Worldwide—Expert Advisory Call Down Services (EACDS) Lots B, C, and D

Lot B: Strengthening Resilience and Response to Crises

Crises such as natural disasters, violent conflicts, and disease outbreaks continue to affect large numbers of people across the world, with long-term stresses such as climate change making extreme weather events more common and sapping the reserves of disaster-affected communities. Such strains have resulted in increased migration, unstable states, protracted humanitarian interventions, and expensive rebuilding efforts. In addition to the toll of human suffering, the costs associated with responding to such crises can strain the entire humanitarian response system, while subsequent regional instability can develop into security threats with far-reaching consequences.

To better assist the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people to deal with shocks, adapt to change, and mitigate risk, the former U.K. Department for International Development (now called Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office) designed the Expert Advisory Call Down Services (EACDS) Lot B: Strengthening Resilience and Response to Crises. EACDS was a technical advisory call-down service that provides rapid-response, expert support to FCDO, other U.K. Government agencies, and other donors. In managing Lot B, DAI led a 63-member consortium to respond to the varied requirements of service users—both to help them make risk-aware investments that take into account relevant future hazards and to provide analysis and practical expertise to respond to crises where they occur. The service also shared lessons learned in cross-sectoral resilience building and crisis mitigation with U.K. Government stakeholders and the wider donor community. A strong emphasis was placed on bridging the divide between humanitarian action and development by planning for shocks and stresses and ensuring that emergency responses did not ignore or disrupt development paths.

Sample Activities

• Responded to on-demand requests for support and work with users to precisely define scopes of assistance from first idea to full terms of reference.
• Assisted in identifying learning and communication opportunities and promoting gender inclusion standards across all work.
• Rapidly sourced expertise from across a consortium of more than 60 partners or other specialist suppliers, often within a 10-day period.
• Managed all commissioned assignments on behalf of FCDO, including contract placement and management, financial management, delivery and quality control, and duty of care.
• Promoted learning materials for a wider audience through digital communications and social media.

Lot C: Promoting Global Prosperity

The scope of work under Lot C covered promoting global prosperity, prioritizing approaches to improving the business climate, competitiveness, and operation of markets; energy and financial sector reform; and increasing the ability of governments to tackle corruption. The aim was to drive higher sustained inclusive growth and encourage longer-term economic transformation in pursuit of the first Global Goal—eradicating poverty everywhere. This required expertise in applied economics, trade, and foreign direct investment, private sector development instruments and approaches, inclusive growth and harnessing the private sector, infrastructure for growth and prosperity, and agriculture.

Lot D: High-Quality Technical Assistance for Results (HEART)

WISE Development, a DAI company, was a core consortium partner on Lot D: HEART, providing technical assistance in international development, health, nutrition, water and sanitation, education, social protection, and gender. The consortium supported the use of evidence and expert advice in policy-making.

Select Results

Below is a very small selection of the numerous projects DAI carried out under the EACDS expert advisory call down services.

CLARE Transition Support Mechanism: Flood Early Warning Pilot Study (Sep 2021–Jul 2022)

• FCDO Flood Early Warning Pilot Study was a science-based information service for fluvial (river) and coastal flood events currently managed by DAI. The service brought together a collaborative group of scientists from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, Fathom, FCDO, HR Wallingford, U.K. Met Office, University of Bristol, and University of Reading. The group rapidly delivered probabilistic live event flood forecasts and risk bulletins to governments, local meteorological organisations, and humanitarian decision-makers to aid decision-making when conducting humanitarian responses on the ground. Among others, the service provided assessments in response to Tropical Cyclones Idai, Kenneth, Amphan, Eloise, Batsirai, and Emnati, Hurricane Iota, and Tropical Storm Ana.

Political, Economic & Technical Analysis to Support the Biodiverse Landscapes Fund (Jun 2021–Sep 2021)

• On behalf of the U.K. Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), DAI carried out political and economic analyses and technical assessments of five transboundary landscapes in Africa, Asia, and South America. DAI assessed the biophysical characteristics and potential of each landscape, identified factors affecting the political economy of the regions, and reviewed existing initiatives in the sector. The assessments helped DEFRA understand key drivers and systemic issues affecting biodiversity loss and environmental degradation, which will, in turn, inform intervention strategies delivered under the Government’s Biodiverse Landscapes Fund, launched in 2019 to tackle the “triple challenge” of poverty, catastrophic biodiversity loss, and the climate emergency.

Bangladesh Strengthening Public Financial Management for Social Protection (Aug 2020–Jun 2021)

• Through EACDS, DAI was contracted by FCDO Bangladesh to implement a new phase of the project ‘Strengthening Public Financial Management for Social Protection’ (SPFMSP). The project focused on expanding the coverage of the current government social protection programmes in Bangladesh, while at the same time adapting the existing Government to People (G2P) digital payment system to provide cash transfers to many vulnerable people affected by COVID-19. For more information, visit the SPFMSP project page.

Assistance to the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) on its Prosecution Policy

• Technical Assistance for the Development and Implementation Strategy Upload of GRA’s Prosecution Policy (Jan 2020–Jun 2020): DAI was awarded a contract to assist the GRA to develop a strategy to implement the prosecution policy, map out the process for setting up a non-compromised and effective prosecution system to undertake intelligence, investigation and prosecution capability for effectively addressing tax and customs crime in Ghana. The consultant reported to the Lead Adviser for the Ghana Revenue Reform Programme and to the Commissioner General of the GRA.
• Technical Assistance for the Implementation of GRA’s Prosecution Policy (Aug 2020–Dec 2020): The main objectives of this assignment were to assist the GRA in the implementation of the Prosecution Policy by increasing the number of cases referred for prosecution by MTOs and customs offices, raising the effectiveness of the Investigation Unit, and taking an agreed number of cases to prosecution.
• Technical Assistance for Prosecution Delivery in the GRA under the Ghana Revenue Programme (Nov 2021–Apr 2022): Following the support in developing the strategy to implement the prosecution policy the previous year, this assignment looked at the delivery of an effective and working prosecution capability for the GRA including increasing self-generated prosecution casework undertaken by the Investigations Unit, overseeing the implementation of systems and processes, and an effective investigation recruitment and training program, and assisting GRA in the implementation of the draft anti-corruption policy.

Rapid Scoping Study: Mapping risk financing and shock-responsive systems in 16 countries (Nov 2017–Jan 2018)

• DAI delivered a comprehensive study on disaster risk financing and shock-responsive systems in 16 FCDO-priority countries. The aim was to provide initial country consultations and analyses to inform the prioritization of focal countries for two linked programs – the FCDO/World Bank-funded Centre for Global Disaster Protection and Maintaining Essential Services After Natural Disaster (MAINTAINS). Together these two programs were developed to address the three areas essential for strengthening early action, disaster preparedness, response, and recovery. This scoping project aims to inform the initial focal country selection for both programs and identify key stakeholders and dialogue platforms in-country for the operational stages of the project.