Our Work - Where We Work - Practice Areas - Contract Vehicles
PRACTICE AREAS
PUBLIC FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
IBI helps governments from the local to the national level refine the ways in which revenues are collected, budgeted, allocated, and transferred--building automated, transparent systems.
HUMAN AND INSTITUTIONAL PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT
At IBI, helping organizations improve performance is the central focus of our work. Using a variety of field tested tools and methods, we assist clients to identify their most pressing performance gaps, address them in cost-effective ways, and establish better performance management systems. IBI is adept at tailoring our approaches to suit the complexity of each organization and system. Among other methodologies, we use:
Systems Approach to Organizational Development
IBI helps each client organization understand the larger system within which it exists and to know the constraints and opportunities that the system provides. We look for innovations that can unlock an organization’s performance and forge more productive relationships within the system.
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Human and Institutional Capacity Development (HICD)
The USAID HICD framework helps organizations identify important performance gaps at the organizational, team, and individual levels, analyze root causes, address them through targeted solutions, monitor improvements through feedback loops, and manage change.
Problem-Driven Iterative Adaptation (PDIA)
Using PDIA, IBI works with clients to prioritize performance problems. We help organizations create space that allows for experimentation and the iterative process to take place so that reforms are identified and owned by the people closest to the work.
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Leadership Training
IBI’s International Leadership Center (ILC) is dedicated to helping organizations and individuals improve their performance by mastering the skills they need and learning to analyze and mobilize the resources needed to succeed. Training specialties include leadership and effective management skills development, increasing cross-cultural capabilities, and special services.
DIGITAL DEVELOPMENT
Information and communications technologies can transform personal, social and institutional lives. IBI helps clients to grasp and use the best aspects of these technologies to effectively design and deliver their products and services.
National ICT Policy
Access to and affordability of an increased range of quality services requires a supporting policy environment. IBI assesses country ICT policy environments and regulatory regimes, and assists to improve them.
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Automating Public Financial Management
IBI ensures that in each step of the process of automating PFM, technology solutions are considered with a long-term, user-oriented view in mind. IBI has been able to save its government clients time and money by ensuring staff are trained on using technological platforms, relevant financial management offices have the tools in place to use them, and operating procedures are established. IBI works with financial management staff to ensure that any new platform or protocol is created in collaboration with end users and coupled with training and mentoring.
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Mobile Money and Payment Systems
Mobile money has the potential to make financial services available to the unbanked, which in some cases can make up more than 90% of a country’s population. IBI assists countries to develop and refine regulatory frameworks and implement mobile money programs so this tool can be expanded. By piloting government payment programs, IBI has proven a clear path to financial savings for both the government and the recipients of payments.
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E-Government
As cell phones, computers, and internet access become more available to citizens, many services are improved by rapid digital access. IBI works with governments to develop and implement e-Government solutions. Once a basic platform is created, customs payments, tax payments, and health and education service delivery quickly improve relations among government ministries and agencies, as well as between citizens and governments. IBI assisted the Liberian government and regional donors to develop a rapid ICT strategy during the Ebola crisis, which contributed to efforts to effectively combat the epidemic.
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Dynamic Geo-spatial Analysis
IBI uses geo-spatial analysis in unique ways, creating a national or regional baseline linking population, economic flows, and resources to planning of all types. In three countries, Gabon, Liberia, and Mozambique; our studies became the basis of national development strategies.
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Government Assets Management
IBI designs and installs electronic inventory tracking systems, using integrated bar code and database technology, to track physical assets “from cradle to grave.” This saves governments money, contributes to efficient procurement and maintenance, and prevents theft. IBI also designs and installs computerized mining cadastres to register and enforce mining licenses.
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Market Information Systems
IBI provides technical assistance to design and install market information systems. Simple applications of readily available technology, such as the use of cell phones for rural agricultural markets, are combined with more sophisticated statistical analysis methods and mass media information broadcast to contribute to improved economic performance.
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ECONOMIC GROWTH
IBI offers solutions to governments that are seeking to improve their country’s economic performance through enhanced private sector competitiveness, value chain development, and natural resources management. We focus on opportunities for creating jobs and enhancing livelihoods in the following technical areas:
Trade and Value Chains
IBI has helped overcome barriers to trade at the local, national, and regional levels. Our approach begins with getting law and policy right. Going beyond policy we provide human and institutional capacity development at the firm and cluster levels to identify opportunities and make use of comparative advantages.
