Terms of Reference – Evaluation of the Netherlands' National Contact Point OECD Guidelines

This evaluation analyses the functioning of the Netherlands’ National Contact Point (NCP) for the OECD Guidelines.

How effective has it been in fulfilling its main tasks?
These were:

  1. Raising awareness of the OECD Guidelines among businesses, trade unions and non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
  2. Contributing to the resolution of issues that arise from the alleged non-observance of the OECD Guidelines in specific instances.


This evaluation also examines other tasks of the Netherlands’ NCP, such as its role in ICSR sector agreements and its research on sector-specific risks. The evaluation assesses results achieved, the appreciation of achieved results by stakeholders and formulates lessons for the future functioning of the NCP.

In addition to assessing the effectiveness of the Netherlands’ NCP, other evaluation criteria are addressed as well. For example, the evaluation examines how relevant the NCP’s mandate is for stimulating ICSR, how efficient and timely complaint procedures have been, and whether the institutional structure allows the NCP to act effectively and independently. The evaluation consists of doctrinal research, case study analysis of four specific instance procedures, stakeholder interviews and a survey among NGOs and trade unions.

Because the evaluation is, in terms of policy objectives, aligned with the IOB evaluation of the Dutch ICSR policy, the two evaluations run parallel and their reports will be published simultaneously, expected before the summer of 2019.