Company Profile

About the firm

Development Associates A/S was established in January 1999 and is owned by ten partners. In addition to partners a group of highly professional associates are attached to the company.

Development Associates A/S is an independent consultancy firm and is not influenced by any commercial or political interests. The company's aim is to promote effective and sustainable development practice and to build management capacity for economic growth and social justice.

Development Associates A/S has a strong commitment to developing and benefiting from the capacity of the people with whom we work. We make a real effort to utilise the synergy of national and international expertise and to establish close co-operation with national consultants, other professionals, officials and decision makers.

Capabilities

The capability of Development Associates A/S builds on:

The wide experience and proven track record of Development Associates A/S with its inventory of high profile jobs.
The record of the partners and associates, which for most of them comprises at least 20 years of working experience in developing and emerging economies within the activities and sectors supported by our services.
A permanent core of highly motivated professional staff.
A strong network of co-operation with national and international consulting firms, institutions and individual professionals. This network is available to Development Associates A/S for consultancy assignments, professional back-up and quality assurance.

Between them, the staff have conducted more than 580 short and long term assignments in Africa, the Middle East, Asia, the Pacific, Eastern Europe and the CIS, South and Central America and the Caribbean. The geographical experience covers more than 70 countries.

Code of Ethics

Clearly stated ethical principles of business conduct and their practice help maintain good standing in the global community. Throughout its history, Development Associates A/S has enjoyed a reputation for high standards of consulting excellence, business integrity, and the strength of its commitment to clients, employees and other stakeholders.

In particular Development Associates is committed to fully comply with the OECD Anti corruption Instruments and Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. Consequently Development Associates will strive to:

Contribute to economic, social and environmental progress with a view to achieving sustainable development.
Respect the human rights of those affected by their activities consistent with the host government’s international obligations and commitments.
Encourage local capacity development through close co-operation with the local community, including business interests, as well as Development Associates’ activities in domestic and foreign markets, consistent with the need for sound commercial practice.
Encourage human capital formation, in particular by creating employment opportunities and facilitating training opportunities for employees.
Refrain from seeking or accepting exemptions not contemplated in the statutory or regulatory framework related to environmental, health, safety, labour, taxation, financial incentives, or other issues.
Support and uphold good corporate governance principles and develop and apply good corporate governance practices.
Develop and apply effective self-regulatory practices and management systems that foster a relationship of confidence and mutual trust between Development Associates and the societies in which it operate.
Promote employee awareness of, and compliance with, company policies through appropriate dissemination of these policies, including through training programmes.
Refrain from discriminatory or disciplinary action against employees who make bona fide reports to management or, as appropriate, to the competent public authorities, on practices that contravene the law, the Guidelines for multinational enterprises or the enterprise’s policies.
Encourage, where practicable, business partners, including suppliers and subcontractors, to apply principles of corporate conduct compatible with the OECD Guidelines for multinational enterprises .
Abstain from any improper involvement in local political activities.

Business Integrity Management System of Development Associates A/S

The Board of Directors and senior management of Development Associates A/S are fully committed to implementation of its Business Integrity Management System. Development Associates has clearly stated principles of business conduct and practices. Throughout its history, Development Associates A/S has enjoyed a reputation for high standards of consulting excellence, business integrity, and for the strength of its commitment to clients, employees, partners and other stakeholders. The efforts of Development Associates A/S are carried out with the basis in its Business Integrity Management System that includes three elements:

a) A Code of Conduct;

b) A Business Integrity Management Policy, and

c) Implementation of the Business Integrity Management System.

The Code of Conduct and the Business Integrity Management Policy are fully in accordance with the guidelines prepared by the International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC). Furthermore, The Code of Conduct is in accordance with the OECD Convention Against Bribery and the UN Convention against Corruption. The Business Integrity Management System is complementary to and in full accordance with the Code of Ethics of Development Associates A/S.

CODE OF CONDUCT

The Code of Conduct described below is the goals we, the partners and the employees of Development Associates A/S, seek to meet in our duties as consulting service providers:

Social responsibility

Development Associates A/S accepts continuing responsibility for its consulting services before its clients and the society.

Development Associates A/S shall continuously contribute to the benefit of its clients and society through knowledge development aimed at improving effectiveness. Development Associates A/S focuses on knowledge management as a working methodology, and shall extend to its clients the benefits of its professional achievements.

Sustainability is included as a permanent goal in every project assignment carried out by Development Associates A/S.

Quality of service

Development Associates A/S only undertakes project assignments within its areas of expertise, where it has the capabilities to deliver efficient and effective services to its clients.

