A critical complement to improving how Federal agencies conduct PPCE activities is the development of methods to evaluate the extent to which the efforts they adopt and implement are effective. Also, as agencies pilot, implement, or experiment with approaches to their PPCE activities, they need support in measuring and evaluating whether and how those changes are an improvement relative to the status quo. Currently, Federal agencies do not have a shared set of valid quantitative or qualitative metrics or well-developed evaluation plans that would enable them to rigorously measure the effectiveness of different approaches to PPCE.
This Challenge aims to develop a PPCE evaluation toolkit, informed by rigorous research and validated approaches for social science measurement, that Federal agencies can use to build evidence to improve their PPCE activities in furtherance of reaching a wide and diverse audience and augmenting public trust. OMB and GSA are interested in Solvers developing evaluation tools to help generate evidence regarding the effectiveness of various PPCE approaches, such as:
What approaches increase awareness of PPCE opportunities among members of affected communities?
How do motivators and barriers to PPCE vary across demographic factors and lived experiences? What features of PPCE activities serve to build on those motivators and/or mitigate barriers to participation?
How does participation in PPCE opportunities affect perceptions of related Federal program or policy decisions and the leaders or agencies who make and implement them? and
What measures, data sources, and analytic methods provide actionable information about the relative effectiveness of PPCE approaches in terms of their contributions to increasing reach, improving diversity and inclusivity, eliciting substantive involvement and nuanced input from participants, and promoting trust in Federal decision-making?
This Challenge includes a two-phase process to propose and develop an evaluation toolkit that provides Federal agencies with guidance, methods, and metrics to effectively plan, collect, and measure key aspects of their PPCE activities. Specifically, this Challenge is expected to address Federal agency needs for generating and applying credible evidence to their adoption of appropriate and effective PPCE activities. Solvers will be eligible for up to $195,000 of prize funds from GSA. Additionally, the top-scoring Solver may have the opportunity to collaborate with a Federal agency in a pilot implementation of the Solver’s evaluation toolkit as part of a PPCE activity, to the extent allowable (more information further below).
[1] For example, see Holley, K. (2016). The Principles for Equitable and Inclusive Civic Engagement: A Guide to Transformative Change. Columbus, OH: The Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity at the Ohio State University (highlighting six principles of equitable and inclusive civic engagement: 1) embracing the gifts of diversity; 2) realizing the role of race, power and injustice; 3) radical hospitality: invitation and listening; 4) trust-building and commitment; 5) honoring dissent and embracing protest; and 6) adaptability to community change). Examples across the Federal Government include White House, “Fifth Open Government National Action Plan to Advance a More Inclusive, Responsive, and Accountable Government.” 28 Dec. 2022; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “Public Participation Guide: Internet Resources on Public Participation.” 31 Jan. 2024; and U.S. Dep’t of Transp., “Promising Practices for Meaningful Public Involvement in Transportation Decision-Making.” Nov. 2023.
Shall have registered to participate in the Challenge in accordance with the rules promulgated by OMB and GSA and published in this Notice; any participant who submits materials for consideration implicitly agrees to those rules. Individuals or entities that do not agree with the challenge should not participate or submit any materials;
Shall have complied with all the requirements in this Notice;
In the case of a private entity, shall be incorporated in and maintain a primary place of business in the United States, and in the case of an individual, whether participating singly or in a group, shall be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States. An individual who is neither a U.S. citizen nor a lawful permanent resident is not eligible to win a monetary prize (in whole or in part);
In the case of an individual, whether participating singly or in a group, must be at least 18 years old at the time of entry;
Shall be registered in the System for Awards Management (SAM.gov);
Shall not be a Federal entity;
Shall not be a current Federal employee; Shall not be an employee of OMB or GSA, a judge of the Challenge, or any other party involved with the design, production, execution, or distribution of the Challenge, and shall not have a familial or financial relationship with such a party;
Shall not use OMB or GSA facilities or rely upon significant consultation with OMB or GSA employees to develop a submission, unless the facilities and employees were made available to all participants in this Challenge on an equal basis;
Must not be included on the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control’s Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List;
Must not be an Excluded Party (an individual or entity that has been suspended or debarred from doing business with federal funds; see SAM.gov).