As hard as it is to believe, up until a few years ago, many of the companies, NGOs, and donor agencies working in the development sector relied on paper documents for every stage of the process, including receiving CVs for open positions, project management, impact assessments, and even submitting bids for open tenders/proposals.
However, an invisible but powerful enemy – the novel coronavirus – triggered unexpected progress for many sectors. The development community was also part of this process.
These days, consultants and individual professional experts use software to fine-tune their CVs while recruiters use algorithms to automatically assess and then shortlist candidates for open positions. Tenders and grants are published online in digital format, and bids and proposals for consortiums are assessed using software. Likewise, many donor agencies are moving towards more automated systems, not just to keep track of progress but to analyze project impact, give a climate change and/or gender equity rating, and ensure adherence with reporting requirements and regulations.
In this article, we will be discussing some of the most important recent breakthroughs in automation that affect the entire lifecycle of the development sector, including project management, employment/recruiting, and bidding on tenders/proposals. We will describe one tool in particular that can significantly increase productivity and speed up work in the development sector.
The current state of the development sector
Traditionally, the work in the aid sector was labor-intensive, relying on people to manually collect data, perform assessments, write reports, publish and track proposals, and make decisions. Big volumes of these processes were non-automated, which led to a world that was regularly hamstrung by inefficiencies and the inability to scale, making it extremely challenging to address the needs of recipient communities.
After COVID-19, when entire industries were forced to move online and embrace digitization, automation, and remote work of staff, things changed. In the development sector, organizations ranging from smaller NGOs to major donor agencies are embracing automation technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), robots, and data analytics. AI algorithms trained on vast amounts of data are now making predictive insights to help development organizations optimize their resource allocations, forecast potential challenges, and identify trends.
Want to engage AI in your development project? Read more by DevelopmentAid journalists: Don’t use ChatGPT to write your proposal: Utilize it for these 5 tasks instead | Opinion
Today, data analytics plays perhaps an even bigger role in the development sector, than robotics and machines (such as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles or drones). Automated data analytics allows multilateral institutions, development banks, and donor agencies to make data-driven decisions concerning targeted interventions as well as to more accurately measure the impact of development projects.
Project management automation
However, in an age where multilateral institutions and donor agencies are using the latest-generation automation technologies, sometimes there can arise a large “technology gap” between the funder of a project and the organization which implements it.
Incredibly, even some of the oldest and most respected organizations in the development sector are still relying on a hodgepodge of paper documents, emails, spreadsheets, and personal connections to manage and implement development projects. In many cases, it is simply an inherited legacy from times gone by, while in other cases, organizations might simply not have the budget for automation tools such as project management software.
Thankfully, the talented engineers at DevelopmentAid, the world’s largest information platform for sustainable development activities, have created an online app called BidNexus that is perfectly suited to the needs of organizations working in the development sector.
BidNexus is a cloud-based, encrypted, and highly secure piece of software that gives development organizations everything they need to find and assess suitable tenders, build a consortium of partners and individual professionals, track expenses, and stay on track for deadlines and milestones. BidNexus has a simple and intuitive interface, making it easy for managers to stay on top of project management throughout the entire lifecycle of a project.
Challenges and considerations
These days, there are simply too many stakeholders involved in sustainable development for any organization to cope using old-fashioned methods. Instead, automation tools such as the BidNexus app for project management ensure value spent for money, accurate assessments of impact and efficiency, and punctuality for all deliverables.
For example, BidNexus keeps all of the relevant documents, messages, and communications across your organization in one secure location, accessible from anywhere and from any device. And thanks to being a cloud-based app, organizations can rest assured that their data is safe, access restricted, and in full adherence to all security and privacy regulations and rules, including the GDPR and the CCPA.
Development sector organizations using BidNexus have full, automated control over all their data, including the retention (and deletion) of personal information, budgetary expenses, and confidential communication between team members, partners, and/or individual consultants. This gives development sector organizations the confidence that all of their relations with donor agencies and multilateral entities will always remain secure and in full compliance of the latest directives.
Furthermore, the application is fully integrated with DevelopmentAid’s platform, making it a one-click operation to research past proposals, find contact information about donor agencies, stay clear of blacklisted organizations and individuals, and evaluate tenders for purpose and scope. With just a single click, BidNexus users can import all of the relevant data from a tender and begin making team assignments or conducting feasibility research.
Wrap-up
It looks like automation will dictate the future of many industries, including the aid sector. That’s why, embracing the newest technologies and adapting now will become a critical advantage for organizations seeking to secure contracts and implement development projects to help impoverished and affected communities across the world. Discover the BidNexus app today, to secure the future of your development organization.
