Competition tends to be high among nonprofits, consulting firms and other companies eager to implement development projects abroad. Usually, donors shortlist around half a dozen organizations bidding for a contract, and success is rarely guaranteed.
“Much of the time it’s Russian roulette picking the firm that’s going to win," said Robin Wheeler, a chief of party with more than 25 years of experience in development management, situation assessment and capacity building in Africa.
Donors, on the other hand, are quite deliberate in the scoring criteria they’ll use to evaluate who will win project funding. One of the the most significant factors is the quality of the team an implementing organization puts together for a bid. Most donors require a staffing plan as part of the proposal, including the CVs and letters of commitment from proposed personnel. So it falls on recruiters to court the most sought-after experts to join their team — most likely in competition with other organizations bidding on the same project.
About the author
Kelli Rogers@kellierin
Kelli Rogers has worked as an Associate Editor and Southeast Asia Correspondent for Devex, with a particular focus on gender. Prior to that, she reported on social and environmental issues from Nairobi, Kenya. Kelli holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri, and has reported from more than 20 countries.
