We have some really big news to share. After 10 years of working to solve complex health challenges around the world, Beyond Essential Systems is transitioning our work to BES International, a not-for-profit company and registered charity. From 1 July 2026, BES International is open for business – our Australian staff will move their contracts into the new entity, and we will begin transitioning our existing work and partnerships across as quickly as possible.

The name change reflects something real. We have always operated without a profit motive and over the years, nearly all our profits have gone back into our projects and our products. We have never believed that companies should profit from providing healthcare in low- and middle-income countries, and we have never operated as though they should. Becoming a not-for-profit formalises what has always been true in practice.

Our software is free and open-source and an open-source philosophy sits at the heart of our culture. All our documentation and training resources sit in the public domain. We have always believed that what we build should be freely available to the people and systems that need it and it feels right that our organisation itself should now reflect that same principle.

 

We also believe this change will strengthen our relationships with the partners we work alongside. Trust matters in this work – operating as a not-for-profit makes our intentions clearer and our commitments more tangible. We hope it makes us easier to work with, and we hope it opens doors to deeper collaboration with partners, governments, and funders who share our values.

It is particularly nice to be able to do this from a position of strength – BES has run as a successful business for 10+ years now, we have no debt, we have never had to give away equity, we have 60 wonderful staff who are on board with our plan and we are working in more than 12 countries around the world on projects that we believe in.

For existing partners, we will be working with you directly to manage the transition thoughtfully. It may not be possible to immediately move all our contracts and grants over to BES International but new work will be delivered wherever possible under BES International, and we will work through the due diligence process together with partners to ensure continuity and clarity.

We set ourselves a high bar from the beginning – if we achieve normal things, we have failed. Becoming BES International is not a departure from that standard, it is an expression of it.