AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK

AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT FUND

PROCUREMENT POLICY FOR BANK

GROUP FUNDED OPERATIONS

August 2015

Procurement & Fiduciary Services Department (ORPF)

African Development Bank (www.afdb.org)
Headquarters – Abidjan (Côte d'Ivoire)
5 Avenue Joseph Anoma
01 B.P. 1387, Abidjan 01
Côte d'Ivoire

E-mail: procurementpolicy@afdb.org
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. MANDATE, ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 5

1.1 General. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5
1.2 Bank Mandate. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5
1.3 Fiduciary Assurance. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5
1.4 Procurement Framework. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5
1.5 Roles and Responsibilities. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6

2. VISION AND OBJECTIVES ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7

2.1 Vision. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7
2.2 Objectives. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7
2.3 Value for Money in Bank-Financed Projects ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8
2.4 Fit for Purpose ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8

3. PRINCIPLES AND CONSIDERATIONS --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8

3.1 Dynamic Approach ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8
3.2 Principles ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 8
3.3 Considerations ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9
3.4 Risk-Based Engagement ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9
3.5 Procurement Standards ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9
3.6 Application ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10

4. SCOPE AND APPLICABILITY -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10

4.1 Procurement Process ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10
4.2 Types of Procurement Interventions ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10
4.3 Applicability------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 10
4.4 Non-Bank Financing ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10
4.5 Policy Based Lending (PBL) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11

5. ELIGIBILITY -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11
5.1 Eligible Bidders -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11
5.2 Conditions of Participation ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11
5.3 Exceptions -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11
5.4 Conflict of Interest ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13
5.5 Documentary Requirements---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13
5.6 Unfair Competitive Advantage------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13
5.7 Types of Associations ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13
5.8 Mandatory Associations --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13
5.9 Other Requirements -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14
5.10 Changes in Associations --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14

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6. PROHIBITED PRACTICES AND SANCTIONS ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 14
6.1 Coverage ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14
6.2 Remedies ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14
6.3 Sanctions ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15
6.4 Documentation Requirements ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15
6.5 International Organizations --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15

7. MISPROCUREMENT --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 16
7.1 Misprocurement ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 16
7.2 Other Remedies -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 16

8. APPLICATION OF THE POLICY ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 17

8.1 Objective----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 17
8.2 Assessments ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 17
8.3 Country Procurement Capacity Development ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 17
8.4 Broad-based Engagement ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 18
8.5 General Elements of a Public Procurement System for Goods and Works ------------------------------------------ 18
8.6 General Elements of a Public Procurement System for Consulting Services ---------------------------------------- 19
8.7 Language --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 20
8.8 Rejection of Bids ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 20
8.9 Rejection of Abnormally Low Bids -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 20
8.10 Development of Borrower’s Industry ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 20
8.11 Transfer of Knowledge ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 21
8.12 Environmentally and Socially Responsive Procurement (ESRP) ------------------------------------------------------ 21
8.13 E-Procurement--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 21
8.14 Secondhand Goods ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 22

9. Procurement under Private Sector Operations -------------------------------------------------------------------- 22

9.1 Procurement under Private Sector Operations ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 22
9.2 Financing Public Private Partnerships (PPP) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 23
9.3 Financial Intermediaries -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 24

10. CO-FINANCING --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 24

10.1 Types --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 24
10.2 Parallel Financing ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 25
10.3 Joint Financing -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 25
10.4 Mutual Reliance ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 25

11. PROCUREMENT PLANNING --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 25

11.1 Procurement Plan ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 25
11.2 Advance Contracting and Retroactive Financing ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 26

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12. MONITORING AND EVALUATION--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 26
12.1 Monitoring and Evaluation ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 26
12.2 Procurement Information ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 26

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ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS

ADB African Development Bank

ADF African Development Fund
BPAR Bank Procurement Assessment Report
BETF Bank-Executed Trust Fund
BOO Build, Own, Operate
BOOT Build, Own, Operate, Transfer
BOT Build, Operate, Transfer
COI Conflict of Interest
BPS Borrower Procurement System
EA Executing Agency
ESRP Environmental and Socially Responsible Procurement
FA Financing Agreement
GOE Government Owned Enterprise
IFIs International Financial Institutions
LCB Limited Competitive Bidding
LIB Limited International Bidding
MDBs Multilateral Development Banks
OCB Open Competitive Bidding
PAR Project Appraisal Report
PBO Policy-Based Operation
PDAP Procurement Development Action Plan
PPP Public Private Partnership
PP Procurement Plan
RETF Recipient-Executed Trust Fund
REOI Request for Expressions of Interest
RFP Request for Proposals
RFQ Request for Quotations
SOE State Owned Enterprises
SSS Single Source Selection
TOR Terms of Reference
UN United Nations

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 1. MANDATE, ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

1.1 General. The establishment of sound procurement principles and practices is an

important driver for good public financial management and effective economic
governance in Regional Member Countries (RMCs) of the Bank1. At the national
level, good procurement leads to increased fiscal space and can facilitate, inter alia,
realization of RMCs’ socio-economic and environmental sustainability policy
objectives. At the project level, procurement efficiency and effectiveness directly
affects the costs and time required for implementation and ultimate performance of
Bank financed projects.

1.2 Bank Mandate. The Bank by its mandate is required to ensure that the proceeds of
any financing2 by it are used only for the purposes for which such financing was
granted, with due attention to considerations of economy and efficiency and without
regard to political or other non-economic influences3. This is the fiduciary
responsibility of the Bank.

1.3 Fiduciary Assurance. To ensure that financing is applied in ways that adequately
secure the Bank’s mandate while maximizing development effectiveness, the Bank
encourages and promotes sound, fair, transparent and well performing procurement
systems in RMCs. The Bank believes that the existence of such systems in a country
provides the best fiduciary assurance to the use of resources.

1.4 Procurement Framework. This Policy sets out the principles that apply to
Borrowers’4 procurement of goods5, works6 and acquisition of consulting services7
financed in whole or in part by the Bank. It is supplemented by three additional
documents: (i) Methodology for Implementation of the Procurement Policy of the
African Development Bank (Methodology); (ii) Operations Procurement Manual for
the African Development Bank (OPM); and (iii) Procurement Toolkit for the African
Development Bank (Toolkit). Collectively, the Policy, the Methodology, the OPM and

1 ‘Bank’ refers to the African Development Bank, the African Development Fund (ADF), the Nigeria Trust Fund (NTF), as well
as any other funds administered by the African Development Bank, and any or all of these entities, as the context may require.
2 ‘Financing’ means any loan or grant provided by the ADB, the ADF, the NTF, or other funds administered by these entities.
3 See Agreement Establishing the African Development Bank, Article 17(1)(h); see also Agreement Establishing the African
Development Fund, Article 15(5) and Agreement Establishing the Nigeria Trust Fund, Article 4.1.
4 ‘Borrower’, as used herein, refers to a borrower or a recipient of any type of financing from the Bank.
5 “Goods” are tangible items and include commodities, raw material, machinery, equipment, and industrial plant.
6 References to “goods” and “works” in this Procurement Framework include related services such as transportation, insurance,
installation, commissioning, training, and initial maintenance. It also includes non-consulting services which are bid and
contracted on the basis of performance of a measurable physical output, such as drilling, aerial photography, satellite imagery,
mapping, and similar operations. “Works” includes the total work involvement in a construction contract, including the
“Permanent” works or finished product as specified, and the “Temporary” works required by the contractor for the execution
and completion of the contract.
7 “Consulting Services” comprise services of an intellectual and advisory nature.

