It’s Been Quiet: Reflections from a Small Evaluation Consultancy
It’s been quiet. After six very busy years of Cultivating Change, late 2025 and into 2026 has felt like a slump. And it doesn’t seem to be just us. Other small consultancies and sole traders — particularly here in Victoria — are saying the same thing.
Less work moving around.
Fewer tenders.
Fewer subcontracting opportunities.
Are others feeling it too?
We’ve been reflecting (and having honest conversations between ourselves, other evaluators, and clients) about what might be driving this shift. A few things seem to be converging:
Reduced or uncertain government spending — particularly in Victoria. Many of our NGO, council and state government clients have had funding cut. No projects to implement means no evaluations to commission.
A saturated consultant market - We’ve spoken to many talented people from international development and the public sector moving into consulting after redundancies, or project funding drying up.
More in-house monitoring and evaluation capacity - This is something we’ve actively supported for years, and it’s a good thing! But it does change demand for external evaluators.
Better tools and shared resources — indicator banks, reporting frameworks, outcomes measures, making some evaluation tasks more doable internally. Again, positive, but a shift nonetheless.
Large consultancies holding government panels. Work stays within those arrangements, and subcontracting has slowed from the large companies as they internally resource.
We’ve also had to own our part in it. We relied heavily on Victorian government-funded work. We didn’t show enough attention to expanding our market and our networks. Unexpected illnesses meant focusing on getting already committed work done and not keeping up the pipeline the same way.
We maybe got a little too comfortable.
So what are we doing now? Wallowing! Just kidding, of course we aren’t. Here are the things we are trying out:
Connecting beyond Victoria where funding is still flowing. This is showing promise.
Upskilling, including engaging with AI
Reaching out across our networks for collaboration (The consulting community is incredibly generous.
Asking clients directly what they need in this context
Updating our profile, website, and getting feedback on our impact and what we do well
Keeping each other motivated and thinking outside the box
And focusing on where we genuinely add value:
Clarifying strategy, and helping clients navigate complexity when things are messy
Bringing an independent lens in politically sensitive environments
Designing evaluation approaches for emergent, cross-cutting work
Facilitating reflection and learning so routine data actually informs decisions
Building internal capability, so tools and frameworks are used well
Sector expertise in domestic and family violence, gender equality and inclusion and health
We’d love to hear what others are noticing. What’s your experience right now? What strategies are you using to navigate changes and continue to build a sustainable business? Any advice for us?
