d/or operated by the government. It may vary by country, but usually public institutions include national public authorities, such as the Ministries (Education, Agriculture, Health, Public Works, etc.), local public authorities (e.g. City Councils), and public and state-owned companies or institutions (public hospitals, public schools, public port authorities, public water and sewage company, etc.). The procurement processes of public institutions and related bodies are public and regulated by law in each country.
• International organizations and programs: this category includes multilateral and bilateral organizations such as the World Bank Group, the African Development Bank, the United Nations Agencies, the World Food Program, the European Commission, etc. These institutions use their own procurement rules and regulations, which are public, and you can find them on each organization’s webpage.
• Private organizations: Procurement opportunities from private organizations may be difficult to detect, unless they are advertised on the company’s website or major media. You should look at your potential clients’ webpages to find out if a procurement portal or request for solicitations space exists. If no information exists (or the entity does not have a webpage), you should get in touch with the procurement department and ask for further information about where invitation for bids are published and what the procurement procedures are.
• Public organizations: Usually, national procurement laws in each country state where public tenders need to be advertised, including those from state-owned companies and public funded organizations. In general, bids get advertised by law in the official state gazette, journal or bulletin and in the webpages of the procuring authorities. Some public institutions may publish their bids in local major newspapers, and other major media, such as TV or radio.
• International organizations and programs: Generally, international organizations publish their bid notices on their webpages or in a procurement portal created specifically for it. For example, the United Nations publishes its bids in the United Nations Global Marketplace. The World Bank has developed a new Application for companies to be able to monitor projects and related business opportunities financed by the Bank. The African Development Bank has its own Procurement Portal.
There is a variety of national and international organizations that offer tender services advertisements. For example, the Development Galway through the DG Market webpage or the International Trade Center through the Procurement Map. Also, many procuring organizations have an internal database of qualified or potential suppliers to whom they usually send the invitations for bids. It is important that you find out if such a database exists for each of your potential clients of interest.
Also, procurement authorities often award small contracts to pre-identified suppliers, without advertising or opening a competitive process (also called sole-sourcing or direct sourcing). These contracts, small in nature, are usually accessible to SMEs. In order to gain access to them, it is imperative that you to establish a trusting relationship with the procuring entity.
Finally, specialized SMEs can participate as members of a consortium formed by companies of different sizes and different areas of expertise. SMEs may also want to consider their participation as subcontractors of a prime or main contractor. This can be an effective way for you to gain experience with public procurement or procurement from large corporations. The work references that you obtain as a subcontractor will be useful in the future when you apply for contracts directly.
If you want to learn how to write a Partnership Agreement have a look at the following article.
The most commonly used procurement methods include:
• Open competitive bidding (national or international). Any potential supplier can participate in the procurement process. It consists of an invitation to any potential supplier to bid, follo