Worldwide—Business Environment Reform Facility (BERF)

The former U.K. Department for International Development (now called Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office) leads a growing number of business environment reform programmes around the world to help small firms start, grow, and create jobs in their communities. As FCDO expands this work as part of its Business Environment for Economic Development program, it created the Business Environment Reform Facility (BERF) to provide its country offices with access to expert advice on program design, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation.

BERF helped the client collect and disseminate lessons learned from programmes more systematically, carry out policy research, and develop innovative approaches for involving stakeholders in reform programmes.

DAI worked in consortium on the project under KPMG International, along with partners including, Itad, Social Development Direct, Law and Development Partnership, Triple Line, McKinsey, The Policy Practice, Restless Development and a range of academic institutions and independent consultants.

DAI conducted 24 studies, supporting FCDO country offices to design more effective reform programmes.

Sample Activities

• Provide technical support to country offices in designing, implementing, and reviewing business environment programmes.
• Provide technical assistance to development partners on business environment reform issues.
• Implement system to collect and disseminate lessons learned from the programme across country offices.
• Conduct policy research to improve understanding of how reforms are working.
• Develop innovative approaches for involving stakeholders in reform programmes.
• Assess and strengthen monitoring and evaluation systems through capacity building.