Research - paying participant expenses and compensating for time: guidance

3. Commissioned work

Much of this document is applicable to work that is being carried out in-house by Social and User Researchers and other officials. However, Scottish Government often commissions research and participatory engagements. For participants, the distinction between commissioned and in-house work is not always meaningful – many will simply regard themselves as being involved in a piece of Scottish Government research. It is important that we are consistent in our approach however a piece of work is being delivered.

If you are commissioning work for which you anticipate payment of participant expenses and time will be needed, in the Invitation to Tender (ITT) you should set out to prospective bidders what your requirements are regarding these payments. To do this, you can draw on the principles set out at the start of this document. It is generally the case that contractors will handle the payment of participant expenses and compensation for time. As this will need to be budgeted for, you may also wish to specify minimum payment amounts in the ITT.

Contractors will often have their own approaches to paying participants. These are likely to be based on what they have found works well in terms of recruitment, encouraging involvement and recognising contributions. You may find that these approaches align with Scottish Government principles on this issue. You should discuss this with the appointed contractor and reach an agreement that maintains the principles set out at the start of this document.