EIC meets with World Bank Vice President OPCS

In a meeting with World Bank Vice President for Operations Policy & Country Services, Ed Mountfield, on 21 March 2025 in Brussels, EIC President Benoît Chauvin, European CICA Vice-President Philippe Dessoy and EIC Director Frank Kehlenbach analysed the announced changes in the Bank’s procurement policy from the perspective of European international contractors. The new Chief Procurement Officer from the World Bank, Ms Hiba Tabhoub, joined the meeting online from Washington DC.

The World Bank has enhanced as of March 2025 its procurement policy relating to the use of Rated Criteria with the following measures:

1. First, the World Bank will require a 50 percent minimum quality weighting for most internationally competitive procurement.

2. Second, for contracts with an estimated value over US$10 million, early market engagement will be an integrated part of the World Bank procurement processes to attract high-calibre bidders and optimise procurement strategies.

3. Third, the World Bank will collaborate with its clients to aggregate smaller contracts into larger packages and offer direct payment options to reduce supplier payment risks.

EIC welcomed the World Bank’s determination to improve Value for Money assessment in Bank-financed civil works tenders. To re-establish European interest, it is important that Borrowers and local Contracting Authorities embrace the concept of Rated Criteria and Value for Money.

EIC and the World Bank further discussed additional measures to rebuild confidence of European contractors in World Bank-financed tenders, such as:

• Importance of the prequalification phase;

• Direct payments from the Bank to suppliers;

• Strengthening of World Bank guidance on the treatment of abnormally low tenders (ALT);

• Preferences for bidders providing a high degree of local content;

• More liberal procurement policy with respect to Alternative Technical Proposals;

• Identification of a sizeable and complex pilot project suitable to be tendered and executed on the basis of a Collaborative Delivery Model.

See respective World Bank Announcement.