Procurement at the Asian Development Bank: portals, thresholds and rules

At a glance

Rules: Procurement Directive for ADB Borrowers
Procurement and oversight: Asian Development Bank – Project Procurement
Portal: ADB Projects & Tenders

Thresholds

ADB-financed works contracts below this value are normally subject to post review instead of ADB prior review	USD 1 million
ADB-financed goods contracts: post review threshold	USD 500,000
ADB-financed consulting services by firms: post review threshold (individual consultants: USD 100,000)	USD 250,000
Merit point criteria: contracts estimated at or above this value count as high value for the minimum technical weighting	USD 10 million
Subcontracts above this value (or 10% of the contract value, whichever is lower) must be disclosed to the employer	USD 500,000
Consulting: small assignment contracts are normally not above this value	USD 100,000

Rules and buyers

Under the ADB Charter sit the ADB Procurement Policy (2017), the Procurement Directive for ADB Borrowers (effective 1 January 2026) and a Technical Instruction for borrowers (effective 1 September 2026), supported by guidance notes and standard bidding documents. The framework is principle-based: economy, efficiency, fairness, transparency, quality and value for money. In ADB-financed projects the borrower or its executing agency runs the procurement and ADB reviews it, before award (prior review) or by sampling afterwards (post review). ADB itself recruits consultants for projects it administers, such as technical assistance, and buys goods, works and services for its headquarters in Manila and its field offices. According to the 2024 Annual Procurement Report, 7,556 contracts were awarded in 2024, driving nearly USD 6 billion in ADB-financed investment projects.[2][3][6][9]

Where tenders are published

Procurement notices for goods, works, nonconsulting and consulting services in ADB-financed projects are listed under Projects & Tenders on adb.org, together with procurement plans. Internationally advertised open competitive bidding must be published on the ADB website and also on a national portal with free access or in a national newspaper; nationally advertised bidding appears only nationally. Consulting assignments are advertised in the Consultant Management System (CMS), where consultants register and submit expressions of interest and proposals. ADB's own corporate tenders are on the Institutional Procurement Notices page; you are invited to register in the Supplier Portal after responding. Goods and nonconsulting services for ADB-administered technical assistance are moving to the new APEX platform.[2][11][12][20]

Procedures and thresholds

Open competitive bidding (OCB) is ADB's preferred method, with national or international advertisement chosen on market, risk, complexity and value and fixed in the procurement plan. Other methods include limited competitive bidding by direct invitation, request for quotations and, in special cases, direct contracting. Consultants are selected through quality- and cost-based selection, quality-based selection, consultant's qualifications selection, fixed budget selection or least-cost selection, or as individual consultants. Contracts below USD 1 million for works, USD 500,000 for goods, USD 250,000 for consulting firms and USD 100,000 for individual consultants are normally subject to post review rather than ADB prior review. For its own needs ADB uses open competitive bidding, limited tendering, shopping and direct or sole source contracting depending on value and nature.[2][3][10]

Documents and language

Firms and goods must come from ADB members; loans from ordinary capital resources finance only goods and services produced in and supplied from members, while Special Funds may be limited further. Borrowers may not exclude bidders for reasons unrelated to their capability, and mandatory joint ventures are not accepted. Firms on ADB's debarment list are ineligible, and borrowers check the ADB Debarment and Suspension Register. Unless ADB agrees otherwise, bidding documents and advertisements are in English; for nationally advertised contracts the local language may be required. Bidders must disclose subcontracts above USD 500,000 or 10% of the contract value. For ADB's own procurement, suppliers must be from an ADB member, not be on the sanction list of ADB or another multilateral development bank, and provide company and financial documents.[2][3][11][15]

Deadlines, award and challenges

ADB guidance says that generally 6 weeks for internationally advertised contracts and 4 weeks for nationally advertised contracts is sufficient bid time, counted from advertisement or availability of documents. With merit point criteria, the most advantageous bid is the substantially responsive, highest-ranked bid; minimum technical weightings range from 10% to 60% depending on risk and value. Without merit point criteria it is the lowest evaluated cost; for consulting, the best evaluated proposal. Where a standstill period applies, the borrower notifies all bidders of its intention to award and must debrief on request before it ends; if not, you may write to ADB. Complaints go to the borrower; for contracts under ADB prior review, the borrower answers only after ADB's no-objection. You can also file through ADB's online complaint form.[2][8][14]

How to win a tender at the Asian Development Bank

Since 1 January 2026, internationally advertised contracts for goods, works and nonconsulting services in ADB-financed projects are evaluated with merit point criteria: the substantially responsive, highest-ranked bid wins, and technical quality carries a minimum weight of 10% to 60% depending on risk and value. Scoring looks at methodology, work plan, key personnel, equipment, quality assurance, schedule and sustainability, and up to 15% of technical points may reward local job creation and skills. Without merit point criteria the lowest evaluated cost wins; consulting uses methods such as quality- and cost-based selection. Clarifications, corrections and changes are sent to every holder of the documents, so ask early. Know the buyer: read the project data sheet and procurement plan, and check contracts awarded to consulting firms in CMS. Bids fail on eligibility, qualification evidence and nonresponsiveness, so follow the bidding documents exactly. After the notice of intention to award, ask for a debriefing before the standstill period ends; complaints go to the borrower and can be lodged through ADB's form.[2][7][14][17]

