We have analyzed the individual consulting assignments published during April 2026. What has changed compared to March? Overall, demand stalled, Africa-based roles continued to increase, while the Asian Development Bank is no longer the entity offering the most consultancy opportunities for individuals.
With 2123 open calls registered on our tender database, April is the first month since we started tracking these numbers in November 2025 that the procurement of individual consulting assignments stalled, with a 0% change compared to March.
In this monthly analysis, we present an in-depth look at what the tendering market looks like for development consultants right now, including actionable insights on regional differences, the key donors, and the sectors in most demand.
Table I – Five consultancy assignments open to individual consultants in April 2026.
How are individual consultant opportunities evolving?
Since November 2025, we have published the trends in individual consultancy opportunities in the development sector every month, based on those posted on DevelopmentAid’s database – the largest in international development.
Insight #1: 73% of the individual tenders are located in Asia and Africa
Asia and Africa continue to dominate the regional podium when it comes to freelance opportunities for development experts. However, for the past two months, these continents have experienced different trends:
- Asia: Two consecutive months of a slight reduction in opportunities.
- Africa: New monthly tenders issued grew by between 10 and 20%.
The number of consulting assignments available for natural individuals also increased in North America, but this region still has the fewest external roles available.
Table II – Number of tenders published in April 2026 for individual consultants per continent.
This table also displays the variation (in %) in the number of tenders compared to our last analysis in March 2026. Data collected by Sofia Oliveira from the DevelopmentAid’s database. Note: tenders can be based on multiple continents.
Insight #2: 97% of procurement calls seek consulting services
Traditionally, when it comes to assignments, the bulk of procurement opportunities for individuals involve consultancy services. However, openings in other categories, such as providing goods, works, and non-consulting services, have risen since March, although they still represent only 3% of the total number of tenders for individual consultants published in April 2026.
Table III – Number of tenders published in April 2026 for individual consultants per category.
This table also displays the variation (in %) in the number of tenders compared to our last analysis in March 2026. Data collected by Sofia Oliveira from the DevelopmentAid’s database. Note: tenders can span over more than one category.
Insight #3: 20% of contractor roles are related to the environment
Despite the unstable geopolitical context and the recent funding cuts announced by top donors, environment remains the sector with the highest demand for development consultants, with 428 tenders published during April 2026.
Similarly, education & training remain in second place with 347 consultant roles related to this sector. However, in April, with 313 opportunities, IT & engineering unseated finance as the third sector in most demand.
Besides these top procurement sectors, marketing & communication experienced a sharp increase in demand over the last month and that should be on your radar:
Marketing & communications: 230 consulting assignments for natural persons were published in April, a 25% jump compared to March.
Table IV – Number of tenders published in April 2026 for individual consultants per sector.
Only the three sectors with the most published tenders are shown. This table also displays the variation (in %) in the number of tenders compared to our last analysis in March 2026. Data collected by Sofia Oliveira from the DevelopmentAid’s database. Note: tenders can be classified into more than one sector.
Insight #4: Fundraising & grants represent 1% of opportunities
Compared to the analysis undertaken in March, the bottom three sectors did not change, although two moved position with nonprofit-specific assignments for individuals increasing by 31%, surpassing the transportation sector in this ranking. And once again, fundraising & grants featured the fewest opportunities for external development experts.
Table V – Number of tenders published in April 2026 for individual consultants per sector.
Only the three sectors with the least tenders are shown. This table also displays the variation (in %) in the number of tenders compared to our last analysis in March 2026. Data collected by Sofia Oliveira from the DevelopmentAid’s database. Note: tenders can be classified into more than one sector.
Insight #5: NGOs and the United Nations issued 37% of all consultancy opportunities in April
For the first time since the beginning of 2026, the Asian Development Bank is no longer the top issuer of consultancy opportunities for individuals. In April, first place was taken by various nonprofit organizations that published 427 assignments for individuals. The United Nations Organizations ranked second with 368 calls for individual consultants, followed by the Asian Development Bank with 301 tenders posted.
Table VI – Top 5 funding agencies with the largest number of tenders for individual consultants published in April 2026.
This table also displays the variation (in %) in the number of tenders compared to our last analysis in March 2026. Data collected by Sofia Oliveira from the DevelopmentAid’s database.
What should you do next?
Turn this month’s insights into immediate action:
- Narrow your focus: pick one or two top organizations and tailor your application, portfolio, and tender proposal template to match what they are seeking. You can have a look at DevelopmentAid’s tender database to find their most recent tenders and work from there.
- Set a weekly application submission target with between five and ten proposals being a good, realistic goal.
- Create a simple tracking system: it doesn’t have to be fancy, a simple spreadsheet will suffice.
- Stay alert to new assignments: register on the DevelopmentAid platform and set up Tender Alerts for your relevant sectors.
- Keep working on your visibility: update your DevelopmentAid and LinkedIn profiles.