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Small and Medium Size Enterprise Development
IBI has outstanding experience in SME development, drawing on broad market building, trade facilitation, communications, and management and leadership development experience.
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Natural Resource Management
IBI specializes in providing strategies for the sustainable use of natural resources. In the case of non-renewable resources, such as minerals, IBI advises clients how to negotiate optimal concession agreements and invest the proceeds from these resources into long-term capital assets to preserve their value for future generations while earning dividends to use for current needs.
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Growth Poles and Growth Corridors
IBI helps answer the questions: Where are a country’s or region’s most suitable areas for multi-sector growth? Why? And what implications does this have for planning and attracting investments in multi-use infrastructure? Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS), economic analysis, and participatory appraisals, we analyze and graphically portray diverse types of spatial and quantitative data to better facilitate consultation, participation, decision-making, and investment programming.
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Financial Services
IBI provides financial solutions to individuals and businesses across three areas: (1) capital markets; (2) non-bank financial intermediation; and (3) pension and insurance reform. IBI professionals and consultants from capital markets, investment intermediaries, stock exchanges, regulatory agencies, pension and insurance funds, international banks and leading economists, supports the full breadth of industry related needs.
Business Enabling Environments
GOVERNANCE
IBI has helped governments around the world improve performance to better serve their populations. Transparency and accountability are the key principles that guide our work. As these principles permeate an organization, we see them generate measurable improvements in every area of performance.
Post-conflict Reconstruction
IBI helps governments from the local to the national level rebuild organizations and government-wide systems to cement peace and restart economic activity.
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Public Financial Management
IBI helps governments from the local to the national level refine the ways in which revenues are collected, budgeted, allocated, and transferred--building automated, transparent systems.
Pakistan Capacity Development Services (CDS)
Domestic Resource Mobilization and Taxation
IBI helps revenue authorities, tax policy decision-makers, and private sector stakeholders to establish and implement fair revenue mobilization systems. A strong revenue mobilization strategy enables public investment, attracts private investment, and enables economic growth.
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Procurement Reform
IBI provides expertise in international best practices to improve government procurement policies and procedures. Our experts conduct needs assessments, develop multi-lingual manuals and train procurement officials to standardize procurement, improve efficiency, and prevent corruption.
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Customs Reform
The pace at which global trade is expanding presents a challenge for customs and ports officials whose service is vital to economic growth. IBI addresses these challenges with a blend of technological know-how and use of global best practices in policy and procedures.
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Mining Policy, Law and Administration
IBI helps countries develop sound environmental and governance policies that maximize the benefits and minimize risks associated with extractive industries. IBI has also implemented several projects designed to improve the impacts of small-scale mining for gold and gemstones, which, in many countries, contributes greatly to alleviating rural poverty.
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Democracy Building and Elections
IBI supports peaceful transitions of power and the establishment of enduring and responsive democratic governance.
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MONITORING, EVALUATION, AND LEARNING
In a constantly evolving field, IBI helps clients assess the impact of their work, monitor the country context, and learn from experience through timely analysis of accurate data. We provide everything from individual project evaluations, to long-term impact evaluations, to comprehensive MEL platforms that support hundreds of millions of dollars in annual programming.
MEL Platforms
IBI’s MEL Platforms provide a suite of MEL services to USAID missions to improve knowledge gathering, dissemination, learning, and adaptation. To develop the capacity of local MEL communities of practice, including USAID staff, implementing partners, and local stakeholders, IBI assesses organizational MEL systems and individual skills and develops tailored capacity development plans. IBI also generates knowledge by conducting evaluations and assessments to help USAID better understand the local context and the performance of their activities. We develop GIS maps, dashboards, and other data visualization products to present insights from data in accessible, engaging formats. After gathering those insights, IBI uses the principles of Collaboration, Learning, and Adaptation to help stakeholders adapt their strategies and practices to capitalize on successes and address weaknesses.
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Impact Evaluations & Assessments
The need for evidence-based assessments of the impact of development interventions is essential for ensuring that projects and policies, current and future, bring about the intended positive change. IBI uses rigorous research methods to ensure that its impact assessments accurately uncover the effects of project activities.
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