Evaluation criteria

Every project is evaluated on the following criteria and the evaluator gives a score (1-6) indicating the success of each criteria. The guidelines for Concept ex post evaluations can be found here (only in Norwegian).

Efficiency

This criterion concerns project implementation and outputs in terms of cost, time and quality, and how economically the project organization has converted inputs into outputs.

Relevance

A project is relevant if there is a need for what the project delivers. Project relevance is measured in relation to national political priorities, but also stakeholders’ preferences. It is essential to bring conflicts of interest to light as part of the evaluation.

Effectiveness

This concerns whether the agreed outcome has been obtained and to what extent the project has contributed to this outcome.

Sustainability

A project is sustainable if its benefits are likely to persist throughout its lifetime. This usually requires that the total impacts (financial, environmental and social) are acceptable in the long run.

Benefit-cost efficiency

This should be measured in terms of total willingness to pay in relation to cost, or secondarily in terms of outcome in relation to cost (i.e. cost-effectiveness).

Impacts

This includes all consequences beyond the agreed outcome (i.e. side effects) that can be attributed as the result of the project, positive and negative, short term and long term, for different stakeholders.