Qualitative coding for evaluations and research.
Sitting on 20+ interview transcripts and a codebook, with no time to code them? We turn your transcripts into structured coding tables — with verbatim quotes, analytical memos, and inter-coder reliability checks — in 5 to 10 business days. AI-assisted first pass, expert review of every code.
What you get
A clean, structured deliverable ready for your analysis or donor report — not raw outputs you have to re-process.
Structured coding tables
Excel or Word tables with codes, sub-codes, verbatim quotes, source IDs, and analytical memos. Format agreed at kickoff — NVivo, MAXQDA, ATLAS.ti, Dedoose, or plain Excel.
Inter-coder reliability scores
Cohen's Kappa calculated on a 20% sample with a second human coder. We publish the score in the deliverable rather than hiding it.
Source-traceable evidence grid
Every code links back to a transcript line and respondent ID. Auditors, donors, and triangulation analysis all benefit from full traceability.
Methodology appendix
Documents the codebook used, AI model and version, prompts, expert-review protocol, and reliability sample. Donor-audit ready.
Optional thematic summary
For Coding+Analysis and Full packages — a 5–15 page narrative report with key themes, frequency tables, and visual frameworks.
Optional codebook draft
If you don't have a codebook yet, we can draft one from your research questions, your evaluation matrix, or 5–10 sample transcripts.
How we work
Five steps from kickoff to delivery. Most engagements complete in 5–10 business days.
- 01
Kickoff and calibration
You send transcripts and your codebook (or your research questions if no codebook). Our senior evaluator reviews 1–2 transcripts to calibrate the coding rules and clarify edge cases with you.
- 02
AI-assisted first-pass coding
Locally-run language models apply your codebook to all transcripts. The AI runs on our infrastructure (no client data sent to commercial APIs, GDPR-compliant). This pass cuts total coding time by ~40%.
- 03
Expert review of every code
A senior evaluator reviews every machine-applied code, corrects misses and false positives, adds analytical memos for ambiguous cases, and resolves any cultural-context flags. AI accelerates — humans interpret.
- 04
Inter-coder reliability check
A second human coder independently codes a 20% sample. We calculate Cohen's Kappa, document any disagreements, and refine the codebook if needed.
- 05
Delivery in your format
Final coded files in your preferred CAQDAS format, plus the Excel evidence grid, ICR report, and methodology appendix. Optional debrief call to walk through findings.
Why us
Three positions in this market: cheap solo freelancers (uneven quality), AI-only tools (cultural blindness, hallucinations), and academic services (not built for evaluation contexts). We sit in the strategic middle.
Pricing
Transparent per-transcript packages. Volume discounts for 15+ transcripts. Custom-scoped engagements priced separately.
You provide transcripts and codebook. We deliver coded tables.
- Codebook applied across all transcripts
- Verbatim quotes with source IDs
- Excel / NVivo / MAXQDA / ATLAS.ti format
- Inter-coder reliability on 20% sample
- Methodology appendix
- Turnaround 5–10 business days
Coding plus a thematic narrative summarising key findings.
- Everything in Coding only
- Thematic summary report (5–15 pages)
- Frequency tables by code and respondent type
- Visual frameworks (concept maps, matrices)
- Cross-cutting theme synthesis
- Turnaround 10–15 business days
Full pipeline from codebook design to evaluation-grade report.
- Codebook drafted from research questions or eval matrix
- Everything in Coding + analysis
- Triangulation across qualitative + secondary sources
- OECD-DAC criteria mapping (if evaluation use case)
- Recommendations section with senior evaluator review
- Optional in-person debrief workshop
For codebook design, ICR audits, methodology reviews, or training.
- Codebook design and refinement
- Inter-coder reliability audit on existing coded data
- Methodology review for grant submissions
- Coding-team training (in-house or remote)
- Senior evaluator availability for ad-hoc consultations
Volume tiers reduce per-transcript cost: 1–5 transcripts $150–250 · 6–15 transcripts $120–200 · 16–30 transcripts $100–170 · 30+ transcripts $80–150. Transcription (audio→text) priced separately if needed.
Tools and methodologies
Use cases
Programme evaluation (OECD-DAC)
Mid-term, final, ex-post evaluations of EU, UN, USAID, EBRD, bilateral programmes. Coding mapped to relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, sustainability. Theory-of-change-aligned thematic synthesis.
Academic research
Thematic analysis, IPA, grounded theory, content analysis. NVivo / MAXQDA / ATLAS.ti deliverables ready for thesis appendix or journal submission. Multilingual transcripts welcome.
Market and UX research
Verbatim coding, sentiment tagging, codeframe development for survey open-ends. Survey-end analysis with cross-tabulation by respondent segment.
Mixed-methods studies
Qualitative component of mixed-methods designs. Codes mapped to quantitative survey variables for joint display tables and convergent-divergent integration.
NGO and CSO research
Stakeholder interviews, beneficiary feedback rounds, KAP-survey open-ends. Direct integration into donor reporting templates.
Internal organisational research
Employee interviews, customer satisfaction studies, change-management assessments. NDA-protected handling for internal-only use.
Trust signals
A specialised team — not a solo freelancer — with verifiable institutional track record.
Track record
1,000+ projects evaluated. Combined client budgets exceeding €50 million. 25+ years of cumulative qualitative-research practice across the founding team.
Institutional clients
UNDP (incl. Independent Evaluation Office), UNICEF, UNFPA, UNIDO, USAID, EuropeAid, EBRD, IFC, IFRC, DVV International, Renovabis, SIDA-funded programmes, BMZ, Polska Pomoc.
EBRD-prequalified consultancy
Prequalified for the EBRD Business Advisory Services programme since 2018, requalified Vilnius 2023. EBRD compliance procedures embedded in our project workflow.
Published methodology
Six methodological books with ISBN: IMACON Model, Organisational Viability Toolkit, LFA Guide, NORAD Planning Guide, and others. Free PDFs in our Publications section.
Confidentiality and GDPR
NDA signed for every project. GDPR-compliant data handling. We do NOT upload sensitive beneficiary data to cloud AI tools — all AI processing happens locally on our controlled infrastructure.
Professional memberships
Polish Evaluation Society. Minnesota Evaluation Association. European Evaluation Society. Transformation Thinkers Network (GIZ / Bertelsmann Foundation).
Frequently asked questions
Can you work with my CAQDAS format (NVivo, MAXQDA, ATLAS.ti, Dedoose)?
What languages do you code in?
How do you handle confidential or sensitive data?
What if we don't have a codebook yet?
How does your AI assistance work? Can I see the human review?
How long will it take for X transcripts?
Do you offer a free sample of your work?
How do you price multilingual or mixed-language transcripts?
Can you integrate with our existing M&E plan?
Do you do transcription too?
Who actually does the coding?
Do you sign DPAs (data-processing agreements)?
Start with a free 2-page trial.
Send your codebook and a sample transcript. We code 2 pages free so you can assess quality, formatting and memo detail before committing. Most engagements start this way and convert within a week.