skat consulting AG

What skat consulting AG does

Skat Consulting AG is a Swiss employee-owned international development consultancy founded in 1978 by the University of St. Gallen as the Swiss Centre for Customised Technologies. Headquartered in St. Gallen, the firm delivers advisory, project implementation, and facilitation services across four practice areas — Water, Energy, Building, and Governance — to bilateral and multilateral donors, national and local governments, NGOs, and private-sector clients. It operates in more than 100 countries and maintains permanent offices in St. Gallen, Moldova, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Ukraine, and Rwanda.

The firm's service portfolio spans integrated water resources management (most visibly the multi-phase IWRM-K Programme in Kosovo), renewable energy and energy efficiency advisory, sustainable building and post-conflict reconstruction (including the Concrete Reuse for Reconstruction programme in Ukraine), and decentralised governance reform. Delivery is structured around long-duration framework mandates with institutional donors and shorter technical assignments; the firm also co-convenes knowledge platforms including the Swiss Water Partnership, the RéeAU network, and AGUASAN, which act both as delivery vehicles and as pipeline/ecosystem assets.

Skat generates revenue through fee-bearing project contracts won via competitive tenders and direct negotiation with institutional donors — primarily the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and SECO — supplemented by mandates from other bilateral and multilateral funders and from host-country governments. The company is fully owner-operated, with shares held by employees and the Board following a multi-year ownership transition completed in 2025, and operates without external shareholders. The related Skat Foundation, which had previously sat within the group, became a legally independent entity in 2021.

Name

skat consulting AG

Legal name

Skat Consulting Ltd.

Website

https://skat.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Skat Consulting AG is a Swiss employee-owned consultancy founded in 1978, delivering international development services across water, energy, building, and governance for donors, governments, and NGOs in 100+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Development Consulting

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Environmental Consulting Services (54162), Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services (541611)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Sustainability & ESG Consulting (BPAHACAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Water, Wastewater & Hydraulics Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAD), Monitoring, Evaluation, Research & Learning (MERL) (BPADAEAB), ESG Governance, Sustainability Reporting & Assurance Advisory (BPAHAFAJ), ESG, Sustainability & Impact Research (BPAHALAL), Circularity Consulting & Program Management (EPR, Design-for-Circularity, LCA) (EUAIANAH), Strategy & Corporate Development Consulting (BPAHACAA)

Keywords

• International development consulting
• Water sector advisory
• Energy climate consulting
• Governance capacity building
• Project implementation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Gallen

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Consultancy Services: SKAT generates revenue through consultancy contracts with development agencies, governments, and international organizations. Services include project implementation, technical assistance, evaluations, strategic reviews, and backstopping services.
2. Project Implementation: Long-term development projects implemented on behalf of clients such as SDC, SECO, and other bilateral agencies. Revenue derived from project management fees and technical service delivery.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

SKAT Consulting AG provides consulting, project implementation, and facilitation & innovative learning services for international development cooperation. It delivers these services across four thematic domains: Water & Environmental Services, Energy & Climate, Building, and Governance, serving bilateral and multilateral development agencies, governments, and NGOs in more than 100 countries.

Product overview

Skat Consulting Ltd. is an owner-operated Swiss consulting company with over 45 years of experience in international cooperation, specializing in Water & Environmental Services, Energy & Climate, Building & Settlements, and Governance. The company operates as a professional services firm organized around three core service offerings: Project Implementation, Consultancy, and Facilitation & Innovative Learning. Their project portfolio includes major multi-year programs such as the Integrated Water Resources Management in Kosovo (IWRM-K) Program (spanning Inception Phase, Phase 1, and Phase 2 from 2019-2029), backstopping mandates for SDC's Peace Governance Equality section and water networks (RésEAU, AGUASAN), the Swiss Water Partnership, Tajikistan Water Domain backstopping, Concrete Reuse for Reconstruction in Ukraine, and water/sanitation projects in Moldova and North Macedonia. SKAT complements its service delivery with knowledge products including Annual Reports, the Waves of Progress publication documenting IWRM-K achievements, and Zero Emissions Building China documentation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Project Implementation Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 90 farmers benefited from grants and training through IWRM-K program
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Environment Agency Austria (EAA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2024SKAT leads a consortium with Environment Agency Austria to implement the IWRM-K Program Phase 2 (2024-2029). EAA provides thematic expertise and quality control by deploying key advisors and a pool of experts as peer support to work processes of Kosovar partner institutions.
• HelvetascoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSubcontractor in the Backstopping Mandate for RésEAU cum AGUASAN, providing support for the Swiss Community of Practice on Water and Sanitation.
• Zoï Environment NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSubcontractor in the Backstopping Mandate for RésEAU cum AGUASAN.
• a-zimut consultingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration partner for backstopping support to SDC's Peace, Governance and Equality section, providing facilitation and collective learning services.
• Learning MomentscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration partner for SDC PGE backstopping, contributing to innovative facilitation and collective learning methods.
• BegegnungsreichcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration partner for SDC PGE backstopping, providing facilitation expertise.
• EPFL (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Concrete Reuse for Reconstruction project through Tech4Dev program, bringing expertise in structural exploration and circular construction approaches.
• Ukraine Waste Recycling Association (UAWRA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Concrete Reuse for Reconstruction project, providing local expertise on waste recycling in Ukraine.
• World University Services (WUS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization in IWRM-K Program inception phase.
• KEK-CDC ConsultantsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization in IWRM-K Program inception phase.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Tetra Tech International Development: Large US-based consulting firm with a dedicated international development services division focused on water, environment, and infrastructure. Broad incumbent competing for the same USAID, World Bank, and bilateral tenders as SKAT.
• Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ): Germany's federally-owned development agency delivering similar full-spectrum project implementation, consultancy, and capacity development across water, energy, and governance. Broad incumbent in the same tenders as SKAT but at vastly larger scale.
• DAI Global: International development consultancy delivering project implementation and advisory services across governance, water, and infrastructure. Broad incumbent competing for many of the same bilateral and multilateral tenders as SKAT.

Direct peers

• Swisscontact: Swiss non-profit foundation delivering development consulting with a focus on economic development, vocational training, and sustainability. Direct peer given shared Swiss heritage, SDC/SECO funding base, and owner-operated governance structure.
• Skat Foundation: Formerly affiliated entity (operated independently since 2021) hosting the Rural Water Supply Network and conducting knowledge management in WASH. Direct peer given shared heritage, continued project collaboration, and overlapping thematic expertise.
• SNV Netherlands Development Organisation: Dutch non-profit development consultancy with comparable WASH, renewable energy, and governance programming in Asia and Africa. Direct peer in thematic scope, client base (bilateral agencies), and project implementation model.
• Environment Agency Austria (EAA): Austrian federal environment agency and direct consortium partner on IWRM-K Program Phase 2 with overlapping IWRM and water governance expertise. Direct peer given joint delivery model on flagship program.
• Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation: Swiss-headquartered international development consultancy with comparable water, governance, and rural development mandates. Direct peer given shared Swiss development cooperation heritage, similar SDC/SECO client base, and overlapping thematic focus on WASH and governance.

Emerging players

• IRC WASH: Dutch-based specialist in WASH sector capacity development and systems strengthening, closely overlapping SKAT's RésEAU/AGUASAN backstopping and IWRM work. Comparable niche peer in water and sanitation systems.
• WaterAid: International WASH-focused NGO delivering programming across water, sanitation, and hygiene. Comparable in WASH thematic focus though operates as an implementing NGO rather than a consultancy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/SkatConsulting
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/skat-consulting-ltd-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about skat consulting AG