b)  Changing economic assumptions

1.37  The FCO also refined the methods used to evaluate aspects of the bid, such as the weighted risk of sterling devaluing or appreciating against the German mark, the refining of the FCO's method of calculating FCO staff costs, and changes in FCO discounting assumptions. The changes were intended to improve previous estimates of the contract price and added a net £2.9 million to the FCO's estimate of the cost of the deal.