Focus were appointed to undertake an independent evaluation of FEAST including an extensive analysis of the project’s progress, delivery and management through comprehensive consultation with project partners, beneficiary businesses and case studies. Also incorporated was an economic impact assessment to review efficiency, effectiveness and value for money. The evaluation allowed the Forum to better understand what had been successful, or not, and learn lessons for the future. The findings showed the project was successful in increasing efficiency, the scale of manufacturing, opportunity awareness, market access, competitiveness, turnover and spending on research and innovation. In addition, it performed exceptionally well in terms of cost per outputs.
The interim and summative assessments included an analysis of project outputs to enable Focus to make recommendations on how to meet project targets. The reports included an in-depth analysis of the strategic and policy context in which FEAST operates; case study consultation with beneficiary businesses; interviews with delivery partners; and an appraisal of existing documentation and data gathering techniques.