Development Associates A/S is committed to providing high quality services to its clients. Development Associates A/S has its focus on Quality Management as a working methodology, and on permanent improvement as a means to improve the service quality.

Development Associates A/S is committed to the continuing improvement of its knowledge base, abilities and tools in its area of expertise.

Objectivity of Development Associates A/S

Development Associates A/S will act with loyalty to its clients, and will maintain the confidentiality of any information from the client that is obtained in the process of performing its services. Development Associates A/S will also keep documents and reports prepared for a client confidential.

Development Associates A/S shall avoid any conflict of interest, and will inform a client beforehand of any potential conflict of interest that could emerge during the execution of consulting services.

Development Associates A/S only offers its services under contracting terms that do not interfere with its independence, integrity and objectivity.

Development Associates A/S will not accept any remuneration that could encourage the firm to offer a biased opinion.

Corporate integrity

Development Associates A/S only solicits consulting work and participates in private or public competitive bidding under the highest standards of corporate ethics and competitive practices, and with total integrity in its transactions.

Development Associates A/S will act at all times for the benefit of clients, and will carry out services with professional integrity, while not jeopardising the interests of society.

Development Associates’s promotional activities and its services will uphold the dignity and reputation of the industry. Brochures, leaflets, web sites and other formal documents and ways describing resources, experience, work and reputation, will reflect Development Associates A/S’s actual circumstances in a truthful manner.

Development Associates´s internal and external affairs shall be managed with full integrity. Development Associates A/S focuses on Business Integrity Management as a working methodology, consistent with the dignity of the knowledge-based consulting industry.

Competition

Development Associates A/S favours Quality Based Selection for the contracting of its services.

If solicited to review the work performed by another consultant firm, Development Associates A/S will act in accordance with its business integrity and objectivity policies.

Development Associates A/S does not endorse compensation or contribution arrangements destined to influence or secure consulting work, nor seek commissions from suppliers of equipment and services recommended to the client as part of the firm’s consulting services.

Development Associates A/S shall not take part in activities that could damage the reputation or the business of others.

Corruption

Development Associates A/S shall neither offer nor accept remuneration of any kind which in perception or in effect either seeks to influence the process of selection or compensation.

BUSINESS INTEGRITY MANAGEMENT POLICY

The Business Integrity Management Policy, described below, is the business integrity goals Development Associates A/S as a business organisation will meet when carrying out its duties on behalf of its clients.

When carrying out its professional duties Development Associates A/S will:

Not offer, nor give in to demands to pay public officials or the employees of business partners any portion of a contract payment. We will not use subcontracts, purchase orders or consulting agreements as means of channelling payments to public officials, to employees of business partners or to their relatives or business associates.

Ensure that remuneration of agents is appropriate and for legitimate services only. Where relevant, a list of agents employed in connection with transactions with public bodies and state-owned enterprises will be kept and made available to competent authorities.

Enhance the transparency of its activities in the fight against bribery and extortion. This may include making public commitments against bribery and extortion. Development Associates A/S will also foster openness and dialogue with the public so as to promote its awareness of and co-operation with the fight against bribery and extortion.

Not engage in threatening any public official or private client, his family or property in order to influence selection or compensation procedures, or the execution of an assignment.

Not engage in the misrepresentation of data, factors or qualifications to meet the terms of contract during the selection or execution of a project, or during the distribution of project funds.

Not engage in actions among bidders designed to influence the bidding process and prevent the client from conducting a fair and open process.

Not make illegal contributions to candidates for public office or to political parties or to other political organisations. Contributions will fully comply with public disclosure requirements and will be reported to senior management.

IMPLEMENTATION OF BUSINESS INTEGRITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

The senior management, answerable to the Board of Directors of Development Associates A/S is responsible for implementation of the Business Integrity Management System.

Implementation of the Business Integrity Management System of Development Associates A/S includes:

Promoting employee awareness of and compliance with policies of Development Associates A/S against bribery and extortion through appropriate dissemination of these policies and disciplinary procedures.

Ensuring that all business processes, including marketing, project execution, collection of fees, accounting and financial statements are covered by the Business Integrity Management System.

Adoption of management control systems that discourage bribery and corrupt practices, and adopt financial and tax accounting and auditing practices that prevent the establishment of off the books or secret accounts or the creation of documents which do not properly and fairly record the transactions to which Development Associates A/S relate.

The tools of the Quality Assurance Management System of Development Associates A/S, including record keeping and documentation, will be used for the implementation of the Business Integrity Management System.

A declaration on business integrity will be included in the annual report.

A first part evaluation of the Business Integrity Management System will be carried out when required.

Occupational health and environment

The company cares for the environment, and the office premises of the company is a non-smoking area.

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