The EIB has updated its guide to procurement.

The purpose of the guide is to inform the promoters of a project which contracts are financed in whole or in part by the EIB - or are financed under loans guaranteed by the Bank - of the arrangements to be made for procuring works, goods and services required for the project.

The update takes into account recent developments in EU procurement regulations, incorporates new EIB policies, and reflects international best practices with the objective of harmonising the Bank’s rules with those of other international finance institutions.

The main changes in this update are:

  • The incorporation of recent developments in EU procurement policy: requirement for increased transparency in procurement decisions and effective remedies, in line with the principles of the Remedies Directive, reference to EU regulations for PPP/concessions and for contracts that are not covered by the EU Directives, and introduction of the competitive dialogue procedure.
  • The incorporation of new or revised EIB policies, including: the Anti-Fraud Policy and associated Exclusion Procedures, the Transparency Policy, which includes the Public Disclosure Policy and the Complaints Mechanism, and the Environmental and Social Principles and Standards.
  • The introduction of a definition of conflict of interest.
  • The revision of the Bank’s rules for the concessions, based on the experience of concessions gained by the Bank in recent years.
  • The need to provide further guidance in the case where the Bank jointly co-finances a project with other IFIs or international organisations.
  • The extension of the Covenant of Integrity (a specific undertaking on Integrity required from tenderers) to all the contracts financed by the Bank in projects outside the EU, and the strengthening of the requirements of such Covenant.
  • The harmonisation with the main multilateral development banks with regards to accepting the possibility of granting a local margin of preference of 15 % for the procurement of goods in all countries outside the EU except candidate countries.
  • The harmonisation of the threshold above which an international tender procedure is required for consultancy services with the European Commission and the main multilateral development banks (the threshold will be lowered from EUR 400 000 to EUR 200 000).

The updated version of the guide (June 2011) replaces the February 2004 version. For the full text of the document, please refer to: guide to procurement.