Technical information population for the private sector (TIPPS)

The evaluation covered the period 8/85-3/89. The project has been well designed, managed, and implemented. It has successfully demonstrated that some companies are willing to finance and deliver FP services when they are convinced of the financial and/or health benefits. Technical elements of the project, i.e., knowledge-attitude-practice surveys, cost-benefit analysis, and presentations, have been excellent. The project has also been effective in disseminating the results of cost- benefit analyses and in conducting tailored seminars and workshops for different audiences within the companies. The project has been very innovative in designing and brokering financing arrangements. Demand for project services has greatly exceeded the resources available, but the exact size of the market for private sector collaboration is not known and needs to be determined. Companies involved in the project so far have covered a wide spectrum, including both those that can cover the full cost of FP services and those that will need some degree of subsidy. Several lessons were learned. (1) The success of the project model depends on external factors such as the existence of favorable macroeconomic conditions, the existence of organizations that meet the demand generated for FP services, and over the long term, the institutionalization of company benefit programs. (2) Tools effective for convincing Chief Executive Officers to institute FP programs include the project"s technically sound cost-benefit model and, independently, the surveys which are part of the model. (3) Success in working with for-profit businesses requires a business-like style. The ability of staff to be flexible and make onsite decisions is a critical part of this style and is crucial to project success. (4) Considerably more staff effort than had been anticipated is required to enlist mid-level corporate managers, identify candidate organizations, and get programs actually in place and implemented.