Strategic Development Consulting

What Strategic Development Consulting does

Strategic Development Consulting (SDC) is a small, women-owned professional services firm headquartered in Skopje, North Macedonia, founded in 2007. It delivers consulting services across three core areas: good governance and decentralization, local economic development, and gender equality. Its underlying capability is a participatory methodology in which clients (typically municipalities, ministries, and civil society organizations) are embedded throughout the engagement, leaving behind trained in-house capacity once the project ends. SDC maintains a multilingual offering (Macedonian, English, Albanian) and has built a sizable publication library of handbooks, guides, and policy briefs.

The firm's client base is concentrated in Western Balkans government institutions and international donors, including USAID, GIZ, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, UN Women, the World Bank, the Austrian Development Agency, and the British Embassy Skopje. Notable engagements include the USAID North Macedonia Strengthening Resource Mobilization Activity (2021-2025), the USAID Business Ecosystem Champions Activity (2022-2026, ~$999,995), the regional Economic Inclusion and Justice for Women project led by CARE Balkans (2024), and the USAID EDGE capacity-building project covering the Western Balkans, Caucasus, and Ukraine. SDC typically serves as a local partner or subcontractor to international prime contractors such as Cardno, IMPAQ International, Palladium, and International Development Group.

Revenue is generated through project-based, quote-based consulting contracts with negotiated values. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and contract sizes vary widely (from ~EUR 32,000 evaluations to multi-year programs worth close to $1M). The operating model is enterprise field sales into institutional clients, with wins secured through competitive bidding, direct donor contracting, and long-term partnerships. The firm is privately held with no disclosed investors, no funding rounds, and a core team of approximately five people led by Managing Director Kristina Hadji-Vasileva and Co-owner Nikica Kusinikova.

Name

Strategic Development Consulting

Legal name

Strategic Development Consulting LTD

Website

https://sdc.com.mk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Strategic Development Consulting is a small, women-owned consulting firm in Skopje, North Macedonia, founded in 2007. It delivers governance, local economic development, and gender equality advisory services to municipalities, ministries, and international donors across the Western Balkans.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Development Consulting

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services (541611), Other Management Consulting Services (541618)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Sector & Policy Consulting (BPAHACAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Strategy & Corporate Development Consulting (BPAHACAA), Technical Cooperation, Capacity Building & Policy Advisory Programs (BPADABAO), Economic Research, Statistics & Policy Advisory (BPADAMAJ)

Keywords

• Governance consulting
• Local economic development
• Gender equality advisory
• Capacity building services
• Civil society consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Skopje

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Consulting Services: The company generates revenue through project-based consulting engagements, evaluations, research activities, and capacity building services delivered to government institutions, municipalities, international donors, and civil society organizations across North Macedonia and the Western Balkans.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Strategic Development Consulting provides project-based consulting services focused on good governance, local economic development, and gender equality in North Macedonia and the Western Balkans. Services encompass research, evaluation, capacity building, and policy development support delivered to government institutions, municipalities, international development organizations, and civil society organizations through a participatory methodology.

Product overview

Strategic Development Consulting (SDC) is a consulting firm established in 2007 in North Macedonia, offering strategic development consulting services as a single unified service offering rather than a software product or platform. The company's portfolio focuses on three core areas: good governance and decentralization, local economic development, and gender equality. SDC delivers its services through participatory methodologies, working with municipalities, civil society organizations, government institutions, and international development partners including USAID, UN Women, GIZ, CARE Balkans, and others across the Western Balkans region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Strategic Development Consulting Services Project-based consulting services focused on good governance and decentralization, local economic development, and gender equality delivered to government institutions, municipalities, international development organizations, and civil society organizations in North Macedonia and the Western Balkans. Services include research, project evaluation, capacity building, and policy development support using a participatory methodology.

