Dienstwaarde

Dienstwaarde, literally “service value” in Dutch, is a term used to describe the value assigned to a service or the value delivered by a service provider. The precise meaning varies by field, and there is no single universal definition.

In financial and contractual contexts, dienstwaarde can denote the monetary value attributed to a service for pricing, invoicing, or valuation of agreements. In public administration and service design, it can refer to the perceived or measured value of service delivery to users or society, sometimes in relation to performance indicators or user satisfaction. In practice, municipalities, healthcare institutions, or private providers may assess dienstwaarde when evaluating efficiency, contract fulfilment, or pricing strategies.

Etymologically, the word combines dienst (service) with waarde (value). The concept is used across domains to discuss what a service is worth, whether in monetary terms or in terms of quality, usefulness, or impact.

Related concepts include dienstverlening (service delivery), waarde (value), prijs (price), and kostprijs (cost price). The term serves as a flexible label for evaluating and communicating what a service yields for stakeholders, rather than a fixed accounting category.