Providing quality assurance
Providing comments and advice
As discussed above, the purpose of commenting on draft material such as discussion documents is to help enable the final RIS to meet the RIA requirements. The reviewer's comments should therefore relate to the substance of the analytical methods employed and the analytical process (including consultation), looking to the nature and level of information that will need to be presented in the final RIS.
Areas of focus may therefore be:
- The extent of evidence on the nature and size of the problem, and of likely impacts;
- The analytical framework and techniques including whether an established methodology (such as market analysis or cost-benefit analysis) will be employed;
- Identification and assessment of costs, benefits and risks; and
- The nature and quality of the consultation process.
It is usually helpful if early comments (e.g. on draft RISs) are as comprehensive as possible, to avoid raising substantive issues late in the process. When reviewing draft RISs, it can be useful for the reviewer to provide an indication as to the likely final assessment, highlighting any areas that require further work (and what the specific gaps are) so that effort can be focused on these main areas.
