DESIGN: How to budget for M&E activities for emergencies

M&E costs are variable and largely depend on how you structure your M&E plan. For instance, field
agents can do much of the monitoring during other field activities, so if you structure part of your M&E
plan to include this type of monitoring, you will cut down on costs. A good rule of thumb is to budget at
least 5% of total project costs for M&E, though some donors specify the amount allowed for M&E
activities (usually up to 10%).

Below are some line items to consider when developing a budget that includes M&E costs (not all will
apply to your project):
Staffing Salary and benefits, housing/per diem, R&R, etc. for:
• M&E officer
• Data collection and entry people (full, part time, or temporary
Assessments and/or baselines For all staff (CRS and partner; including drivers) involved in
assessment:
• Transportation, per diem, lodging
Field monitoring For monitoring trips beyond what is already planned by field agents
(including M&E officer accompanying field agents on already
planned trips), including drivers:
• Transportation, per diem, lodging
Real-time and other Real Time Evaluations
evaluations For external evaluator(s) [external to the project, so the evaluator
can be a CRS staff person, whose salary during the RTE may or
may not have to be covered by the project]:
• Consulting fees or salary
• Travel (to the country and for the field visits)
• Per diem
• Lodging
Cost of evaluation
• Per diem, travel, lodging of project staff involved in data
collection (including drivers)
• Meeting costs of one day management workshop at the end
of the RTE (office supplies, lunch)

Other evaluations
Line items are similar to an RTE but the evaluation is preferably led
by an external evaluator. All other costs remain the same.
Reflection event • Per diem, travel, lodging of any staff who have to travel a
long distance to the location of the event (e.g., main office
staff to field office, field staff to main office)
• Meals during event
• Office supplies
• Meeting room rental
.