OVERVIEW
This suite of resources is intended for World Bank (Bank) staff and borrowers responsible for implementing Bank Investment Project Financing (IPF) initiatives.
The suite contains new procurement guidance documents, tools, templates and training. The material covers the Bank’s project lifecycle in sequence, with a particular focus on implementing sustainable procurement practices as part of IPF, while also referencing good practice internationally.
They also give operations teams and borrowers the knowledge and tools to mitigate environmental and social risks and impacts as described in the Bank’s Environmental and Social Framework (ESF). For more information, download the ESF Document, and reference the ESF website.
WHAT IS THE ESF?
The ESF is a set of mandatory standards designed, among other things, to support borrowers’ environmental and social (E&S) risk management. Additional sustainability requirements are included in other Bank initiatives such as Green, Resilient, Inclusive Development (GRID), and the commitment to align all Bank operations with the Paris Agreement by July 2023.
Within the Bank’s ESF, there are over fifty sustainability related topics where contractors, suppliers, or consultants are essential for implementation e.g., child labor, forced labor, safety, pollution prevention, worker rights, among others. Procurement is an essential process for passing on these requirements to those who will manage them, creating contractual obligations to hold them to account.
SUSTAINABLE PROCUREMENT GUIDANCE
Achieving the Bank’s sustainability objectives will require sustainability considerations to be integrated into the procurement process and new methodologies to be adopted. An updated set of four Procurement Guidance documents (listed below) are intended to illustrate how this can be achieved. They include practical tips and tools to implement sustainable procurement measures more efficiently and effectively at different stages of the project lifecycle. This is achieved by providing:
- A comprehensive overview of best practice in sustainable procurement and how to apply them at each step of the procurement process
- A detailed description of how various sustainability-related Bank policies, initiatives, and guidance materials can be implemented through procurement
- Clarity on roles and responsibilities, including in Bank staff, project implementation units, and key activities related to E&S risk management
- Tools, such as evaluation checklists, risk analysis tools, and a breakdown of how the range of Bank standard procurement documents have been customized to address different E&S issues depending on the type of procurement.
- Case studies of sustainable procurement in Bank-supported projects and other relevant settings
THE FOUR SUSTAINABLE PROCUREMENT GUIDANCE DOCUMENTS
Guide One: An introduction to sustainable procurement in IPF projects
Download Guide One
Guide One introduces Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP) in World Bank Investment Project Financing. It highlights how procurement can contribute to the Bank’s goals by delivering societal, economic, and environmental benefits.
It discusses challenges in integrating sustainable practices into procurement and contains advice to Borrowers and Task Teams on the national and institutional settings that need to be in place for SPP to be successful, such as the legal and regulatory framework, data monitoring and capacity building.
Guide Two: Identification / Concept - Identifying key Sustainable Public Procurement opportunities
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Guide Two discusses the identification of SPP opportunities in early project stages. It highlights the need for early integration of sustainability in project planning and procurement, emphasizing collaboration between procurement and environmental and social specialists.
This approach aims to align procurement objectives with developmental goals and the World Bank's standards, setting a foundation for sustainable practices in the project.
Guide Three: Appraisal - Incorporating Sustainable Public Procurement into the procurement strategy
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Guide Three focuses on integrating SPP into the procurement strategy during the appraisal phase. It highlights the need for procurement and environmental specialists to collaborate closely, for example reviewing relevant aspects of their respective planning documents, to ensure procurement plans are sustainable, align with broader project goals, and support effective mitigation of environmental and social risks.
Guide Four: Implementation - Putting the Sustainable Public Procurement strategy into action
Download Guide Four
Guide Four describes how the SPP strategy is executed during project implementation. It emphasizes the practical steps that Task Teams need to take for successful SPP, such as the integration of sustainability considerations into bidding documents, the evaluation of sustainability elements in competing bids and proposals, and the contract management activity that will be required to deliver benefits and manage risks.
SUPPORTING MATERIAL
The following resources have also been developed to help Task Teams and Borrowers to embed good practice in Sustainable Procurement:
- Training Course – Module 1 (Open Learning Campus).
- Contract Clauses Implementing Sustainable Procurement – Example clauses for IPF National Procurements.
- Sample Terms of Reference (ToR) for Supervising Engineer - Describes the types of activities that an effective Supervising Engineer for a works-related procurement may be involved in.