African Development Bank tenders: where to find AfDB procurement notices and how to register

Two kinds of AfDB tenders

A search for "african development bank tenders" turns up two kinds of contracts with different buyers. The first kind covers contracts under projects the African Development Bank (AfDB) finances in a country: roads, water, power, health, studies. The second kind covers what the Bank buys for its own operations (supplies, services, works in its offices).

The difference matters for bidders. As the sections below show, the buyer named in the notice, the place where the bid goes and the registration required are not the same for both kinds of tender. This guide takes each step in turn: where notices are published, how to register, which procurement framework applies, and what to check before you submit a bid.

For project contracts, section 1.5 of the AfDB Procurement Policy for Bank Group Funded Operations states that "the Borrower is responsible for the implementation of Bank financed projects" and that the rights and obligations of the Borrower toward suppliers, contractors and consultants are governed by the solicitation documents and "by the contracts signed by the Borrower" and the supplier, contractor or consultant. The AfDB profile published by the Canadian Trade Commissioner Service (posted 2024-12-03, tradecommissioner.gc.ca) sums this up: "the agency implementing the project is responsible for procurement" and "the Bank is not a party to the contract". For the Bank's own purchases, the AfDB Vendor kiosk page describes them as goods, works and services "for the Bank's internal requirements", which excludes project related procurement and consultancy. Its Resources for businesses page makes the same split: that section "does not deal with bidding opportunities for provision of goods, works and services for the internal requirement of the Bank".

Where AfDB procurement notices are published

According to its Resources for businesses page, the AfDB lists tender notices, expressions of interest for consulting services and contract award information in that section. Notices are also filed in its document library, including under Procurement notices and Specific procurement notices.

The AfDB Operations Procurement Manual, Part A, Volume 1 (revised May 2026, section A8.2) describes two kinds of project notice. The General Procurement Notice (GPN) covers the procurement opportunities of the project as a whole and "is published on the Bank's website and on the United Nations Development Business online" (UNDB). Specific Procurement Notices (SPNs) are issued by the Borrower for each procurement process "through an electronic portal with free access"; they can be an invitation to prequalify, an invitation to bid or a request for expressions of interest for consulting services. The same section says Borrowers submit GPNs, international open competitive bidding notices and SPNs for contracts subject to the Bank's procurement methods and procedures to the Bank, for publication on its website and on UNDB. The Bank's own corporate bidding opportunities are listed separately, on its Corporate Procurement page.

The AfDB also posts notices on the United Nations Global Marketplace (UNGM). Its AfDB page on UNGM explains that each notice opens in the Bank's eSourcing portal, with instructions under the "Links/Documents" tab and contacts under the "Contacts" tab.

For national portals, which often carry the borrower's version of the same notices, see our list of government procurement websites by country.

In practice, a bidder who follows AfDB-funded work can watch several places at once: the Bank's procurement pages, its document library, UNDB, UNGM and the national portal of the borrower country.

Registering with the AfDB

For consultants, the Bank keeps a Database on Consultants (DACON). Its FAQ on individual consultants says that consultants "initiate registration in DACON", that registration "does not constitute pre-selection", and that "consultants do not need to be in DACON before they can be short-listed". The Canadian profile cited above presents registration on the AfDB's E-Consultant site as necessary; the Bank's own FAQ does not. Read each request for expressions of interest, which may set its own conditions.

For corporate procurement, the AfDB Vendor kiosk page says that "for on-line registration, vendor should use the African Development Bank's portal", which links to eprocurement.afdb.org, and that "insufficient or invalid data will deny potential vendor from registering".

The AfDB page on UNGM adds that the Bank's eProcurement system is not linked to UNGM: "After registering on UNGM, suppliers must register in the African Development Bank's portal." The UNGM "Express Interest" button is greyed out for AfDB notices.

In short, registration depends on the kind of work. Consultants can register in DACON, which the Bank encourages but does not require for short-listing; suppliers bidding for the Bank's own corporate needs register through the Vendor kiosk on the eProcurement portal; and suppliers who find an AfDB notice on UNGM still need an account on that portal. A UNGM account alone is not enough to respond to an AfDB notice.

On a project contract, bids go to the implementing agency named in the notice, following that notice's instructions. National rules differ from one borrower country to the next, and they apply only as far as the project's financing agreement allows; our country guides cover them: Kenya, Nigeria, Ethiopia, South Africa and French-speaking Africa.

The AfDB procurement framework

According to the AfDB Procurement framework page, the Board of Directors of the AfDB Group approved the framework "on October 14, 2015", and it "is effective since January 1st, 2016". It has four parts: the "Procurement Policy for Bank Group-Funded Operations" (Policy), the "Methodology for Implementation of the Procurement Policy of the African Development Bank" (Methodology), the "Operations Procurement Manual" (OPM) and the "Procurement Toolkit". The documents can be reached from the same page. For goods and works, section 8.5 of the Policy names three processes: open competitive bidding, which "should normally be used", limited competitive bidding and, in exceptional cases, direct procurement.

On eligibility, section 5.1 of the Policy states that bidders "will satisfy the country of origin requirements of the Bank", and its footnote 19 adds that the eligibility conditions are detailed in the OPM and "will be explicitly mentioned in the solicitation documents". The OPM, Part A, Volume 1 (section A2) sets out the rule according to the source of financing. On projects financed by the African Development Bank (ADB) window or the Nigeria Trust Fund, which rests on Article 17(1)(d) of the Agreement Establishing the African Development Bank, bidders must be nationals of a member country of the Bank and goods must have been "mined, grown, or produced" in a member country. On projects financed by the African Development Fund (ADF), the same manual says the Fund "permits universal procurement": firms and individuals from any country may take part. The Resources for businesses page says the same thing in shorter form, and the member-country rule given on the AfDB page on UNGM matches the ADB and Nigeria Trust Fund case. Check which window finances the project, then read the eligibility clause of the bidding document.

The Resources for businesses page also says the Bank has "a well defined complaint procedure for bidders and contractors who are dissatisfied with the process followed", described in its procurement policies, and the Procurement framework page links a guidance note on handling procurement complaints.

The AfDB keeps a page on the comprehensive review of its procurement policy, rules and procedures, the consultation held in 2014 before the current framework. The Procurement framework page states that the standard bidding documents it publishes "shall be used under projects where the Financing Agreement refers to the Procurement Framework, October 2015". Before you bid, check which framework the notice and the project's financing agreement cite.

What to check before you bid

The points below sum up this guide. Each one comes from the sources cited above, and each should be confirmed against the notice you are answering.

• The original notice: on the AfDB procurement pages or the implementing agency's website, not only a copy on an aggregator.
• The buyer: the implementing agency named in the notice (project) or the Bank itself (corporate).
• The deadline and where to submit, as stated in the notice and the bidding document.
• The procurement framework the notice cites, the source of financing (ADB, ADF or Nigeria Trust Fund) and the eligibility clause of the bidding document.
• The registration that applies: DACON for consultants (encouraged, not required for short-listing), the Vendor kiosk on the eProcurement portal for corporate procurement, and that same portal for AfDB notices found on UNGM.

If any of these points is unclear, the notice itself is the reference. It names the buyer and sets out the submission instructions, and for AfDB notices on UNGM, the contacts are listed under the "Contacts" tab.

Bidanga collects public notices from several sources, and coverage varies by country. Bidanga is not an AfDB channel: the notice published by the Bank or by the implementing agency is the one that counts. Our World Bank tenders in Africa guide and other organization guides cover other funders. For a sector view, see the construction tenders guide. Country pages such as Nigeria, Ethiopia or Kenya list the notices collected for each country.