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01 — Monitoring & verification
Third-Party Monitoring Scope Template
A ready structure for defining a monitoring assignment: objectives, sampling, evidence standards and reporting.
1. Purpose and scope
- Programme, donor and reporting period covered.
- What is being verified: activities, outputs, distributions, sites or expenditure.
- Explicitly excluded areas — impact evaluation, econometric analysis and audit are out of scope unless separately commissioned.
2. Methodology
- Sampling frame, sample size and selection method.
- Data collection tools and how they are pre-tested.
- Remote versus in-person coverage and the reason for each.
3. Evidence standard
- Minimum evidence per verified item: photographs, GPS, measurements, records reviewed.
- How observation, report and inference are distinguished in reporting.
- How unverifiable items are recorded.
4. Quality assurance
- Field supervision ratio and back-check percentage.
- Data validation rules and rejection criteria.
- Second-review process before submission.
5. Reporting and deliverables
- Report structure, frequency and format.
- Exception and escalation route for urgent findings.
- Data protection: what is collected, what is never collected, retention period.
Free template. Adapt to your organisational policy, donor requirements and professional security advice before use.
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