ADB Consulting Opportunities Vienna, Austria 10-11 November 2015 Presented by: Walter Poick Director, Procurement Division 2 Operations Services and Financial Management Department
Why pursue ADB-Financed Consulting Contracts? Significant expenditure on consulting services (approximately $555M contracted in 2014) Gateway to new opportunities in fast growing emerging economies across multiple sectors Availability of funds is assured Risks related to transparency, fairness and integrity of recruitment activities mitigated through ADB oversight
Procurement of Consulting Services - Types of Consultants Consulting entities Consulting firms Universities NGOs Research institutes Others UN Organizations Individuals Sourced through a firm Independent Consultants
Types of Consulting Assignments Technical Assistance Consulting Assignments PPTA (Project preparation) CDTA (Advisory TA) RETA (Regional TA) Loan Project Consulting Assignments Project implementation supervision/support Capacity building Monitoring & Evaluation Staff Consulting Assignments Project preparation Evaluation Others Others ABD engages consultants for in-house projects, (e.g. Information Systems and Technology Project, building services, etc.), internal training, auditing, institutional/organizational reviews etc.
Consulting Opportunities Across ADB Project Cycle 1. Country Partnership Strategy Staff Consultants 1 2. Concept 6. Evaluation 6 2 Individual Consultants Individual Consultants 5 3 3. Preparation 5. Implementation 4 Consulting Firm 4. Loan Negotiation & Board Approval Consulting Firm
7-Step Plan to Win ADB-Financed Consulting Contracts 1. Collect relevant business intelligence 2. Build your brand name 3. Express interest 4. Know the country of the assignment and project site 5. Offer partnership to firms likely to be shortlisted 6. Prepare a responsive and strong technical proposal 7. Do good work
Step 1: Collect relevant business intelligence Study Country Partnership Strategy (CPS) and Country Operations Business Plans (COBP) Obtain information from procurement plans (and project documents) Check ADB website for opportunities in the Consulting Services Recruitment Notices (CSRN) section
Step 1: Collect relevant business intelligence http://www.adb.org Click on countries Click on Strategy
Step 1: Collect relevant business intelligence
Step 1: Collect relevant business intelligence
Step 1: Collect relevant business intelligence Navigate from adb.org to the Consulting Services Portal
Step 1: Collect relevant business intelligence Search Procurement Plans by: Country Year Sector http://www.adb.org/projects /documents/search/type/pr oject_document/subtype/pr ocurement-plans-1200
Excerpt from Procurement Plan Step 1: Collect relevant business intelligence
Step 1: Collect relevant business intelligence Search Recruitment Notices
Step 1: Collect relevant business intelligence
Business Opportunities Fair and ADB s Project Pipeline ADB s yearly Business Opportunities Fair - How to register on 16 17 March 2015 http://www.adb.org/news/events/6th-adbbusiness-opportunities-fair-2015 Background on the 2015 Business Opportunities Fair including Project Pipelines across countries and sectors http://adbprocurementforum.net/?page_id=2362
Step 2: Build your brand name Visit ADB Headquarters/Resident missions Visit departments responsible for projects Brown-bag seminars Business Opportunities Fairs Visit government executing agencies Register in ADB Consultant Management System (CMS)
Step 2: Build your brand name
Step 3: Express Interest Check opportunities on ADB website Submit Expression of Interest on time
Step 3: Express Interest Considerations Capacity to compete Capacity to deliver Go it alone or associate/joint venture Criteria Eligibility pass/fail Management competence (%) Technical experience (%) Geographical experience (%)
Step 4: Know the country of the assignment and project site Get to know the EA Obtain first hand information Field assessment Identify local partner(s) Estimate the local costs
Step 5: Offer partnership to firms likely to be shortlisted
Business Opportunities Fair in Manila Step 5: Offer partnership to firms likely to be shortlisted Network with potential partners online and offline ADB LinkedIn Networking Site
Step 6: Prepare a responsive and strong technical proposal Technical proposal usually carries 80% of the weight under QCBS and 100% under QBS and FBS Key Success Factors: Understand client requirements (ADB, government) Study the TOR Select the best personnel Personnel carry > 50% of the weight in technical score Team Leader normally carries the heaviest weight Visit the project site Follow the instructions in the RFP Understand the evaluation criteria Clarify your understanding
Step 7: Do good work ADB conducts Performance Evaluation Review (PER) for every consulting assignment and a poor performance record can affect consultants future opportunities with ADB Drivers of strong performance: Good team leader Relationships with EA Relationships between International & National consultants Managing replacements
Learning from an Irish Success Story The Challenge: Irish companies unknown to ADB because Ireland became an ADB member country in 2006 From 2007 to 2009, IrishCo (not its real name) submits many EOIs remotely but does not get shortlisted IrishCo attributes failure to lack of: (i) track record in ADB financed assignments, (ii) strong commitment to winning ADB financed assignments and (iii) strong partnerships.
Learning from an Irish Success Story The Solution: In 2009, IrishCo s top management makes a strategic commitment to winning ADB financed assignments Frequent travel to ADB HQ in Manila Focus initially is exclusively on small assignments Shorter and simpler recruitment process Recruiters are more willing to take risks with new firms due to smaller budget Opportunity to build valuable project references Opportunity to build brand recognition Gain familiarity with ADB processes and personnel By end of 2009, IrishCo wins three small contracts ($37K, $60K, $175K)
Learning from an Irish Success Story The Solution: Equipped with project references and a network of relationships, IrishCo targets larger assignments and wins two contracts worth $580K and $660K in 2011 IrishCo s Business Development Approach Project Scale PPTAs Loan Implementation/ Grants Individual Contracts Time
Avoiding Common Mistakes Failure to disclose conflict of interest Firm or any of its associates not organized in an ADB member country Wrong type of technical proposal is submitted Technical Proposal includes costs (QCBS) Proposal was not delivered in time to meet deadline Employees from executing agencies included in consultant s proposal (caution for government employees in general)
Walter Poick Tel: +63 2 632 5856/6191 E-mail: wpoick@adb.org