Our Policy and Practices.

• A typical project process begins with an invitation by the client to a meeting at which FDS is given a verbal or written project brief. Such a brief makes clear what the client is trying to achieve. Where necessary, FDS then submits a proposal which includes objectives of the study, scopes of the work, methodology and estimates of time and costs.
• The client prepares the project questionnaires and may not ask for an input from FDS at this stage. However, if there is any input expected or accepted from FDS it should be because the client wants the agency to demonstrate that it fully understands the brief and can assist the client intellectually. In such circumstances, FDS would charge a suitable consultancy feefor this intellectual input.
• FDS is highly conscious of maintaining quality data through field control mechanisms. Hence, for instance, one supervisor may be restricted by design to supervising a maximum of six interviewers at a time in order to achieve this control. Furthermore, the supervisor, or even the client, is able to reach the interviewers in their study locations through their GSM numbers. This makes it possible to monitor progress at any time during the study.
• As much as possible, we utilizeindigenes of a state to work in that state because of the importance of thefactors of language and familiaritywith theterrain
• During each field project our interviewers arerequired by policy to write down their observations and experiences pertinent to the client’s project needs. This is because such insights might ordinarily not becaptured by the survey instrument or respondent answers.
• We are very time conscious. We know that some clients have very tight schedules. Therefore, our field operations are organized in such a way as to complete any nationwide study no matter how complex, within theclient’s timelimitation.We arealways prepared and able to adjust to changing time schedules.