World Bank Procurement Framework for Project Teams Training Course

Course overview

World Bank-financed Investment Project Financing (IPF) procurement demands more than applying a tender template. Project teams must translate development objectives into a defensible Project Procurement Strategy for Development (PPSD), select fit-for-purpose procurement approaches, prepare clear bidding documents, manage evaluations, and maintain an auditable record in STEP. Weak planning, vague requirements, inconsistent evaluation criteria, or late contract management decisions can delay disbursement, trigger prior-review concerns, and undermine value for money. This course equips teams to make procurement decisions that stand up to World Bank scrutiny while supporting project delivery.

Participants work through the World Bank Procurement Framework for IPF Borrowers, from procurement planning and market analysis to solicitation, bid evaluation, contract award, and implementation support. They learn to apply value-for-money principles, assess procurement risks, choose between competitive and direct selection methods, develop rated criteria, manage clarifications, evaluate bids against disclosed requirements, and prepare documentation for review. The course also addresses the practical use of the Systematic Tracking of Exchanges in Procurement (STEP) and the controls needed for complaints, conflicts of interest, fraud and corruption, and contract variations.

Instruction is built around a realistic World Bank-financed infrastructure and services project. Participants analyse a market, draft sections of a PPSD and Procurement Plan, select an appropriate procurement method, build an evaluation framework, conduct a mock bid evaluation, and resolve a contract-management scenario. They leave with a completed procurement decision pack: a PPSD outline, risk register, procurement approach rationale, evaluation matrix, and action plan for applying the framework to their live project portfolio. The course is suited to experienced procurement, project, technical, and financial personnel who contribute to borrower-led procurement under World Bank IPF operations.

Course objectives

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Interpret the World Bank Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers when planning and conducting procurement actions
• Develop a Project Procurement Strategy for Development using market, risk, and delivery analysis
• Select fit-for-purpose procurement methods and market approaches for goods, works, non-consulting services, and consulting services
• Prepare a procurement plan with realistic packaging, sequencing, review thresholds, and lead times
• Construct disclosed qualification requirements and rated evaluation criteria aligned to the procurement objective
• Conduct a compliant bid evaluation and produce an evaluation report supported by an auditable decision trail
• Use STEP workflows to track procurement activities, approvals, notices, and key supporting documents
• Apply contract-management controls for performance monitoring, variations, claims, complaints, and integrity risks

Benefits of attending

Target competencies

Who should attend

• Procurement Specialists — who plan, solicit, evaluate, and document procurement under World Bank-financed projects
• Project Managers — who must align procurement milestones with implementation schedules and disbursement plans
• Procurement Officers — who prepare procurement plans, bidding documents, and evaluation records for borrower agencies
• Technical Evaluation Committee Members — who translate technical requirements into fair, disclosed evaluation decisions
• Contract Managers — who administer World Bank-financed contracts and manage variations, performance, and claims
• Financial Management and Project Coordination Staff — who need to understand how procurement decisions affect fiduciary compliance and project delivery

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should have practical exposure to public procurement, project procurement, contract administration, or supplier evaluation. They should understand basic concepts such as specifications or terms of reference, competitive bidding, bid responsiveness, evaluation criteria, purchase or contract documentation, and approval workflows. Experience on a World Bank-financed project is useful but not mandatory. Participants should be comfortable reviewing structured documents and working in Excel; a laptop is recommended for exercises. The course does not require prior access to STEP, legal training, or previous use of World Bank Standard Procurement Documents, as these are introduced and practised during the programme.

Training methodology

The course combines focused instructor-led briefings with document-based workshops modelled on a World Bank-financed project. Participants examine Procurement Regulations provisions, compare procurement approaches, and work in groups to analyse market conditions, build a PPSD rationale, and prepare evaluation criteria. Facilitated case reviews test decisions on clarifications, abnormally low bids, complaints, and contract variations. STEP is demonstrated through simulated workflow records rather than requiring live system access. Each participant completes an end-of-course application plan identifying procurement documents, controls, and stakeholder actions to improve on a current or upcoming project.

Course outline

Day 1: World Bank procurement framework and project strategy

• Investment Project Financing procurement architecture and borrower responsibilities
• World Bank Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers
• Core principles of value for money, economy, integrity, fit for purpose, efficiency, transparency, and fairness
• Procurement cycle links to project design, disbursement, and implementation schedules
• Project Procurement Strategy for Development purpose and structure
• Procurement risk assessment and mitigation planning
• Prior review, post review, and procurement assurance arrangements

Workshop: Teams diagnose a delayed project procurement case and produce a procurement-risk register with proposed controls and escalation points.

Day 2: Market analysis, packaging, and procurement planning

• Supply market analysis using demand, supplier, competition, and delivery-risk evidence
• Procurement packaging and lotting decisions
• Make-or-buy, contract-form, and market-engagement considerations
• Fit-for-purpose selection of procurement methods and approaches
• Procurement Plan development, sequencing, and lead-time estimation
• Use of national procurement procedures and alternative procurement arrangements
• STEP procurement planning fields, milestones, and approval records

Workshop: Participants prepare a PPSD procurement-approach rationale and a timed Procurement Plan for a multi-package project.

Day 3: Solicitation design and evaluation architecture

• World Bank Standard Procurement Documents and document selection
• Technical specifications, employer requirements, and terms of reference
• Qualification requirements and pass-fail eligibility criteria
• Rated criteria design for goods, works, and non-consulting services
• Consulting-services selection methods and technical-financial evaluation models
• Bid and proposal submission requirements, securities, and deadlines
• Clarifications, amendments, pre-bid meetings, and equal-information controls

Workshop: Participants draft an evaluation matrix and solicitation schedule that link requirements, evidence, scoring, and approval responsibilities.

Day 4: Evaluation, award, and procurement integrity

• Preliminary examination, eligibility, and responsiveness assessment
• Application of disclosed qualification and rated criteria
• Arithmetic corrections, price adjustments, and abnormally low bid analysis
• Evaluation report structure and decision-record evidence
• Negotiation rules and award recommendation procedures
• Complaints management, standstill requirements, and communications protocols
• Fraud and corruption, conflicts of interest, and debarment screening

Workshop: Working as an evaluation committee, participants assess a mock bid file and produce an award recommendation with defensible evaluation notes.

Day 5: Contract management, STEP, and implementation control

• Contract award publication, notification, and file-completion requirements
• Contract-management plans, key performance indicators, and acceptance controls
• Managing variations, extensions, claims, and price adjustments
• Supplier performance monitoring and remedies for non-performance
• STEP activity tracking, documentation uploads, and workflow approvals
• Post-review readiness and procurement-file audit trails
• Procurement dashboard reporting and corrective-action planning

Workshop: Participants complete a procurement decision pack and a 90-day implementation plan for improving controls on a live or simulated project.

Tools & standards covered

World Bank Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers, Systematic Tracking of Exchanges in Procurement (STEP), World Bank Standard Procurement Documents (SPDs), Project Procurement Strategy for Development (PPSD)

A typical training day

Live online deliveries follow the same structure in the East Africa Time zone, with shorter screen blocks and longer breaks.

What the fee includes

How you can take this course

Certification

Participants who complete the full five days receive the Skillset Development Certificate of Completion, stating the course title, course code, dates and delivery format — suitable for professional-development records and employer reimbursement.

Frequently asked questions