Economic Appraisal Guidance

NI Practical Guide to the Green Book

What's New

29th May 2008		GUIDANCE ON EQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITY AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN PUBLIC SECTOR PROCUREMENT A new Dear Accounting Officer letter has been issued to draw attention to new guidance on how equality of opportunity and sustainable development can be incorporated into public sector procurement. As per DAO (DFP) 05/08, the associated guidance should be taken into account, where appropriate, in the preparation of business cases. To access the DAO 05/08 letter and associated guidance, click on the following links: DAO (DFP) 05/08 DAO (DFP) 05/08 Associated Guidance
26th March 2007		GREEN BOOK SUPPLEMENTARY GUIDANCE ON ASSESSING THE COMPETITION EFFECTS OF SUBSIDIES HM Treasury published the final version of a new supplementary guide to the Green Book titled "Guidance on how to assess the competition effects of subsidies" today. It is intended to enable subsidy providers to assess whether a proposed subsidy is likely to have a significant effect on competition and, if so, incorporate it into the relevant appraisal. It applies to subsidies of more than £500,000 to an individual firm which has a market share exceeding 5-10% of the affected market. The guidance has been circulated to NICS economics branches and is available on the OFT website .
23rd March 2007		REVISED PFI VFM QUANTITATIVE MODEL AND USER GUIDE HM Treasury circulated a revised version of the PFI VFM quantitative model and user guide to UK Departments today. There are no substantial changes to the underlying model, but the revised guidance provides further advice and clarity on its use. It has been circulated to NICS economics branches and will be published on the HM Treasury website within the next few weeks.
17th January 2007		REVISED GUIDANCE ON PFI VFM ASSESSMENT HM Treasury published revised guidance on PFI VFM assessment in November 2006. A new Dear Accounting Officer letter issued today explains how this should be applied by Northern Ireland Departments and their sponsored bodies. The new letter DAO(DFP)02/07 summarises the main changes to the guidance and provides a revised template for PFI business cases. It replaces two previous DAO letters, 18/04 and 23/05. To read it in full, click on the following link: DAO(DFP)02-07
23rd February 2007		NI EU Structural Funds Guidance Note 3 European Union Division issued this guidance note which will provide the basis for Peace III and all new programmes in the 2007-2013 period. It contains useful information on proportionate effort, a flowchart of the appraisal process and a checklist for both complex and straight forward projects.
3rd July 2006		PFI: Strengthening Long Term Partnerships A new Dear Accounting Officer letter, DAO (DFP) 08/06, has been issued clarifying the relevance of the recent HM Treasury policy document "PFI: Strengthening Long Term Partnerships" (SLTP) to Northern Ireland Departments and drawing attention to some of its key points. This DAO applies to all PFI/PPP programmes and projects in Northern Ireland, whether sponsored by Departments, their agencies or other public bodies. To access the DAO (DFP) 08/06 letter, click on the following link: DAO (DFP) 08-06
15th July 2005		Guidance on the Disposal of Surplus Public Sector Property A new Dear Accounting Officer letter has been issued providing revised guidance on the disposal of surplus public sector property. The guidance given in DAO (DFP) 12/05 entitled "Disposal of Surplus Public Sector Property in Northern Ireland" supersedes the previous guidance given in DAO (DFP) 03/99 entitled "Disposal of Surplus Land and Buildings by Public Sector Bodies," which has now been cancelled. To access the DAO 12/05 letter and associated guidance, click on the following links: DAO (DFP) 12-05 DAO (DFP) 12-05 Guidance
6th April 2005		Departmental Delegations/Requirements for DFP Approval A new Dear Accounting Officer letter issued today providing guidance on Departmental delegations and requirements for DFP approval. This DAO letter replaces the previous guidance found in DAO (DFP) 06-04, which is now cancelled. To see the DAO letter and associated guidance in full, click on the following links: DAO (DFP) 06-05 DAO (DFP) 06-05 Attachment
18th February 2005		Guidance on the Engagement of External Consultants A new Dear Accounting Officer letter issued today providing guidance on the engagement of external consultants. Among other things, it includes guidance on the relevant business cases. This DAO letter replaces the previous guidance found in DPS(DFP) 02/95, which is now cancelled. To see the DAO letter and associated guidance in full, click on the following links: DAO(DFP)03-05 DAO(DFP)03-05 Attachment
21st October 2004		Delivering Success In Government Acquisition-Based Programmes and Projects This new Dear Accounting Officer letter contains guidance concerning Gateway Reviews and common causes of failure in relation to acquisition-based programmes and projects. To see the DAO letter in full, click on the following link: DAO(DFP)17/04
4th Dec 2003		New ICT Guidance Issued DAO(DFP)33-03 was issued, providing new detailed guidance on the appraisal, evaluation and management of Information, Communication and Technology (ICT)-enabled business change. Annexes covering Project Management, the Business Case, Benefits Management, Post Implementation Review, the Gateway Review Process and Annual Reports are available in full from the AASD website
27th Nov 2003		Northern Ireland Practical Guide to the Green Book Issued DAO(DFP)32-03 was issued, introducing the Northern Ireland Practical Guide to the Green Book. This replaced The Northern Ireland Preface to the Green Book (1997) as DFP's main guide to the appraisal, evaluation, approval and management of policies, programmes and projects.