Founded in 1998 and based in Munich, BiRD is an independent and privately owned consulting firm that provides bespoke consulting and project management services in the field of development cooperation. Its primary field of activity covers key aspects of democratic governance and institutional strengthening in developing and emerging nations. Working for bi- and multilateral donors, the firm has implemented projects in many parts of the world, with a specific focus on Sub-Saharan Africa. BiRD was one of the first companies to explicitly specialise in the increasingly important governance sector, and has gradually moved from short-term missions to managing larger-scale technical assistance projects. Today, the company’s services include the full project cycle, including monitoring and evaluation.