Data Envelopment Analysis and non-discretionary inputs: How to select the most suitable model using multi-criteria decision analysis

•An innovative approach is proposed to select a performance measurement method.•The proposed approach uses a multi-criteria decision analysis method.•Selection criteria should not be oriented towards the results of the models.•The principles of permanence of methods and of consistency should prevail.

Within Data Envelopment Analysis, several alternative models allow for an environmental adjustment. The majority of them deliver divergent results. Decision makers face the difficult task of selecting the most suitable model. This study is performed to overcome this difficulty. By doing so, it fills a research gap. First, a two-step web-based survey is conducted. It aims (1) to identify the selection criteria, (2) to prioritize and weight the selection criteria with respect to the goal of selecting the most suitable model and (3) to collect the preferences about which model is preferable to fulfil each selection criterion. Second, Analytic Hierarchy Process is used to quantify the preferences expressed in the survey. Results show that the understandability, the applicability and the acceptability of the alternative models are valid selection criteria. The selection of the most suitable model depends on the preferences of the decision makers with regards to these criteria.