News
Development cooperation professionals continue to have strong confidence in working with NIRAS
The results of our annual Expert Satisfaction Survey (ESS) are in. We’re happy to see consistently high satisfaction scores among those who work with us to improve livelihoods and protect the planet around the globe
March 30, 2023
“I found NIRAS to have excellent communication, good understanding of the issues discussed, and providing optimal solution, promptness, efficiency and flexibility.”
Respondent, 2023 Expert Satisfaction Survey
Our 2023 survey went out to more than 540 development cooperation experts who worked with us in 2022. Asked how likely they would be to recommend NIRAS to others, over 400 rated us an average 8.7 out of 10. This translates to a net promoter score (NPS) of 55. For those unfamiliar with NPS, while scores relate to the business a company is in and the nationality of the respondent, it is understood that 50+ is excellent and 80+ is world class.
Some new insights
On an annual basis, we ask development consulting experts to rate their satisfaction on working with NIRAS on topics related to project management, security and integrity, and remuneration. In 2023, we made the survey available in three languages (Spanish joined the English and French versions) and added specific questions related to our International Consulting division’s mission and values.
Responses came from 408 professionals who have worked on projects implemented in more than 70 countries around the world, with 63% having worked with us for over 6 months.
Based on a top score of 5 (for strongly agree), we received 4.6 for confidence in our project management and 4.4 respectively for (1) satisfaction with the quality of our support, (2) clearly defined tasks and responsibilities, and (3) effective briefing before deployment.
Consistently good but still room to improve
As in the last survey, we asked whether respondents were aware of the NIRAS induction Sharepoint site, which provides a general introduction to NIRAS and access to policies, tools and templates, as well as our Communications Toolkit, services and newsletter. The numbers have not shifted much with on average 30-35% being aware of and using these tools. A large number expressed interest in learning more. The duty falls on us to work harder to ensure experts have access to all the support that is available.
On what they find particularly good in their cooperation with NIRAS, many pointed to professionalism, good communication and responsiveness. There was also a strong recognition of collaborative teamwork and our hardworking, committed and supportive staff, which is reflected in comments like “B is the best project manager; more than a project manager, she is the soul and mum of the project team!” and “I am especially pleased with the professionalism of the NIRAS team, their attitude to work and their interpersonal skills.”
“Within NIRAS team I feel myself to be an agent of changes, promoting democratic values and providing reforms in the EaP (East European Partnership) countries”
Respondent, 2023 Expert Satisfaction Survey
Our mission: As a values-driven consultancy company powered by a diverse team of committed professionals, we will innovate, generate solutions, and share knowledge in collaboration with peers, clients and partners.
Our values: We are Collaborative, We take Responsibility, We create Value
A new element in this year’s survey were three questions on our Mission and Values:
- From your daily work can you share any examples of NIC living its mission?
- On a scale from 1-5 do you agree NIC lives it values?
- Which of NIC Values do you find NIC honours the most, and how?
On the first question, we were really happy to read some of the responses like “I like the style of NIRAS which is greatly collaborative and emphasises knowledge sharing”, “Every day I am challenged to find innovative approaches to tasks because the management is extremely open to new ideas, new tools and everything that could set project activities apart from the competition” and “To me, NIRAS offers a safe and purpose-driven space to think creatively and also to aim towards excellency”. With a score of 4.2 out of 5 for whether we are living our values, we are on the right track but still have work to do. Clearly, experts view us as collaborative so our focus must be on living up to our other values of Taking Responsibility and Creating Value.
We also continue to ask survey participants to elaborate on improvements that could be made. From these replies, we received valuable inputs for our continued development. As in previous iterations of the survey, there has been a request for us to facilitate networking events to share experience among experts. Last year, we introduced our first webinar inviting Team Leaders to meet, learn more about NIRAS and the support we can offer, and how we can collaborate better. We are currently looking into expanding that initiative to the broader expert pool. Other recommendations stemming from the survey are under consideration.
“If I am approached by several consultancies, NIRAS is my number 1 choice. Because I know that I will be in a good hands :)”
Survey respondent
We are happy to see our high satisfaction scores have been maintained in 2023 but also that more work is needed to get to those elusive scores of high 4s or even a 5. The survey results are shared with all managers in NIRAS International Consulting, and specific feedback is given to project managers where this has been given. Our Project Management and Quality Team takes the general comments on board.
Thanks to all the experts who responded to the survey and provided important feedback on how we can further improve and continue to collaborate with professionals committed to creating a sustainable, more equal and stable world.
Speaking of which, if you are interested to join us on our journey, register at cv.niras.com
