PH Indicator Project

Tender description

Improving plant health intelligence In 2017 the Plant Health Board endorsed a proposal for Defra to work towards a more useful and effective set of indicators for tracking progress against plant health policy objectives, and the contribution that policy makes to that progress, than is available today. Current performance measurement is overly inward-facing, measuring the outputs of the Plant Health Services (PHS) rather than changes in the performance of the system that they oversee. This means it is difficult to understand the performance of the PHS in relation to the UK's policy objectives for plant health. The new indicator set will focus on outcomes that reflect the targeted changes in the performance of the system overseen by PHS. It will be built on an understanding of plant health policy objectives, the role of the PHS within the system that it regulates and the mechanisms by which PHS actions are expected to lead to target outcomes, such that the efficacy of those actions can be better assessed. Progress towards such outcomes is not fully within the control of the PHS but is influenced by multiple actors within the plant health system, as well as external factors (e.g. weather). New outcome indicators should be available to support the updated Plant Biosecurity strategy for Great Britain. To-date, Defra, supported by ICF, have completed the initial steps of the outcome indicator development process