The CoST pilot project developed procedures to gather, verify, and disclose information on publicly funded construction projects. The expectation was that disclosure would increase transparency and accountability and thus, in the long term, help improve value for money from investments in infrastructure. At the close of the 2 ½ year pilot there is evidence that this process has already had a positive impact. In some countries, for example, it has led to changes in government procedures, while others have integrated CoST procedures into their existing institutional frameworks. This 2011 briefing note provides examples of such “success stories”, from Ethiopia and Tanzania, the Philippines and the UK and Vietnam across a range of sectors.

This is the twelfth in a series of briefing notes about CoST, its core features and its impact.