40 years of DAI

the mid-1990s, DAI had begun to extend its
profile worldwide with subsidiaries like ECIAfrica
and Bannock, as well as regional offices intended
to pursue opportunities beyond USAID.
Some of those initiatives, part of DAI’s international
marketing network, faced steep challenges
and ultimately proved evanescent. The
efforts begun as part of Barclay’s 2002 “Global
Vision” were more lasting, but even then the
going was rough. DAI Brasil, for example, was
ultimately converted into a DAI project office.
For DAI Palestine, however, persistence paid
off. The Palestinian-registered and -run office
paid careful attention to its regional roots
and became an attractive vehicle for initiatives
outside the USAID channel, not only from international
donors such as the U.K. Department
for International Development but also from the
Palestinian National Authority itself. The next
global office was built on the foundation of a
familiar firm. Bannock, despite more than a decade’s
worth of patience, had never succeeded
in integrating itself into the DAI structure, nor
had it succeeded financially on its own. So in
2006, as part of the overall rebranding initiative,
Bannock was renamed DAI Europe. Over the
next two years, the firm was fully integrated into
DAI. By 2008, DAI Europe was ahead of budget
and plugged into the European aid market.
After that, under Doug McLean’s leadership,
new openings came in quick succession as
DAI erected new platforms for marketing and
contract execution closer to some of its clients.
In February 2009, the company established
DAI Jordan, building on a 20-year record in the
Kingdom. DAI built on an even deeper foundation
when it opened its office in Islamabad. With
a history in Pakistan extending back to 1982
and capitalizing on the momentum provided by
a project to strengthen local government in the
tribal areas, the company opened DAI Pakistan
in July 2009. In May 2010, ECIAfrica celebrated
the infusion of new management talent when
South African consulting firm Sangena Investments
joined the team. The most recent, but
hardly the last, piece of the puzzle went in with
the incorporation of DAI Mexico to build on a
landmark microfinance project in the Chiapas
Region.
As DAI passes the 40-year mark, it faces
some steep challenges: navigating a changing
policy environment for foreign assistance,
extending its reach into locally driven markets,
Collecting money
to support World
AIDS Day at DAI
headquarters.
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