2024 Selection Criteria and Submission Instructions
The NLPES Excellence in Evaluation Award is presented to the legislative office determined to have made significant contributions to the fields of program evaluation or performance auditing during the four-year period beginning Jan. 1, 2020, and ending Dec. 31, 2023 (referred to herein as the award period). Only one award is granted each year. If no office meets the criteria for the award, none will be awarded.
Any legislative program evaluation or performance audit office may apply for the Excellence in Evaluation Award. However, the office that wins the award in a given year is not permitted to apply for the award in the following two years.
Note: The NLPES Executive Committee requires that the office receiving this award must allow its narrative to be posted on the NLPES website as an example for future award applicants.
Submission Instructions
Submission packets for the Excellence in Evaluation Award must include the following:
- A completed Excellence in Evaluation submission form, including a one paragraph summary/abstract of the office's achievements. Contact Megan McClure to request the submission form in MsWord format.
- A narrative of no more than five pages in length which describes the office’s body of work, the impact it has made, and how it has contributed to the field of program evaluation or performance auditing during the award period. Suggestions regarding the type of information that may be included are provided in “Selection Criteria” section.
- Attachment A – An organization chart that generally represents the four-year award period; a table that shows the number of program evaluator or performance auditor FTEs by their relevant position in the organization; and the office's total annual expenditures, by year, for the award period.
- Attachment B – Summary information about the number of program evaluation reports, performance audit reports, special reports, briefing memos and other work products issued during the award period. If possible, include a complete list of all work products to allow judges to obtain an understanding of the topics covered by each type of work product. If such a list is unavailable, provide a general description of the types of information provided and topics covered by each type of work product. (Note: Do not include financial audits or other work performed primarily by financial auditors, as this type of work will not be considered when evaluating your application.)
- Attachment C – Copies of up to three reports so judges can become familiar with the content and quality of your office's work products. Also, provide instructions for how additional reports can be found on the office's website.
- Other Attachments – Any relevant information that helps show the office’s results in meeting the selection criteria.
Email your application to each of the judges listed below by the May 3, 2024 submission deadline. Applicants are responsible for submitting all documentation and materials to be considered by the submission deadline. Judges will not follow up to obtain additional materials nor will additional materials be considered after the submission deadline.
Please ensure that your submission packet meets all criteria for the award. All documents must be submitted electronically (links to documents on a website will not be accepted). Documentation too large to email (e.g., video of a news report) should be discussed with the lead judge to determine a suitable method for submission. PDF documents must not be protected in any manner that would prevent printing or require a password to access the documents. Applicants are encouraged to request each judge confirm their submission was received.