Abstract
This Technical Note presents key lessons from the introduction and first application of Domain G—Cost-Effectiveness and Efficiency—within the 2025 Evaluability Assessment (EA) of CGIAR’s 2025–30 Research Portfolio. Domain G was developed to assess whether CGIAR’s financial and performance systems are sufficiently aligned to support credible future analysis of efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and value for investment. Rather than measuring returns on investment directly, the assessment focuses on evaluative readiness: the extent to which resources can be linked to outputs, outcomes, and theories of change.
The note highlights that, while operational efficiency is generally supported by existing planning, budgeting, adaptive management, and MELIA systems, the evaluability of cost-effectiveness remains constrained by fragmented financial architectures, limited cost disaggregation, weak MELIA–Finance integration, and the complexity of attributing results to specific investments across interconnected Programs and Accelerators. It further emphasizes that improving cost–result traceability and developing shared standards for cost–performance visibility are essential prerequisites for future assessments of efficiency and value for investment.
Domain G should be applied differently across evaluation types, reflecting the distinct evaluative purposes and contextual constraints of portfolio, center, and country-level evaluations. Overall, Domain G establishes a forward-looking baseline for tracking progress in linking resources to results, supporting system coherence, learning, and adaptive management while laying the groundwork for more robust and policy-relevant assessments of efficiency and value for investment.
Citation
Gullotta, G. 2026. Domain G—Cost-effectiveness and Efficiency: Key Lessons from the 2025 Evaluability Assessment of CGIAR Portfolio. Rome: CGIAR Independent Advisory and Evaluation Service (IAES)
Author(s)
Gaia Gullotta
Publisher
CGIAR Independent Advisory and Evaluation Service (IAES), Evaluation Function
