The Big Why
Under fiscal pressure, choices and trade‑offs need clearer justification; comparable cost data is scarce.
What will change?
Improves clarity on value for money; normalises publishing of cost data; strengthens donor and agency decisions.
What the idea involves
Data Standards: Common schema for costs, outputs, and context variables; confidentiality rules; templates for procurement/finance extraction.
Tools: Simple calculators for cost-per-output and cost‑effectiveness (with sensitivity analysis); dashboards for scenario comparison.
Service Line: Helpdesk to support study design, sampling, and interpretation; peer review network.
Publishing & Incentives: Voluntary charter for transparent cost reporting; recognition badges for adopters; repository of anonymised benchmarks.
What would it take to deliver it?
Delivery process: Toolkit and automated calculations interface, TA grants; pilots embedded in live programmes.
Structure: Consortium of NGOs, economists, and evaluators.
Staffing needs: Methodologists, data engineers, TA leads, MEL.
Partnerships required: CALP-style networks, NGOs, donors, ministries.
Key capacities: Economic evaluation, data governance, comms.
Where it stands and what's next?
Stage: Mature as it is aligned with sector guidance and there are many well developed methodologies what is lacking is automation.
Next steps: Donor centric need. Understand what problem is solving for agencies who will need to become users for feasibility of this idea. Who has the political capital to define a unique methodology to be followed for automated calculations?
Opportunities to get involved
Agencies to pilot; donors to endorse transparency charter; researchers to contribute methods.