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 the Toolkit8 are referred to as the “Procurement Framework”9. This Policy is the
overarching document and in the event of a conflict between it and any other
documents of the Procurement Framework, this Policy will prevail. In the event of
any inconsistency between the remaining documents comprising the Procurement
Framework, the following hierarchy shall be followed: the Methodology, the OPM,
and the Toolkit.

1.5 Roles and Responsibilities. The roles and responsibilities of the Borrower and the
Bank are detailed in the respective Financing Agreements10 entered into by the
parties for a particular development intervention.

(a) Financing Agreement (FA). The FA governs the legal relationship between
the Borrower and the Bank. This Policy (and the Procurement Framework)
shall apply for procurement of goods, works and consulting services as
detailed in the FA. No party, other than the parties to the FA shall derive any
rights therefrom or have any claims to the proceeds of the Financing. The
rights and obligations of the Borrower vis-à-vis the providers of goods, works
and consulting services for the project, are governed by the solicitation
documents11, and by the contracts signed by the Borrower and the respective
supplier, contractor, and/or consultant.

(b) Borrower’s Role. The Borrower is responsible for the implementation of

Bank financed projects and ensuring the integrity of the procurement
process, from commencement at the planning stage, through to the bidding,
contract award and management until final closure.

(c) Bank’s Role. The Bank will satisfy itself through reviews12 and other
modalities that the procurement process including procurement procedures,
documents, bid13/proposals evaluations, award recommendations, and
contracts is carried out in accordance with the provisions of the FA. The
Procurement Plan14 cleared by the Bank shall specify which review

8 “Methodology” contains detailed approaches for conducting diagnostics at country, sector and project level, identification of
capacity gaps and assessment of capacity building initiatives and action plans, and includes monitoring and evaluation
approaches and benchmarks. “Operations Procurement Manual” includes the details of various procurement methods and
modalities and guidance on their selection and use for a specific intervention. “Toolkit” contains directional guidance in the
form of standardized documents and templates, case studies and guidance notes.
9 The Procurement Framework does not apply to the Bank’s internal or corporate procurement. While consistent with the core
principles set out in this Policy, the Bank’s corporate procurement is subject to specific rules and regulations set out in the
Bank’s relevant Presidential Directives.
10 ‘Financing Agreement ‘ shall mean an agreement with a Borrower by virtue of which the Bank undertakes to provide financing
for any project and shall include grant and technical assistance or lines of credit agreements as well as any other financing
provided by the Bank.
11 Solicitation documents include, pre-qualification documents, bidding documents including contract forms, Request for
Quotations for goods, works and non-consulting services as well as Request for Proposals for consultancy services.
12 Reviews include prior and post review, procurement audits, independent procurement review, specialized audits, reports from
third parties and other modalities as may be determined by the Bank.
13 “Bid” or “Bidder” shall have the same meaning as “Tender “or “Tenderer”.
14 See Section 11.1 of this policy

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 procedures shall apply in respect of the different categories of goods, works
and consulting services to be financed, in whole or in part under the FA.

2. VISION AND OBJECTIVES

2.1 Vision. The Procurement Framework supports Bank financed operations and
enhances procurement systems of the Regional Member Countries in order for them
to obtain optimal value for money based on mutually supporting and reinforcing
principles of economy, efficiency, effectiveness and equity. This is achieved using
processes and procedures that are competitive, fair and transparent.

2.2 Objectives. The Bank’s Procurement Framework aims to achieve the above vision
through an approach calibrated to address specific contextual needs of RMCs. The
policy, procedures and practices that comprise this Procurement Framework
advance the Bank’s overall development agenda, while ensuring compliance with
its mandate and fiduciary obligations. The Procurement Framework positions the
Bank to:

(a) tailor application of procurement modalities and methods to reflect more

effectively specific RMC needs and requirements;
(b) customize transactional approaches by selecting appropriate procurement
procedures, methods and solicitation documents to ensure that these are ‘fit
for purpose’ and satisfy specific requirements of individual Bank operations
with greater efficiency;
(c) obtain optimal value for money throughout the procurement cycle;
(d) incorporate new concepts, approaches, methods and procedures more readily
as the Bank’s business changes, innovations occur, and lessons emerge over
time;
(e) work more effectively and seamlessly with development partners on enhancing
harmonization and use of Borrowers’ procurement and other administrative
and contract management systems;
(f) develop synergies between such areas as public sector management and
governance and anti-corruption;
(g) achieve greater cost effectiveness, efficiency and value addition in the use of
resources, thereby maximizing development effectiveness and minimizing
exposures to fiduciary risks; and
(h) increase downstream gains for RMCs and development of national or regional
supplying, contracting and consulting industries.

Application of the Procurement Framework enables the Bank to more effectively

promote good procurement in its RMCs that delivers optimal value for money and
rewards innovation. Fair and equitable processes promote supplier development
and strengthen public confidence in government.

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2.3 Value for Money in Bank-Financed Projects. The procurement process should
ensure that the Borrower obtains optimal benefits with the resources utilized. This
may include not only the initial costs but also those over the economic life of the
procured item, the quality of the output, fitness for purpose, timeliness, and the
achievement of other development objectives of the Borrower. Value for Money
(VfM) is driven by the four broad principles of economy, efficiency, effectiveness,
and equity. In supporting VfM, the Bank discharges its broader mandate of
maximizing development effectiveness while minimizing exposure to fiduciary risk
through enabling its Borrowers to undertake cost-effective and efficient
procurement.

2.4 Fit for Purpose. To realize VfM in procurement, the Bank seeks to ensure that the
procurement methods and procedures applied by the Borrower in any given
intervention, and the nature and extent of Bank oversight, are ‘fit for purpose’. Under
this approach, the procurement modalities should appropriately reflect the specific
needs and circumstances of the situation. While standardized approaches may be
used for low value, low risk or low complexity procurement, in other cases, where
procurement complexity, risk and impact are high, a customized approach with
transaction-specific documentation and method may be the most efficient and
effective approach. In yet other cases, the circumstances of the Borrower may
mandate exclusively diagnostic or advisory procurement interventions by the Bank
to promote the optimal balance of development effectiveness and fiduciary
compliance.

3. PRINCIPLES AND CONSIDERATIONS

3.1 Dynamic Approach. The achievement of optimal VfM throughout the procurement
process requires a dynamic yet risk-based application of the core principles of
economy, efficiency, effectiveness and equity with requisite clarity, proportionality
and predictability through processes and outcomes that are fit for purpose.

3.2 Principles. ‘The above requires a careful and considered balancing of the following
mutually supporting and reinforcing principles in a procurement activity:

(a) Economy is that measure of pricing of goods, works and/or services that
expends the minimum quantum of resources to obtain an agreed level of
output;
(b) Efficiency is the appropriate management (including in relation to time and
cost) of a given quantum of resources to obtain an agreed level of output;
(c) Effectiveness is the ultimate achievement of specific results or outcomes
taking into account Borrower socio-economic and other development
objectives; and
(d) Equity is achievement of a fair and credible outcome by being impartial and
evenhanded through processes that are transparent.

