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DFID Management Board

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Meeting on 27 September 2007

In working towards the delivery of the Public Service Agreement the Management Board will aim to:

  • A. communicate the vision, role, direction and priorities of DFID to staff and other stakeholders;
  • B. ensure DFID's financial resources and staff are allocated and managed effectively;
  • C. monitor and improve DFID's performance;
  • D. protect and enhance DFID’s reputation as a highly effective international development organisation.

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Time

Topic

Attending

Purpose

MB Obj

 

Strategy Unit

Anna Wechsberg

Sarah Cooke

Kate Tench

Tony Venables

Jeremy Clarke

Discussion of Issue Identification Briefs on MDGs and VFM (including update with PUSS Vadera work)

B

 

The Corporate Plan

Sam Sharpe

Kevin Sparkhall

Louise Thomas

Liz Davis

Peter Riddelsdell

To review prioritisation and communications issues (closed session)

 

A, B & C
 

Head Count

Liz Davis

Update on headcount issues (closed session)

C

 

CDC

Mark Lowcock

Update on CDC (closed session)

C & D

 

Attendees

DFID Board: Suma Chakrabarti (Chair), Sue Owen, Minouche Shafik, Mark Lowcock and Bill Griffiths (Non-Executive Director)
 

Observing

In Palace Street: Manisha Prajapati, Sandra Grabt, Mikaela Gavas, Gregory Briffa, Andrew Steer, Declan Magee, Jo Yvon, Tony Brown, Roli Asthana, Vincent Floreani, Chris Collinson.

From AH155 via VC: Owen Barder.

Overseas via VC: Deborah McGurk (DFID India

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Strategy Unit – Discussion of issue identification briefs on VFM and MDGs

1. Anna Wechsburg introduced the paper on Value For Money (VFM) analysis.

2. The Board thanked the team for a very good paper and said that it is particularly timely given the work that is underway on the Investment Committee. The Board agreed that:

  • DFID should be seeking to increase its use of quantified Cost Benefit Analysis in design and appraisal as outlined in option 4;
  • through the pilot, the team should try to apply CBA to both budget support and influencing activities;
  • the team should ensure their work is communicated more widely in DFID and with the IACDI, NAO;
  • the team should be cautious in recognising that CBA does not provide perfect answers. The constraints of such analysis (including political constraints) must be recognised;
  • the team should keep the Management Board updated with progress on the pilot via Minouche Shafik.

3. Sarah Cooke introduced the paper on the “Beyond the MDGs, what happens next?” She underlined the potential risks of pursuing this work further and the conflicting messages it might send about the current set of MDGs. She said that these risks could be mitigated if communications were managed carefully. Sarah also flagged the work that the team have undertaken on presenting the MDGs differently.

4. The Management Board agreed:

  • that the risks with pursuing this work further was high and that they needed to consider how this should be taken forward potentially with a discussion with Ministers. Subsequent to the meeting it was agreed by the Board that this strand of work should not be taken further at this point of time;
  • the new ways of presenting the MDGs is excellent and this should be used more broadly by others – including in the QMR.

5. Anna Wechsburg introduced the list of preliminary ideas for the next round of issue identification briefs.

6. The Management Board agreed ideas 1, 2, and 3 and requested that the strategy unit input into the work on CAP development.