Read the project data sheet and procurement plan before the notice appears.
Map every merit point criterion and its weighting in the bidding documents.
Send clarification questions early and track all addenda sent to bidders.
Prove eligibility and qualifications exactly as the documents require.
Write methodology, staffing and sustainability content to score merit points.
Request a debriefing within the standstill period and complain promptly if needed.

Clarification round: Clarification requests on the bidding documents (pre-bid queries)

How TenderRender helps you at the Asian Development Bank

TenderRender does the work behind each step above. Your team checks and refines.

1
Research the buyer
Brings together the buyer's earlier awards, policies and contracts, so your bid fits this buyer's situation at the Asian Development Bank.
2
Ask questions
Finds unclear points and risks in the documents and drafts questions about them for the clarification round: Clarification requests on the bidding documents (pre-bid queries).
3
Write per criterion
Drafts a first version per award criterion, in the language of the tender, with citations to your own documents.
4
Review
Scores your bid per award criterion the way an evaluator would, with concrete improvements.
5
Fill in forms
Fills in the declarations, price schedules, questionnaires and Excel annexes from your own data and earlier bids, with a source per answer.
6
Submit
Builds a checklist of everything you need to submit on the portal named in the notice and prepares the documents ready to sign.

Tender search covers the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany; at the Asian Development Bank you upload the documents from the portal named in the notice and TenderRender works with them the same way.

Teams writing or reviewing with TenderRender won 49% of their completed tenders. How this was calculated

Book a demo

Tips for bidders

Start early in the project cycle: read project data sheets and procurement plans on Projects & Tenders to see what will be tendered and when. Learn the new rules, because the 2026 Procurement Directive changed evaluation for internationally advertised contracts to merit point criteria, which reward methodology, key staff, quality and sustainability, not just price. For works contracts, plan for ADB's requirement on local workers and consider local job creation and skills measures. Register in CMS before consulting deadlines and keep your profile current, because ADB does not notify each applicant about shortlisting. Use the clarification deadline and debriefing. Beware of fake solicitations: ADB warns about scam emails using look-alike domains.[7][16][18][19]

Platforms at the Asian Development Bank

The portals where this organisation publishes its tenders or awards, from its own sources.

ADB Projects & Tenders
Procurement notices for goods, works, nonconsulting and consulting services in ADB-financed projects, linked to project pages and procurement plans.
How it works →Website
Consultant Management System (CMS)
ADB's platform for consulting notices: register, submit expressions of interest and proposals, and view shortlisted firms and awarded contracts.
How it works →Website
ADB Institutional Procurement Notices
ADB's own tenders for headquarters and field offices; Supplier Portal registration follows by invitation and is required before any contract.
How it works →Website
ADB Procurement and Expert Engagement (APEX)
New ADB platform, initially for goods and nonconsulting services in ADB-administered technical assistance projects; TA consulting stays in CMS.
How it works →Website

Frequently asked questions

Where are ADB tenders published?

Project procurement and consulting notices are listed under Projects & Tenders on adb.org; consulting assignments run through the Consultant Management System. ADB's own corporate tenders are on the Institutional Procurement Notices page.[12][19][21]

Do I need to register?

Consultants register in the Consultant Management System to submit expressions of interest and proposals. Suppliers to ADB's own institutional procurement are invited to register in the Supplier Portal after responding to a notice, and registration is required before any contract or purchase order.[11][12]

Which thresholds apply?

Below USD 1 million for works, USD 500,000 for goods, USD 250,000 for consulting firms and USD 100,000 for individual consultants, ADB-financed contracts are normally post-reviewed instead of prior-reviewed. Contracts of USD 10 million or more count as high value when setting merit point weightings.[2][3]

Who can take part?

Firms from ADB member countries; ADB-financed goods and services must also be produced in and supplied from members. Firms debarred by ADB are excluded, and for corporate procurement suppliers also must not be on another multilateral development bank's sanction list.[2][11][13]

In which language do I bid?

In English, unless ADB agrees otherwise. For nationally advertised contracts the bidding documents may require the local language.[2][3]

How much time do I get?

ADB guidance says generally 6 weeks for internationally advertised contracts and 4 weeks for nationally advertised ones, adjusted for size and complexity. The exact deadline is in each notice.[8]

What are merit point criteria?

Since 1 January 2026, internationally advertised bids for goods, works and nonconsulting services in ADB-financed projects are scored on quality factors such as methodology, key personnel and sustainability alongside price. The highest-ranked responsive bid wins.[2][5][7]