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3.3 Considerations. Proportionality in approach requires: (i) applying the above
procurement principles in a balanced manner in any Bank-financed procurement
intervention so that each principle is appropriately calibrated and optimized taking
into consideration RMC and project contexts to ensure VfM; and (ii) framing of
procurement-related risk mitigation and capacity building measures consistent with
sound project performance and development effectiveness. Predictability15 in
approach requires a rigorous application of these principles in consistent ways to
promote uniformity of outcomes in substantially similar contexts. Clarity16 in
approach requires express and reasoned articulation in commonly understood
ways.

3.4 Risk-Based Engagement. The nature and extent of the Bank’s procurement
assistance to the Borrower and intensity of fiduciary oversight will depend on the
quality and performance of the procurement system used for implementation of the
project. Such assistance can be provided at country, sector or individual project
levels. The Bank’s engagement in the Borrower’s procurement processes shall be
risk-based and may include either advisory work that is systemic in impact or project-
specific transactional oversight, including prior or post reviews of individual
procurement transactions, procurement audits or a combination of these. For states
in fragile situations, for example, where local institutional capacity is limited, the
Bank may undertake a more active role in management and oversight of the
procurement process, including providing technical assistance or the use of
procurement agents (recruited by and reporting to the Borrower under the applicable
Procurement Plan), until local capacity is sufficiently adequate to handle such
transactions.

3.5 Procurement Standards. In applying the Procurement Framework to specific

development interventions, the Bank shall require that the procurement
arrangements of the Borrower comply to the Bank’s satisfaction17 with, among
others, the following requirements which are further elaborated in the Methodology,
OPM and Toolkit:

(a) strategic procurement planning;

(b) transparent and, unless other approaches are adequately justified, open
competitive processes;
(c) optimized balance between price and quality to generate desired development
results on a sustainable basis;
(d) credible recourse and impartial and equitable dispute resolution;
(e) integrity throughout the procurement process including during contract

15 Predictability refers to uniformity, certainty, expectedness and obviousness in the outcome of the procurement decisions
under similar RMC and project conditions.
16 Clarity refers to precision, lucidity, consistency and transparency in setting out the Executing Agency’s procurement
requirements and in the procurement process.
17 In the context of application of Borrower Procurement Systems (BPS), in particular cases, local laws, rules and procedures,
while broadly consistent, may nevertheless derogate in measurable ways from the core principles and considerations set out
in the Policy and yet remain acceptable in terms of the Bank’s fiduciary risk and assurance mandate, provided certain pre-
conditions are satisfied. See Section 8.1, Footnote 35.

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 management and closure;
(f) quality assurance, compliance checks, audits, inspections, and, as
appropriate, third party verification; and
(g) credible mechanism to address complaints of bidders and providers of goods,
works and consulting services.

3.6 Application. Application of these principles and considerations will require, as

necessary, a review of Borrowers’ regulatory laws, regulations and institutions, a
focused market analysis (e.g. country, sector/industry), executing agency capacity
assessments and risk-based categorization of the nature and complexity of the
procurement involved.

4. SCOPE AND APPLICABILITY

4.1 Procurement Process. The Procurement Framework applies to all stages of the
procurement cycle within a given Bank financed development intervention.

4.2 Procurement Interventions. At a transactional level, procurement interventions

include:

(a) at the pre-bidding stage - procurement planning and packaging in the context
of project design, development of preliminary, and subsequently, detailed cost
estimates;
(b) at the bidding stage - issuance of solicitation documents, invitation, submission
and evaluation of bids/proposals; and
(c) at the post-bidding stage - contract award and execution, including contract
management and administration.

Procurement interventions at the country or sector level include provision of

diagnostic and other similar advisory services.

4.3 Applicability. The Procurement Framework applies to all contracts for goods,
works, and consulting services financed in whole or in part by the Bank both for
sovereign and non-sovereign guaranteed operations. The Procurement Framework
also applies to trust funds administered by the Bank where the procurement is
carried out by the Borrower (Recipient Executed Trust Funds (RETF)) and where
the agreement establishing such funds stipulates the use of the Bank’s procurement
framework. For trust funds executed by the Bank (Bank Executed Trust Funds
(BETF)), the Corporate Procurement Policy of the Bank shall apply.

4.4 Non-Bank Financing. For contracts not financed by the Bank, the Borrower may
adopt other procedures. In such cases the Bank shall be satisfied that the
procedures to be used will fulfill the Borrower’s obligations to cause the project to
be carried out diligently and efficiently and that the goods, works, and consulting

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 services to be procured: (i) are of satisfactory quality and are compatible with the
rest of the project; (ii) will be delivered or completed in a timely manner; and (iii) are
priced so as not to affect adversely the economic and financial viability of the project.

4.5 Program Based Operations (PBO). The Procurement Framework does not apply
to PBOs that provide general budget financing that is subject to the Borrower’s
implementation processes and systems, unless the Bank and the Borrower agree
on specific purposes for which such financing proceeds may be used, in which case,
the Procurement Framework shall apply.

5. ELIGIBILITY

5.1 Eligible Bidders18. Firms and individuals offering goods, works and consulting
services for contracts financed by the Bank will satisfy the country of origin
requirements of the Bank19.

5.2 Conditions of Participation. In connection with any contract to be financed in

whole or in part by the Bank, the Bank does not permit a Borrower to deny
participation in a procurement process or award to an eligible bidder or disqualify
any such bidder for reasons unrelated to its capability and resources to successfully
perform the contract.

5.3 Exceptions. As exceptions to the foregoing paragraphs 5.1 and 5.2:

(a) Firms of a country or goods manufactured in a country may be excluded if: (i)
as a matter of law or official regulation, the Borrower’s country prohibits
commercial relations with that country, or (ii) by an act of compliance with a
decision of the United Nations Security Council taken under Chapter VII of the
Charter of the United Nations, the Borrower’s country prohibits any import of
goods from, or payments to, a particular country, person, or entity.

(b) Government or State-owned enterprises (GOEs/SOEs) and Parastatals in the

Borrower’s country are eligible to participate only if they can establish to the
Bank’s satisfaction that they: (i) are legally20 and financially21 autonomous, (ii)
operate under commercial law22, and (iii) are not dependent agencies of the

18 Bidders could be natural persons, or firms. Firms could be enterprises, joint ventures or partnerships.
19 Conditions of eligibility are detailed in the Operations Procurement Manual. The eligibility conditions will be explicitly
mentioned in the solicitation documents.
20 "Legally autonomous" means a legal entity separate from the state government and any public administration.
21 "Financially autonomous" means not receiving any significant subsidies or budget support from any public entity or

government, and not being obliged to pass financial surplus to the same except through dividends to shareholders.
22 "Operating under commercial law" means being vested with legal rights and liabilities similar to any commercial enterprise,
including, being incorporated or established by statutory charter under local law; having the right: (i) to enter into legally

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 Borrower or Sub-Borrower23 unless the Bank is satisfied that the resulting
conflict-of-interest situations have been satisfactorily resolved. The Bank may,
however, agree on the hiring of government universities, institutions or
research centers if the services are deemed to be of a unique and exceptional
nature, in particular because of the absence of a suitable private sector
alternative or because their participation is critical to project implementation.

(c) A firm sanctioned by the Bank in accordance with paragraph 6.3 of this Policy
or the Sanctions Procedures of the African Development Bank Group 24 shall
be ineligible during the period determined by the Bank, to be awarded a Bank-
financed contract, or to benefit from a Bank-financed contract, financially or in
any other manner.

