PEFA Secretariat

What PEFA Secretariat does

PEFA Secretariat coordinates the Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability (PEFA) partnership program, founded in 2001 and headquartered in Washington, D.C. The program delivers standardized assessment frameworks used by national and sub-national governments to evaluate the performance of their public financial management (PFM) systems. Its core asset is the PEFA 2016 Framework, which scores PFM across seven pillars, supplemented by the Gender Responsive PFM (GRPFM) framework (2021), the Climate Responsive PFM (CRPFM) framework (2024), and SNG Guidance for sub-national governments. Operational products include PEFA Check quality assurance, an e-learning course hosted on the Open Learning Campus and edX, the Global PFM Report, the PFM Data Tracker, and a public catalog of country assessments.

The underlying technology is a codified assessment methodology rather than a software product; deliverables are framework documents, assessment reports, training, and data visualization. Since its inception PEFA has supported assessments in 156 countries, with 902 total assessments completed (592 publicly available) and 35 planned. The Secretariat is staffed by 24 people.

PEFA does not generate commercial revenue; assessments and materials are provided free of charge to participating governments and public users. The program is funded and governed by nine international development partners — the Asian Development Bank, European Commission, International Monetary Fund, World Bank Group, French Ministry of Foreign Affairs/Agence Française de Développement, Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), Ministry of Finance of the Slovak Republic, and Ministry of Finance of Luxembourg — that collectively steer the framework, fund the Secretariat, and channel it into their partner countries. Distribution relies on partner networks, the public PEFA website, e-learning platforms, and global development events. Primary users are national finance ministries, with secondary users including sub-national governments and the development partners themselves for risk and budget-support decisions.

Name

PEFA Secretariat

Legal name

PEFA (Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability)

Website

https://pefa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

PEFA Secretariat coordinates the Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability (PEFA) partnership program, providing standardized frameworks, assessments, and training used by national and sub-national governments to evaluate public financial management systems, funded by nine international development partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Financial Management Assessment Services

NAICS

Executive, Legislative, and Other General Government Support (921)

SIC

International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro primary industry

Governance, Public Financial Management & Service Delivery Reform (BPADAEAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Central Government Policy, Strategy & Performance (incl. OMB-style functions) (BPAIAAAB)

Keywords

• Public financial management
• PFM assessment framework
• Government fiscal accountability
• Development partner funding
• Multilateral standards body

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Development Partner Funding: PEFA Secretariat is funded by nine international development partners including ADB, European Commission, IMF, World Bank, French Ministry, Norwegian Ministry, Swiss SECO, Slovak Republic Ministry of Finance, and Luxembourg Ministry of Finance. The program operates as a partnership initiative without commercial revenue generation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

PEFA Secretariat delivers the PEFA Framework, a standardized methodology for assessing country-level public financial management (PFM) systems across seven pillars of performance. It conducts and facilitates national and sub-national PFM assessments, provides specialized gender-responsive and climate-responsive frameworks, operates a public assessments catalog, and offers an e-learning course and data tracker to governments and development partners. The offering is a methodology, assessment service, and public knowledge resource rather than a commercial product.

Product overview

PEFA (Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability) is a partnership program providing standardized frameworks and tools for assessing public financial management performance. The core offering is the PEFA 2016 Framework, which serves as the foundational methodology for PFM assessments worldwide. This core framework is complemented by specialized extensions including the Gender Responsive PFM (GRPFM) Framework and Climate Responsive PFM (CRPFM) Framework, both available in multiple languages. Additional offerings include SNG Guidance for sub-national assessments, the PEFA E-learning Course hosted on OLC and edX platforms, PEFA Check for quality assurance, the Global PFM Report, and the PFM Data Tracker. The platform also maintains a comprehensive database of assessments across 156 countries with 902 assessments worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PEFA 2016 Framework: The primary framework for assessing public financial management performance with seven pillars of PFM performance
• PEFA GRPFM (Gender Responsive PFM)
• PEFA CRPFM (Climate Responsive PFM)
• PEFA for Sub-National Governments (SNG)
• PEFA e-Learning Course

Quantifiable outcome

• 156 countries with PEFA assessments conducted
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Asian Development Bank (ADB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerADB is a leading multilateral development bank supporting inclusive, resilient, and sustainable growth across Asia and the Pacific. ADB is one of the nine founding partners of the PEFA Partnership Program, managing PEFA assessments in its member countries.
• European CommissioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe European Commission is an institution of the European Union responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, and managing EU day-to-day business. Uses PEFA indicators to assess risk in development support activities and budget support.
• International Monetary Fund (IMF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIMF is an international organization of 189 countries working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, and promote sustainable economic growth. One of the nine core PEFA Partnership Program members.
• World Bank GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe World Bank is an international financial institution providing loans to countries for capital projects, comprising IBRD and IDA. Hosts PEFA Secretariat and is a founding partner of the PEFA Partnership Program.
• French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and AFDcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrance is represented by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs handling France's foreign relations and the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) implementing France's development policy. One of nine PEFA Partnership Program members.
• Ministry of Finance of the Grand Duchy of LuxembourgcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Ministry of Finance of Luxembourg prepares and implements budgetary, financial, and fiscal policy of the State. One of nine PEFA development partner institutions.
• Norwegian Ministry of Foreign AffairscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Royal Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the foreign ministry of the Kingdom of Norway. One of the nine founding PEFA Partnership Program members.
• Ministry of Finance of the Slovak RepubliccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Slovak Ministry of Finance ensures harmony of public administration receipts and expenditures with Government policies, fiscal consolidation, and long-term sustainability of public finance within eurozone.
• Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSECO is the federal government's centre of excellence for all core issues relating to economic and labour market policy, contributing to sustained economic growth and fair working conditions.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/PEFASecretariat
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCUeOqW5nxj82mBU3ZwjuADA
• Facebookfacebook.com/PEFASecretariat
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pefa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about PEFA Secretariat