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Evaluation Consultant - Invitation to Tender - Cotswold Canals Connected

Contract: Freelance Consultancy Contract
Location: Hybrid, with travel across the Stroud District as required
Contract Period: Autumn 2026 – October 2029
Budget: Up to £30,000 (inclusive of VAT)
Closing Date: Monday 9th November.

Help shape the legacy of one of the UK's most ambitious heritage restoration projects

Cotswold Canals Connected (CCC) is a nationally significant heritage, environment and community programme that is restoring and reconnecting the historic Cotswold Canals network.

Led by Stroud District Council and Cotswold Canals Trust, the project is restoring 6km of canal, reconnecting Stroud to the national inland waterways network for the first time since the 1930s. Alongside major engineering and conservation works, the programme is creating opportunities for communities to engage with heritage, improve wellbeing, strengthen local identity, enhance biodiversity and support the canal's long-term future.

Following additional funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, we are seeking an experienced and insightful Evaluation Consultant to help us measure and understand the project's impact through to 2029.

The Opportunity

We are looking for a consultant, or consultancy team, with experience of evaluating complex partnership projects and a passion for heritage, place-making, community development and environmental outcomes.

Building on an existing Monitoring and Evaluation framework and a comprehensive baseline report completed in 2025, you will lead the next phase of evaluation, assessing the project's heritage, social, environmental, economic and organisational impacts.

This is an opportunity to work alongside a committed project team and partners, acting as a critical friend, mentor and thought partner while helping us tell the story of how the restoration is transforming places, communities and lives.

What You'll Do

The successful consultant will:

  • Develop and refine the project's evaluation framework and methodology.
  • Measure progress against the programme's strategic aims and National Lottery Heritage Fund outcomes.
  • Evaluate heritage, social and community benefits arising from the project.
  • Assess the project's economic impact and social value.
  • Explore how community relationships with the canal are changing over time.
  • Examine the cultural, behavioural and governance changes needed to sustain a navigable canal in the long term.
  • Support reflective learning and continuous improvement across the partnership.
  • Advise and mentor the project's Monitoring & Evaluation Coordinator and Community Engagement Team.
  • Design and deliver inclusive and participatory evaluation approaches that actively involve communities.
  • Attend selected project activities, events, interviews and focus groups to gather evidence and insight.
  • Produce interim and final evaluation reports, presentations and recommendations.

Strategic Aims

The evaluation will measure how the project contributes to:

  • Creating a sense of place through renovating and enhancing heritage assets.
  • Building prosperous and connected communities.
  • Broadening opportunities and developing resilient, cohesive communities.
  • Creating and strengthening pathways for heritage learning.
  • Conserving, protecting and enhancing wildlife.

Deliverables

The consultant will be expected to produce:

  • A detailed Evaluation Plan.
  • An updated monitoring and data collection framework.
  • An online briefing session for the project team.
  • Quarterly insight and reflection meetings.
  • A public canal survey aligned with previous surveys undertaken in 2023 and 2025.
  • An Economic Impact Assessment.
  • A Social Value Assessment.
  • An Interim Evaluation Report (March 2028).
  • A Final Summative Evaluation Report (October 2029).
  • Presentation of findings to project partners and stakeholders.

About You

We are looking for someone who can combine analytical rigour with creativity, collaboration and excellent communication skills.

You will have:

Essential

  • A proven track record in evaluating complex programmes and projects.
  • Experience designing mixed-method evaluation frameworks and collecting qualitative and quantitative evidence.
  • Strong analytical and report-writing skills, with the ability to communicate complex findings clearly and compellingly.
  • Experience working with partnerships involving multiple stakeholders and interests.
  • Excellent facilitation and relationship-management skills.
  • The ability to mentor and support project teams while maintaining independent evaluation oversight.
  • Experience developing learning-focused approaches that support continuous improvement.

Desirable

  • Experience evaluating heritage, environmental, regeneration or place-based programmes.
  • Knowledge of National Lottery Heritage Fund programmes and evaluation requirements.
  • Understanding of heritage-led regeneration in rural settings.
  • Experience of social value measurement and/or economic impact assessment.
  • Experience using participatory and community-led evaluation approaches.
  • Knowledge of governance, organisational development or systems-change evaluation.

What We Offer

The successful consultant will benefit from:

  • Access to project monitoring data and evaluation resources.
  • Support from a dedicated Monitoring & Evaluation Coordinator.
  • Access to the project's Theory of Change, Activity Plan and Engineering Schedule.
  • The opportunity to contribute to the legacy of a flagship heritage and environmental restoration programme.
  • The chance to influence future practice in heritage, community engagement and canal restoration.

How to Apply

Expressions of Interest should be submitted through the Supplying the South West Portal.

Please find the Consultation Brief here

Please email canals@stroud.gov.uk for further information on how to apply.