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About GO Lab

The basics

New to outcomes-based contracting? Here are some jargon-free introductions to the various types of approaches

Outcomes-based contracting

This guide offers an introduction to outcomes-based contracting, including its place among other methods of contracting out public services, the theoretical pros and cons, and the evidence to date.

New to impact bonds? This user-friendly guide will explore what impact bonds are, the evidence to date and how they work in practice in different countries around the world.

Relational contracting

This guide provides an introduction to relational contracting in the public sector, explaining what it is, the potential benefits and challenges, and how to adopt a relational approach.

This guide introduces outcomes funds. It aims to document and describe outcomes funds around the world and identify lessons for future fund design.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Knowledge bank

Explore our datasets, case studies and publications to learn more about the latest research on outcomes-based contracting

We are the International Network for Data on Impact and Government Outcomes (INDIGO). Here you can explore our datasets, read our latest news, join our events and find out more about data sharing in the field of social outcomes.

A collection of in-depth case studies of impact bonds around the world

Resource library

View the latest reports, evaluations and more on outcomes-based contracting

A glossary of key terms and working definitions around impact bonds and outcomes-based contracting

Toolkit

Interested in designing and managing outcomes-based projects? We have prepared some tools and guidance to help

Impact bond lifecycle

Developed in consultation with a wide range of practitioners to support projects being established under the UK Government’s Life Chances Fund.

Technical guidance

We have a range of guidance to support you develop impact bonds, from setting and measuring outcomes, to awarding the contract and pricing outcomes.

GO Lab-CIPFA Value for Money (VfM) Toolkit

We've partnered with Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy(CIPFA) to develop a toolkit for public managers planning to assess VfM of outcomes-based contracting programmes, or any public programme with an outcome-focus.

Impact Wayfinder [Prototype]

Are you thinking of running an impact evaluation for your project? Check out our new Impact Wayfinder! We'll help you find the right evaluation for you according to the focus of your organisation and the scale of your project.

Mission-led Growth Dashboard

This innovative dashboard benchmarks performance data for each council in England with its Nearest Neighbour, the median of all local authorities in England and the average of the selected authority’s ten Nearest Neighbours.

Community

Connect with others through our global directory, read the latest blogs, join our events and more.

Oxford Government Outcomes Blog

Read the latest opinion and insights from the GO Lab network

Find out the latest news from the GO Lab and across the sector

Join our events, from webinars, regional events to international conferences

Peer Learning Groups

At the GO Lab, we host a selection of peer learning groups that aim to support learning and knowledge on outcome-based approaches. Read more on our different groups and upcoming sessions here.

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Resource library

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Reset

Featured publication

Report | 1 Sep 2024

The Evolution of Social Outcomes Partnerships in the UK: Distilling fifteen years of experience from Peterborough to Kirklees

This reports adds fresh insights into the evolution of the practice of Social Outcomes Partnerships (SOPs) and provides evidence around the use of SOPs.

Organisation: Government Outcomes Lab (GO Lab)

Evaluation Report | 1 May 2025

Commissioning Better Outcomes Independent Evaluation: Synthesis Report

This Synthesis Report is the final report of the evaluation of the Commissioning Better Outcomes (CBO) programme. The evaluation was undertaken by Ecorys and ATQ Consultants (ATQ).

Organisations: Ecorys, ATQ Consultants

Case Study | 22 Apr 2025

Maximising value for money: case studies on smarter public spending

Public sector organisations must rethink their approach to value for money (VfM), if they are to deliver better outcomes, finds a new report from the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) and the GO Lab

Organisations: Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA), Government Outcomes Lab (GO Lab)

Webinar | 25 Feb 2025

Oxford POGO Club February 2025: UK Procurement Act Goes Live - Now What?

In this February 2025 session of the Oxford Procurement of Government Outcomes Club (Oxford POGO Club), we explored what the new UK Procurement Act and the very new National Procurement Policy Statement mean for public procurement in practice.

Organisation: The Government Outcomes Lab

LCF project-led evaluation | 13 Jan 2025

Final Evaluation of the Skill Mill SIB

This report, authored by the Policy Evaluation & Research Unit, is the final evaluation of the Skill Mill Social Impact Bond

Organisation: Policy Evaluation & Research Unit (PERU)

Discover the International Network for Data on Impact and Government Outcomes (INDIGO). Here you can explore our datasets, join our events and find out more about data sharing in the field of social outcomes.

