Sustainable Land Management Evaluation

The Agriculture (Wales) Act 2023 established Sustainable Land Management (SLM) as the central purpose for agricultural support and regulation in Wales. The Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS) will be the primary mechanism for delivering support under the Act. Evaluation of SLM is a statutory duty within the Act.

The Welsh Government therefore seeks to contract research services to deliver a Preparatory Report and Interim Process Evaluation for Sustainable Land Management (SLM) and associated schemes, including the Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS). The work will establish a robust evaluation framework and design, complete a process evaluation, and provide evidence to support statutory reporting under the Agriculture (Wales) Act 2023.

Description of Procurement

The contract is expected to cover two stages:

Stage 1: Preparatory Report (Early 2026 – Late 2026). This will include: i) development of an evaluation framework aligned with the SLM Theory of Change (ERAMMP Report 108) and statutory objectives; ii) structured and transparent assessment of methodologies for process evaluation, impact evaluation, and Value for Money assessments; iii) creation of a data strategy and gap analysis; and, iv) reviewing the lessons that can be learned from previous schemes.

Stage 2: Interim Process Evaluation (Winter 2026/2027 – Mid 2028). This will include: i) process evaluation of the SFS to date; ii) process evaluation of SLM to date, including analysis of its governance, delivery mechanisms, and participant experience; iii) recommendations to improve design and evaluation ahead of the final Impact Report.

The project is expected to require research with a wide range of stakeholders, including significant fieldwork with farmers (e.g. via interviews, focus groups). The contract will require bilingual (English and Welsh) fieldwork and reporting and compliance with data protection, ethical research standards, and Cyber Essentials. Consortiums and partnerships may therefore be deemed suitable by suppliers.

Estimated value: £230,000 – £256,900 (excluding VAT), with an optional additional budget of up to £35,000 for supplementary data collection and analysis. Contract length: February 2026 – December 2028 (with optional 6-month extension). The procurement will be conducted via the Crown Commercial Service Research & Insights Dynamic Purchasing System (RM6126).

The Invitation to Tender is expected to open in early December and the deadline for submission of supplier responses will be approximately mid-January 2026.