The Workforce Evidence-Based Spending Guide

Governments can maximize the impact of their funds with data and evidence

The Results for America Workforce Evidence-Based Spending Guide is designed to help state and local government workforce development professionals build and use evidence to achieve better, more equitable outcomes through their grantmaking, purchasing and procurement. The Guide details six strategies workforce professionals can use to improve their contracting, purchasing and grantmaking, move beyond compliance as the primary measure of procurement success, and support their funded partners in achieving quality outcomes while advancing diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA) goals.

Strategies

Get actionable guidance on how to revamp your spending processes with examples of how other governments have gotten started.

Evidence in Action

Texas: Texas has invested $30+ million in funds backed by evidence as part of efforts to revamp its contracting and grantmaking to improve outcomes for job seekers. Grants and contracts have included funding from the Texas Workforce Investment Council, Texas Workforce Commission, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, and others. Learn more under our Define Evidence of Effectiveness strategy.

Pittsburgh: Since 2021, Partner4Work has linked payments to outcomes as part of an investment in Industry Partnership grants, leading to wage increases of up to 30% and millions in economic impact. See our Link Payments to Outcomes strategy for more.

Colorado: Using evaluation requirements for RFP applicants, ReHire Colorado’s transitional jobs programming “increased employment rates by 21 percent and earnings by 16 percent while participants were receiving services.” Explore this approach in the Build Evidence Through Evaluation strategy.