The creation of an evaluation institution is aimed at integrating evaluation with the government agenda and the public policymaking processes as a key element of governance. The move also encourages citizen participation and engages social actors. Building a culture of evaluation entails promoting its use as a day-to-day institutional practice in government bodies.

The creation of the National Agency for the Evaluation of Public Policies and Quality of Services is a key step in the process of institutionalising evaluation in Spain. Institutions conducting evaluations existed previously, but they were generally confined to individual sectors or tied to spending policies. The Agency articulates a wider global model within a common framework from which all government divisions and levels can draw benefit.

The Agency seeks to become a referent institution and maintain openness to participation and cooperation with the various bodies of central, regional and local government.

In addition, the process of institutionalisation of evaluation and quality management in Spain finds support in the statutory framework implemented by Royal Decree 951/2005 of 29 July 2005, on quality improvement in central government, and in the papers assessing the impact of the new laws and regulations commissioned by a resolution of the Consejo de Ministros, the Spanish cabinet, on 25 February 2005, adopting mandates to set in motion measures to encourage productivity.