In December 2025, the DevelopmentAid database contained more than 1,600 open tenders for individual consultants working in the development sector. While Environment remains the sector with the most demand, there were some notable shifts in terms of the regions, fields, and contracting organizations with the most offers for consultants. Read this article to discover what has changed since our previous analysis in November 2025.
Individual consultants play a key role in international development, and this month’s statistics are yet more evidence of exactly that. In December 2025, the number of open contract roles published on our tender database (the largest in the world) increased by 77% compared to the previous month to reach a total of 1,604 calls.
Table I – Five tenders eligible for applications by individual consultants that were published and open in December 2025.
A brief update on the methodology used in this analysis
For 2026, we have updated the methods employed for our individual tender analysis articles. Previously, the analysis included all tenders for individual consultants that were marked as ‘open’ on one given day of the month, which was chosen at random. However, we found that this approach underestimated the number of monthly open calls available on our database. So, from this article onwards, we will apply extra filters to select all tenders that are open to individual consultants published during a given month and marked as either open or closed at the time of data collection. This will ensure that if a tender is published, for example, on December 1 and closes on December 15, it will still be considered in the monthly analysis. In previous articles, the data collection would usually be undertaken on or after the 20th of the month, which means the tender in this example as well as others in similar circumstances, would have been excluded from the analytical overview.
By updating our methods, we aim to deliver more accurate insights to our community about procurement in the development sector. However, this change in method will hinder comparisons with previous data and our readers should be aware this could artificially inflate the percentages of increase featured in this article.
Did you miss our previous tender insight articles?
You are reading the fourth article in our tender analysis series. Check our archive to gain a deeper insight into how tendering is evolving in the development sector:
Top consulting opportunities in the aid sector in November 2025
A detailed review of all open tenders available to individual consultants during November 2025, covering +900 freelance contracts.
Exclusive: Development sector funding trends in May 2025
An updated overview of all open tenders (both for individuals and organizations) in May 2025, looking at +5,500 opportunities and offering some early trend analysis.
Tenders for the development sector: exclusive insights from February 2025
An in-depth analysis of all open tenders (both for individuals and organizations) during February 2025, covering a total of +5,000 calls.
Insight #1: 51% of published tenders for individual consultants are based in Asia
In December 2025, there were quite a few changes in terms of regional ranking:
- Asia took the lead with 812 tenders, representing 51% of all calls for individual consultants published that month.
- Africa dropped to second place, but the number of tenders still increased by 22% compared to November 2025.
- Latin America and the Caribbean surpassed Europe, making it the third-placed region with the most tender opportunities for international development freelancers.
Number of tenders published in December 2025 for individual consultants per continent. This table also shows the variation (in %) in the number of tenders compared to our previous analysis in November 2025. Data collected by Sofia Oliveira from the DevelopmentAid’s database. Note: tenders can be based in multiple regions.
Insight #2: Procurement of consulting services dominates the market
Similarly to what was found in our November’s analysis, consulting services constitute the majority of tender requests available to individual consultants in the development sector. Even with the increase in the total number of tenders, most of this extra demand was strictly focused on consulting services.
Number of open tenders published in December 2025 for individual consultants by category. This table also shows the variation (in %) in the number of tenders compared to our previous analysis in November 2025. Data collected by Sofia Oliveira from the DevelopmentAid’s database. Note: tenders can span over more than one category.
Insight #3: Environment remains the sector with the highest demand
Environment and IT & Engineering remained the sectors with the most demand for individual consultants in December 2025, with 300 and 268 calls published, respectively. However, this month, Finances surpassed Education to become the third sector with the most open contracts for individuals, standing at 223 calls.
Number of open tenders published in December 2025 for individual consultants by sector. Only the three sectors with the most tenders published are shown. This table also displays the variation (in %) in the number of tenders compared to our previous analysis in November 2025. Data collected by Sofia Oliveira from the DevelopmentAid’s database. Note: tenders can be classified into more than one sector.
Insight #4: Fundraising and grants – the sector with the least demand
The bottom of the sector ranking did not change compared to our previous analysis in November with Youth & Child Welfare, Nonprofit, and Fundraising & Grants remaining those with the fewest tender procedures published.
Number of tenders published in December 2025 for individual consultants by sector. Only the three sectors with the least published tenders are shown. This table also displays the variation (in %) in the number of tenders compared to our previous analysis in November 2025. Data collected by Sofia Oliveira from the DevelopmentAid’s database. Note: tenders can be classified into more than one sector.
Insight #5: The Asian Development Bank leads the funding for individual consultant tenders
Top 5 funding agencies with the largest number of open tenders for individual consultants published in December 2025. This table also displays the variation (in %) in the number of tenders compared to our previous analysis in November 2025, except for the International Labour Organization which did not feature in our November’s top 5. Data collected by Sofia Oliveira from the DevelopmentAid’s database.
Final thoughts
Finding regular work throughout the year is a common challenge that individual consultants face. How can you find client work for March if you are fully booked in January and February?
When working solo, consultants are responsible for their own sales, marketing, accounting, tax filing, and so on. Juggling all these tasks together with the actual work can be challenging, especially for those professionals just starting a career as freelance consultants. Identifying the bottlenecks – the tasks that take the most time – and finding the right tools to support you with those could make a huge difference to your independent consultant career. And that’s where platforms like DevelopmentAid come in.
DevelopmentAid provides near-real-time information on the development sector, including an extensive database of jobs and tenders for individual consultants. You can set up filters and email alerts, enabling the tool to undertake the first stage of screening for you, ultimately saving you a great deal of precious time. Start saving time today, become a DevelopmentAid member, and subscribe to our weekly news digest.
See also: More related tips on How individual consultants can find and be found by clients
