Costing Methodology for Fiji’s National Adaptation Plan

The NAP Costing Methodology (NAP-CM) is a pragmatic framework designed for Fiji's Ministry of Economy to produce rapid, comparable cost estimates for climate adaptation measures. It primarily employs a bottom-up engineering cost approach, adding individual activity costs to determine the total cost of a measure. The methodology is divided into two phases: Phase 1 focuses on rapid evaluation using a simple Excel tool, while Phase 2 allows for optional, advanced economic analyses such as cost-benefit analysis (CBA) for high-investment projects. The tool incorporates both 'calculated cost' and 'aggregate cost' approaches, handles discounting using a default rate of 5.75%, and includes mechanisms for sensitivity analysis and uncertainty adjustments. The methodology was tested through pilots in the agriculture and human settlements sectors, emphasizing the need for policy decisions to define the specific activities that constitute each general NAP measure.

• The NAP-CM uses a bottom-up engineering cost approach, which is described as more efficient and feasible than complex 'full costs' approaches that require more data and technical expertise.
• The methodology is structured in two phases: Phase 1 provides rapid indicative cost evaluations, while Phase 2 is an optional phase for more advanced economic tools to justify multi-million dollar investments.
• The associated Excel tool offers two distinct costing methods: a 'Calculated Cost Approach' based on individual resource and unit costs, and an 'Aggregate Cost Approach' using ready-made integrated costs from agency budgets or studies.
• To bring future costs to a common year of comparison, the tool uses a default government study discount rate of 5.75%, though it recommends testing sensitivity with rates of 3% and 10%.
• The methodology incorporates specific operational costs, including a proxy for gender integration (adding 10% for projects under FJD 1 million and 5% for those above) and costs for enabling conditions and monitoring and evaluation.
• To address non-quantifiable uncertainty, the methodology provides a lookup table of proxy uncertainty factors that add between 4% and 15% to the estimated cost of a measure based on the level of uncertainty.
• Pilot testing on an agriculture measure (12.A.6) and a human settlements measure (14.1) demonstrated that the tool can handle both 'soft' measures (policies and training) and 'grey' measures (engineering and construction).
• A critical challenge identified is that NAP measures are often written in generic terms, meaning the determination of which specific activities constitute a measure is a subjective policy decision rather than a purely technical one.

APA

Andrasko, K., & Samuwai, J. (2020). Costing Methodology for Fiji’s National Adaptation Plan. NAP Global Network. https://napglobalnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/napgn-en-2020-costing-methodology-for-Fiji-NAP.pdf

Chicago

Andrasko, Kenneth, and Jale Samuwai. Costing Methodology for Fiji’s National Adaptation Plan. NAP Global Network, 2020. https://napglobalnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/napgn-en-2020-costing-methodology-for-Fiji-NAP.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Andrasko |first1=Kenneth |last2=Samuwai |first2=Jale |title=Costing Methodology for Fiji’s National Adaptation Plan |publisher=NAP Global Network |date=August 2020 |url=https://napglobalnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/napgn-en-2020-costing-methodology-for-Fiji-NAP.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{andrasko2020costing, author = {Andrasko, Kenneth and Samuwai, Jale}, title = {{Costing Methodology for Fiji’s National Adaptation Plan}}, institution = {NAP Global Network}, year = {2020}, month = aug, url = {https://napglobalnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/napgn-en-2020-costing-methodology-for-Fiji-NAP.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }