Firm: PwC
Type of Work: Significantly Discounted Work
Client: International Rescue Committee (IRC)
Close to 60 million people around the world have been uprooted as a result of war, conflict and persecution. The International Rescue Committee works to help these refugees survive and recover. Recently, PwC engaged in an assignment to help the IRC improve its IT strategy. PwC's initial engagement was to help the IRC rationalize, define and improve its IT strategy so that it supported its business strategy.
Steve Bailey, a Manager with PwC says that core to PwC's purpose "to build trust in society and solve important problems" is to engage with organizations that are on the front lines of solving some of the world's toughest issues. "We seek to leverage the time, talents and expertise of our 41,000 people in the U.S. to make a meaningful impact where it matters most," he says.
Recently, PwC engaged in an assignment to help the International Rescue Committee (IRC) improve its IT strategy. The IRC, one of the largest NGOs in the world, responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. At work in over 40 countries and 25 U.S. cities to restore safety, dignity and hope, the IRC leads the way from harm to home.
The IRC has experienced tremendous growth in recent years due in large part to the substantial rise in refugees worldwide. Today, the IRC operates with $670 million in expenditures, employs more than 15,000, and services nearly 18 million people. This is mostly on the front lines of the Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa, providing health care, infrastructure, learning and economic support, says David Miliband, President of IRC.
Enterprise technology systems are critical to providing proper aid in the most efficient, effective way possible, as well as scaling the work to reach the neediest around the world. Yet, IRC's growth outpaced its systems, technology platforms and IT organization's ability to effectively support those in the field, Bailey says.
PwC's initial engagement, done on a pro bono basis, was to help the IRC rationalize, define and improve its IT strategy so that it supported its business strategy. Initially PwC's focus was to help the IRC focus on seven key initiatives that were most impactful to its field offices, which in turn, helped it impact those it serves. The engagement team connected with all 40 country directors, including site visits in Jordan and Turkey, to understand the challenges faced by those on the front lines.
"Visiting an IRC field office was a profound experience," says Bailey. "I came home feeling certain that if our PwC project could help them be safer, faster, or more productive, it would be the most meaningful consulting work of my career."
What was learned from those efforts helped to form recommendations around the IRC's financial systems, grant management processes, global supply chain efficiency and IT security risk, Bailey says. Since that initial engagement, PwC has continued to support the efforts of the IRC, including implementation of some of the recommendations identified in the first phase.
Additionally, PwC is providing on-the-ground personnel support as IRC's team continues to grow and requires assistance in their acclimation.
"It has never been more vital that we support our staff in the field with an infrastructure that alleviates the enormous pressure that has come with the major growth in demand for our services. Working with PwC has raised our standards and brought clarity and focus to the IRC leadership team, which will bring about the changes this organization so urgently needs," IRC's Miliband says.
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