In this exclusive analysis of 2,124 tenders for individual contractors in the development sector, you will discover which regions and sectors were in the highest demand in March 2026. We also look at the organizations funding the most opportunities among other relevant insights that you can leverage and apply directly to your own freelancing career.
In March 2026, our tender database registered 2,124 opportunities open to bidding by individual contractors — a 5% increase compared to last month. The higher demand mainly arose in Africa and Latin America, but Europe also had more opportunities available. In this article, we explore in detail the regional differences, the key donors, and the sectors advertising the most and the least roles to guide your business development strategy.
Table I – Five tenders open to individual consultants in March 2026.
Insight #1: 43% of the roles for development freelancers were based in Asia
Once again, Asia was the top location for international development consultants looking for contractor roles, with 918 procurement calls published during March 2026 representing 43% of the total. However, the number of opportunities in this region decreased by 4% compared to February 2026.
Africa — the continent with the second-highest number of calls available —showed the opposite trend, increasing by 12% compared to February data. Latin America and the Caribbean ranked third, followed by Europe, Oceania, and North America.
Table II – Number of tenders published in March 2026 for individual consultants per continent.
This table also displays the variation (in %) in the number of tenders compared to our previous analysis in February 2026. Data collected by Sofia Oliveira from the DevelopmentAid’s database. Note: tenders can be based on multiple continents.
Insight #2: 98% of individual tenders sought consulting services
Consulting services remained the category with the highest demand for individual consultants, representing a staggering 98% of all opportunities. While in March there were more tenders for individuals in the “goods” and “non-consulting services” categories than in the previous month, these opportunities are still scarce.
Table III – Number of tenders published in March 2026 for individual consultants per category.
This table also displays the variation (in %) in the number of tenders compared to our previous analysis, in February 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 were related to the environment
Environment has led the sector ranking since we began this individual tender analysis series in November 2025, and environmental-related tenders reached an all-time high in March 2026 with 421 requests for proposals representing 20% of the total. However, the top three sectors did undergo a change in position since February, with the number of freelance roles in education and training growing by 13%, lifting the sector to second place ahead of finances, which occupied that position in our previous analysis.
Table IV – Number of tenders published in March 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 previous analysis in February 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 represented 1% of the opportunities
Although the opportunities for fundraising & grants consultants has been increasing since our first analysis in November 2025, this sector has never risen from the bottom of the ranking, with March 2026 being no exception, with only 1% of calls related to this field.
As in February, the transportation and nonprofit sectors also still featured in the bottom three, although they did change places with transportation tenders rising by 19% therefore overtaking the nonprofit sector, which experienced a slight drop in the number of opportunities.
Table V – Number of tenders published in March 2026 for individual consultants per sector.
Only the three sectors with the fewest tenders are displayed. This table also displays the variation (in %) in the number of tenders compared to our previous analysis in February 2026. 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 and NGOs funded 39% of all tenders for individuals
In March 2026, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) continued to top the list for the highest demand for individual consultants’ services, accounting for 20% of the available tenders. However, compared to February’s numbers, ADB-funded tenders were slashed by 11%, which is in direct contrast with the other donors in the top 5, all of whom increased the number of calls for individuals by between 5% and 26%.
Table VI – Top 5 funding agencies with the largest number of tenders for individual consultants published in March 2026.
This table also displays the variation (in %) in the number of tenders compared to our previous analysis in February 2026. Data collected by Sofia Oliveira from the DevelopmentAid’s database.
Why are these insights relevant?
In November 2025, we launched this monthly series where we analyze all the tenders for individual contractors published on our database. The goal is to provide you with a quick glimpse into the landscape of consultancy in the development sector, so that you can use the insights gained to prioritize certain sectors or donors in an effort to maximize your bidding efficiency. How?
This analysis offers at least three insights you can apply to your freelancing career:
- You now know which five donors to follow to keep your assignment pipeline full.
- You are aware that the environment sector had the highest demand for individual consultants, enabling you to confidently double down on your current environmental consultancy offers or adapt your services to overlap into that sector.
- You have discovered which sectors are consistently at the bottom of the priority list, which gives you a heads-up when planning a timely career pivot.
Want to stay a step ahead?
DevelopmentAid provides near-real-time information on the development sector, including an extensive list of tenders for individual consultants as well as a database of jobs. You can set up filters and email alerts, enabling the tool to undertake the first stage of screening for you. Start to save time today, become a DevelopmentAid member, and also benefit from our exclusive CV-tailoring and CV-broadcast services. Do not forget to subscribe to our weekly news digest.
