2. Undertaking Operational Research Under Contract to MAF Policy

The Contracting Process

MAF specifies the issues that need to be researched and calls for expressions of interest from research providers. These expressions of interest are prepared using a standard format and are not expected to exceed three pages in length.

A small committee comprised of those people who will use the information in policy formulation and implementation, evaluates the expressions of interest.

Revised research proposals may then be requested from applicants judged to have presented the most appropriate expressions of interest. If not already provided in the expressions of interest, the revised proposal will require a detailed outline of methodology, a breakdown of financial costs and milestones against which the progress of research will be monitored. The revised proposals may be subject to review by outside reviewers.

Final selection of contractors is based on the quality and cost effectiveness of the proposal, and the amount of money available.

Contracts

All research purchased by MAF is undertaken within the terms of a contract. MAF does not provide funds for research but purchases specified outputs - it has no allocative function.

Contract Term

Terms will vary from project to project depending on the work undertaken. However, the maximum term of a contract is one year because MAF cannot guarantee funding beyond the annual budgetary allocation.

Payment

Typically, payment is by four instalments on invoice and the satisfactory completion or re-negotiation of agreed milestones. The first payment is made after both parties sign the contract. The final payment is made on presentation and acceptance of the research report.

Confidentiality

While a contractor is obliged to seek clearance from MAF before discussing or presenting research data to a third party, MAF will almost always encourage publication of the results. MAF will withhold permission to publish only when the results are of a confidential nature or commercially sensitive.

MAF produces a report that is publicly available listing the operational research in progress funded by MAF. Contractor's names, research goals and objectives will be included in this publication unless there is an agreement between MAF and the research contractor to the contrary.

MAF will also produce a report on the results of research that will be publicly available. This will outline the main research findings.

Intellectual Property

MAF operates on the principle that it owns that which it pays for under the agreement - nothing more, or less.

MAF seeks to own intellectual property developed within the programmes it funds for two reasons. Firstly, to ensure that the Crown pays only once for information or the development of new technologies and, secondly, to ensure that the information generated is placed in the public domain as quickly as possible. Where an off-shore commercial opportunity to use intellectual property developed within a MAF-funded contract is identified by a contractor, MAF will not prevent the contractor from developing that opportunity, so long as access to the information or technology in New Zealand is not compromised by any agreement.

Indemnification

A standard indemnification clause limits the level of indemnification required of the contractor to the sum of money received by the contractor under the agreement.

Milestones

For each project researchers are required to identify key milestones and indicate the dates by which these will need to be achieved if the work is to be completed on schedule. Achievement of the milestones will be linked with the payment schedule.

Research Direction

Objectives and milestones specified in the schedule can be modified by mutual agreement. This ensures that no contractor is obliged to follow a course of action made redundant or unachievable by discoveries made subsequent to the writing of the schedule.

Reporting

Provision of information is the essence of the contracts. There is an obligation to provide brief reports against agreed milestones. This allows both contractors and MAF to assess the progress of research, and is important for audit purposes.

A final report (including a one page summary suitable for publication in our annual report), which is both comprehensive and timely, is a major obligation of the contractor under the contract and due to us by 30th June. When the research extends over more than one year, progress against the agreed milestones will suffice, although a one-page summary suitable for publication in our annual report must be provided.

MAF Policy should be provided with copies of manuscripts for comment before they are submitted to journals for publication. It is important that any publications that arise from the research are noted in the milestone and final reports. Copies of publications should be forwarded to MAF Policy.

Information provided in reports will be reviewed against the agreed objectives by either MAF staff or external reviewers.

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Contact for Enquiries

Farm Monitoring Programme Manager
Monitoring and Evaluation
MAF Policy
PO Box 2526
Wellington
NEW ZEALAND
Phone: +64 4 894 0623
Fax: +64 4 894 0741
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