(d) Government officials and civil servants of the Borrower’s country may only be
hired in the Borrower’s country under goods, works and consulting services
contracts, either as individuals or as members of a team of experts provided
that such hiring does not conflict with any employment or other laws or
regulations or policies of the Borrower’s country and if they: (i) are on leave of
absence without pay; and (ii) are not being hired by the agency they were
working for, unless a reasonable period has elapsed between such former
agency employment and any proposed engagement25; and (iii) their hiring
would not create a Conflict of Interest (COI) in accordance with this Policy. The
Bank may agree that professors, experts or scientists in specialized fields from
universities, educational institutions, and research institutes be contracted
individually on a part-time basis provided this is permitted under employment
or other laws, regulations or policies of the Borrower’s country and that there
is no conflict of interest.

e) Where international organizations, such as those of the United Nations (UN)26

execute Bank financed contracts under an agreement signed with the
Borrower, the Bank may accept the procurement procedures and eligibility
criteria of such international organizations27 to apply and firms and individuals
from all countries may be permitted to offer goods, works and consulting
services.

binding contracts; (ii) to sue; (iii) to be sued; and (iv) to borrow money being liable for the repayment of debts and being able
to be declared bankrupt.
23 "No dependent agency of the Borrower or Sub-Borrower ...shall be permitted to bid" means not bidding for contracts to be
awarded by the department or agency of the State, Government or public administration which, under the applicable law of
the State, is the reporting or supervisory authority of the GoE/ SoE, or has the ability to exercise influence or control over the
enterprise or institution other than under a Force Account procedure.
24 Integrity and Anti-Corruption Framework of the African Development Bank.
25 Such period shall be as set down by the Bank from time to time but shall not be less than 12 calendar months from the date
of the termination of such former agency employment.
26 The United Nations Organizations refers to the United Nations departments, specialized agencies and their regional offices,
funds and programmes.
27 The Bank will be satisfied that the procedures of such international organizations provide satisfactory fiduciary assurance.

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5.4 Conflict of Interest. A situation of COI is one in which a consultant/contractor/
supplier may be perceived to provide biased services so that its own or its affiliates
interests prevail over the interests of the client. Consultants recruited by Borrowers
are required to provide professional, objective and impartial advice, and at all times
hold the Client’s interests paramount, without any consideration for future work, and
to strictly avoid conflicts with other assignments or their own corporate interests.
Consultants shall not be hired for any assignment that would be in conflict with their
prior or current obligations to other clients, or that may place them in a position of
not being able to carry out their assignment in the best interest of the Borrower .

5.5 Documentary Requirements. The risk of a COI must be identified in the solicitation
documents. The related provisions for the avoidance or mitigation of COIs (such as
disqualification, cooling-off periods, and corporate separations) must be clearly
stipulated in the solicitation documents.

5.6 Unfair Competitive Advantage. Fairness and transparency in the procurement

process require that bidders, or their affiliates, competing for a particular contract do
not derive a competitive advantage from any specific information or knowledge that
they may possess and that directly relates to the contract in question. Unfair
competitive advantage is also possible if the specifications or the Terms of
Reference in a solicitation document are not sufficiently broad and puts specific firms
at an unfair advantage compared to their competitors. For goods and works,
Borrowers shall avoid brand names28 and adopt generic specifications based on
relevant characteristics and/or performance requirements, unless use of brand
names is necessary for the purposes of standardization, or if the requirements may
be met only with a unique product or technology. For consulting services
assignments, Borrowers will make available at the time of requesting proposals to
the short-listed consultants all information that may give any consultant a
competitive advantage.

5.7 Types of Associations. Associations shall be specifically defined to comprise joint

ventures, sub-contracting or sub-consulting arrangements. Any firm may bid or
prepare a proposal independently or in association either with domestic and/or
foreign firms to complement their respective areas of experience, capability, and
expertise, strengthen the technical responsiveness of their bids or proposals and
make available bigger pools of resources and expertise or provide better
approaches and methodologies. Associations may be for the long term
(independent of any particular assignment) or for a specific assignment. The
solicitation documents will specify the maximum percentage that may be sub-
contracted or sub-consulted as well as the minimum share for joint venture partners.

5.8 Mandatory Associations. The Bank does not normally accept conditions of bidding
which require mandatory joint ventures or other forms of mandatory association

28 References to brand names, catalog numbers, or similar classifications shall be avoided. If it is necessary to quote a brand
name or catalog number of a particular manufacturer to clarify an otherwise incomplete specification, the words “or equivalent”
shall be added after such reference.

13
 between firms but encourages associations with qualified national and/or regional
firms. The Bank may after careful assessment, and for the purpose of the
development of local capacity or other considerations of equity, agree with
Borrowers that, under special circumstances and conditions: (i) a degree of
preference be granted to associations that include a national firm holding a share in
the association above a predetermined level; or (ii) specialized nominated national
sub-contractors be used in works contracts; or (iii) a minimum number of national
key experts be proposed by consulting firms. In addition, the Borrower may require
transfer of knowledge or transfer of technology as a key component of an
assignment or of the scope of works or services according to procedures acceptable
to the Bank. In all such cases, the Bank will have to be satisfied that such provisions
do not adversely affect the key requirements of efficiency, economy and
competitiveness, and that these provisions are consistent with the national laws of
the Borrower country.

5.9 Other Requirements. If the Borrower employs an association in the form of a joint
venture, the association shall appoint one of its members to represent it. All
members of the joint venture shall be jointly and severally liable for the entire
contract, and they, or their representative with a power of attorney, shall sign the
contract. However, minor partners with less than a predetermined share may not be
jointly and severally liable for the entire value of the assignment.

5.10 Changes in Associations. Once a short list of consultants or list of prequalified

bidders is approved, and solicitation documents issued, any changes in associations
shall be permissible only with the approval of the Borrower.

6. PROHIBITED PRACTICES AND SANCTIONS

6.1 Coverage. Borrowers and all beneficiaries of Bank financed operations, including
suppliers, contractors, service providers, consultants, concessionaires and their
agents (whether declared or not), as well as sub-contractors, sub-consultants, and
any personnel thereof, shall observe the highest standards of transparency, ethics
and integrity during the procurement, execution and implementation of Bank-
financed contracts and shall fully adhere to the Bank’s Integrity Framework29.

6.2 Remedies. The Bank will not provide its no objection to a proposal for award if it
determines that the bidder recommended for award, has, directly or indirectly,
engaged in prohibited or sanctionable practices30 in competing for the contract in

29 The Bank’s Integrity Framework comprises the Sanctions Procedures of the African Development Bank Group, the Bank’s
Whistleblowing and Complaints Policy, this Procurement Policy and any other applicable policies and procedures including
their updates.
30 Sanctionable or prohibited practices are defined in Sanctions Procedures of the African Development Bank Group. August
2013.

14
 question. The Bank may also apply its remedies if a contractor, supplier or
consultant has, directly or indirectly, engaged in prohibited or sanctionable practices
during contract implementation. The Bank may apply remedies31 if it determines at
any time that representatives of the Borrower or of a recipient of any part of the
proceeds of Bank financing engaged in prohibited practices during the procurement
or the implementation of a Bank financed contract.

