About Cardno Acil
As part of the Cardno Group, Cardno Acil draws on the synergies shared with Cardno Agrisystems, and Emerging Markets Group (EMG).
Cardno Acil has around 50 staff in its Australian offices and more than 750 leaders, managers, consultants, technical advisers and support staff bringing together social and physical infrastructure teams to provide holistic solutions on programs in developing nations. Our physical infrastructure teams offer specialisations in construction and engineering, roads, transport, water supply and environmental resource management.
Cardno Agrisystems offers specialist capabilities in post conflict support, rural, social and institutional development.
Emerging Markets Group (EMG), with nearly 25 years of development consulting experience in financial, private and public sector development, agribusiness, healthcare and tourism, EMG joins Cardno to manage nearly $500 million in technical assistance projects with donor clients such as USAID, DFID, EuropeAID, AusAID, The Global Fund, MCC, Asian Development Bank and the World Bank. As part of Cardno, EMG has expanded physical and social infrastructure capabilities with access to nearly 2500 international staff who have lived or worked in over 100 countries and speak more than 40 languages.
History and Growth of Cardno Acil
Cardno Acil was founded in Australia in 1968 as an agricultural consultancy and entered the international development field in mid 1969 when it was awarded a contract to manage a Food and Agriculture Organisation sponsored project in Ethiopia.
Cardno Acil’s international growth continued when it secured a role in a major project developing rural infrastructure and agricultural systems in the Philippines. This AIDAB (now AusAID) funded project secured the Company’s reputation in rural development projects.
Cardno Acil has worked successfully on over 500 projects, across 63 nations in Asia, the Pacific and Africa. The Company’s services are delivered by a workforce of some 65 Australian based staff located in Cardno Acil’s Melbourne headquarters and at overseas representative offices and by more than 450 contractors and consultants working on projects in developing nations. Cardno Acil
has offices in Papua New Guinea and Indonesia.
Cardno Acil is a company that has pursued business growth in the development aid sector through the expansion of new clients, products and services. Since the mid 1980s Cardno Acil has progressively diversified its professional service from rural development and natural resource management to include health and HIV
and AIDS, education, law and justice and governance.
International Development Industry
Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) is primarily managed through the aid agencies of national governments. Figures released by the OECD indicate that governments of developed countries are increasing their funding of ODA. In 2003 the total technical co-operation component of ODA distributed was US$18.36 billion, with the USA the largest contributor. In 2004FY Australia contributed $1.973 billion, in 2005FY $2.133 billion and in 2006FY Australia is budgeted to contribute $2.491 billion in ODA.
Issues of poverty, security and health in developing countries are increasingly on the global agenda. Events such as recent terrorist attacks and natural disasters such as the tsunami are causing increasing focus on the way in which governments respond and provide assistance to countries and communities in need. In January 2005 the Australian Government committed more than $1 billion to assist countries affected by the tsunami and Cardno and Cardno Acil in partnership are already working to provide support to those affected and to secure projects arising from the tsunami. Governments are looking to managing contractors, such as Cardno Acil, with expertise, scale and a track record to implement large and increasingly complex assignments. Cardno Acil is one of AusAID’s largest contractors by value of contracts under management.
Clients
AusAID is currently Cardno Acil’s major client, representing 75% of current projects and accounting for over 90% of Cardno Acil’s revenue in 2004FY.
Cardno Acil also undertakes projects funded by other government donors and international agencies including:
- Asian Development Bank;
- World Bank;
- UK Department for International Development;
- United Nations Development Programme; and
- other European Government bilateral agencies.
Services
Cardno Acil provides a diverse range of development solutions and services to its clients in six main sectors which are law and justice, health and HIV
and AIDS, governance, education, rural development, and natural resource management. The following chart provides a breakdown of Fee Revenue generated for each of these sectors in 2004FY.
On 1 July 2005, Cardno Acil joined the Cardno Group as a wholly owned subsidiary and Cardno’s international consulting engineering divisions joined Cardno Acil.
Together, Cardno Acil and Cardno offer our clients and development partners a broader range of international development assistance services, spanning institutional strengthening of public sector institutions, one of Cardno Acil’s traditional focus areas, through to Cardno’s focus on infrastructure development.
Collectively, Cardno Acil and Cardno employ about 1,200 people in more than 25 offices worldwide. Combined, the two organisations have managed over 580 development projects across 65 countries in the Asia-Pacific, South Asia, Eastern Europe and African regions.
