A guide to assessing value for money: The OPM approach

​This document offers practical guidance for assessing value for money (VfM) in international development programmes.

Since 2016 Julian has been working with Oxford Policy Management (OPM) to develop and deploy a robust approach to VfM assessment. The approach involves making transparent, evidence-based judgements about how well resources are being used, and whether the value derived is good enough to justify the investment.

The approach combines cutting-edge evaluation practice with concepts from economic evaluation to respond to donor requirements for accountability and good resource allocation, as well as to support reflection, learning, and adaptive management. It involves developing and implementing a framework for:

• Organising evidence of performance and VfM
• Interpreting the evidence on an agreed basis
• Presenting a clear and robust performance story.

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King & OPM. (2018). The OPM approach to assessing value for money: a guide. Oxford: Oxford Policy Management Ltd ​