Where to Find Donor Tenders in Africa: UNGM, EU, World Bank, and AfDB

Is it free to find and bid on donor tenders?

Yes, for the main sources. UNGM says the UN procurement opportunities posted there are publicly accessible and free of charge, and registering is free too. World Bank and AfDB project notices are public, and both offer free email alerts. The EU portal doesn’t charge to search or register.

Some services charge for convenience. UNGM’s paid UNGM Pro adds tender alerts and better search, and the price shows only after you sign in. Devex sells a funding search that, as of today, costs $99 a month billed yearly. These can save time, but you don’t need them to bid.

One service no longer exists. UN Development Business (UNDB), a long-running paid listing of development tenders, closed on March 31, 2025. Older guides still tell you to subscribe to it.

How do you register on UNGM?

UNGM, the United Nations Global Marketplace, is used by more than 30 UN organizations. Anyone can read the notices without an account. To bid, you register at one of three levels (UNGM requirements):

• Basic (required): company details, including your registration or licence number, the countries where you work, product and service codes (called UNSPSC codes), a declaration of eligibility, and agreement to the UN Supplier Code of Conduct.
• Level 1 (optional): a certificate of incorporation in English or with a certified translation, three references, and the names of owners and principals.
• Level 2 (optional): at least three years in business, three reference letters, and audited or certified financial statements for the last three years.

Basic is enough for most agencies, including UNDP, FAO, UNFPA, UN Women, UNOPS, and WHO. A few, such as UNICEF, UNHCR, WFP, and the UN Secretariat, may ask for Level 1 or 2 on larger contracts, and each notice says which level it needs (UNGM levels).

Registering doesn’t mean you submit on UNGM. Depending on the agency, you may submit through its own system, by email, or on paper (UNGM help). Read the submission section of each notice first.

Choose your UNSPSC codes with care. They decide which notices match your profile. A research or evaluation firm should pick the codes for those services rather than only general management consulting.

How do EU tenders and calls for proposals work?

The EU posts both service tenders and grant calls for its external aid on the Funding & Tenders Portal. Tenders also appear on TED, the EU’s tender journal. You need two IDs, and a third for grants:

1. EU Login, a free account.
2. A PIC, a 9-digit Participant Identification Code, needed for calls for proposals and for tenders with online submission (EU portal). Search first to make sure your organization doesn’t already have one. The PIC stays provisional until the EU validates it, which happens only if you’re selected.
3. A EuropeAid ID from PADOR, for external aid calls for proposals. PADOR hasn’t been retired yet. Current calls still require it, and they also require a PIC from the EU Participant Register, which the EU says will be the entry point to its future grants portal. The portal itself says you must register in PADOR to take part (EU portal). Most applications then go through the PROSPECT system (INTPA).

The rules for EU external aid contracts are in the Practical Guide, called PRAG. The current edition took effect on January 20, 2025 (INTPA). The EU’s summary says tenderers must be established in an EU or EEA country or another eligible country, and that contracts under €20,000 can be awarded directly (INTPA tenders). Each call sets out which countries are eligible, so check that section before anything else.

Where are World Bank and AfDB consultancy notices posted?

Most World Bank-funded work in Africa isn’t hired by the Bank. It’s hired by the government agency running the project, under the Bank’s rules. Those notices, including requests for expressions of interest, appear on the Bank’s project procurement page, which is free and has email alerts. Borrowers also advertise in national media. The current rules are the Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers, seventh edition (September 2025), which let firms and individuals from all countries compete.

Work for the Bank itself is different. That’s posted on the Bank’s corporate procurement pages. The old eConsultant2 system has been replaced by WBGeProcure RFx Now, and new vendors start in the Vendor Management Portal.

The African Development Bank posts project notices on its procurement page, filterable by country and sector, with RSS and email alerts. Its consultant database, DACON, is optional: the AfDB says “all eligible firms” can submit expressions of interest without registering (AfDB FAQ). Individual consultants need a master’s degree and at least ten years of experience in their field to join it.

What about UN agency portals, the UK, and US funding?

Some agencies run their own systems alongside UNGM. UNDP posts notices on its procurement notices site and takes bids through its Quantum supplier portal, which needs a separate account. UNOPS uses its own eSourcing system.

The UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) advertises on Find a Tender and Contracts Finder, and runs bids through its Jaggaer eSourcing portal (FCDO procurement).

For US government grants, every applicant, in the US or abroad, needs a Unique Entity ID and an active SAM.gov registration. A State Department notice for work in Nigeria says to allow four to eight weeks, and that foreign organizations no longer need an NCAGE code for non-defense awards (State Department). Our SAM.gov guide covers the steps.

For individual consultancies, ReliefWeb lists humanitarian job vacancies, including many short-term consultancies (ReliefWeb).

How do you respond to a terms of reference or expression of interest?

Most consultancy notices start with a terms of reference (TOR), which describes the job, or a request for expressions of interest (EOI), which is a short first round to make a shortlist. Here’s the order we work in:

First, read the eligibility and submission sections before the technical ones. Who can bid, which documents are mandatory, the page limits, the language, the deadline and its time zone, and how to submit. Missing one mandatory form can get a strong bid thrown out without being scored.

Next, turn the notice into a checklist. List every required item with its page or section number, and tick each one off before you submit. For an EOI, the checklist is usually short: a cover letter, a company profile, similar past assignments with dates and clients, and the key experts’ CVs.

Then answer the evaluation criteria in their order. If the TOR scores methodology, team, and experience, use those as your headings. Reviewers are matching your text to their scoring grid, and you want the match to be obvious. CVs should show experience that fits the TOR, with dates and clients, not a general career history.

Finally, submit a day early. Portals slow down near deadlines, and late bids are almost never accepted.

How do you decide which tenders are worth bidding on?

A bid for a consultancy can take several days, so pick carefully. Before starting, ask four questions. Are we eligible on nationality, registration, and turnover? Do we have past work that matches the TOR closely, with references? Can we name the key experts now, and will they be available? Is there enough time to do it well?

If the answer to any of them is no, think about joining a team instead. Large tenders are often won by consortia, where a firm with the track record leads and a partner adds local presence or a specialist skill. Our Africa page describes how we join bids as a partner or subcontractor.

Frequently asked questions

References: UNGM registration requirements; UNGM registration levels; EU Funding & Tenders Portal, external action; EU participant register; INTPA grants; PRAG; World Bank Procurement Regulations; AfDB consultancy FAQ; UNDB closure notice. Sources checked October 26, 2026.

This article is general information. It is not legal, tax, accounting, or financial advice, and reading it does not make you our client. Laws, regulations, and funder policies change, so check the cited sources and your own award terms before you act. Aventis West is not a law firm or an accounting firm. For advice on your own situation, talk to a qualified attorney or CPA. See our terms of use.