How does INFFER deal with projects where there is a long time frame until the benefits are generated?
INFFER is designed to be able to assess a proposed project that might have a duration of say one to five years, but will generate benefits in subsequent years. For example, the project may help to avert degradation of an environmental asset that is not expected to happen for some decades, or it may take decades for current actions to repair an already-degraded asset. In the INFFER Project Assessment Form, we collect information about the likely time lag until benefits occur. Then, the Benefit: Cost Index includes a discount factor so that projects with more immediate benefits get a higher weight than projects with distant benefits (other things being equal).
