Dear Members and Friends,
Preparing for the holidays comes alongside planning for the New Year. If this year is anything to go by, 2025 will be another full of surprises and events which shouldn’t take us by surprise as much as they probably will. At BEI our aim is to help our members to keep upstream of both the challenges and opportunities, and ensure that we can turn the one into the other. Having had responsibility in the past for a number of corporate memberships, I know that members have a choice: our aim for BEI is always to be a “must have” membership which provides the forum for networks and collaborations that help British expertise to compete and win wherever you are working. We can only do this by working seamlessly with our many Government and international stakeholders, not telling anyone how to do their jobs but making ourselves useful to those we want as our partners. We also want our stakeholders to see us as “must have” partners.
What does this mean for the new year? Business as usual only cuts it up to a point, as in the world out there business is not as usual. We will continue to have a strong focus on climate, but also increasingly on nature. Conscious of the gaps in public finance, we aim to expand our networks in the financial sector where a dialogue between our members, banks and funds can support a better understanding of opportunity and risk. We will keep close to FCDO as the new Procurement Act enters into force and the Foreign Secretary’s reviews – not just on international development, but also on the overlapping themes of economic diplomacy and diplomatic impact – are published, consulted on and developed.
We will continue to work with other bilateral and multilateral donors in parallel; we have plans to expand further our multilateral network in 2025 and will keep our eye on changing priorities among bilateral donors.We will be looking at creative ways to ensure that the vital contribution of our members in international development is better understood not just within FCDO but also more widely among policy influencers across the spectrum. This includes the contribution in supporting ambitious localisation combined with the accountability which is indispensable to retaining legitimacy. There are also many good examples to be highlighted of where bilateral UK programmes can uniquely support both economic growth and the Foreign Secretary’s soft power agenda, alongside UK contributions to the multilateral agencies. Working with our sister organisation British Foreign Policy Group, we will step up our work with members and stakeholders on how public opinion impacts policy decisions – Ministers and officials care about this, and so should we.
A look at the global economic map shows how many of the most exciting opportunities in the coming years will be in the fast-growing emerging economies, including Central, South and South-East Asia and the Gulf, where our networks in country and among the London Embassies and High Commissions are already strong. We will be looking to find and develop more opportunities in infrastructure and education/training in many of these markets. We will continue to work with DBT as the new Government develops its trade programmes with growth as the top priority. Our involvement will to some extent reflect DBT’s strategy: supporting our members in DBT priority markets and filling in the gaps in where DBT is less present. We are always open to members’ suggestions as to markets where we can help. One clear DBT priority is supporting SMEs. Putting practical connectivity in place can benefit both SMEs and primes: we are working on ways to add more value in this space too.
Back to this week. On Wednesday we hosted, in partnership with DBT and also including UKEF, an event on Opportunities to Partner With Leading EPC Contractors Working in Africa, in preparation for the February 2025 Roadshow covering infrastructure and related sub-sectors. The speakers shared an overview of the contractors' profiles, anticipated outcomes for the Roadshow, and how to register and maximize engagement. The Roadshow is an exclusive opportunity for UK businesses to gain insights into a range of major infrastructure projects to be delivered across Africa, to promote their capabilities and to have initial conversations with EPC contractors about their procurement requirements with a view to learning how to join their vendor lists and establish new business relationships. Members can register an interest here.
Also on Wednesday, EBRD colleagues outlined the structure of their Ukraine Project Preparation Facility, which is part of the new Ukraine Project Preparation Framework being mobilised in 2025 by EBRD, EIB and World Bank in 2025 with funding from multiple bilateral donors. Some 125 priority projects have been selected by the Government of Ukraine using the World Bank’s robust methodology, with the project pipeline to be be divided between EBRD, EIB and World Bank. EBRD’s PPU currently supports around 100 projects per annum; with another 30-40 projects expected to be added under the Ukraine Project Preparation Facility, they will be seeking external resource, in the form of consultants, to support project preparation. Our speakers encouraged members to register on EBRD’s SMART platform in order to learn about opportunities as soon as they are live.
Looking ahead, I know a number of our members will be interested in the DBT Infrastructure Trade Mission to Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan on 20-26 February, with a particular focus on digital construction, urban development and sustainable/green buildings, all relevant to the major construction projects under way in both countries. The mission programme will include UK Future Places conference in Almaty, the UK-Uzbek Infrastructure Business event, participation in the UzBuild exhibition and the International Conference on the Construction Industry in Tashkent, alongside the usual networking networking opportunities. You are invited to express an interest by completing DBT’s questionnaire by 3 January.
For members with an interest in CPTPP, its value has the potential to grow as the group expands. Now that Costa Rica is negotiating membership, DBT is keen to understand the views of UK business on whether, and on what terms, the country should be invited to join. Details can be found in this Information Note; you can submit views and evidence here by 24 January.
