Glossary of Development Terms and Abbreviations

NB: Some of these terms are specific to DFID, others are used throughout the development community.

Tangible Benefits - the measurable positive changes brought about by implementing a project. They are the justification for the project, and include: savings made as a result of ceasing current activities; efficiency savings from improved systems; savings from centralising/concentrating activities; sales of equipment or assets; increases in productivity or output; changes resulting in improved income.

Targets - quantified results/outputs to be achieved if objectives are to be met e.g. 200 trainees to be trained in 12 months time. Progress can be monitored against the defined targets.

Target Group - The specific group for whose benefit the project or programme is undertaken.

TBT - Technical Barriers to Trade 

TC - Technical Co-operation

Technical Assistance to Commonwealth of Independent States (TACIS) - is an EC programme of grant finance to support the strengthening of democracy and economic transition in the states of the former Soviet Union (minus the Baltics), plus Mongolia. The British share of the TACIS programme comes from the aid programme.

Technical Co-operation - (also sometimes referred to as Technical Assistance) takes two forms.

1. the provision of know-how (e.g. provision of services such as advisory appointments, short term consultancies, training, volunteers, TDR/Knowledge Generation) requested by the country concerned.

2. grants and other aid in kind which covers grants to (e.g. NGOs and the British Council), equipment and supplies, British partnership Schemes, Pensions.

It is funded directly by DFID through contracts placed by DFID.

Technical Co-operation Officer (TCO) - A TCO is a crown servant engaged by DFID to fill an advisory post and occasionally to carry operational responsibility. TCOs are fully funded by DFID and receive a taxable salary and other benefits and allowances.

Technology Development and Research - see Knowledge.

Technical Notes (TNs) - a series of detailed guidance notes produced by DFID advisors covering a range of technical subjects.

Tender - seek written offers to undertake specified work or supply goods or services at a fixed price. (see also: Procurement).

Tendering Procedure - a procedure for procuring services or goods in a transparent and fair manner. (Source: Haskoning).

Terms of aid - The conditions applying to a particular offer of aid, i.e. rate of interest, grace period, maturity period, waiver period.

Terms of Reference (ToR) - task description for delivery of the project's services e.g. for a consultancy or TCO; the set of guidelines prepared by the organisation contracting out the work which establish the aspirations and logistics (see also: Consultants; Feasibility Studies).

TFSCB - Trust Fund for Statistical Capacity Building (World Bank)

Tied Aid - a loose term used to indicate where funding or other assistance is provided on condition that use is made of the lender's own resources e.g. a grant for a capital project made on condition that equipment is purchased from the donor country or another developing country.

Tied and Untied aid - Aid is said to be 'untied' when it is not subject to any geographical limitations on procurement, 'tied' when procurement is limited to the goods and services of the donor country, and 'partially tied' when not wholly exempt from procurement limitations. Assistance is 'double-tied' when it is tied as to both the origin and the nature of the goods or project.

Time Management - managing in line with an agreed timetable and project milestones (see also: GANTT Chart; PERT Chart; Critical Path Analysis).

Total Official Flows - These include official development assistance ('oda') official assistance ('oa') and other official flows ('oof'). (See definitions above).

Total Resource Flows - is all official and private flows. The UN target for this is 1% of GNP.

Transitional economy - one that is in the process of transition from central to market-based system.

TRCB - Trade-Related Capacity Building

Treaty - an exchange of letters usually with an overseas government which is in the form of a formally concluded and ratified agreement. Treaties and amendments to Treaties have to be laid before the UK Parliament and registered with the United Nations. In DFID these are in a standard format. (see also Exchange of Letters).

Triangulation - the use of three (or more) sources of information to derive and substantiate an assessment or conclusion.

TRIMs - Trade-Related Investment Measures 

TRIPS - Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights Agreement 

TRL - Tsetse Research Laboratory

Tropical Forestry Action Plan - see National Forest Programme.

TRRL - Transport and Roads Research Laboratory

TRTA - Trade-Related Technical Assistance

Trust Fund - relatively small amounts of grant funds that banks may use for preparation of projects.

Total Official Flows - These include official development assistance (which counts against the UN's 0.7 per cent target) and other official flows.

TSP - Target Strategy Paper 

TUC - Trade Union Congress

 

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