What Open Development does

Open Development (legally S&S Open Dev LLC) is a women-owned, small consulting firm headquartered in Washington, DC, that provides advisory services to governments, international donors, and prime contractors on health systems strengthening in low- and middle-income countries. The firm operates across six practice areas: Health Policy & Financing, Health & Social Workforce, Results-Oriented Financing, Data Analytics, Innovative Service Delivery, and Organizational Capacity Assessments. Its delivery model centers on embedding senior technical advisors directly within government ministries (Lesotho, Namibia, Senegal, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Philippines, and others) to provide sustained capacity building, with documented outcomes including Senegal's health insurance coverage expansion from 23% to 75% targeted by 2026 and Namibia's $717,000 annual staffing cost savings.

The firm has co-developed a proprietary diagnostic tool, the TB Financial Sustainability Index (TB FSI), with USAID, implemented in 10 countries to measure progress on sustainable domestic TB financing. Open Development generates revenue through project-based consulting contracts, operating primarily as a specialized subcontractor or consortium partner on large USAID- and PEPFAR-funded prime contracts led by organizations such as FHI360, Chemonics, JSI, MSH, and Palladium (notably on the $300M TIFA project and the $100M PROPEL Health project). Its customer base spans two tiers: government health ministries (end-buyers) and large USAID prime implementers (channel partners), with all revenue ultimately tied to U.S. government foreign assistance funding flows. Founded in 2016 by Sarah Scheening (CEO) with Ilyse Stempler as COO, the firm operates with 1-10 employees from its Washington, DC headquarters and has delivered engagements across more than 20 countries in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.

Name

Open Development

Legal name

S&S Open Dev LLC

Website

https://opendevelopment.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Open Development is a Washington, DC-based women-owned consulting firm providing health financing and systems strengthening advisory services to government ministries and USAID prime contractors, operating in 20+ countries across sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Development Consulting — Health Systems Strengthening

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital Development & ICT4D / GovTech Technical Assistance (BPADAEAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

International & Global Public Health Aid Administration (Government Donors) (HLAJALAO), Public Health Financing, Budgeting & Grants Management (HLAJAMAC), Economic Growth, Trade & Private Sector Development Programs (BPADABAF)

Keywords

• Health systems consulting
• Health financing advisory
• Workforce optimization services
• International development consulting
• Public health advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Consulting Services: Open Development provides specialized consulting services in health policy, financing, workforce optimization, and organizational capacity building to governments, international donors, and development organizations. Revenue is generated through project-based consulting contracts, typically as a prime contractor or consortium partner on USAID-funded projects.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Open Development is a women-owned consulting firm that delivers technical advisory services in health policy and financing, health and social workforce optimization, results-oriented financing, data analytics, innovative service delivery, and organizational capacity assessment to government ministries and international development donors (primarily USAID and PEPFAR). It earns revenue through project-based consulting contracts—either as a specialized consortium partner with large USAID prime implementers or by embedding senior advisors directly within government health ministries—and co-developed a proprietary diagnostic tool, the TB Financial Sustainability Index (TB FSI).

Product overview

Open Development is a women-owned consulting firm providing advisory services across six interconnected practice areas: Health Policy & Financing, Health & Social Workforce, Results-Oriented Financing, Data Analytics, Innovative Service Delivery, and Organizational Capacity Assessments. The TB Financial Sustainability Index (TB FSI) serves as a proprietary assessment framework co-developed with USAID for measuring country progress on TB financing sustainability. The services work collaboratively—workforce optimization feeds into policy reforms, results-based financing mechanisms enable service delivery innovations, and data analytics and organizational assessments provide the evidence base for all advisory work.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Health Policy & Financing Advisory services supporting countries to prioritize domestic resource mobilization, equitable public resource allocation, strategic purchasing, financial protection including health insurance schemes, and evidence-based health policy analysis. Targeted at government health ministries and donors.
• Health & Social Workforce Advisory services helping governments develop, finance, distribute, and capacitate a health and social workforce aligned with population health needs, including workforce assessments, costing, HRH planning, and iHRIS digital platform implementation support.
• Results-Oriented Financing Design and implementation of innovative financing agreements, including government-to-government (G2G) agreements, performance-based grants, and Tuberculosis Commitment Grants, that incentivize social impact while building local capacity and mitigating risk. Targeted at donors and government counterparts.
• Data Analytics Leveraging data analytics for evidence-based decision-making to improve the equitable distribution and efficient use of health and social sector investments. Used to inform workforce optimization, financing reform, and policy planning.
• Innovative Service Delivery Disruption of traditional service delivery models through development of sustainable, inclusive, and person-centered strategies for achieving better health outcomes, including co-design of technology-enabled incentive mechanisms for private sector providers.
• Organizational Capacity Assessments Conducting organizational assessments of public programs to strengthen organizational capacity through actionable, evidence-based recommendations that improve leadership, coordination, communication, and management.
• TB Financial Sustainability Index (TB FSI) A proprietary diagnostic tool co-developed with USAID enabling countries with high TB burden to measure and plan progress toward sustainable TB financing, including increased domestic ownership and integration of TB programs into domestic financing systems.

