The Project Group is aimed to offer workshops to learn more about the DEA method, share experience and gain practical knowledge. DEA is a quantitative method to empirically measure efficiency (best-practice) of decision-making units and a potential useful tool in performance audits. The workshops will also potentially cover other benchmarking methods such as Statistic Frontier Analysis (SFA), Free Disposal Hull (FDH), etc.
DEA is a method developed in the late 1970s to evaluate the efficiency of non-profit organizations, where the basic question is how to measure the relation between inputs and outputs. Efficiency is defined as a best practice. The method is ideal when you have many units doing the same thing and you have multiple inputs and/or multiple outputs (services).
The Swedish NAO has studied efficiency and productivity in several reports with the DEA method, in such areas as:
The method has also been used by a number of other EUROSAI members.