ICB (International Competitive Bidding)

ICB means International Competitive Bidding. In NATO procurement, it is the formal competition procedure used to acquire goods or services through international bids or proposals from eligible sources in NATO countries. The NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCI Agency) describes ICB as its standard method of competition, run under formal bidding procedures. NCI Agency: International Competitive Bidding

The same term appears outside NATO. The Government of Canada's Trade Commissioner Service uses International Competitive Bidding, also called Open International Competition, for procurement financed by international financial institutions. In both settings the purpose is the same: notify all eligible firms and give them an equal opportunity to bid.

How NATO structures an ICB competition

NATO guidance describes ICB as procurement that follows a formal solicitation of international bids or proposals. An ICB can take one of two forms:

• IFIB (Invitation for International Bids): generally associated with sealed bidding for clearly defined, off-the-shelf supplies or services.
• IFIP (Invitation for International Proposals): used for formal international proposal competitions.

NATO's SHAPE guidance states that ICBs are used when the estimated requirement exceeds the applicable NATO Established Financial Limit (EFL). The EFL is the financial threshold system that determines when formal ICB procedures apply. At the NCI Agency, ICBs are issued under sealed-bidding procedures known as Invitations for Bid. NATO SHAPE: International Competitive Bidding

Notification of Intent and eligibility

NATO announces an ICB through a Notification of Intent (NOI), the formal notice sent to NATO national delegations. The Agency also posts the competition on its business-opportunities page. The NOI sets the timeline within which national delegations must submit a firm's Declaration of Eligibility. NATO: Notification of Procurement Opportunities

Eligibility depends on funding. NCI Agency ICBs are normally open to firms from NATO nations that participate in funding the requirement. Where a requirement is common-funded by all NATO nations, industry from all NATO nations may take part. A firm cannot bid on its own initiative. It must be nominated to the bidders list through its national authority.

ICB in international financial institution projects

The Trade Commissioner Service describes ICB as the preferred method for higher-value or complex procurement projects. It is designed to reach all eligible firms and give each an equal chance to bid. Trade Commissioner Service: Prepare for opportunities with the IFIs and the UN

Specific institutions apply it in their own way:

• Recipients of Caribbean Development Bank financing are normally required to procure goods, works and non-consulting services through ICB where those opportunities are identified in procurement plans. Caribbean Development Bank
• For World Bank Group projects, the applicable process may be ICB or National Competitive Bidding, depending on the capacity of the local market. World Bank Group

What ICB means for a Canadian supplier

ICB is not a Canadian federal or provincial procurement method, so it will not appear as a standard procedure on CanadaBuys. It matters when your firm pursues NATO work or IFI-financed projects abroad. For NATO competitions, a bidder must:

• Be established in an eligible participating NATO nation.
• Contact its national authority or NATO national delegation, citing the relevant IFIB or ICB number.
• Request nomination to the bidders list through a Declaration of Eligibility.
• Follow the deadlines and instructions in the NOI and the solicitation package.

Build this lead time into your bid calendar, because the Declaration of Eligibility must be submitted through your national channel within the window the NOI sets. For IFI projects, check each institution's procurement plan to see whether a given opportunity runs as ICB or as National Competitive Bidding.