In July 2009 we published version 18 of INFFER. This incorporated a large number of changes in response to user experience and suggestions, and consultation with experts and policy organisation over the previous 9 months. Changes include the following.

1. Simplify and streamline the Project Assessment Form.

•  Many questions were re-worded, moved to achieve a more logical flow, simplified or dropped.

•  A small number of new items were added, including a question about positive spin-offs from the project. Overall, the form is now much shorter.

•  The detailed instructions were moved to a separate Instruction Manual, to allow for a clean and uncluttered template.

•  Provide new ways to help users navigate within the form: diagrams, headers and cross references between questions.

•  Include information about where the information from each question is used.

•  Introduce a new section which collects basic project information.

•  Introduce a new Project Assessment Report.

2. Modify the formula for the Benefit: Cost Index.

•  Drop negative spin-offs. Both positive and negative spin-offs are now reported qualitatively as part of the new Project Assessment Report.

•  Include new risks: technical failure, long term funding

•  Merge political risk and non-cooperation by other organisations into one risk factor.

•  Separate adoption and adverse adoption into separate factors.

•  Re-scale the asset value variable so that 100 corresponds to an asset of high national significance. This means that scores for existing assets would be increased by a factor of 5 compared to the old version (assuming that they had been scored accurately).

•  Update the BCI Calculator spreadsheet.

3. Update, expand and restructure the Frequently Asked Questions.

•  New FAQs were included and some existing ones were expanded.

4. New documents were created for each of the 7 steps of the INFFER process. 

Where relevant they include examples to illustrate what the question is seeking.

 

Table 1. Steps in the INFFER process

	Description of Step	Relevant Document
1.	Develop a list of significant natural assets in the relevant region(s)	“Significant Asset Identification Guide”
2.	Apply an initial filter to the asset list, using a simplified set of criteria	“Filtering Significant Assets Prior to Detailed Assessment”
3.	Define projects and conduct detailed assessments of them	“Project Assessment Form”, and “Project Assessment Form Instruction Manual”
4.	Select priority projects	“Selection of Priority Projects”
5.	Develop investment plans or funding proposals	“Development of investment plans or funding proposals”
6.	Implement funded projects	“Implementation of funded projects”
7.	Monitor, evaluate and adaptively manage projects	“Monitoring, Evaluation and Adaptive Management following INFFER Assessment”

 

5. A new overview diagram for Steps 1-4 has been created.

•  Available as a PowerPoint file on the project web site

6. Overhaul and facelift for the web site.

•  New logo.

•  Many new documents added and old ones deleted (e.g. new introductory overview, new PowerPoint files).

•  New pages (policy engagement).