Evaluation of Technical Assistance and Advisory Services (TAAS)

What are Advisory Services?

Through Advisory Services, IFC provides advice to governments, private companies, and industry sectors on how to grow businesses sustainably as well as to create a positive investment climate. Advisory services have developed into a substantial business line for IFC which involves nearly 1,200 IFC staff, of which about two-thirds are located in IFC field offices, that focus on five business lines:

Access to Finance
Business Enabling Environment
Environment and Social Sustainability
Infrastructure
Corporate Advice

IFC’s Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) of Advisory Services

IFC introduced a monitoring and evaluation (M&E) system for Advisory Services in 2006. The system involves first a self-assessment of performance by the project team by way of a Project Completion Report (PCR) followed by an independent review of the project and validation by IEG. The Results Measurement Unit within the Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) Department coordinates evaluation efforts for advisory services across IFC. IEG-IFC’s Micro Evaluation Unit is responsible for the review and validation of Advisory Services projects. IEG evaluations of Advisory Services operations are used in all IEG sectoral, country and regional evaluation reports and the results of these validations are reported in IEG’s Independent Review of IFC’s Development Results (IEDR) [link this]. An assessment of IFC’s M&E system for Advisory Services s is presented in IEG’s Biennial Report on Operations Evaluation in IFC.