6.3 Sanctions. The Bank will sanction a firm or an individual, at any time, in accordance
with the Bank’s prevailing sanctions procedures32, including by publicly declaring
such firm or individual ineligible either indefinitely or for a stated period of time to: (i)
be awarded a Bank-financed contract; and (ii) be a nominated33 sub-contractor,
consultant or sub-consultant, supplier, or service provider of an otherwise eligible
firm being awarded a Bank-financed contract.

6.4 Documentation Requirements. For contracts financed by the Bank, it may require
Borrowers to include in solicitation documents, an undertaking by firms or
individuals, to observe, in competing for and once awarded, in executing a contract,
the above provisions and those in the Bank integrity framework. Failure by firms to
abide by the terms of such representation shall result in sanctions in line with the
Bank’s Integrity Framework. The Bank may, in addition, at the request of the
Borrower, agree that a clause be included in the solicitation documents, requiring
firms to observe the country's laws against fraud and corruption. The Bank may also
require that the solicitation documents, include a clause to permit it to inspect all
accounts, records and other documents relating to the submission of bids and
contract performance and to have them audited by auditors appointed by the Bank.
In applying this provision, the Bank may audit firms, whether as bidders or when
awarded a Bank financed contract, as well as their personnel, agents, sub-
consultants, sub-contractors, service providers, suppliers and/or their employees.
Such provisions may be waived when a contract is being procured under the
Borrower’s procurement system when the Bank is satisfied that the Anti-Fraud and
Corruption provisions in the Borrower’s system provide adequate safeguards.

6.5 International Organizations. Where international organizations, such as those of

the UN execute Bank financed contracts under an agreement signed with the
Borrower, in accordance with paragraph 5.3(e), the Bank may agree for specific
provisions to apply regarding: (i) their employees; and (ii) contracts between them
and their suppliers and service providers. In such cases, the Bank may agree that

31 See Section 7.
32 A firm or an individual may be declared ineligible to be awarded a Bank-financed contract (i) upon completion of the Bank’s
sanctions proceedings as per its sanctions procedures, including, inter alia, cross-debarment as agreed with other
International Financial Institutions, including Multilateral Development Banks, or otherwise decided by the Bank; and ((ii) as a
result of temporary suspension or early temporary suspension in connection with an on-going sanctions proceeding.
33 A nominated sub-contractor, consultant, sub-consultant, manufacturer, supplier, or service provider is one which has been
either: (i) included by the bidder in its prequalification application, bid or proposal because it brings specific and critical
experience and know-how that allow the bidder to meet the qualification requirements or are accounted for in the technical
evaluation of the consultant’s proposal, or (ii) appointed by the Borrower.

15
 such organizations apply their own rules and regulations for investigating allegations
of fraud or corruption, subject to terms and conditions agreed with the Bank,
including an obligation to periodically inform the Bank of the decisions and actions
taken. The Bank, however retains the right to invoke suitable remedies.

7. MISPROCUREMENT

7.1 Misprocurement. The Bank does not finance expenditures under a contract for
goods, works and consulting services if the Bank concludes that such contract: (i)
has not been awarded in accordance with the provisions in the FA and as further
elaborated in the Procurement Plan, to which the Bank provided no objection; (ii)
could not be awarded to the bidder or consultant otherwise determined successful
due to willful dilatory conduct or other actions of the Borrower resulting in
unjustifiable delays, the successful bid or proposal being no longer available, (iii) the
wrongful rejection of any bids or proposals; or (iv) involves the engagement of a
representative of the Borrower, or a recipient of any part of the proceeds of the
financing, in violation of the Bank’s Integrity Framework. When there are legitimate
differences in judgment between the Bank and the Borrower, or a misunderstanding
as to the requirements of the FA, the Bank may agree not to cancel the portion of
the proceeds of the financing allocated to the misprocured contract, but instead to
reallocate it to other components of the project.

7.2 Misprocurement under Contracts awarded using the Borrower Procurement

System: For contracts procured under the Borrower Procurement System, the Bank
will, normally, accept the judgment of the Borrower provided; (i) the procedures and
processes of review by the Borrower have been correctly followed consistent with
the provisions of the law and regulations in the Borrower’s system; and (ii) there has
not been, in the opinion of the Bank, an obvious and intolerable misapplication of
the Borrower’s policy.

7.3 Other Remedies. The Bank may, in addition, exercise other remedies provided for
under the FA. Even in circumstances where a contract is awarded after obtaining a
no objection from the Bank, the Bank may still declare misprocurement and apply in
full, its policies and remedies regardless of whether the loan has closed or not, if it
concludes that such no objection or endorsement was issued on the basis of
incomplete, inaccurate, or misleading information furnished by the Borrower or in
circumstances where the terms and conditions of the contract have been
substantially modified without the Bank’s no objection.

16
 8. APPLICATION OF THE POLICY

8.1 Objective. The Bank’s objective is to increase reliance on the Borrower

Procurement System, essential to sustained and effective development and
consistent with its fiduciary and development effectiveness mandate. The Bank will
agree to the use, by the Borrower, of its national (or applicable34) procurement
system for specific Bank financed transactions if the Bank determines that, for these
transactions, the principles of this Policy are substantially met35. This will be done
based on a comprehensive assessment of the Borrower’s procurement systems
conducted by the Bank (often with other donors and stakeholders). For those
transactions where the Bank determines that the fiduciary risks in the use of
Borrower’s systems are high, the provisions of this Policy will apply. In such cases,
a roadmap may be agreed with the Borrower for strengthening its procurement
systems to ensure their acceptability in future.

8.2 Assessments. In order to determine compliance and performance of Borrowers’

Procurement Systems, the Bank shall conduct country, sector, project and
Executing Agency (EA) level assessments against this policy’s objectives and
principles. The approach for conducting such assessments is given in the
Methodology and other documents constituting the Procurement Framework. The
major attributes of an acceptable system are outlined in the Methodology.

8.3 Country Procurement Capacity Development. The Bank shall address country
procurement capacity development in a holistic way: (i) by supporting public
procurement systems to deliver credible outputs; (ii) by assisting the private sector
to enable them to bid effectively; (iii) by enabling civil society to play a more effective
oversight role; and (iv) by relying on national systems whenever possible to better
align with RMCs governments’ commitments to the strategic use of public
procurement. The Bank’s support to strengthening procurement in RMCs will aim to
promote sound and internationally recognized procurement principles and practices.
The Bank’s support for procurement capacity development will be country-focused
and be based on a Procurement Capacity Development Action Plan (PDAP) which
will be incorporated into the Country Strategy for each RMC. Development of the
action plan being country-based shall involve participation from all stakeholders
concerned, and include national and sector-based capacity development initiatives.
It shall be supported, as necessary, at the project level. The Bank’s commitment to
this end will support use of local procurement systems through a progressive and

34 Can be the applicable framework at the national, sub-national or executing agency level.
35 Any Borrower Procurement System (BPS) must be broadly consistent with the core principles and considerations set out in
this Policy. However, in practice, application of a BPS may result in derogations from the Policy. In such cases, such
derogations are only permissible in any Bank financed intervention provided (i) the assessed fiduciary risk impact of such
derogation is considered marginal or de minimus in the applicable Bank Procurement Assessment Report (BPAR); and (ii)
the Borrower has agreed to provide adequate fiduciary assurances in terms of time-bound commitments to undertake
acceptable intermediate and longer-term remedial actions as part of its applicable Procurement Capacity Development Action
Plan (PDAP).

