The Systematic Cost Analysis Consortium
Dioptra is distributed and managed by the Systematic Cost Analysis Consortium. The Consortium includes Accion Contra el Hambre, CARE, Catholic Relief Services, Danish Refugee Council, International Rescue Committee, Mercy Corps, and Save the Children. Each organization which uses Dioptra has a separate instance of the tool; data and analysis results from each organization are inaccessible to other organizations.
Members of the Consortium work together to identify and prioritize new features for the software, and share training materials and resources. The relationship among Consortium members is governed by an MOU, and data and intellectual property is protected by a License Agreement. The International Rescue Committee is the custodian of the software’s intellectual property.
joining the consortium & installing dioptra
New organizations can begin using Dioptra by joining the Systematic Cost Analysis Consortium and installing the tool with their organizations – options for hosting, authentication, and data connection are available here. Once Dioptra is installed, you can conduct as many analyses as you want, typically in two hours or less.
Licenses are renewed annually, and can be cancelled at will
The Consortium asks around $7,000 to cover the annual costs of hosting; waivers may be available for smaller, national organizations
Installing Dioptra typically requires 5 weeks of FTE work from IT and Finance staff, supported by 135 hours from the Dioptra Advisor
Following installation, each organization receives 15 hours of support per month from the Dioptra Advisor