Better data for better social outcomes

Explore

Resource | 6 Jan 2025

Ways to Wellness Social Impact Bond: Final in-depth review

This report is the final review of the Ways to Wellness Social Impact Bond, produced as part of the independent Commissioning Better Outcomes Evaluation

Organisations: Ecorys, ATQ Consultants

Webinar | 19 Nov 2024

| Engaging with Evidence | Handing over the keys – outcomes-based approaches to scaling impact through Community Based Organisations

In this session, we explored a new case study on Educate Girls' Project Maitri. We examined how the use of outcomes-based contracts enabled scaling impact through community-based organisations and offered insights on supporting locally-led development.

Organisation: The Government Outcomes Lab

Resource | 11 Nov 2024

Lessons Learnt from Educate Girls’ Project Maitri

This case study, produced by Social Finance International in collaboration with Educate Girls, aims to identify key lessons learnt from Project Maitri, a pilot initiative aimed at improving girl’s education in Bihar, India.

Report | 4 Nov 2024

Mental Health and Employment Partnership: Second interim report

This is the second of three planned reports within a longitudinal evaluation of the Mental Health and Employment Partnership (MHEP).

Organisation: Government Outcomes Lab (GO Lab)

New to outcomes-based contracting and social impact bonds? Discover the basics about these innovative approaches to the provision of public services.

Back to basics

Read More

Resource | 4 Nov 2024

Pan London Care Impact Partnership Social Outcomes Contract: Final in-depth review

This report is the final review of the ‘Positive Families Partnership’ (PFP) project which used intensive family therapy to help families stay together, preventing children and young people from entering care.

Organisation: Ecorys

Research paper | 31 Oct 2024

Practice Note: Measuring Outcomes in Outcomes-Based Financing for Early Childhood Care and Education

This practice note explores key issues and considerations for outcomes measurement in OBF for ECCE projects, drawing on real-world experiences from project design to completion.

Organisation: NORRAG, the Global Education Centre of the Geneva Graduate Institute

Research paper | 15 Oct 2024

SyROCCo: enhancing systematic reviews using machine learning

This paper explores the use of machine learning techniques to help navigate the systematic review process.

Organisations: Government Outcomes Lab (GO Lab), Department of Computer Science, University of Warwick, Alan Turing Institute for Data Science and AI

Report | 2 Oct 2024

Mission-led growth: a monitoring framework for large-scale government initiatives

This report aims to provide a detailed analysis of the Levelling Up initiative, a flagship policy of the previous Conservative Government designed to address spatial inequalities across the UK.

Organisation: Government Outcomes Lab (GO Lab)

We coordinate a range of geographical and thematically focused peer learning groups which enable people to learn from each other.

Peer learning groups

Join us

Conference session | 6 Sep 2024

| SOC24 | Deep Dive: Exploring outcomes funds: Evidence & lessons learnt from around the world

Organisation: The Government Outcomes Lab

Conference session | 6 Sep 2024

| SOC24 | Deep Dive: Cross-sector services in fragile settings: crisis, collaboration, and results

Organisation: The Government Outcomes Lab

Conference session | 6 Sep 2024

| SOC24 | Deep Dive: Data into evidence, and evidence into practice: putting data at the centre of decision-making

Organisation: The Government Outcomes Lab

Conference session | 6 Sep 2024

| SOC24 | Learning from the Life Chances Fund projects: impacts and ways forward

Organisation: The Government Outcomes Lab

Want to know more about the state of play of impact bonds? Explore our global interactive map to find out data on impact bonds in their various stages of development and policy areas.

Discover our dataset on impact bonds around the world

Explore

Conference session | 6 Sep 2024

| SOC24 | Deep Dive: Disrupting the narrative: global perspectives to inspire leading outcomes practice

Organisation: The Government Outcomes Lab

Conference session | 6 Sep 2024

| SOC24 | Deep Dive: Empowering voices, bridging gaps: innovative approaches to locally-led development and cross-sector collaboration

Organisation: The Government Outcomes Lab

Conference session | 6 Sep 2024

| SOC24 | Deep Dive: The public sector in relational contracting: contracting by the People, for the People

Organisation: The Government Outcomes Lab

Conference session | 6 Sep 2024

| SOC24 | Big Picture: Beyond pilotitis: rethinking narratives and actions to institutionalise outcomes

Organisation: The Government Outcomes Lab

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The basics

Outcomes-based contracting
Impact bonds
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

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Case studies
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Toolkit

Impact bond lifecycle
Technical guidance
GO Lab-CIPFA Value for Money (VfM) Toolkit

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Oxford Government Outcomes Blog
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