Through our work supporting economic and social development in developing and transition economy countries, we have a proven commitment to poverty reduction and working with Governments to develop their own policy solutions building local capacity.
Key Themes
A number of key themes and strengths drive our work. These include:
- Extensive internal expertise – we employ a wide range of experts and much of our work is delivered by them.
- Local and regional knowledge – through our links with ECORYS we have over 20 permanent offices, spread across Europe, Asia and Africa;
- Considerable experience of managing large donor funded projects, with a comprehensive, and fully tried and tested set of programme and financial management systems;
- A strong and proven commitment to international development, equality, gender and ethnic diversity and social inclusion supported by our current and recent portfolio of contracts.
Services & Products
- Macroeconomic development - supporting macroeconomic policy development and analysis, as well as national and sectoral planning across a wide diversity of recipients from central Government level (Ministries of Finance, Ministries of Planning and line Ministries) to decentralised units in regions, municipalities or semi-autonomous bodies.
- Public finance management - this work encompasses the whole budget cycle, covering budget formulation, execution and management, treasury reforms, audit, accounting, M&E, and the related IT, legislative, organisational and cultural measures.
- Tax and customs modernisation - our expertise covers customs, excise duties, VAT, income tax, corporate tax, sales tax, land and property tax, trade taxes, and investment incentives. Much of our work has focused on helping customs and tax organisations strengthen their administration capacity and develop modern administrative procedures that meet international obligations and standards.
- Trade and investment - providing research and policy advice to Governments involved in bilateral, regional and multilateral trade negotiations; building sustainable capacity in trade policy analysis and formulation; working with regional secretariats and multilateral institutions responsible for the co-ordination of regional economic integration initiatives and negotiations; assisting Governments analyse the factors restricting export competitiveness and to developing strategies to reduce them; training export promotion agencies and export-related business support service providers; supporting inward investment and export performance through targeted policies and effective support institutions.
- SME & private sector development - supporting the growth and development of SMEs and the private sector more generally in developing countries. We have assisted Governments reduce barriers to private sector development and competitiveness; and assisted private sector firms improve their access to markets, finance and support services.
- Social sector reform - strengthening health and social sectors, including research and policy advice, supporting the development of sector wide strategies, and integration with Poverty Reduction Strategies. We have supported the development and implementation of health and social sector support programmes, and provided institutional and capacity building support to health and social sector institutions.
- Public administration reform - public sector administration reform is a major component of much of our consultancy and advisory work. We have advised and supported the restructuring of a wide range of public sector institutions across diverse cultural environments.
- Decentralisation, regional and local development – helping regional and local level Governments to respond to the needs of their communities through improved service delivery and supporting local and regional development. In addition, we have supported the process of decentralisation, advising and supporting reforms to strengthen inter-Governmental relations, including tax competences, and strengthening policy formulation and information sharing.
- Training and capacity building – providing a wide range of training and capacity building programmes across a diverse range of technical areas. We have developed a cohesive approach to training, from the design and development through to delivery and management. We are experienced in identifying and meeting training needs through both formal and informal training, or through informal on-the-job transfer of skills.
- Project management - we have substantial expertise in project and programme management, including the successful management of large-scale framework contracts; long-term technical assistance projects; short-term consultancy and advisory assignments; research and policy development projects; and large grant fund management programmes. Our company-wide project and quality management system has been independently audited and certified as conforming to ISO 9001 standards.
- Programme and grant fund management - we have managed a wide range of large value grant fund programmes in developed, developing and transition countries across a diverse range of technical areas. We have developed a comprehensive approach to programme and grant management from the design and development of programme components, through to delivery and management and monitoring and evaluation. Our programme and quality management system has been independently audited and certified as conforming to ISO 9001 standards.
Case Studies
Moldova: Support to the Implementation of the National Development Strategy (2009-2011)
Client: DFID / Government of Moldova (€1.9m)
Description: Supporting the implementation of the National Development Strategy, to achieve Moldova’s objectives around economic growth, PFM reform, social development, poverty reduction, public administration reform, and EU alignment.
Lesotho: Capacity Building in Economic Planning (CBEP), Phase Two (2008-2012)
Client: EC / Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (€3.2m)
Description: Strengthening capacity for macroeconomic and financial management, sectoral planning, and economic and socio-economic development planning across the Government of Lesotho.
Tajikistan: Medium Term Expenditure Framework – Social Sectors (2008-2010)
Client: EC / Ministry of Finance (€2.6m)
Description: Supporting the development and implementation of the MTEF process in order to achieve the targets of the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP). In particular, the project will strengthen the MTEF process in the Social Sectors (Health, Education and Social Protection).
