The Bank’s new approaches strengthen the connection between project preparation, procurement strategy, contracting, and the quality of subsequent implementation.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has updated its procurement policies and rules for projects financed by the Bank. The new rules entered into force on September 1, 2026.

The EBRD explains the changes by the need to improve project preparation, strengthen management, and achieve more sustainable results. At the same time, the Bank elevates the role of the procurement itself, treating it as a strategic function in the project financing system.

This approach is particularly relevant for Ukraine. EBRD is the largest institutional investor in Ukraine: since the start of the full-scale invasion, the Bank has already provided more than 10.5 billion euros to our country.

The scale of the EBRD’s procurement system is also significant. In the public sector, the Bank’s clients conclude around 300 contracts per year totaling to approximately 3 billion euros. These are procurements of works, goods, and services, including the consulting ones.

Importantly, in the EBRD’s approach, the procurement does not end with awarding a contract.

The Bank’s client’s responsibility covers the entire project implementation process, from the initial procurement planning to contract conclusion, its administration and delivery, as well as claim and dispute management.

Thus, the quality of procurement is directly linked to how the project will be implemented after the contract is signed.

This logic is also supported by the EBRD’s system of standard documentation. The Bank uses standardized procurement documents, evaluation techniques, qualification procedures, and contract terms. Separate guidelines are devoted to the procurement of consulting services, qualification assessment, abnormally low tenders, Value for Money, project implementation during wartime, and use of contract forms for complex projects.

At the same time, the EBRD standard procurement documents provide for the possibility of using a wider range of internationally recognized contract terms depending on the specifics of a particular project.

For the professional community, this is an indicative direction of development in international practice. The focus is gradually shifting from how to conduct a procurement to how to create the conditions for high-quality project delivery through procurement.

This means that as early as at the preparation stage, it is necessary to define the implementation model, procurement strategy, qualification requirements, allocation of risks and responsibilities, contract management mechanisms, and the expected outcome.

The EBRD itself also draws attention to the professionalization of procurement. The Bank notes that public procurement is rapidly moving from a predominantly procedural function to a much more complex strategic role that must support economic development, sustainability, efficiency, and Value for Money. Accordingly, the requirements for the competencies of people who manage these processes are also increasing.

For Ukraine, this transition has practical significance. With the growth of international financing of reconstruction, not only the number of procurements is increasing. The complexity of projects, contracts, and requirements for contracting authorities is also growing.

Therefore, the quality of implementation will increasingly depend on the extent to which the procurement is linked to the entire project cycle — from preparation and choice of implementation model to contract administration, risk management, and achievement of the planned outcome.

It is precisely this approach that is gradually shaping a new role for procurement in complex infrastructure projects: not as a separate administrative procedure, but as one of the key tools for managing their implementation.

Source: The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development https://www.ebrd.com/home/work-with-us/project-procurement.html