ADB is proud to announce a Business Opportunities Seminar (BOS) with Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) on 23 February 2023 as a joint collaboration between ADB's NGO and Civil Society Center (NGOC) and the Procurement, Portfolio and Financial Management Department (PPFD). BOS are regular events organized by PPFD for its consultant and contractor community to share news and updates on how to access to ADB opportunities and the ADB procurement framework. PPFD started the virtual BOS in 2021 in order to better support companies and consultants to work with ADB.

Tailored to the specific needs of ADB’s civil society partners, this BOS will cover how ADB engages with civil society, how CSOs can access and bid on opportunities, and offer lessons learned from CSOs who have worked with ADB before. Having a good working knowledge of ADB’s Consultant Management System—including how to register, where to locate opportunities, and how to compete for assignments—is important for individuals and firms interested in applying for ADB’s consulting opportunities. By the end of this seminar, CSOs should be confident to pursue opportunities through CMS and better placed to prepare winning proposals.

Objectives

During the webinar, participants had the opportunity to:

• learn about ADB’s engagement with civil society organizations;
• understand ADB’s procurement framework and discover what business opportunities are available for CSOs;
• learn about procurement methods and have an interactive session where participants are walked through registering for and using ADB’s Consultant Management System (CMS);
• hear from CSOs about lessons learned working with ADB; and
• meet virtually with ADB staff in procurement, consulting, project management, and related operations.

At the end of the seminar, participants had:

• gained a broader understanding of ADB as an institution and how it works with civil society partners;
• discovered how to identify business opportunities and address key challenges in the Consultant Management System;
• gained a greater understanding of topics related to business opportunities for CSOs and CSO’s actual experiences working with ADB.