In May 2013 ICAI gave DFID a Green-Amber rating for its use of contractors, finding that "contractors are an effective option for delivering aid" and that DFID "has selected contractors that have delivered positive results at competitive fee rates." However, over the last few years there has also been heavy criticism of DFID's use of for-profit private organisations to deliver aid programmes, due to rising profits and high salaries within the organisations used.
The International Development Committee is inquiring into all aspects of DFID's use of contractors. In particular focusing on the costs and advantages of DFID using large contractors, as opposed to managing programmes itself, via NGOs and other community-based organisations, or through multilateral partners.