The African Development Bank (AfDB) is the continent’s premier development institution that strives to reduce poverty and support sustainable socio-economic development. The Bank works across multiple dimensions with a specific focus on private sector development. In 2021, the AfDB published 29 high-profile contract awards worth more than US$13 million with the majority of the awardees being from Côte d’Ivoire, France, and Morocco.
Corporate procurement contracts concern the acquisition of the goods, works, and (consulting) services necessary for the normal activity of the AfDB headquarters and its affiliated offices. This article provides an overview of AfDB’s top contractors in corporate procurement for 2021.
The AfDB publishes details of those contracts that are awarded through open tendering for the corporate procurement of goods, works, and services with values that are over UA50,000 or approximately US$69,863 depending on the actual exchange rate. In 2021, the Bank published 29 awards with an aggregate value of over US$13 million. In this context, the largest share of contracts (17) was awarded to companies from Côte d’Ivoire with a combined value of US$8.9 million. Organizations from France and Morocco came second and third with three awards each, valued at US$2.1 million and US$618.7 thousand respectively.
Fig.1. Awarded contracts by country of residence and value (2021)
Source: DevelopmentAid’s assessment based on AfDB’s contract awards data.
All financial operations and procedures (internal and external) performed by the AfDB are denominated in UA – UAC (unit of account). However, those public procurement operations managed by borrowing governments are usually also denominated in the local currency. At the time of analysis, the exchange rate for UAC to US$ was 1.39726.
For corporate procurement projects initiated by the AfDB or the Nigeria Trust Fund (NTF, part of the AfDB) only those bidders (including subcontractors) from the Bank’s regional member countries are allowed to participate. For contracts financed via the African Development Fund (ADF, also part of the AfDB group) contractors from other countries may also bid. In some situations, the AfDB board may decide to waive some of its procurement rules.
Take a look at this article to learn more about AfDB’s procurement policy and its eligibility criteria
Based on historic data of contract awards by the AfDB (including projects and corporate procurement) collated and published by DevelopmentAid, it can be observed that the majority of contractors, about 65%, are consulting organizations. This implies that the Bank is in constant need of entities and individual consultants able to provide expertise and specialized assistance in implementing projects. At the same time, about 20% of the past awardees are engineering firms while 12% are suppliers which suggests a strong operational focus on civil engineering projects.
Fig.2. Awarded contracts by the type of organization (historic data)
Source: DevelopmentAid.org – AfDB’s Top Contractors Overview
Top AfDB Corporate Procurement Contractors in 2021
Below is the list of the top five AfDB contractors in corporate procurement for 2021 which was compiled using open-source data published on the Bank’s website under Contract Awards.
MARSH is a consulting organization that focuses on insurance broking and risk management. It assists clients to anticipate, quantify and fully understand the range of risks they face. For 2021, the organization was awarded two projects by the AfDB with an aggregate value of US$1.91 million, the highest amount awarded to a single company in that year. Civil Liability Insurance for Corporate Officers, Professional Civil Liability, and Cyber Risks Assurance were some of the services procured by the Bank through the two projects.
Communication Ingenierie Système Côte d’Ivoire (CIS CI)
CIS CI Group is the leading provider of technology solutions based in Côte d’Ivoire with operations in Africa, the Middle East, and Europe. In 2021, the organization was awarded a US$1.68 million contract for the supply, delivery, installation, and implementation of the work from home (WFH) connectivity ecosystem at AfDB. This contract encompassed the highest overall value for that year.
LAV’NET is a Côte d’Ivoire-based provider of cleaning management services. In 2021, the organization was awarded a contract worth US$1.14 million for the provision of cleaning and housekeeping services for AfDB offices in Abidjan.
MEDICIS is an international medical assistance company based in Côte d’Ivoire. The organization was engaged to provide 24/7 continuous medical assistance services to AfDB through a contract worth US$0.68 million, the fourth largest dedicated amount in AfDB’s list of awards for 2021.
ERCINN is a construction and development company located in Côte d’Ivoire. In 2021, the company was awarded a contract worth US$0.58 million for miscellaneous restoration work on the CCIA Building which serves as the African Development Bank/African Development Fund headquarters in Abidjan.
In 2021, the AfDB published 29 awards for corporate procurement with an aggregate value of over US$13 million. These contracts concern the acquisition of goods, works, and (consulting) services necessary for the normal activity of the AfDB headquarters and its affiliated offices. While most contractors are based in Africa, specifically in Côte d’Ivoire, some come from Europe (France, Italy, and Switzerland).
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