Case Study: Defra achieves faster, evidence-led environmental policymaking with ICF’s MEL Facility

DEFRA delivers 186+ projects with ICF’s MEL Facility

The UK's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) required a streamlined mechanism to rapidly commission high-quality analytical and evaluation support for its complex environmental policies. To strengthen its evidence function and meet statutory targets, Defra partnered with vendor ICF to establish the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Facility, an assured, value-for-money mechanism designed to provide quick access to specialist expertise without the delays of individual procurements.

ICF implemented a modernized MEL delivery system, utilizing an AI-enabled management portal, Power BI dashboards, and AI-assisted workflows featuring machine learning and LLMs to integrate evidence at scale. This solution has delivered over 186 projects, providing robust evaluations that have shaped major policy reforms in water governance, marine management, and agricultural transition. The results include greater transparency through real-time dashboards, enhanced cross-agency learning, and evidence contributing directly to the UK's nature protection and restoration agenda.

DEFRA