Quantifiable outcome

• 3,483 MSMEs assisted through BSO grants implementation
• +8 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CARE BalkanscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2024Strategic Development Consulting serves as local partner responsible for North Macedonia in the regional Economic Inclusion and Justice for Women (EWI) project led by CARE Balkans with partners LINK (Bosnia and Herzegovina), ENECA (Serbia), and Tehnopolis (Montenegro). Three-year project funded by Austrian Development Agency.
• IMPAQ InternationalcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 October 2021SDC serves as subcontractor and local partner of IMPAQ International for USAID-funded Civic Engagement Project evaluation. Provided expert and logistical support for summative evaluation of civil society organizations.
• CardnocoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerGlobal company Cardno is the implementing partner for USAID Resource Capacity Building Project in North Macedonia, with SDC responsible for Component 3 on budget execution rate. Five-year project (2021-2025) with financial support from USAID.
• GIZ (German Society for International Cooperation)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultiple regional projects implemented with GIZ including Social Rights for Vulnerable Groups II (SoRi II), migration governance (MARRI), and local capacity building for Agenda 2030. GIZ provides funding and programmatic oversight.
• UN WomencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSDC provides gender-responsive budgeting expertise for UN Women projects promoting transparent, inclusive governance. Focus on strengthening local administration and municipal council capacities.
• NALAS (Network of Associations of Local Self-Governments)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSDC implemented local capacity strengthening activities in cooperation with and supported by NALAS within the Social Rights for Vulnerable Groups II project. Development of webinars and e-courses for social rights.
• Kvinna till KvinnaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSDC participated in the Civsam program focused on supporting women's organizing and activism within civil society, including organizational development and movement building. Assessment of women's rights organizations in North Macedonia.
• International Development GroupcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerIDG engaged SDC for EDGE (Economic Development, Governance and Enterprise Growth) project to build organizational and managerial capacities of 12 grant-receiving organizations from Western Balkans, Caucasus, and Ukraine.
• LINK (Bosnia and Herzegovina)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional partner in the EWI project - Economic Inclusion and Justice for Women of Western Balkans, implemented alongside CARE Balkans, ENECA, and Tehnopolis.
• ENECA (Republic of Serbia)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional partner in the EWI project - Economic Inclusion and Justice for Women of Western Balkans.
• Tehnopolis (Montenegro)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional partner in the EWI project - Economic Inclusion and Justice for Women of Western Balkans.
• Kurwe WustrowminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSDC conducted evaluation of the long-term program 'Constructive Dealing with the Past and Peacebuilding in the Western Balkans' implemented by Kurwe Wustrow and local partners in Western Balkans.
• Palladium International LLCcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPrime contractor for USAID Business Ecosystem Project (2018-2021) where SDC served as subcontractor working on MSME competitiveness and productivity improvement in North Macedonia.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Cardno: International development consultancy (now part of Tetra Tech) that served as prime contractor for the USAID Resource Capacity Building Project where SDC delivered Component 3. Comparable as a global development consulting prime competing for the same donor work.
• IMPAQ International: US-based research and consulting firm that contracted SDC as subcontractor on the USAID Civic Engagement Project evaluation. Comparable as a larger evaluation and research services firm active across USAID and donor-funded programs.
• Palladium International: Global development consulting firm that served as prime contractor for the USAID Business Ecosystem Project where SDC was subcontractor. Comparable as a large-scale international donor-implementation partner competing for the same USAID and donor prime awards.
• Chemonics International: One of the largest US-based international development consulting firms and frequent USAID prime contractor. Comparable as a broad incumbent operating across governance, economic growth, and civil society programs that SDC also serves.

Others

• CARE Balkans: Regional NGO lead partner on the EWI project where SDC is the North Macedonia local partner. Comparable as a regional donor-funded development organization implementing gender equality and economic inclusion programming in the Western Balkans.
• NALAS (Network of Associations of Local Self-Governments of South East Europe): Regional network of local self-government associations where SDC delivered capacity-strengthening activities under the GIZ Social Rights for Vulnerable Groups II project. Comparable as a regional organization operating in SDC's governance and local-democracy domain.

Emerging players

• Kurwe Wustrow: German NGO focused on peacebuilding and dealing with the past in the Western Balkans; SDC evaluated its long-term program. Comparable as a thematic specialist operating in the same regional donor ecosystem on peacebuilding and governance work.

Direct peers

• Tehnopolis: Montenegro-based business support and innovation center that partners with SDC on the regional EWI project. Comparable as a Western Balkans intermediary organization delivering donor-funded economic development and MSME support services.
• ENECA: Serbia-based regional development consulting firm and SDC's regional partner on the CARE Balkans-led EWI project. Comparable as a small, locally rooted consulting organization delivering economic development and gender-equality programming in the Western Balkans.
• LINK Mostar: Bosnia and Herzegovina-based regional development partner on the EWI project alongside SDC. Similar small-firm profile delivering donor-funded programming on economic inclusion, gender equality, and local development in the Western Balkans.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/edgeusaidproject

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Strategic Development Consulting