Bid on procurement opportunities for IFI and UN-financed projects

You are ready to make a bid for an IFI or UN-financed project once your company has:

read all of the publicly available information on a project of interest
followed the instructions given in the specific project notice
prepared a bid submission that is fully responsive and, focused on the expertise or technologies that will solve challenges and contribute to the projects' success.
contacted a member of the broader Development Assistance Market Support network or a trade commissioner in market if needed
clarified questions about the EOI/RFP, before the submission deadline

Procurement opportunity portals

Before bidding, use these portals to research procurement opportunities (note, some of these portals need a subscription for full access).

Development Business Online (UNDB) is the official platform for consulting, contracting, and export opportunities. Trusted source of procurement information from the IFIs, UN agencies, and government institutions.
dgMarket is a portal for government procurement tenders and tenders of international development agencies.
UN Global Marketplace (UNGM) is a single point of entry to most of the UN procurement market and a global vendor sourcing portal for the UN procurement system.
Development Aid (DevAid) is a membership organization providing comprehensive information services for the international developmental sector.
Devex (Development Executive) is the largest provider of recruiting and business development services and news for global development.

understand the bid package for the contract of interest.
when preparing Expressions of Interest and proposals, attention to detail is key.

establish relationships with IFI/UN staff in HQ and Borrowing Member Countries by attending events, visiting IFI offices and arranging for virtual meetings.
if visiting a Borrowing Member Country, contact Country Directors/Country Managers and sector specialists based in the country, to introduce your product or service
always be prepared, review all publicly available information and have specific topics to discuss
demonstrate what you can do to help project officers advance their project
be ready to share your experiences, capabilities and solutions to the problems they are trying to solve
participate in events organized by Canada's Office of Liaison with International Financial Institutions to gain intelligence and make contacts
identify your niche expertise or technologies
respect the rules of when to engage with staff, and when it is not appropriate, such as after a submission deadline

target a geographic area where you believe you can have success. If you have already exported successfully to a particular market, you can expect that your strategy would adapt well to other project opportunities there.
visits to the borrowing country are essential for consulting and engineering firms, and can be very fruitful for exporters of goods and equipment as well.

review IFI/UN contract awards data to learn who your competitors are and, view them as potential partners instead
find and work with a local partner (Read our Partnering Guide), they:
- offer your company a local presence and expertise
- already have someone in the area which can help reduce costs
- may offer an advantage during the evaluation process
- the local Trade Commissioner Service team can connect you with qualified local contacts
small and medium enterprises (SMEs) should partner with and sub-contract to companies at the local (in-country) and international levels to help them become familiar with the process.

being involved in an IFI/UN project from start to finish can require a substantial long-term (months to years) investment on your part
the IFIs and UN encourage an open and transparent competitive bidding processes, thus opportunities for direct contracting will be limited.
firms from across the globe take part in IFI and UN projects, so we encourage firms to be selective and prepare as much as possible before bidding.
you should consider IFI/UN-funded business opportunities as just one element of your larger international marketing strategy, rather than the only entry point into a new market
though a less risky entry point for new markets, things can and do, go wrong. Act quickly to reach out to the support network as soon as issues or, concerns arise.