17
 measured approach to enhance national (and sectorial) institutional capacity while
minimizing fiduciary risks.

8.4 Broad-based Engagement. Achieving success in strengthening Borrower

Procurement Systems requires, at a broader level, addressing complementary
areas such as competition, anti-trust, industrial and trade policy, to ensure policy
coherence and sustainable results. The Bank’s overall strategy shall be to support
RMCs in designing and implementing all-encompassing public procurement
operational performance initiatives and also continue to strengthen institutional and
legal frameworks. This strategy will aim at longer-term engagement based on
dialogue, coordinated actions of all stakeholders, and mechanisms that support
follow-up activities and provide for sustainability.

8.5 General Elements of a Public Procurement System for Goods and Works.

General Principles. For procurement of goods and works, the Bank requires that,
the imperatives of VfM are met and the processes used are fair, competitive and
transparent. An “Open Competitive Bidding (OCB)” process with wide and free
bidding notification, and no restriction on participation of eligible bidders should
normally be used. However, depending on the specific situations when reasonably
priced offers are optimally obtained through a restricted bidding exercise, the Bank
may agree to the use of a “Limited Competitive Bidding (LCB)” process. In
exceptional cases where it presents a distinct advantage over other competitive
methods, the Bank may agree to the use of a “Direct Procurement (DP)” process.
The attributes of the above processes are given below and are further outlined in
Annex 2 and the OPM.

(a) Open Competitive Bidding Methods. Under OCB methods, advertising is

free, wide and public and there is an equal opportunity for all eligible bidders
to participate (unless, for specific reasons, the Bank has agreed to the
participation of only specific categories of bidders). The bidding is carried out
by means of widely used and internationally accepted solicitation and contract
documents with fair, transparent and equitable qualification and evaluation
criteria and provisions for protest and their redress. The specifications shall
be generic and no unfair competitive advantage shall be available to any
bidder. OCB methods may be with or without pre-qualification.

(b) Limited Competitive Bidding Methods. Under LCB methods, various

procedures may be used, including priced quotations from a limited number
of bidders. Depending on the circumstances (value and complexity of
procurement), the imperatives of VfM shall be met and the procedures used
shall be fair, competitive and transparent. LCB shall normally be used for the
procurement of simple goods and works where the estimated amount of
contracts is small (monetary thresholds for such contracts will be established
by the Bank). The Bank may also agree to the use of LCB methods for
contract amounts higher than the monetary thresholds if it is satisfied that the

18
 goods and works being procured are of a complex or specialized nature, that
there are only limited suppliers, contractors or service-providers who can
submit acceptable offers and that the solicitation document is being issued to
all potential bidders.

(c) Evaluation and Contract Award Procedures. Bid evaluation aims at

identifying the best-evaluated bid. The solicitation documents shall clearly
specify the relevant bid evaluation criteria, in addition and separately from
qualification requirements, as well as the format for submitting bid prices, and
the procedure through which the evaluation will be conducted. It shall also
indicate the manner in which these criteria will be applied for the purpose of
determining the best-evaluated bid. Such a bid may be defined on the basis
of different procedures and criteria, including inter alia the lowest-evaluated
bid (qualified and responsive bid with the lowest price) or the most
economically advantageous bid. The winning bidder may be invited for
technical negotiations, however, price negotiations shall not be conducted
except in exceptional circumstances to be outlined in the OPM.

8.6 General Elements of a Public Procurement System for Consulting Services.

General Principles. The Bank requires acquisition of consulting services to be

conducted through competition among qualified short-listed firms in which the
selection is based on the quality of the proposal and, where appropriate, on the
cost of the services to be provided. The shortlist shall be prepared based on wide
and free publication of Requests for Expressions of Interest (REOIs) with no
restriction on the participation of consultants except for eligibility conditions. In
addition, there shall be equal opportunity for all eligible consultants to participate
(unless, for specific reasons, the Bank has agreed for the participation of only
specific category of consultants). When consulting services may be optimally
obtained through a pre-qualification exercise, the Bank may agree to use of such
process in appropriate circumstances. In exceptional cases, the Bank may agree
to a less or non-competitive process to be used. Single-Source Selection (SSS) of
consultants may be appropriate only if it presents a clear advantage over
competition. Details of the attributes and the methodology to be followed are
outlined in the Methodology and the OPM.

(a) Determining the Highest-Ranked Proposal. During the evaluation of

proposals, the highest-ranked proposal is defined on the basis of technical
and quality considerations that have been clearly stipulated in the Request
for Proposals. Evaluation criteria shall include but not be limited to,
experience in similar assignments, local experience and presence,
qualifications of key personnel proposed for the assignment, and suitability
and quality of the proposed methodology. Quality of the services is normally
the principal factor and price a secondary consideration. For assignments of
a straightforward technical nature and limited scope and duration, price may

19
 be given more weight in the evaluation. The firm that submitted the highest-
ranked proposal is normally invited to negotiate the contract.

8.7 Language. The solicitation documents (and the ensuing contract) shall normally be
prepared in one of the Bank’s official languages, selected by the Borrower: English
or French. In addition, for procurement below thresholds established by the Bank,
the solicitation document may, at the Borrower’s option, and with the approval of the
Bank, in addition be prepared in the national language of the Borrower’s country (or
the language used nation-wide in the Borrower’s country for commercial
transactions). If the solicitation documents are prepared in two languages, bidders
shall be free to submit their bids and proposals in either of these two languages. In
such a case, the contract signed with the winning bidder awarded the contract shall
be written in the language in which its proposal was submitted and this language
shall be the one that governs the contractual relations between the Borrower and
the winning bidder. If the procurement is under prior-review, the Borrower shall
provide the Bank with a translation of the contract in the Bank’s official language in
which the solicitation document was prepared. For procurement processes under
Borrower Procurement Systems (BPS), the national language may be used. In such
cases, the procurement audits should be submitted to the Bank in English or French.

8.8 Rejection of Bids. Rejection of all bids is justified when there is lack of effective
competition, or no bid is substantially responsive to the solicitation documents or
when bid prices are substantially higher than existing budget. Lack of competition
shall not be determined solely on the basis of the number of bidders. A Borrower
may, after the Bank’s prior “no objection”, reject all bids. If all bids are rejected, the
Borrower shall review the causes justifying the rejection and consider making
revisions to the conditions of contract, design and specifications, scope of the
contract, or a combination of these, before inviting new bids. Rejection of all bids
should not be done solely for the purpose of obtaining lower prices. The process to
be followed in such cases is outlined in the OPM.

8.9 Rejection of Abnormally Low Bids36. Under exceptional circumstances, the Bank
may agree with a Borrower to reject a bid if it is satisfied that the price offered is so
low as to give rise to concerns to the ability of the supplier or contractor or consultant
concerned to perform the contract. Such rejection will normally be done after giving
the concerned bidder an opportunity to explain the reasons for the price submitted
and after due analysis of such explanations. The process to be followed in such
cases is outlined in the OPM.

8.10 Development of Borrower’s Industry. The Bank may consider, under special
circumstances and conditions, accepting provisions of RMCs’ national procurement
regulations that promote or encourage the development of local industries through
the application of domestic (and regional) preference margins, ‘set asides’, ‘offsets’,

36 A bid which price in combination with other constituent elements of the submission is so abnormally low in relation to the
subject matter of the procurement that it raises concerns with the procuring entity as to the ability of the supplier or contractor
that presented it to perform the procurement contract.

