The scope of work includes system design, supply chain strengthening, strategy, process improvement, and organisational design. Clients are typically Donor organisations including the World Bank and United Nations Development Programme; Foundation organisations including the Shell Foundation; and Non Governmental Organisations including CARE, Oxfam and ActionAid.
Accenture Development Partnerships is governed by a board of trustees and provides:
- Access to Accenture's people, knowledge, brand and global network through an innovative non-profit business model. During the course of a project, skills are transferred to local communities thereby avoiding long-term dependency.
- Partnership facilitation to bring the power of the international business community to development challenges. Accenture has adopted an innovative approach in creating a business model for ADP that successfully balances its internal economics with a realistic pricing structure for the development market.
- Focussed efforts in areas of greatest need and least access.
Its success lies in its inherent self-sustainability, low cost base, and its not-for-profit administration. This is achieved through a three way contribution comprising sponsorship from Accenture who provide consultants at marginal cost, free of profit and overhead; contribution from employees through a voluntary salary reduction (50%) and contribution from clients through the payment of fees, which are set at a fraction of usual commercial market rates.
Other resources available to ADP include a support network called "Friends of ADP". This network was established in 2005 to broaden employee involvement. While on ADP assignments, employees are subject to Accenture's standard performance management processes. Performance expectations are the same as for a commercial client and have an equal bearing on the individual's compensation and promotion prospects when they return to the business.
