General Considerations
1.4 The Borrower is responsible for preparing and implementing the project, and therefore for selecting the consultant, and awarding and subsequently administering the contract. The Bank, for its part, is required by its Articles of Agreement (Bank’s Articles of Agreement, Article III, Section 5(b); and IDA’s Articles of Agreement, Article V, Section 1(g)) to “ensure that the proceeds of any loan are used only for the purposes for which the loan was granted, with due attention to considerations of economy and efficiency and without regard to political or other non-economic influences or considerations,” and it has established detailed procedures for this purpose. While the specific rules and procedures to be followed for employing consultants depend on the circumstances of the particular case, five main considerations guide the Bank’s policy on the selection process:
(a) the need for high-quality services,
(b) the need for economy and efficiency,
(c) the need to give all eligible consultants an opportunity to compete in providing the services financed by the Bank,
(d) the Bank’s interest in encouraging the development and use of national consultants in its developing member countries, and
(e) the need for transparency in the selection process.