20
 preference schemes or similar innovative approaches under Bank financed
operations. The Bank shall review such provisions and schemes to determine if they
meet the key policy principles and do not unduly undermine the core considerations
of economy, efficiency, effectiveness and equity.

8.11 Transfer of Knowledge. Transfer of knowledge is a critical element of development

and the Bank encourages its consideration as a principle in all procurement
processes. Works and Supply and Install solicitation documents may include
provisions mandating and remunerating contractors for transfer of knowledge to
their local partners and/or sub-contractors and service providers in technical as well
as managerial matters. Goods solicitation documents may include provisions
mandating suppliers to provide training to their local counterparts when providing
technical assistance services. When the assignment for non-consulting and
consulting services includes an important component for the training of Borrower
staff or national consultants, the Bank may require that the scope of works/services
and/or TORs indicate the objectives, nature, scope, and goals of the training
program, including details on trainers and trainees, skills to be transferred, time
frame, and monitoring and evaluation arrangements. The cost for the training
program shall be included in the consultant’s contract and in the budget for the
assignment.

8.12 Environmentally and Socially37 Responsive Procurement (ESRP). The Bank

recognizes the need for Borrowers to develop and sustain demand for particular
types of goods or production processes with characteristics that are considered
necessary or desirable as part of their environmental and/or social policies. This
includes in particular the encouragement of the use of “green” or energy efficient
products through national procurement policies that promote sustainable end-use
as well as encourage industry innovation or mandate more equitable production
standards. The Bank may agree, after assessment of the Borrowers’ environmental
and social provisions in their procurement policies, bid qualification requirements
and/or evaluation criteria that take into consideration requirements for ‘green’ or
sustainable goods, works and consulting services and gender sensitivity. However,
such qualification requirements and/or qualitative evaluation criteria shall be
objectively framed in internationally recognized and industry-accepted
methodologies and procedures to ensure a fair and equitable qualification and/or
bid evaluation process. In assessing the acceptability of ESRP criteria in bid
qualification requirements and/or evaluation criteria, the Bank will carefully consider
price differentials, the number of manufacturers or suppliers located in a particular
country or the Africa region, and the impact on markets of excluding particular
products or suppliers or limiting eligibility to a selected group of qualified “green”
products or categories of bidders.

8.13 E-Procurement. The Bank encourages Borrowers to continually modernize their

procurement systems including incorporating e-procurement elements because it
ensures efficiency, economy and transparency in the procurement process.

37 Social responsiveness includes gender sensitivity and equality.

21
 Borrowers may use e-procurement systems for communications with bidders, for
advertisements, notices and amendments, distribution of procurement documents,
submission of bids or proposals, provided the Bank is satisfied with their adequacy
and efficiency including specifically the security of information and of any signatures.

8.14 Secondhand Goods. Under some circumstances, the procurement of secondhand

goods or refurbishment of expensive equipment may be more economic and
efficient than the procurement of new supplies. The Bank may agree under
exceptional circumstances to the procurement of secondhand goods. Secondhand
goods shall not be procured through a competitive process that also allows bids with
new goods. The process to be followed in such cases is outlined in the OPM.

8.15 Leasing and Renting. There may be certain situations under which, leasing and
renting of equipment or facilities may be the most economic and efficient means to
achieve VfM. The Bank may agree under exceptional circumstances to the leasing
and renting of such equipment or facilities. The process to be followed in such cases
is outlined in the OPM.

9. PROCUREMENT UNDER PRIVATE SECTOR OPERATIONS

9.1 Procurement under Private Sector Operations, financed by the Bank, is guided
by the following principles:

(a) Established Commercial Practices. The Bank’s concerns for the appropriate
use of funds and for economy and efficiency apply equally to its private sector
operations. Private sector enterprises38 often meet these concerns by following
established private sector or commercial practices other than formal open
competitive bidding for their procurement. Nevertheless, wherever appropriate,
the Bank will encourage the use of competitive bidding methods by its private
sector Borrowers or non-borrowing clients, particularly for large contracts.

(b) Appropriate Procurement Methods. The Bank will satisfy itself that private
sector borrowers’ clients use appropriate procurement methods which ensure
a sound selection of goods and services at fair market prices and that they are
making their capital investments in a cost effective manner. Careful
procurement planning that takes into account the particular needs of the
enterprise is essential for the Bank’s evaluation and agreement.

38 To be eligible for the Bank’s private sector financing, an enterprise must be privately owned and managed, i.e. more than 50
percent of its voting shares must be held by private individuals or firms. Entities with more than 50 percent of their shares held
by the government and/or government entities or agencies (“government owned entities”) shall be ineligible for the Bank’s
private sector financing. In such situations, however, while the Bank’s Procurement Framework for public sector procurement
will apply, the Bank may consider private sector financing on an exceptional basis in those circumstances in which the Bank’s
involvement is consistent with the basic objectives of private sector development and direct foreign investment.

22
 (c) Market Price. Contracts awarded by private sector Borrowers shall be in the
best financial interest of the client company as distinct from the sponsor(s).
Where a shareholder of the client company or one of its affiliates, including
parent companies and affiliates of such parent companies, is also a contractor
or supplier to the project, the Bank will satisfy itself that the costs are in line
with current market prices and the original cost estimates in the operation
report, and that the contract conditions are fair and reasonable. The Bank will
not finance costs that exceed market prices.

9.2 Financing Public Private Partnerships (PPP)39

The Bank may provide financing either to the public sector entity or to the Private Sector
concessionaire under a PPP arrangement. The following principles apply for PPP
operations:

(a) Where the Bank is participating in financing a project or a contract

procured under PPP arrangements, and the financing is provided either to
the public sector entity or directly to a private sector entity implementing
the PPP contract, procurement procedures acceptable to the Bank shall
be used for the award of the contract.

(b) If the private concessionaire or entrepreneur under a BOO/BOT/BOOT 40,

concession or similar type of contract was selected or will be selected
under OCB procedures41 acceptable to the Bank (which may include
several stages in order to arrive at the optimal combination of evaluation
criteria, such as the cost and magnitude of the financing offered, the
performance specifications of the facility offered, the cost charged to the
end user, other income generated for the concessionaire or entrepreneur
by the facility, and the period of the facility’s depreciation), the said
concessionaire or entrepreneur shall be free to procure the goods, works,
and consulting and non-consulting services required for the facility from
eligible sources, using its own procedures. In this case, the Project
Appraisal Report (PAR), and the FA shall specify the types of expenditures
to be incurred by the said concessionaire or entrepreneur towards which
Bank financing will apply.

(c) However, if the said concessionaire was not selected under OCB
procedures in accordance with paragraph 9.2 (b) above, the

39 A Public Private Partnership (PPP) is an exercise by the public sector to obtain execution (or operation) of public services
over a prescribed period through a private provider, which undertakes efficient and VfM operation of such services through
output or performance-based agreements. The public sector retains ultimate responsibility to the public for the service
concerned.
40 BOO: Build, Own, Operate; BOT: build, Operate, Transfer; BOOT: Build, Own, Operate and Transfer.
41 For projects such as toll roads, tunnels, harbors, bridges, power stations, waste disposal plants, and water distribution
systems, open competitive bidding means: 1) international competitive bidding, or 2) national competitive bidding for contracts
of an estimated value below thresholds set by the Bank. In addition, direct invitation such as LIC procedures may be
considered. All such procedures shall be subject to Bank review before acceptance.

