The FCDO's approach to value for money

International Development Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 13 Nov 2024 Closed: 11 Feb 2026 Parliament page
In November 2020, the Government announced a reduction of Official Development Assistance (ODA) from 0.7 per cent to 0.5 per cent of Gross National Income (GNI), a “temporary measure” until a set of certain fiscal rules were met. In the 2024 Autumn Budget, the Government confirmed that the FCDO would … Read more
10 Recommendations
28 Conclusions
1 Report
3 Oral sessions
3 Letters
3 Events
Activity timeline 11 events
11 Feb
2026
Report published
29 Oct
2025
Report published
17 Jun
2025
Oral evidence
17 Jun
2025
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 8, Palace of Westminster
27 Mar
2025
Correspondence
25 Mar
2025
Oral evidence
25 Mar
2025
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Thatcher Room, Portcullis House
14 Mar
2025
Correspondence
11 Mar
2025
Correspondence
11 Feb
2025
Oral evidence
11 Feb
2025
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Thatcher Room, Portcullis House
Oral evidence sessions 3 sessions
17 Jun 2025
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FCDO's Approach to Value for Money
Alex Hurrell · Verian Group UK Ltd Anisa Berdellima · MSI Reproductive Choices Dr Brendan Whitty · St Andrews University Mark Henstridge · Oxford Policy Management Sinead Magill · Palladium Group
25 Mar 2025
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The FCDO's approach to value for money
Rt Hon Andrew Mitchell · House of Commons Sarah Annable-Gardner · Action Through Enterprise
11 Feb 2025
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The FCDO's approach to value for money
Abdoulaye Fabregas · OECD Dianne Stewart · The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Jennifer Armitage · LAMP Development Shamik Dhar · Deer Run Advisory Stefan Dercon CMG · University of Oxford
Title HC No. Published Items Response
7th Report – Assessing Value, Ensuring Impact: The FCDO's Approa… HC 422 29 Oct 2025 38 Responded
Recommendations & Conclusions
3 results
Clear
20 Conclusion Acknowledged
7th Report – Assessing Value, Ensu…
Financial pressures risk undermining locally-led solutions and associated value for money benefits.
The Government has ambitious and earnest intentions for championing locally-led solutions. However, there is a significant risk that these ambitions could be lost amidst financial pressures, in favour of centrally managed programmes, and that the VfM benefits that localisation can … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees with the observation, affirming its commitment to country-led, locally-led development partnerships and the Grand Bargain, recognizing their importance for value for money and effectiveness.
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21 Recommendation Acknowledged
7th Report – Assessing Value, Ensu…
Prioritise localised interventions for specific challenges to maximise ODA value for money.
The Government must prioritise localised interventions for context-specific challenges, including poverty reduction and community health. Given a reduced ODA budget, these interventions should be targeted towards areas with the highest level of impact to maximise VfM and fulfil the globally … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees to prioritize localized interventions, stating that country-led, context-specific partnerships are central to its bilateral offer and that it remains committed to the Grand Bargain and advancing locally-led development.
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30 Conclusion Acknowledged
7th Report – Assessing Value, Ensu…
FCDO demonstrates a strong monitoring, evaluation, and learning culture and processes.
We have been glad to hear that there is a stronger evaluation culture in the FCDO than can be seen in many other Government departments, and that the FCDO’s monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) processes are strong in comparison to … Read more
Government Response
The government acknowledges the committee's positive assessment, agreeing that the FCDO is a world leader in Value for Money (VfM) and has maintained the strong legacy of monitoring, evaluation, and learning processes from DFID.
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Government Response AI assessment · 38 of 10 classified
Accepted 8
Accepted in Part 12
Acknowledged 3
Rejected 15
Total 10 recs + 28 conclusions
Correspondence 3 letters
27 Mar 2025 Correspondence from the Minister of State for International Development, Latin America and Caribbean relating to Initial 2025/26 Official Development Assistance (ODA) allocations and the Spring Statement, 27 March 2025
Parliament page
14 Mar 2025 Correspondence from the Minister of State for International Development, Latin America and Caribbean relating to Preparations for the reduction in UK Official Development Assistance (ODA), 14 March 2025
Parliament page
11 Mar 2025 Correspondence from the Minister for the Indo-Pacific relating to the decision not to move from Abercrombie House, East Kilbride to Glasgow, 6 March 2025
Parliament page