We make our greatest contribution to sustainability through the performance of our projects. We take this responsibility seriously. From the outset of any project, we seek ways to turn it into an opportunity for growth and to maximize sustainable outcomes for the environment and local community.
Through continuous dialogue with our clients we not only examine the specific needs and challenges of a project, we look at those of the wider context: at regional, market, society, and organizational level. We then draw on our global experience and knowledge to look at the project holistically, integrate all aspects, and transform constraints into opportunities — thereby creating real value from sustainability.
Seeking opportunities for innovation
We work with our clients to create value by saving time and cost, optimizing performance, reducing risk and increasing certainty, and enhancing resilience.
We use unconventional measures of value alongside traditional cost-benefit assessment criteria. We create opportunities for employment, entrepreneurialism and trade, healthcare and education, travel and leisure. We stimulate regeneration and economic growth. We promote safety, health, and well-being.
All this can dramatically alter public attitudes and investment decisions, unlocking funding that might otherwise be denied.
Making an impact through the projects we work on
Around the world, in any one year, we’re working on around 15,000 projects. We’re involved in addressing many of the world’s most pressing problems and challenges:
- Providing clean water and sanitation, housing, reliable power, affordable transport, healthcare, and education for the world’s poorest people
- Mitigating the causes of climate change and enabling resilience
- Reducing waste and pollution
- Enhancing and extending the infrastructure of mature cities while paving the way for sustainable development in emerging ones
- Finding environmentally, socially, and economically acceptable ways to extract natural resources
- Managing, conserving, and regenerating habitats
- Supporting social and economic growth
Our projects have positive impacts on the lives of people across the world. Read about it in their own words
Working for better outcomes
- Competitive and transparent procurement. We drive efficiency, effectiveness, and value for money through rigorous selection, management, and auditing of delivery partners.
- Maximizing reach and benefits. We use our multidisciplinary and cross-sectoral strength to realize complementary objectives and to drive innovation in the way projects or programs are delivered.
- Investing to achieve results. We’re an employee-owned company. That means all we earn is reinvested in our people and the systems we use to deliver successful projects. This enables us to build expertise and technical capacity, and to commit to providing long-term support where it’s needed.
- Better project delivery. We bring insight into the most appropriate solutions and project delivery strategies, based on long experience in all our core sectors, including monitoring and impact assessment. We build strong and collaborative relationships with clients and stakeholders, enabling effective communication and coordination. And we bring expertise in aligning funding and expertise from diverse sources to achieve maximum impact.
- Building and sharing knowledge. We record and disseminate information internally and with our clients, stakeholders and partners to inform ongoing work and ensure that lessons are applied to bring added value on future projects.
- Local knowledge backed by global expertise. We streamline project delivery by using appropriately skilled in-country staff supported with world-class resources.
- Sustainable solutions. We balance social, economic, and environmental needs, developing appropriate programs and building local client/community skills to manage them after our involvement has ended.
All this contributes to the creation of jobs and improved opportunities for the diverse communities where we work.
We put the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals at the heart of what we do. Through our work we help deliver on the world's most pressing challenges. Our projects are planned and delivered with thought on how we can provide outcomes that are both environmentally sensitive and socially inclusive.