Our next newsletter will appear on 10 January, with the programme for the following weeks. In the meantime, information on our events will of course be available on our website as usual.
Thank you again to all our members and partners for all your support throughout the year. I hope you enjoy a well-deserved break and look forward to working with you in 2025.
David Landsman
Executive Chairman
British Expertise International
Recordings of recent past events:
- 14th November 2024: Morocco – Market Opportunity Overview
- 14th November 2024: COP16 Outcomes
- 26th November 2024: India – Opportunities in Disaster Risk Resilience
- 27th November 2024: Education Working Group | AI in Digital Assessment
- 28th November 2024: Working with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), Australia
- 3rd December 2024: India Education Deep Dive with the Department for Business and Trade
- 5th December 2024: COP29 Outcomes
- 11th December 2024: Opportunities to Partner With Leading EPC Contractors Working in Africa
- 11th December 2024: The EBRD Ukraine Project Preparation Facility
Key events coming up include the following:
- 16th January 2025 09:30 – 11:00 GMT: AI and Innovation in International Development - Join us for a webinar discussion on AI and Innovation in ID, with speakers from Accenture Development Partnerships and UCL Consultants. The panel will offer insights into the potential and risks of Gen AI in a development context, as well as the role of Research and Development (R&D) in ensuring innovation in this space.
- 16th January 2025 12:00 – 13:00 GMT: Water Resilience Working Group - The UK has a distinctive offer and world-leading expertise in sustainable and climate-resilient water services. This group, in partnership with the UK government, IFIs and other key stakeholders, aims to define that offer and leverage it to increase exports.
- 28th January 2025 16:00 – 19:00 GMT: Climate Change Networking Evening - Join us for an evening of thought-provoking conversation, potential new partnerships and the chance to meet with members of our Climate Change Working Group. Our keynote speaker this time is Kate Hargreaves, DAI’s new Director for Climate and Environment. Kate’s work reflects a holistic approach to tackling the climate crisis, combining technological innovation, financial strategy, community involvement, and social equity.
- 5th February 2025 09:00 – 10:30 GMT: Philippines - Market Opportunity Overview - With a young workforce and ongoing reforms, the Philippines offer abundant opportunities for UK organisations across infrastructure, energy, and technology. The DBT Manila team alongside the regional UKEF representative will bring insights on the latest developments in the UK-Philippines bilateral relationship, and some of the key business opportunities.
- 27th February 2025 16:00 – 19:00 GMT: Climate Change Networking Evening - Join us for an evening of thought-provoking conversation, potential new partnerships and the chance to meet with members of our Climate Change Working Group. Our keynote speaker this time is Andy Blackhall, Managing Director of WRc. Andy will reflect on his career and his hopes for the future.
External Events:
- 25th & 26th February 2025:World Water Tech Innovation Summit - The World Water-Tech Innovation Summit is the premier networking event for water leaders, investors and innovators to share and showcase best practice in delivering climate-resilient, energy-efficient water systems. The summit returns to London on February 25-26, 2025, bringing together forward-thinking water utilities, regulators, engineering firms, investors and start-ups from around the world for two days of pivotal discussions, partnership building, and innovation discovery.
- 11th & 12th March 2025: 4th UN International Procurement Seminar with the United Nations at the UN City, Copenhagen. This two-day seminar will include panel discussions, presentations from the UN Agencies and inform suppliers about procurement needs, procedures and how to do business with the UN. There is also a unique opportunity to request 1-2-1 meetings with the 10 participating Agencies & 2 Development Banks.
- 7th & 8th May 2025: Global Leakage Summit - The premier event for the international leakage community to listen, learn, and build relationships, tackling the toughest challenges together. Join presenters and panelists from leading UK and international water companies, and explore the latest technologies, data innovations, and software solutions from our exhibitors. In the face of climate change and record-high global investment in leakage management, this two-day conference promises a world-class knowledge-sharing program and invaluable networking opportunities.
- 3rd - 5th September 2025, KazBuild 2025, Kazakhstan: Stand booking is now open for international exhibitors at KazBuild exhibition in Kazakhstan - the largest international building and interiors exhibition in Kazakhstan, annually welcoming over 7,000 specialist trade visitors to the show. KazBuild will be held 3-5 September 2025 in Almaty, the biggest city of Kazakhstan. Held since 1994, the exhibition showcases the latest products, services, technologies, and projects available on the market, and provides a key platform for governmental and building industry professionals to exchange experiences, establish cooperation and share the latest industry developments. Please contact Mrs. Tatyana Borodikhina by email: tatyana.borodikhina@exhibitions-conferences.com to learn more about how KazBuild can help to establish your business in Kazakhstan.
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