How to bid
How to bid in Mali
The steps of a bid, from reading the notice to getting paid, with the rules of your country and of the organisation that is buying. Free, no account needed.
Mali edition: the rules shown are this country's.Change country
Understand
Who is buying, under which rules, and what the type of procedure or contract changes.
- 1From notice to contract: the steps of a bidThe full map of a bid, what happens at each step and how much time to allow, so you know where you are and what comes next.6 min read
- 2Who is buying and which rules applyState budget, development funder, United Nations agency or private company: how to tell in a minute which rules govern the notice in front of you.6 min read
- 3Types of procedure: open, restricted, quotation, direct award, expression of interestWhat each procedure means, who can respond, what it asks of you, and the thresholds that trigger it in your country.8 min read
- 4Works, supplies, services, consulting: what changesThe type of contract decides what you must prove and how you will be scored. What to know for each of the four.7 min read
Prepare your bid
Read the tender file, gather the documents, write the technical bid, price it and get the bid security.
- 5Read a notice and a tender fileWhat to read first, where the disqualifying criteria hide, and how to decide within an hour whether the bid is worth the work.8 min read
- 6The administrative documents to provideEach document asked for, who issues it, how long it stays valid and how to avoid rejection over an expired certificate.6 min read
- 7Write a technical bid that gets throughAnswer the scoring grid, prove your references, present staff and equipment, and build a credible schedule.8 min read
- 8Price your financial bidPrice schedule, bill of quantities, taxes, hidden costs and abnormally low bids: how to reach a price that wins without ruining you.8 min read
- 9Bonds and guarantees: bid, performance, advance, retentionWhat each guarantee covers, who can issue it, how long it takes to obtain, and the rules in your country.7 min read
- 10Joint ventures and subcontractingHow to reach a contract too large for you alone: choosing between a joint venture and subcontracting, what each commits you to, and the documents to prepare.6 min read
Submit and follow through
Submit on time, follow the evaluation, challenge if needed, deliver and get paid.
- 11Submit your bid and the bid openingEnvelopes, copies, paper or electronic submission, receipt, and what to watch for at the opening session.6 min read
- 12Evaluation and award: what happens after you submitHow committees examine bids, how the ranking is calculated, and how to read an award result.6 min read
- 13Challenge a decision: appeals and time limitsWhen and how to challenge a notice or an award, before whom, and the time limits in your country that end your right to do so.5 min read
- 14Deliver the contract and get paidFrom notification to acceptance: start order, advance, payment certificates, penalties, late payment and what you can do about it.7 min read
- 15The mistakes that eliminate you and the pre-submission checklistThe most frequent causes of rejection, and the check to run the day before submission so a week of work is not lost over a detail.5 min read
By organisation
United Nations, World Bank, AfDB, European Union, AFD, private companies: these organisations apply their own rules, not the national code. Here is how to respond to them.
- United Nations (UN and its agencies)How to register on UNGM, find a UN notice, tell RFQ, ITB and RFP apart, know where each agency (ILO, UNDP, UNICEF, FAO, UNOPS, IOM, WFP, WHO, UNHCR, Secretariat) actually receives bids, and challenge a decision.
- World Bank (financed projects)How to bid on a World Bank-financed project: who buys, where notices appear, the methods (RFB, RFQ, RFP, QCBS), eligibility, the standstill period and how to complain.
- African Development Bank (AfDB)What to know before bidding on an AfDB-financed project: who buys, the 2015 procurement framework, member-country eligibility and where to follow notices.
- Global Fund (HIV, TB, malaria)Selling health products financed by the Global Fund: who buys (the country's Principal Recipient), the three purchasing routes, quality standards, the absence of domestic preference and what it means for a local firm.
- European Union (external action)How to bid on an EU-financed contract outside the Union: direct or partner-country management, nationality and origin rules, the Funding & Tenders portal, thresholds and remedies.
- French Development Agency (AFD)How to bid on an AFD-financed tender: the project owner buys, the AFD Procurement Guidelines set the rules, no nationality condition, integrity declaration, publication on dgMarket.
- Islamic Development Bank (IsDB)How to bid on a project financed by the Islamic Development Bank: procurement guidelines, notices, member-country eligibility, the standstill period and complaints.
- Regional institutions (BCEAO, BOAD, BEAC, BDEAC, UEMOA, ECOWAS)How to sell to the BCEAO, BOAD, BEAC and the ECOWAS Commission, or bid on a BOAD-financed contract: their own rules, notices, BOAD thresholds, deadlines and remedies, and what we could not establish for the BDEAC and UEMOA.
- Private companies, mining companies and NGOsSelling to a private company, a mining company or an NGO: there is no procurement code, the rule is the buyer's own, except when the money comes from a funder that imposes its rules, and how to get paid when an invoice is unpaid.
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