How FCDO development contracts changed over a decade

It looks like it may have been a wild ride for anyone bidding for Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office contracts over the last few years, with sharp fluctuations in the amount of business to bid for. From the middle until the end of the last decade, the value of contracts rose sharply, peaking in the fiscal year ending March 2019, before falling off a cliff the year after. Over £6.3 billion was spent on 988 development contracts in the past 10 years, topping out at £1.9 billion in FY 2018-2019, before falling as low as £103.7 million in FY 2021-2022. As reported recently, development spending is expected to increase once again, and this is reflected in the most recent figures, which are back into the billions, according to FCDO’s most recent development pipeline forecast. Devex looked into the contract data of the past 10 financial years published in the U.K. government’s contracts finder portal. Devex examined each contract to determine if they were development-related. All figures have been converted to 2022 U.K. constant prices. How did these contractors perform over the past decade? Some contractors did not consistently receive awards each year but received a significant amount of funding during certain years. Marie Stopes International, for example, only received funding for three years but received a total of £163.7 million. Funding received by contractors fluctuated as seen in the chart below. Devex also analyzed the top 10 contractors over the last decade to see how they fared in the face of fluctuating spending. The contractors are the following. Mott MacDonald Limited Total amount received: £573,855,025.30 Number of contracts: 29 Mott Macdonald received a total of almost £573.9 million, and like the majority of the contractors in this list, it also experienced a slowdown during the COVID-19 pandemic. The highest it received was a £284.1 million contract in FY 2016-2017 to manage the Fleming Fund, which is dedicated to tackling antimicrobial resistance in low- and middle-income countries. Adam Smith International Total amount received: £460,517,277.33 Number of contracts: 29 Adam Smith International has been consistent in receiving funding from the FCDO, receiving funding every year except FY 2017-2018 and FY 2020-2021. Overall, it has received £460.5 million for various development-related projects. A notable contract awarded to them amounted to £180 million for the implementation of the Somalia Stability Fund III, which aims to help achieve long-term political stability in the country. DAI Europe Total amount received: £438,680,627.08 Number of contracts: 36 During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, DAI Europe received no funding, except for a £89,192.6 contract awarded to it during FY 2020-2021. During the preceding years, however, DAI Europe received multiple contracts from the FCDO. The best year they had was during FY 2016-2017 when they received a total of £109.3 million. The highest contract it received amounted to £50.1 million for the Transparency, Responsiveness, Accountability and Citizen Engagement project, which is designed to build and implement a civil society support program that will enhance the relationship between CSOs and the government. Oxford Policy Management Total amount received: £323,541,683.61 Number of contracts: 62 Out of the whole list, Oxford Policy Management is the most consistent when it comes to receiving contracts from FCDO. The only time it did not receive any funding was during FY 2020-2021 which most of the listed contractors had in common. The highest contract it received was worth £36.7 million to strengthen Pakistan’s public financial management and planning systems. Crown Agents Limited Total amount received: £298,904,659.72 Number of contracts: 14 Crown Agents Limited received a total of £298.9 million over the past decade, peaking at FY 2018-2019 with £114.9 million — the highest contract amount it has ever received — for the ASCEND program, which aims to control and eliminate neglected tropical diseases in southern Asia and East Africa. Coffey International Development, now Tetra Tech Total amount received: £272,932,637.91 Number of contracts: 33 Tetra Tech, previously known as Coffey International Development, received a total of £272.9 million for 33 contracts. It secured consistent funding, receiving contract awards in seven out of the past 10 years. The highest contract it received was £77.6 million to support job creation and income raising for poor people, women, and people living with disabilities in Nigeria. Palladium International Total amount received: £238,225,519 Number of contracts: 19 Palladium International received 19 contracts that amounted to £238.2 million. Unlike the majority of contractors in this list, it continued to receive funding at the height of the pandemic. The highest contract it received was a £114.9 million project to improve health outcomes for the poorest and most vulnerable people in Nigeria. Mannion Daniels Total amount received: £196,035,017 Number of contracts: 1 Mannion Daniels, a one-time entry contractor, received just one contract amounting to £196 million in support of the U.K. Aid Direct Fund — a competitive funding program that aims to help small- and medium-sized civil society organizations. International Planned Parenthood Federation Total amount received: £177,550,992 Number of contracts: 2 The International Planned Parenthood Foundation only received funding twice in the past 10 years, but it has received a total of £177.6 million in funding in FY 2018-2019 for the Women’s Integrated Sexual Health, or WISH, project, which aimed to increase the use of family planning methods to reduce maternal deaths. Marie Stopes International Total amount received: £163,687,828 Number of contracts: 5 Marie Stopes International was active for three fiscal years: 2014-2015, 2017-2018, and 2019-2020. It hasn’t received more awards since. The highest contract amounted to £88.5 million for the WISH project.