DCED Systems MEL
DCED-aligned MEL systems were established and operated with external audit readiness built in.
Results and methods
Confidential by design. We protect partner privacy. We share methods, results, and learning without naming organisations. References are available on request.
Results at a glance
Third-Party Monitoring
Verified delivery in hard-to-reach areas and fed rapid findings into management meetings.
Flexible Baselines
Rolling and retrospective baselines were designed where timing required flexibility.
Live Dashboards
Live decision dashboards were set up so managers acted on quality, coverage, equity, and performance signals.
Climate MRV Integration
Climate MRV calculators and protocols were integrated with operational monitoring.
Jobs Frameworks
Jobs frameworks captured direct, indirect, and induced employment with FTE and quality markers.
ESG Implementation
ESG diagnostics and reporting tools were rolled out with training for teams and boards.
Inclusion & Poverty
Inclusion and poverty profiling were embedded using GESI, GALS, Washington Group tools, PPI, and MPI.
Remote Monitoring
Remote monitoring routines were applied where access was constrained with consent-based voice.
Health Systems
Health systems were strengthened through preparation of routine information systems and decision dashboards.
Snapshots from recent work
Market Systems for Employment
For a bilateral donor in East Africa.
Snapshot
Rolling-baseline design and contribution analysis for a multi-country market systems programme, with TPM in hard-to-reach districts.
Setup
A multi-year MSD programme operating across two fragile contexts, with seasonality that made a single-shot baseline impossible and access challenges that limited routine verification.
Complication
Standard mid-term reviews had been completed, but the implementer and the funder disagreed on what the programme had changed. The methodology needed to handle seasonality, attribute contribution without overclaiming, and verify delivery where field teams could not travel.
What we did
We designed a rolling baseline that captured seasonality, applied contribution analysis to clarify MERSTAT's role in observed outcomes, agreed outcome and impact multipliers with the partner, and ran third-party monitoring in hard-to-reach locations.
What this achieved
- Course corrections were made in the first cycle
- Delivery was independently verified and accepted by funders
- Jobs and income estimates were credible and repeatable
Takeaway
A baseline that ignores seasonality is a baseline you cannot defend. Rolling baselines, paired with contribution analysis and TPM, give both the implementer and the funder a story they can sign.
Climate Accountability for Water Services
For a multilateral climate fund.
Snapshot
Verification-ready climate MRV integrated with operational monitoring for an urban water utility.
Setup
A water utility piloting a low-carbon service-delivery model that the climate fund wanted to underwrite. Existing monitoring was operational, not climate-focused.
Complication
The utility could measure cubic metres and revenue. It could not measure tonnes of CO₂e avoided — and the climate fund would not sign off without that evidence.
What we did
We integrated a verification-ready MRV calculator with operational monitoring, mapped and automated activity data flows from field to dashboard, documented monitoring and verification protocols, and completed a value-for-money analysis.
What this achieved
- Managers tracked climate and service outcomes in one view
- Verification evidence was organised and ready for external review
- Investment decisions were guided by cost and performance signals
Takeaway
Climate MRV that lives in a separate spreadsheet fails at verification. MRV integrated with the operational dashboard is the version that survives the buyer's review.
Health Systems Strengthening
For a UN agency.
Snapshot
Routine information systems prepared for analysis and visualisation, with remote monitoring for facilities under access constraints.
Setup
A multi-country health portfolio with routine information systems that produced data but not decisions. Facility managers had reports no one acted on.
Complication
Field access was restricted in some districts, facility staff had limited analytics capacity, and the decision-makers needed quality and coverage signals in days, not months.
What we did
We prepared routine information systems for analysis and visualisation, used remote monitoring with risk-based sampling, and combined retrospective baselines with contribution analysis.
What this achieved
- Facility managers used timely signals on service quality
- Remote sites were included in oversight without heavy burden
- Evidence supported course corrections during implementation
Takeaway
Routine data is only useful when it reaches a manager with the authority and the format to act. Remote monitoring, with consent and ethics, extends oversight without exhausting field teams.
Youth Jobs in Aquaculture
For a regional development bank.
Snapshot
Jobs framework covering direct, indirect, and induced jobs, with team training and a mixed-methods review.
Setup
A regional aquaculture programme with a strong youth-employment mandate. Existing reporting counted placements; it did not count quality.
Complication
Donor guidance was tightening on jobs reporting — direct, indirect, and induced jobs, with FTE and quality markers — and the implementing team did not have the tools to deliver it.
What we did
We built a jobs framework covering direct, indirect, and induced jobs, trained teams on sampling, digital data capture, and Power BI use, and produced a mixed-methods review.
What this achieved
- Jobs reporting was consistent, defensible, and aligned to donor guidance
- Teams owned the tools and maintained dashboards after handover
- Contribution stories were stronger and supported management decisions
Takeaway
Jobs frameworks are not just about counting. With the right FTE and quality markers, they become the language that turns placements into policy.
Methods we apply when appropriate
DCED Systems MEL
DCED-compliant MEL systems with audit-ready documentation
Systemic Change Measurement
Sentinel indicators and market actor networks
Evaluations and Research
Baselines, midlines, endlines, impact assessments
Attribution & Counterfactuals
Causal narratives linked to evidence
Remote Monitoring
Risk-based sampling and consent-based voice capture
Health Systems Strengthening
RHIS prepared for analysis and visualisation
Climate MRV
Activity data systems that field teams can maintain
ESG and Investment Tracking
Operational ESG embedded in routines
Jobs and Inclusion
Direct, indirect, and induced jobs with FTE and quality markers
Assurance and Ethics
DCED compliance built by design
