Compare and convert public amounts

Are these amounts actually comparable?

Awarded, committed, paid and capped amounts describe different stages. Currency conversion does not correct those differences or price changes. ECB reference rates are informational, not transaction rates.

1. Define the amount

   Record currency, unit, scale, taxes, period and whether it is a flow, stock, commitment or payment.

2. Select a rate

   Specify rate date or period, source and quotation. Period-end rates and period averages answer different questions; document non-publication days.

3. Write the formula

   If T is currency units per euro, amount M becomes M/T euros. Keep input and unrounded output; round presentation only.

4. Separate exchange and prices

   For time comparisons state current or constant prices and justify the relevant index. Consumer price indices do not automatically suit every contract.

Situations and decisions

Typical situations for preparing a check. They do not describe completed assignments or actual observations.

Record to retain

• Original amount, currency, scale and nature.
• Period, taxes and price basis.
• Rate, quotation, producer and extraction.
• Formula, missing-day rule and rounding.

Official references

• ECB — Euro foreign exchange reference rates
• Eurostat — HICP

Related source profiles

• ECB Data Portal
• Eurostat · Data Browser
• Insee · Séries chronologiques
• IMF Data
• OECD Data Explorer
• World Bank Open Data
• USAspending.gov
• EU Financial Transparency System — FTS
• TED — Tenders Electronic Daily
• BOAMP

Related protocols

• Compare public indicators without false equivalence
• Check a statistical series break
• Read a procurement notice without confusing its stages

Checks before reaching a conclusion

• Do amount types match?
• Are quotation and units explicit?
• Can rate selection be reproduced?
• Is price basis stated?