Proceedings of the 13th Meeting of the
Transport and Communications Working Group
6
 Content:
o Methodology: What types of analysis (CBA, CEA, MCA, qualitative analysis,
macroeconomics , etc.) are required/recommended as part of the project appraisal
development? Is there one specific suggested methodology for project appraisal? Is it
complemented by other methodologies?
o Items: What is the standard content of a project appraisal? Which are the typical items
included in an appraisal report? Which benefits/impacts are considered? How are they
calculated?
o Risk assessment: How is the risk assessment incorporated it into the project appraisal?
Are forecasts expressed by a baseline figure or are confidence intervals also provided?
Is a quantitative and/or qualitative risk analyses carried out?
 Demand analysis:
o Forecasting techniques: What kind of forecasting models (deterministic/stochastic,
static/dynamic, analytical/simulation) and techniques are used?
 The result of project appraisal:
o Use of results: How are the results of the project appraisals used? Is project appraisal used
to provide a justification for individual project selection/decision in the feasibility phase
or does it enable prioritization of projects?
o Selection criteria: Is it possible to select a project with a negative economic result? How is
alignment with strategies ensured? How are qualitative and quantitative evidence
combined in the final assessment?
 Follow-up and learning:
o Monitoring: Is basic completion review performed? Do rules exist regarding obligations
and requirements of completion reviews to identify forecasting errors or managerial
problems? Is project appraisal constantly updated as a monitoring and management tool
to improve project resilience?
o Ex-post evaluation: Is an ex-post evaluation of the project carried out? If yes, when it is
usually carried out? Do rules exist on howmany years after the project completion the ex-
post evaluation should be carried out or is this left to occasional initiatives? Is ex-post
evaluation carried out periodically on a sample of investments or rather on a selective
basis? If ex-post project appraisal is performed, how are they used as a learning
mechanism?
International cases
Based on the list of aspects identified in the conceptual framework some findings from the
international experience was reported.
In the Netherlands, there is no legal requirement, but CBA is recommended by the government
and used. CBA for public projects is outsourced to private consultants and subject to reviews by
second opinions (mostly by the Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis) and specific guidelines for
CBA have been developed and are routinely updated. The assessment of effects in a CBA is done