23
 concessionaire shall nonetheless be allowed to procure the goods, works,
and services required for the project and to be financed by the Bank, using
its own procedures if it is established that the following three key principles
are met:

(i) the process for selecting the concessionaire has demonstrated

sufficient fairness, transparency and the opportunity for competition;

(ii) the process for selecting the concessionaire is free of fraudulent,

corrupt, collusive, coercive and obstructive practices, and in
compliance with all applicable laws and regulations in the concerned
country; and

(iii) the outcome of the concession contract is fair and reasonable under
the specific circumstances of the project in terms of price, quality and
risk allocation in relation to prevailing market practices.

(d) In cases where the Bank is providing financing to both the Public Sector
entity as well as the private sector concessionaire in the same PPP project,
it will take adequate care that both transactions are handled independently
of each other and follow strict due-diligence procedures, including the
requirement that the members of the Bank’s team handling these two
transactions are different.

9.3 Financial Intermediaries. When the Bank provides funds to an intermediary

financial institution, such as an agricultural credit institution, a development finance
company, or other financial intermediary, to finance sub-loans either to public sector
beneficiaries (such as autonomous commercial enterprises in the public sector for
the partial financing of sub-projects), or to private beneficiaries (such as small and
medium sized enterprises), the procurement under the sub-loan will be undertaken
by the respective beneficiary in accordance with established commercial practices
acceptable to the Bank. However, even in these situations, open competition may
be the most appropriate procurement method for the purchase of large single items
or in cases where large quantities of like goods can be grouped together for bulk
purchasing.

10. CO-FINANCING

10.1 Types. The Bank may co-finance projects or programs with other International
Financial Institutions (IFIs) including Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs), as
well as bilateral aid agencies, or with other donors (including those in the private
sector) with different procurement and integrity policies and eligibility rules in regard
to the origin of works, goods and non-consulting and consulting services. The Bank

24
 may do such co-financing on a parallel42 or joint43 basis.

10.2 Parallel Financing. Where Bank financing is provided on a parallel basis with other
financiers44, the Bank’s Procurement Framework shall apply to the contracts
financed solely by the Bank. The respective procurement and integrity policies and
eligibility rules of each co-financier apply to the contracts that it finances. The Bank
shall satisfy itself with the scope and specifications for the relevant goods, works
and non-consulting services, and the terms of reference for consulting services, to
ensure that the contracts not being financed by the Bank will deliver the benefits to
the project as intended.

10.3 Joint Financing. Where Bank financing is provided on a joint basis with other
financiers, it will require as a condition for its financing that the Bank’s Procurement
Framework applies unless the Board of Directors authorizes a waiver allowing for
the application of the procurement policy, rules and guidelines of one of the other
co-financiers.

10.4 Mutual Reliance. In particular circumstances, the Bank may enter into co-financing
arrangements through the signing of “Agreements for Mutual Reliance of
Procurement Decisions (Mutual Reliance Agreements)45”. Such agreements shall
recognize essential equivalence of the underlined principles of each other’s
procurement policies, and acceptability of the procedures and permit reliance by co-
financiers on those of the designated lead co-financier. The roles and
responsibilities of the co-financiers in such cases will be as indicated in the Mutual
Reliance Agreements, but in general, the lead co-financier will be responsible for
carrying out of the procurement process, applying its own procurement policy and
internal review and clearance procedures, and making final decisions and applying
remedies on behalf of the co-financiers.

11. PROCUREMENT PLANNING

11.1 Procurement Plan. The preparation of a realistic procurement plan (PP) for a
project is critical for its successful monitoring and implementation. The PP should

42 "Parallel-financing" means an arrangement whereby the Bank and one or more parties other than the Borrower individually
finance separate categories of expenditures, project components or sub-components, contracts or packages of the same
project, or of the same part of a project.
43 "Joint-financing" means an arrangement whereby the Bank and one or more parties other than the Borrower collectively
finance common categories of expenditures, project components or sub-components, contracts or packages of the same
project, or of the same part of a project.
44 “Financiers” in this document exclude the Borrower.
45 Such agreements can, for example, be with other MDBs that follow broadly harmonized procurement policy and procedures.
The circumstances in which mutual reliance applies require binding legal agreements, including embedded waivers in respect
of such policy provisions as eligibility (i.e. unrestricted universal procurement), conflict of interest, integrity and fraud and
corruption, and may require full or partial waivers from the Bank’s Board of Executive Directors with regard to other Bank
policies.

25
 be elaborated in coordination with the overall project implementation plan and
manual during the early stages of project preparation, and be linked to the
Borrower’s overall procurement strategy. It accounts for the internal Borrower and
Bank project review processes, in particular in regard to capacity and risk
assessments, and refers to project implementation arrangements (appropriate
organizational structure and responsibilities, procurement schedule and related
disbursement plan, review thresholds, nature and extent of Bank supervision and
audits, and more generally Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) and reporting).

Accordingly, as part of the preparation of the project, the Bank requires that the
Borrower prepare and, furnish to the Bank for the Bank’s approval, a detailed PP,
however tentative, for the entire scope of the project. The Borrower shall implement
the approved PP and any updates and modifications subsequently approved by the
Bank. After financing negotiations, the Bank shall arrange the publication on its
external website of the approved initial PP and all subsequent updates. The Bank
may also agree to a simplified PP for small Grants and Trust Funds depending on
their scope, complexity and size.

11.2 Advance Contracting and Retroactive Financing. The Borrower may consider,
for the timely implementation of a project and in certain circumstances, to proceed
with the initial steps of the procurement of goods, works, non-consulting and
consulting services before signing the related FA. The procurement which is referred
to as advance contracting procedures and methods to be used shall be in
accordance with the Bank’s Procurement Framework for the eventual contracts to
be eligible for Bank financing, and the Bank shall review the process used by the
Borrower. A Borrower undertakes such advance contracting at its own risk, and any
“no objection” given by the Bank prior to the approval of the financing by the Board
does not commit the Bank to provide financing for the project in question. If the
contract is signed, reimbursement by the Bank of any payments made by the
Borrower under the contract prior to signing of the FA is referred to as Retroactive
Financing and is only permitted within the limits specified in the FA.

12. MONITORING AND EVALUATION

12.1 Monitoring and Evaluation. Borrowers are required to prepare and maintain clear
documents and records relating to the procurement process, from planning to
contract management, for the purpose of effective monitoring and evaluation of the
procurement cycle by the Borrower and to facilitate review thereof by the Bank. To
this end, the Borrower shall, in agreement with the Bank, frame critical procurement
performance indicators for such purpose and ensure ongoing measurement and
monitoring thereof in Bank financed projects and programs.

12.2 Procurement Information. The Bank encourages wide publication by the Borrower
of relevant and credible bidding and contract information. The use of e-procurement

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 platforms are encouraged as the data generated is reliable and available online.
Information disclosure, in particular regarding advertising, procurement processes,
and disclosure of contracts information is considered critical to good procurement
practice46.

46 “Disclosure and Access to Information: Developing Africa Openly and Transparently: The Policy”. African Development Bank.
General Secretariat. May 2012.

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