FCDO’s top development contractors in 2021/22

Update, April 26, 2023: This article has been substantially amended following changes in how Devex gathers FCDO data. With the United Kingdom’s move to cut its official development aid, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, its aid agency, continues to see a downward trend in spending. While it remains the biggest contributor to U.K. aid, FCDO’s spending plunged from £10.7 billion in 2020 to £8.3 billion in 2021 — a £2.4 billion decrease. In this article, we looked into FCDO’s contracts in the fiscal year to March 2022 — the first complete annual data since the department was established in 2020. How did the FCDO spend on contracts in 2021? Based on Contracts Finder, the U.K. government’s database for contracts worth over £10,000, FCDO spent £547 million on contracts between April 1, 2021, and March 31, 2022. Of this amount, £494.5 million came from FCDO, while another £50.2 million came from FCDO Services — a trading fund of FCDO working with government-level clients. The rest of the money, worth £2.3 million, came from other agencies procuring on behalf of FCDO — including the Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy, or BEIS, the Office for National Statistics, and the Ministry of Defence. How much went to development? Devex found out that of the total contract spending, £275.8 million went to front line development-related activities, while the remaining £271.2 million went to purchases supporting FCDO’s operations. This includes £99.1 million for IT-related goods and services; £54.2 million for office maintenance and works; £36.7 million for staff recruitment; £21.8 million for operations and administration; and £18.4 million for media and communications. The remaining £41 million went to other services. FCDO’s top 10 contractors in 2021 In identifying top contractors, we chose to focus on development-related contracts. That’s why some companies were excluded, such as Fujitsu Services UK, Computacenter, Language Services Direct, Controlled Building Measures, and Hart Security Associates, which won contracts in areas such as IT services, business language training, office maintenance and construction works, and security services. Overall, the top 10 contractors received £253 million for development-related procurements — 46.3% of FCDO’s total contract spending. Among these top contractors, seven are local headquarters or affiliates in the U.K. of international companies: DAI, International Rescue Mission UK, Siren Associates, KPMG LLP, Palladium International UK, Chemonics International, and Mercy Corps. The remaining are headquartered in the U.K.: Adam Smith International, Albany Associates, and the Westminster Foundation for Democracy. Two top awardees are humanitarian organizations: IRC UK and Mercy Corps Europe. Another two are nonprofit organizations: Siren Associates and the Westminster Foundation for Democracy. The remaining are consultancy firms. 1. DAI Location: Hemel Hempstead and East Sussex, U.K. Total number of contracts: 4 Total contract amount: £130.4 million DAI’s two offices in the U.K. — Global UK Limited and Global Health Limited — won the biggest contract values in 2021, worth £130.4 million. This includes £95 million for technical assistance and delivery of goods and materials to support the Partnership for Learning for All, or PLANE, education program in Nigeria, £30 million to scale up the U.K.’s Center for Disaster Protection’s activities in low- and middle-income countries, £5 million to implement a component of the Strengthening Financial Management and Revenue Collection program in Rwanda, and £392,000 for the analysis of the Biodiverse Landscapes Fund. 2. International Rescue Committee UK Location: London Total number of contracts: 2 Total contract amount: £61.3 million IRC UK was awarded £45.5 million for the design, pilot testing, and implementation of the What Works to Prevent Violence program — FCDO’s initiative for the prevention of violence against women and children — and £15.8 million to lead the Education Research in Conflict and Protracted Crisis program — a six-year program that will look at the most effective ways to give access to quality education to vulnerable children in countries affected by conflict, including Bangladesh, Jordan, Lebanon, Myanmar, Nigeria, South Sudan, and Syria. 3. Adam Smith International Location: London Total number of contracts: 7 Total contract amount: £16.7 million Global advisory firm Adam Smith International was also among the top awardees, with £16.7 million for seven contracts — all of which were funded through the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund, or CSSF. It received £6 million to assist the government of Iraq and the Kurdish regional government develop their capacity in CSSF’s reform goals in the country. 4. Siren Associates Location: Lisburn, U.K. Total number of contracts: 2 Total contract amount: £15.1 million Siren Associates is a nonprofit providing research and analysis services in the security and public sector reform sectors. Its headquarters is in Lebanon. It was awarded £14.9 million to support security and public safety in Lebanon and £185,000 to provide first aid training to responders in the Maldives, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Both contracts were funded through CSSF. 5. KPMG LLP Location: London Total number of contracts: 2 Total contract amount: £8.5 million KPMG UK’s office in London was awarded £8.5 million for two contracts — £7.3 million for the Renewable Energy and Smart Power Technical Assistance Programme in India and £1.2 million for the review and assessment of organizations selected to delivery projects for FCDO and other U.K. agencies. 6. Palladium International Location: London, U.K. Total number of contracts: 1 Total contract amount: £5.2 million Advisory firm Palladium International’s corporate office in the U.K. received £5.2 million to support the Mobilising Institutional Capital Through Listed Product Structures program. MOBILIST is FCDO’s flagship market mobilization initiative that supports sustainable capital flows to help low and middle-income countries achieve their sustainability goals and climate ambitions. 7. Chemonics (United Kingdom) Location: London, Total number of contracts: 1 Total contract amount: £4.8 million Launched in 2019, Chemonical International’s U.K. hub partners with public and private organizations to implement primarily U.K.-funded development projects. It was awarded £4.8 million to help improve the capacity of the Syria Civil Defense. 8. Albany Associates Location: London, U.K. Total number of contracts: 1 Total contract amount: £4.4 million Albany Associates specializes in communications and public relations — with offices in the U.K. and U.S. It received £4.4 million to support initiatives under the Somalia Stabilization Program — FCDO’s project that aimed to reduce conflict in the country through inclusive engagement from different local and international actors. 9. Mercy Corps Europe Location: Edinburgh, U.K. Total number of contracts: 1 Total contract amount: £3.6 million Humanitarian nonprofit Mercy Corps Europe received £3.6 million for the Inclusive Security and Resilient Youth project in Jordan. The initiative aims to build mutual trust among security actors, youth, and women. 10. Westminster Foundation for Democracy Location: London, U.K. Total number of contracts: 1 Total contract amount: £3 million With programs in over 30 countries, WFD works to strengthen democracy through training, sharing knowledge on democratic practices and processes, and supporting organizations that work towards improving governments’ accountability and transparency. It was awarded £3 million to recruit and train observers to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Election Observation Missions — an initiative that promotes election transparency in participating states. Try out Devex Pro Funding today with a free five-day trial, and explore funding opportunities from over 850 sources in addition to our analysis and news content.