Cost the Work, Not a Percentage
This page is for pricing a single evaluation. It starts from the work the evaluation needs and adds up the cost. It does not start from a share of the program budget. For how much of a whole program budget to set aside for measurement, and the lines of the overall plan, see M&E budget and the M&E budget allocation guide. For the survey costs of routine monitoring, see data collection budget.
A percentage is a ceiling to check against, not a way to build a cost. Two evaluations of the same program can differ several times over in cost, because the cost depends on the questions, the design, the sample, the number of sites, the languages and the team. Settle those first.
What Decides the Cost?
Five choices drive most of the price. Fix them before pricing anything.
| Driver | The Question to Settle | Why It Moves the Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Evaluation questions | How many, and how deep? | More questions mean more instruments and more analysis days |
| Design and methods | Survey, interviews, focus groups, or a mix? | A survey adds enumerators, devices and training; qualitative work adds transcription |
| Sample and sites | How many respondents, in how many places? | Sample size sets fieldwork days; scattered sites add travel |
| Languages | How many, and is translation needed? | Each language adds tool translation, interpreters and report translation |
| Team | Which roles, and how many days each? | Fees are usually the largest block |
If the design is not yet fixed, price two options and show the gap. That tells the commissioner what each choice buys.
The Lines of an Evaluation Budget
Most evaluation budgets need the lines in the table. A missing line is a gap to explain, not a saving.
| Line | What to Count | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Team leader and methodological lead | Days by phase | Days times daily rate |
| Analysts and national experts | Days by phase | Days times daily rate |
| Inception and desk review | Days within the lines above | Included in fee days |
| Enumerator and supervisor pay | People, training days, pilot days, field days | People times days times rate |
| Enumerator training and pilot | Venue, materials, trainer time | Lump sum or per day |
| Transport and fuel | Vehicles, days, distances | Vehicles times days times rate |
| Lodging and per diem | Staff in the field, nights | People times days times rate |
| Devices and software | Units rented or bought, licenses | Units times unit price |
| Translation and interpretation | Tools, transcripts, reports | Words or days |
| Qualitative costs | Venues, refreshments, recording, transcription | Per interview or group |
| Participant costs | Transport refunds, childcare, accessibility | Per participant |
| Validation and sharing | Workshop venue and materials, dissemination | Lump sum or per participant |
| Editing and design | Report editing, formatting | Lump sum |
| Ethics review and permits | Fees and the time to obtain them | Lump sum |
| Quality assurance | Back-checks, external review | Days or lump sum |
| Contingency | A stated share, held in reserve | Percentage of the lines above |
Costs that do not appear as a cash line still count. Program staff time to support the evaluation, an evaluation reference group, and vehicles lent by the program are real costs. Record them as in-kind so the commissioner knows what the program is contributing.
How to Price a Line
Fees. Estimate days by phase (inception, data collection, analysis, reporting) for each role, then multiply by the daily rate. Ask who needs to be present at which phase, not how many weeks the contract runs.
Fieldwork. Work from the sample: respondents divided by interviews per enumerator per day gives enumerator-days. Add training and pilot days, and add days for revisits where respondents are not home. Supervisors are priced separately and should not also appear as enumerators.
Quantities and unit costs. Write the quantity and the unit cost in separate columns so anyone can change either. A line with only a total cannot be checked.
Rates. Use local rates for national staff and travel. State the currency and the date of the rates.
Steps to Build the Budget
- List the evaluation questions and the methods that answer them.
- Fix the sample, the sites and the languages.
- Work out fee days for each role and phase.
- Work out fieldwork days from the sample.
- Price every line with a quantity and a unit cost.
- Add the lines that are easy to forget: training, pilot, translation, transcription, accessibility and quality assurance.
- Add contingency as a stated share.
- Check for double counting, for example staff in both the fee lines and the fieldwork lines.
- Compare the total with the money available and with any bids, and explain the gaps.
Worked Example: Healthy Futures Endline
Healthy Futures is a fictional child nutrition program. Its endline evaluation uses a survey of 600 households, nine focus groups, and a validation workshop. All figures are invented to show the method.
| Line | Quantity | Unit Cost | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Team leader | 40 days | $400 | $16,000 |
| Survey analyst | 30 days | $300 | $9,000 |
| Qualitative researcher | 25 days | $250 | $6,250 |
| Enumerators (3 training and pilot days, 12 field days) | 12 people x 15 days | $20 | $3,600 |
| Supervisors | 3 people x 15 days | $35 | $1,575 |
| Vehicles and fuel | 2 vehicles x 12 days | $90 | $2,160 |
| Per diem in the field | 15 people x 12 days | $25 | $4,500 |
| Tablet rental | 15 tablets | $40 | $600 |
| Tool translation (2 languages) | 2 | $400 | $800 |
| Focus group costs | 9 groups | $150 | $1,350 |
| Validation workshop | 25 participants x $20, plus venue $300 | $800 | |
| Report editing and design | 1 | $1,200 | $1,200 |
| Ethics review and permits | 1 | $400 | $400 |
| Subtotal | $48,235 | ||
| Contingency | 10% of subtotal | $4,824 | |
| Total | $53,059 |
Fees are $31,250 of the $48,235 subtotal, about 65%. The 10% contingency is a choice made for this example, not a standard.
Checks. The 600 households need 12 enumerators for 12 field days at 4 to 5 interviews per enumerator per day, so 12 x 12 x 4.2 is about 600. Enumerators are counted once, in the survey lines, and not again in the fee lines. Each of the 15 people in the field gets a per diem for 12 days. Training and pilot days are paid but have no per diem, because they run at the base.
When the Price Is Above the Money
If the total is above the budget, change the scope openly. Do not remove quality lines quietly. In rough order of what hurts least:
- Reduce the number of evaluation questions.
- Reduce the sample, and state the precision that results.
- Reduce the number of sites, and say which are left out.
- Use existing program data for some indicators.
- Run fewer qualitative groups or interviews.
Keep training, piloting and quality assurance. Cutting them saves little, and the cost shows up as unusable data. Put the scope and the price in the terms of reference together, so bidders price the same work.
Common Mistakes
- Starting from a percentage of the program budget and working backward.
- Pricing fee days for the length of the contract instead of the work.
- Forgetting training, pilot, translation, transcription and accessibility costs.
- Counting enumerators in both the fieldwork and the fee lines.
- Giving only totals, so nobody can check or change a line.
- Leaving out contingency, then absorbing overruns by cutting quality.
Last updated October 23, 20262 sources checked
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