Crown Agents have recently been awarded the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) Expert Advisory Call Down Services (EACDS2) Framework Contract and are responsible for delivering support under Lot 2: “Life Saving Humanitarian Work.”

The purpose of EACDS2 is to provide the FCDO and Other Government Departments (OGDs) with qualified pre-selected technical experts across a range of humanitarian and development themes to support the Government’s delivery of Official Development Assistance (ODA).  

This will include but is not limited to: 

• Programme design and development. 
• Business case development.
• Independent advice.  
• Rapid provision of individuals and technical teams to deliver specific requirements, especially in time sensitive contexts. 

It is anticipated that experts contracted and deployed under this programme will: 

• Assist FCDO in supporting countries in need following natural disasters or political instability. 
• Provide technical development expertise quickly and efficiently. 
• Provide rapid, quality assured and short-term technical expertise to support the design (and delivery) of humanitarian and development programmes.  

We have been implementing EACDS2 since March 2023. We are leading a consortium of 16 well-respected and widely experienced humanitarian partners.

Geographically, it is anticipated that support may be required across the 71 countries where the FCDO and OGDs work, including those in fragile and conflict affected states (FCAS). Experts that are deployed will often work in difficult and some of the most complex environments around the world.  

Crown Agents and the consortium partners provide expert advisory capacity covering the 12 thematic areas: 

• Social Protection
• Climate and Nature
• Health and Nutrition
• Food
• Risk Financing / Insurance
• Education
• Early Warning
• Conflict Prevention / Analysis / Peacebuilding
• Rule of Law / Human Rights / Access to Justice
• Democracy / Governance / Strengthening Political Process and Institutions / Open Government and Transparency
• Disaster Risk Reduction
• Digital Cash Transfers

Experts are drawn from Crown Agents and our consortium partner’s rosters of specialists in these areas. However, the skillset of our experts goes beyond this and means that through our long-standing experience in humanitarian and development contexts, we can also provide experts in thematic areas outside of the list. 

In order for call downs to provide a holistic approach, the delivery of support will also require mainstreaming issues such as: 

• Digitalisation  
• Innovation 
• Science and technology 
• Gender 
• Disability and inclusion 
• Politics and Political economy  
• Monitoring 
• Governance 
• Conflict and resilience to crises