Study: How to Define and Measure Value for Money in the Humanitarian Sector

The idea for this study emerged during regular bilateral dialogues between Sida and ICRC as a constructive way of improving the ICRC’s reporting and measurement of results using Value for Money (VFM) concepts. Sida viewed this as an opportunity to deepen their understanding of how the ICRC assesses the quality and cost-effectiveness of operations, while the ICRC saw the potential in advancing their own results-based agenda and improving their understanding of the implications of current Value for Money (VFM) debates within the donor community.

The aims of the study included proposing a definition of VFM and agreed-upon vocabulary around the concept for the humanitarian sector, identifying and developing appropriate VFM systems and tools, highlighting potential risks for the ICRC and how these can be managed. Resulting recommendations are included to build on the results of this study to make reporting on performance more constructive and contribute to wider VFM debates within the humanitarian aid community.