Quantifiable outcome

• Supported Senegal to extend health insurance coverage from 23% to 75% by 2026
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, key and regional.

• FHI360coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOpen Development collaborates with FHI360 on the EpiC (Meeting Targets and Maintaining Epidemic Control) project, providing technical assistance for HIV epidemic control in Lesotho, Namibia, and Tanzania. Open Development provides embedded advisors within Ministries of Health under this partnership.
• John Snow, Inc (JSI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on the USAID TIFA (Tuberculosis Implementation Framework Agreement) Project, a $300 million cooperative agreement serving as a key component of the USAID Global Accelerator to End Tuberculosis. Open Development provides health financing expertise for TB Commitment Grants design and implementation.
• Management Sciences for Health (MSH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on the USAID HS4TB (Health Systems for Tuberculosis) project. Open Development applies systems thinking to health financing and governance for TB in Ethiopia and Bangladesh, and leads development of the global TB Financial Sustainability Index.
• Chemonics InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOpen Development serves as the lead partner for health financing on the USAID Building a Resilient Health System (BRHS) project in Senegal. Also partners on HRH2030 Program and the GHSC-PSM supply chain project in Lesotho.
• Palladium GroupkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerOpen Development is a project partner on PROPEL Health, a $100 million, five-year USAID project led by Palladium. Focus areas include sustainability planning, capacity development, and building local partnerships for direct financing agreements.
• PATHkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on USAID Urban Health Project in Senegal to address health disparities in Dakar. Open Development supports design of innovative and performance-based grants to districts that promote self-reliance.
• Benjamin Mkapa FoundationregionalImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLocal partner in Tanzania working with Open Development on implementation research for PEPFAR and Government of Tanzania to optimize staffing models for HIV/AIDS services.
• D-tree InternationalregionalImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartner in Saving Lives at Birth program in Liberia, co-designing an innovative incentive mechanism for private health care providers to deliver patient-centered quality care for pregnant women and newborns.
• Results for Development (R4D)regionalImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartner in Saving Lives at Birth program in Liberia, contributing to the development of technology-enabled incentive mechanisms for private sector health providers.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Abt Associates: Major research and consulting firm with extensive global health systems strengthening, financing, and workforce practice. Competes with Open Development's primes for the same USAID health TA vehicles and has overlapping capability.
• Chemonics International: Large USAID prime implementer with deep global health systems strengthening practice; leads the Senegal BRHS consortium on which Open Development is the lead health financing partner. Directly comparable business in terms of donor-funded health TA, but vastly larger scale and prime-contractor position.
• Palladium Group: International development firm running the $100M PROPEL Health project where Open Development is a partner. Competes for and implements similar health policy, financing, and sustainability planning assignments across USAID, FCDO, and other donor portfolios.
• Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI): Global health nonprofit operating at scale on health financing, domestic resource mobilization, and supply chain in LMICs; CHAI is a previous employer of Open Development's Health Financing Advisor and competes for similar embedded advisory engagements.
• FHI 360: Large global health and social development organization leading the EpiC HIV epidemic control project in which Open Development provides embedded HRH advisors. Closely comparable in HIV/TB workforce and health financing TA scope.
• Management Sciences for Health (MSH): Global health nonprofit specializing in health systems strengthening, pharmaceutical systems, and leadership training in LMICs. Partners with Open Development on the HS4TB project and competes for similar donor-funded health financing TA engagements.
• John Snow, Inc. (JSI): Public health consulting and research organization leading the $300M USAID TIFA project on which Open Development supplies TB financing expertise. Directly comparable in TB financing, supply chain, and health systems work in LMICs.
• PATH: Global health NGO that leads the Urban Health Project in Senegal in partnership with Open Development. Overlaps directly in health financing, results-based financing design, and innovative service delivery work in LMICs.

Direct peers

• ThinkWell: Specialty health systems and financing consulting firm of similar size working on domestic resource mobilization, health financing reform, and HRH in LMICs—a closely comparable niche and business model to Open Development.
• Results for Development (R4D): Nonprofit focused on health systems, health financing, and market-shaping in LMICs, with very similar size and specialty to Open Development. Co-partner on the Saving Lives at Birth program and directly competes for similar niche donor-funded TA awards.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/opendev_global

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Open Development