For donors, making sure that infrastructure programmes deliver value for money (VFM) should be front of mind. Gauging and measuring value, however, can be difficult given the sensitivities of working in fragile and conflict-affected states (FCAS). This volume contains guidance to help overcome these difficulties.

The guidance will be most relevant for development practitioners in the field – programme designers and managers. With this in mind, we ground it in the real-life experience of delivering infrastructure in FCAS. We combine this with insights from economic theory, and the UK Department for International Development’s (DFID’s) VFM approach. This should equip practitioners with the evidence they need to make good VFM decisions in infrastructure programmes.

Each chapter contains guidance on a specific topic relevant to infrastructure programming in FCAS, as follows:

  1. Options Paper: Sustainability in FCAS infrastructure programming 
  2. ‘How to’ guide: Using cost indicators in FCAS for better VFM in infrastructure 
  3. Equity and VFM in infrastructure 
  4. ‘How to’ guide: Community based monitoring guidance 
  5. Guidance note: Political economy analysis and VFM in infrastructure 
  6. ‘How to’ Guide: Integrating VFM data collection and analysis within third party monitoring programmes 

This volume does not contain all of the theory underpinning VFM, nor is it a holistic guide for every aspect of VFM in programme implementation. The volume brings together practical guides on specific topics, and readers can tackle each chapter individually as they need.

We outline the content of each of these resources below, with an explanation of when and how each one can be used, and how it can help to increase the VFM of infrastructure investments within donor programmes.

First, however, we include a brief explanation of DFID’s approach to VFM, the importance of VFM in the context of infrastructure investment, and the additional challenges presented by conflict and fragility for delivering infrastructure.