Who were Australian aid’s top contractors?

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Australia is one of the biggest providers of official development assistance in the Asia-Pacific region, and much of its development funding has been allocated via contracts. Over the course of the five years to the end of June 2022, DFAT spent a total of 8 billion Australian dollars on 7,333 contracts. However, that total includes both the contracts that were meant for DFAT’s institutional purposes and those for the department’s Australian aid program, which is dedicated to the development sector and is linked to Australia’s total ODA spending. When looking just at money spent on the aid program, Devex found 1,793 contracts totalling AU$5 billion. Devex analyzed this data to identify where DFAT spent its international aid money and which contractors won the most business. DFAT’s financial year runs from July 1 to June 30, which will be the basis for our analysis. The data extracted for this analysis comes from Australia’s AusTender website, which lists all contracts over AU$10,000. Geographical scope Almost all of DFAT’s development contract spending was in the Asia-Pacific region, with AU$4.9 billion compared to AU$113.7 million spent in the rest of the world. Contracts dedicated to the East Asia region amounted to AU$4.8 billion. South Asia then follows with AU$103.2 million allocated to the region, which is followed by global contracts with AU$73.1 million. DFAT has also funded contracts to other regions such as Africa, with 11 contracts overall for the region with a total of AU$24 million. As of acquiring the data, there was only one contract allocated to the Latin America and Caribbean region with an amount of AU$192,500. At a country level, Papua New Guinea takes the first spot with 94 contracts totalling AU$1.5 billion. This is followed by Indonesia with AU$1.1 billion, the Solomon Islands with AU$257.6 million, Timor-Leste with AU$194.1 million, and Fiji with AU$140.3 million. Contracts that were to be executed in Australia were also included, with 322 development-focused contracts that total AU$244.2 million. This total does not include contracts that were to be executed at the capital Canberra. Vanuatu is the sixth biggest recipient of aid, receiving AU$129.1 million, followed by Cambodia AU$121.5 million, Laos AU$69 million, and Samoa AU$62.4 million. Sectoral DFAT has funded 116 different categories of contracts. The most funded category is management and advisory services, with 646 contracts funded totalling to AU$1.8 billion. This is followed by public administration and finance services with AU$465 million, health administration services with AU$238.7 million, utilities with AU$219 million, and library or documentation services with AU$213.4 million The top 10 contractors 1. Cardno Emerging Markets Australia Pty Ltd Location: Australia Cardno Emerging Markets Australia Pty Ltd received a total of AU$1.6 billion overall with 91 contracts. The largest awards were two contracts each worth AU$330 million, for design and implementation services in Indonesia and for an economic and social infrastructure program in Papua New Guinea. 2. ABT Associates PTY LTD Location: United States ABT Associates was able to secure a total of 211 contracts worth AU$829.1 million overall. The highest contract amounts to AU$220 million for a transitional health program in Papua New Guinea. 3. Tetra Tech International Development PTY LTD Location: United States Tetra Tech International Development acquired 51 contracts totalling AU$647.4 million. The highest contract they received was AU$131.3 million to facilitate a scholarship program for Papua New Guinea. 4. Palladium International PTY LTD Location: United Kingdom Palladium International acquired 115 contracts worth AU$419.6 million. The top contract was AU$96.8 million for a project that will promote rural incomes through supporting markets in agriculture in Indonesia. 5. The Whitelum Group Location: Australia The Whitelum Group, a consulting firm that specializes in the development of thriving communities in different nations, received 68 contracts worth AU$245 million. The highest contract they received was AU$46.3 million for a disaster readiness project in the Asia-Pacific region. 6. DT Global Asia Pacific PTY LTD Location: U.S. DT Global Asia Pacific, an international consulting group, acquired five contracts worth AU$203.4 million. The largest contract it received was AU$88 million for the Sinergies and Collaboration for Service Delivery Acceleration project in Indonesia. 7. CowaterSogema International Location: Canada CowaterSogema International received three contracts amounting to AU$197 million. The highest contract was AU$87 million for the Cambodia-Australia Partnership for Resilient Development project. 8. Ernst & Young Location: United Kingdom Ernst & Young secured two contracts totalling more than AU$120.5 million. The largest contract was almost AU$120.5 million for Australia’s infrastructure initiative in Southeast Asia. 9. Scope Global Location: Australia Scope Global, known for offering technical training services in Indonesia, received 105 contracts amounting to AU$77.1 million. The highest contract was AU$43.3 million for the Australia Awards in South Asia. 10. Adam Smith International (Australia) PTY LTD Location: Australia Adam Smith International won 19 contracts totalling AU$74.8 million. The biggest contract it received was AU$20.9 million for road development assistance in Vanuatu. 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