Request for Proposals: Evaluation Consultant – Leadership Exchange Programme 

1. Background & Context 

World Cities Culture Forum is the leading global network on culture in cities with over 45 cities across six continents. Founded on the principle of generosity, we believe that as city leaders, we can achieve more by working together. Our cities share their best ideas and solutions to build a world where culture is at the heart of thriving cities. We have established the idea that culture is a golden thread in cities: supporting communities, improving health and wellbeing, attracting tourists and boosting economies. We are a charity, regulated by the UK Charity Commission.  

The Leadership Exchange Programme is a grant-funded initiative by the World Cities Culture Forum that enables city leaders from our network to take part in study visits, deep-dive into shared urban challenges, share ideas, and scale innovative cultural strategies globally. By supporting in-depth study visits, the programme accelerates learning, helps cities grow in confidence and ambition, and leads to the fast tracking of practical solutions back in participants’ home cities 

Launched in 2018, the Programme has empowered more than 185 leaders from 22 global cities to drive lasting change through 11 exchanges. The impact of the previous rounds of the Programme can be found here. 

Now in its third round, the Programme will support seven exchanges across 19 cities in Asia, Latin and North America and Europe. The Exchanges will take place throughout 2026. Selected Exchanges for Round 3 can be found here.  

2. The Opportunity & Scope of Work 

We are seeking an evaluator for Round 3 of the Leadership Exchange Programme to understand how the Programme is helping to fast-track, scale and replicate cultural policies in participating cities. The evaluation will also support our storytelling around the role of culture in urban policy and value of global collaboration. The evaluator will also provide impact analysis as well as analysis of the strengths and opportunities for improvement for the Leadership Exchange Programme.  

The evaluator will work closely with the World Cities Culture Forum team as well as the nineteen cities participating in Exchanges taking place in 2026. 

World Cities Culture Forum is seeking to understand the value of the Leadership Exchange Programme in, but not limited to, the following areas:  

1. Strengthening the evidence base for replicating successful policies across global cities 

2. Value of the exchanges to participants’ personal and professional development  

3. Impact of exchanges on participating cities policy and strategy 

Part 1: Evaluation Framework & Methodology – deadline end February 2026 

Design and develop an evaluation framework, methodology, materials and templates for Round 3 of the Leadership Exchange Programme, including: 

• What metrics should be evaluated, the methods for collection and collection templates for: 

1. Pre-Exchange 

2. During Exchange 

3. Post Exchange (up to 36 months after completion of Exchanges) 

• It is expected that some of the data collection will be administered by the World Cities Culture Forum team. The evaluator should therefore provide practical guidance for implementation, including tools and templates (e.g. online questionnaires)  

• The evaluator is expected to conduct interviews with participants in line with the framework developed above 

Part 2: Interim update report – deadline mid-September 2026 

• An update report should be shared with the World Cities Culture Forum team with emerging learnings that will be discussed and disseminated at the World Cities Culture Summit in October 2026. 

• This should include Exchanges that have taken place in 2026 so far, and a light touch update (desk research or digital questionnaires) for Exchanges in Rounds 1 and 2.

Part 3: Written report and executive summary – deadline March 2027 

Providing: 

• An overview of key metrics 

• Description of evaluation methods and process 

• Impact of the Exchanges on the key areas identified above, including key metrics and findings 

• Case studies and stories outlining key impacts and outcomes of each Exchange  

• Recommendations for monitoring impact and evaluation of the Exchanges beyond the completion of this contract (see Part 1) 

• Lessons learned, recommendations and opportunities 

The report should be practical and in plain English to reflect our global audience 

The written report will provide the basis for wider dissemination of the Programme’s impacts and outputs, including the Leadership Exchange Programme Impact Report 2027, a digital report that will sit on World Cities Culture Forum’s website. It will also inform policy briefings and ‘how-to’ guides.  

Part 4: Final update report – mid-September 2027 

• A short briefing document to reflect any updates from between March and September 2027 for dissemination and discussion at the World Cities Culture Summit in October 2027.  

3. Consultant Experience  

The selected consultant will be expected to demonstrate: 

• Significant experience in evaluating grant funded programmes 

• Experience of working in international or cross-cultural contexts 

• Experience with public sector or government programmes and an understanding of challenges faced by city governments, especially in culture and the creative industries 

4. Timescale  
    

The table below outlines the key milestones for this commission:   

Milestone	Timeline
Deadline for responses to tender	12 December 2025 – 5pm (GMT)
Notification of successful applicants	15 December 2025
Interviews	w/c 5 January 2026
Appointment of consultant	9 January 2026
Completion Part 1	End February 2026
Completion Part 2	Mid-September 2026
Completion Part 3	March 2027
Completion Part 3 and contract ends	Mid-September 2027

5. Your Proposal 

Your proposal should outline:  

• A summary of your relevant experience in relation to the tender, including examples of comparable past work.  

• Your approach to the opportunity, including suggestions for questions this evaluation should address. The proposed approach should be clear, practical, and feasible, showing understanding of the Programme objectives and the time and capacity constraints of participating partner cities.  

• Your approach to delivering the requirements detailed in the Scope of Work, including a breakdown of consultancy days, associated fees, and a proposed payment schedule. 

• A brief biography of the lead consultant and/or core team members. 

• At least two references from similar contracts.  

The total proposed costs must not exceed £20,000 GBP (excluding VAT). 

Please do not exceed 5 pages of A4 including your budget. Examples of previous work may be outside of this page count.  

6. Appointment Criteria: 

Applications will be assessed against three main criteria:  

• Methodology and approach (40%) 

• Experience (30%) 

• Cost (20%) 

• Added value, clarity and overall quality of proposal (10%) 

Cost will be evaluated based on value for money and alignment with the project tasks. 

We are committed to promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion. Applications are welcomed from individuals of all backgrounds, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, faith, or disability. 

7. Deadline for proposals   

Proposals should be sent to maryam.shariff @worldcitiescultureforum.com  
by 17h00 GMT on 12 December 2025.  

Download application criteria as a PDF: Evaluation Consultant- Leadership Exchange Programme