Bespoke Advisory and Evaluation (Commissioned Work)

Saga Systems undertakes commissioned evaluation and advisory work with government, funders, and organisations working across community services, health, social impact, and environmental sectors.

We recognise that commissioned work often operates within defined scopes, timeframes, and accountability requirements. At the same time, our experience has shown that evaluation is most useful when it remains responsive to context, learning, and emerging insight.

Our approach balances rigour and practicality, supporting organisations to generate evidence that is meaningful, credible, and fit for purpose.

Saga Systems works in partnership with commissioners and organisations, alongside them, to support thoughtful evaluation and decision-making. We really want to emphasise the word partnership.

Rather than applying a fixed or formulaic approach, commissioned engagements are designed to be context-specific. This includes careful consideration of purpose, decision needs, organisational context, and the practical realities of delivery environments.

We understand that evaluation is always undertaken within practical constraints. Budget, timeframe, organisational capacity, and governance requirements all shape what can be meaningfully evaluated.

For this reason, all commissioned work is scoped with explicit attention to what is feasible and useful, rather than attempting to evaluate everything at once. Scope is shaped collaboratively, recognising that depth, breadth, and focus must align with available resources and the decisions the evaluation is intended to inform.

In practice, this may involve:

• Prioritising specific questions or areas of focus
• Making deliberate choices about depth versus coverage
• Acknowledging where evidence will be partial or indicative
• Remaining open to refining emphasis if early findings suggest different or more relevant lines of inquiry

Our experience has shown that important insights do not always emerge where they are initially expected. As data collection begins, assumptions may be tested, new patterns may surface, or different questions may become more salient.

Where appropriate, Saga Systems works with commissioners and organisations to allow for measured flexibility: creating space to pause, reflect, and sense-check whether the original focus remains the most useful.

Evaluation is strongest when organisations and evaluators work together to design, refine, and interpret the work, rather than treating evaluation as a fixed technical exercise.

Depending on context and need, commissioned work may include:

• Evaluation design, and delivery
• Evidence synthesis and interpretation
• Advisory support for complex programs or initiatives
• Facilitated sense-making with teams or stakeholders
• Support at key decision points, such as program redesign, scale-up, continuation, or closure
   

All commissioned work is tailored to the setting in which it is undertaken.

Commissioned work may be delivered through hourly or daily advisory support, fixed-scope projects, or staged engagements, depending on context, budget, and decision needs.

Pricing is discussed as part of scoping conversations to ensure expectations are clear and approaches remain proportionate.

Whether working with government, funders, or local organisations, Saga Systems brings the same commitment to careful thinking, partnership, and ethical practice.

If you are exploring commissioned work, we welcome a conversation about your context and requirements.