, clauses, a panel of pre-cleared evaluators and training in commissioning and using evaluation well.

First stepsFor governments & public bodies
Three thingsto do this week.
01 Build Neutral routes into public contracts
02 Use independent facilitation for major consultations
03 Create public Ombuds and court-connected mediation
Clarity first · keep options open · make fairness visible

§ 07Frame your question

Describe it. Get the evaluation question.

Written for governments & public bodies. Leave out names and confidential details.

Write in your own words. Leave out names and confidential details.

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The answer

Choose who you are and ask anything. The engine answers from the institution’s own guidance, in plain language.

§ 08Read next

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