Opportunities for Irish Consultants in
International Markets
Séamus McCann, ASTEC Global Consultancy and
Chairman ConsultingIreland
www.consultingireland.org
Objective
• Provide practical support to companies targeting the
Emerging Markets
• Focused primarily on the IFIs e.g. World Bank, EC – ‘In
the developing markets particularly, Public Sector
activity is a prelude to Private Sector involvement’
• Find Irish partners for projects – niche areas
• Identify international opportunities – Services,
Supplies and Works – multi-facet approach
• Practical Seminars and Training – Cork, Belfast etc.
• International promotion of the portal and its
members
www.consultingireland.org
International Financing
Institutions (IFIs)
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European Commission
EIB
EBRD
World Bank
Asian Development Bank
African Development Bank
Inter-American Development Bank
UNDP
Bi-Lateral Aid ($126bn per annum) – USAID, DFID,
SIDA, DANIDA, GIZ, Irish Aid etc.
www.consultingireland.org
EC Funded Opportunities
• €975bn available for 2007-2013
• 1. Internal programmes
– 1. Community Programmes –
FP7, LLL,TEN
– 2. Structural and Cohesion Fund - €347bn
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External Assistance Programmes – 2007-2013
IPA - €12bn – Balkans, Turkey
EPNI - €13bn – ME, MEDA, Russia
DCI - €12bn – Asia, Latin America, ‘Stans’
EDF - €24bn - Africa
www.consultingireland.org
Other IFIs
• EIB (the EU Bank) - Luxembourg
– Approved close to €60bn in 2008
• EBRD – Europe and Central Asia
– €8bn pa investments
– Invest between €5-230m in a project
• World Bank
– IBRD – annual funding $10-15bn pa
– IDA - $14bn pa – 50% in Africa
• Asian Development Bank
– Loans - $10.5bn pa (Private sector $1.5bn)
www.consultingireland.org
Leading IFI Companies - Ireland
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Company / Organisation
Location
ASTEC Global Consultancy Ltd.
Project Management Group
GDSI Ltd. (Galway Development Service
International)
Lambard Management Consultants (LMC) Ltd.
Trade Development Institute (TDI Group)
Institute of Public Administration (IPA)
International Development Ireland Ltd. (IDI)
TMS International (Technical and Management
Services International )
ESB International
Finance Treasury Investment (FTI)
Ireland
Ireland
Total
contracts
122
62
Ireland
27
Ireland
Ireland
Ireland
Ireland
16
13
11
11
Ireland
11
Ireland
Ireland
11
7
www.consultingireland.org
Reasons to target IFI projects
• Transferable ‘Relevant Home experience’
• Use of Short-listings
• Advances up to 60%
• Payments secure
• IFI work – ‘Recession-proof’
• Problems in Croatia? – transfer instead to Serbia,
Macedonia, Kosovo or another region
www.consultingireland.org
Strengths
• Similarities with other Beneficiary countries – e.g.
size, historical events
• Positive attitude to the Irish – non colonial
• English Language – particularly for writing reports
• Availability of experienced
Irish consultants
• Structural Funds experience
www.consultingireland.org
Weaknesses
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Limited IFI experience – ‘Celtic Tiger’
Lack of references – 3 year maximum for EC
High fee rates and costs
Tracking opportunities
Limited knowledge of local partners, local rates and
main international competitors
Resistance to communicate with other Irish firms
Smaller sized companies generally
Distance to market
Ireland down the ‘pecking order’ in 2010
Ireland’s recent ‘Bad Press’
Too much focus on FP7 – more funds in External Aid
www.consultingireland.org
Opportunities
• e-tenders x 140 (+ IFI funding)
• IFI Funding (increasing year on year and numerous
available tenders on a daily basis)
• Competing on equal footing
• Less competition – locals generally need
International partners for IFI projects
• English Language
www.consultingireland.org
Threats
• Increased competition – Polish (ICT/Telecoms), Czechs
(Customs), Romanians (Education)
• Competitive rates from locals as well as ‘old member
states’ e.g. UK, Italy, Greece
• Use of Frameworks (restricted tenders) by EC, EIB –
limiting open tenders
• Lack of Irish Aid – DANIDA, SIDA, USAID, DFID
• Other country governments/agencies very proactive
www.consultingireland.org
Monitoring Opportunities
• IFI web-sites – free but cumbersome
• Tender services – e.g. TendersInfo, EuropeAid tenders
focus on different regions and IFIs
• Country websites – local partner can translate
• Local Partners – particularly those with ‘contacts’
• International Partners – different sector partners
• Country visits
• Visit IFI HQ and regional offices - Brussels, Washington,
London, Luxembourg, Manila
• In-country Ministries – probably best option
• Consulting Ireland portal/database
www.consultingireland.org
Market Approach
• Target region / country – Balkans, Turkey – ‘follow
the money’
• Target sector – e.g. ICT, Border Management,
Finance, Agriculture
• Determine opportunities – Which IFI
• Visit target country – Beneficiary, Funding Agency
and / or In-country IFIs
• Establish local partner
• Co-operate with other expert firms
• Bid to show interest
www.consultingireland.org
Consortium approach – helps
create Scale
• Size of Project
• Tender requirements – expertise, sectors, local
input
• Reference value – often minimum value of
reference – EC does not help SMEs qualify
• Country experience
• IFI experience – may need partner for this
• Competitor strength
www.consultingireland.org
Partners - Benefits
• Partner Companies cover niche subjects
• Use of this network for business development
• Provides better customer care through
– wide range of expertise,
– geographic coverage and
– specialised attention
• Public Sector contacts – local company and large
multinational
www.consultingireland.org
Way Forward
• Develop Business Plan – Policy and Strategy
• Obtain Board/Director level support
• Long term strategy - need to show commitment
• Determine region and availability of Funds
• Visit relevant IFIs and Clients to get better
understanding - our strategy was never to bid unless
first visited the client
• Visit country / region – discuss potential tenders and
opportunities
www.consultingireland.org
Way Forward (2)
• Develop References – first question you will be
asked by a potential Partner.
• Look for Local and International partners
• Engage with other firms/consultants
• Junior consortia member initially
• Submit a number of EOIs and Tenders – to show
commitment
• Do not give up - Review reasons for losses
www.consultingireland.org
Contact Details
ASTEC Global Consultancy
25 Merrion Square
Dublin 2
Republic of Ireland
Telephone:
Fax:
Web site:
E-mail:
+353 1 6618950
+353 1 6619112
www.astecglobal.com
smccann@astecglobal.com
Thank You
www.consultingireland.org