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Helpful Hints on Doing Business with the Bank
Preparatory work:
Learn how the IDB operates, how it is organized, and its lending instruments. Consider
attending one or more of the Bank’s six annual Business Seminars.
Learn the technical words and phrases used in Bank documents, such as “pipeline” and
“project cycle.”
Understand the role of the Bank and the role of the borrower.
Determine whether your company’s goods or services are needed for Bank projects.
Information sources listed in this guide and conversations with the borrower can help you
make this determination. Track the Bank’s pipeline of projects and develop contacts in the
country where the project will be carried out.
Target and focus on countries, sectors and projects where your expertise, experience and
local partnerships afford you the best chance of winning bids.
Familiarize yourself with the IDB’s Standard Bidding Documents (separate documents for
Goods, Works and Consulting Services are available in the site). The
IDB’s revised Procurement Policies (January 2005) require use of these documents by borrowers,
with only minimum deviations (acceptable to the Bank) to account for project-specific conditions.
Familiarity with the standard documents saves time and expense in bid preparation.
Actively pursuing contracts:
Introduce your company and/consulting expertise to the Bank; meet the staff responsible
for sectors of interest. Send expressions of interest in being short-listed to borrowing agencies
in country.
Suppliers, contractors and consultants may not need to register to be eligible to bid, but
should nevertheless get to know Bank staff and borrowing-country procurement officials in
sectors and countries of interest. Sending expression-of-interest letters with company
qualifications is important.
When visiting a country, make time to learn about future opportunities that may arise
regarding Bank-financed projects that are still in early stages of development within the
government. Contact the Bank’s Country Office and seek information on projects in specific
sectors of interest, particularly projects in implementation.
Engage a local representative who knows the language and the local situation. This is an effective
way to keep track of a project as it moves through the project cycle. When preparing a proposal
for consulting services, present a balanced team of professionals, including local staff.
When in the country of interest, visit your embassy’s economic or commercial officer. If possible,
make an appointment before you go. They can be a valuable source of information
and can help you make appointments with local government officials or advise you on
methods for choosing local partners.
If you feel you may not be ready to bid on the entire job, consider subcontracting as a member
of a consortium on a specific, multifaceted bid. When choosing a local partner, carefully
research the options. For example, you can identify previous winners of IDB-financed contracts on the IDB Project Procurement Information site under Contract Information.
If you are a consultant, consider opportunities under one of the trust funds set up by member
countries and administered by the Bank. These funds are often used to hire consultants
and sometimes specify that individuals or firms must be citizens of the donor country.
Once the specific procurement notice for your bidding process is released, obtain all documents
as soon as possible from the borrowing agency or have your local representative get
them. Then:
1. Read the documents carefully and comply strictly with every one of the specifications,
conditions and deadlines. Request clarifications in writing.
2. Submit your bid or proposal for consulting services to the correct address on time.
3. Obtain a bid bond or bank guarantee, if required.
4. When you submit a bid for goods or works, be present or be represented when the bids are
opened. When submitting a proposal for consulting services, be present or represented
when the financial proposals are opened. This will allow your company to evaluate the competition
and find out how your bid or consulting services proposal compared to others.
As a consultant, consider contacting the IIC and the Bank’s Structured and Corporate Finance Department for
due-diligence contracts for private sector projects in the fields of the environment, engineering,
insurance, legal issues, etc.
Follow-up:
If you lose the bid or your consulting services proposal is not selected, regroup and analyze
why, learn from your experience, and try again. Ask the borrower to meet with you and
explain how you could have improved your bid or proposal.
If you win the bid or your proposal is selected, make sure that you follow up with the borrower
even after the contract is completed in order to promote your firm by networking with
IDB staff. Be available for any follow-up questions or further work.
Keep in mind that IDB specialists ask each other for recommendations on firms and consultants
—so cultivating a good reputation in the Bank is important.
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