Early Market Engagement: Summary Note

on the Potential Use of Framework Agreements for Consulting Services under the Ukraine Government Project Preparation Facility (UG PPF), implemented under the World Bank-financed “Preparation of Resilient Projects to Advance Recovery of Ukraine” (PREPARE Ukraine) Project (P180849)

Purpose of the EME

The Early Market Engagement (EME) session was convened to obtain market feedback on the potential use and structuring of Framework Agreements (FAs) for consulting services under the Ukraine Government Project Preparation Facility (Ukraine Government PPF), implemented under the World Bank-financed PREPARE Ukraine Project. The session aimed to assess whether an FA approach could support timely, flexible, competitive, and high-quality mobilization of consultants for repeated project-preparation assignments where the exact pipeline and scope will evolve over time.

The event also served to inform prospective market participants about the indicative Ukraine Government PPF pipeline, the expected scope of pre-investment studies and project preparation assignments, the proposed two-stage procurement logic under FA, and the principal design issues requiring further consultation with international and Ukrainian consulting firms and experts.

Overview of Presentations

The PPP Agency delivered a comprehensive presentation outlining:

• The Ukraine Government PPF implementation model and the role of the PPP Agency in supporting the preparation of Government-selected priority investments in cooperation with project owners and beneficiaries.
• The indicative scope of project-preparation support, including project structuring, pre-feasibility and feasibility studies, detailed engineering designs, environmental and social studies, business cases, financial structuring, and related expert services.
• The rationale for considering an FA approach: reducing repetitive procurement steps for similar assignments, enabling faster mobilization of sectoral and local expertise, preserving competition at the call-off stage, and improving transparency through standardized rules, TOR logic, contract forms, and an auditable decision trail.
• The proposed two-stage procurement logic under FA: Primary Procurement to select an eligible pool of consultants and agree the FA rules, followed by Secondary Procurement to award assignment-specific Call-off Contracts based on defined TORs, a mini-competition or a justified direct call-off where permitted, and an assignment-specific pricing approach.
• The principal FA design decisions requiring further review, including lot structure, panel size, duration, local capacity, lead consultant and JV arrangements, timing for the evaluation of Key Experts, and possible pricing mechanisms.

Participants were reminded that the conclusion of an FA would not guarantee the award of any Call-off Contract. Each assignment would require a defined scope, TOR, price, and separate Call-off Contract in accordance with the applicable FA rules and the World Bank Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers (Fifth Edition, September 2023).

Participation and Market Engagement

The virtual session recorded 73 attendees, including representatives of:

• International and Ukrainian consulting firms and engineering companies
• Project-preparation, financial, legal, and transaction advisory firms
• Environmental and social specialists and other technical advisors
• Donor partners, development institutions, and industry representatives

The breadth of participation demonstrated strong market interest in the proposed FA concept and in supporting the preparation of Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction investment pipeline.

Key Issues Discussed During the Q&A Session

During the Q&A session, participants shared their experience of participating in framework arrangements and discussed both the advantages and practical challenges associated with such contracts. The discussion highlighted the following considerations for the further design of the FA approach:

• Participants highlighted the appropriateness of a quality-focused approach at the FA establishment stage, with financial proposals requested only during Secondary Procurement / the relevant call-off procedure. This approach would allow the price proposal to reflect the specific scope, methodology, expert inputs, and delivery requirements of each assignment.
• Participants recommended that the FA documentation permit a flexible delivery structure for individual call-offs. In particular, non-lead JV, consortium, or sub-consultant members whose expertise is not required for a specific assignment could remain in a “silent mode” for that call-off. The use of additional assignment-specific sub-consultants could also be permitted, subject to the applicable FA rules, eligibility requirements, conflict-of-interest provisions, and the lead consultant’s responsibility for performance.
• The FA proposal should demonstrate access to core expertise needed for similarly classifies projects (by sector, nature of the assignment, etc) preparation, while the detailed assignment-specific team should be proposed and evaluated at the call-off stage. Indicative baseline profiles may include a Team Leader / Project Preparation Lead, sector expert(s), financial and economic expert(s), legal and regulatory expert(s), environmental and social experts, and local technical and regulatory experts.
• Participants noted the importance of keeping the FA sufficiently broad to accommodate an evolving project pipeline while establishing clear rules for call-off competition, expert mobilization, responsibility, pricing, and contract management.
• The discussion also addressed the need to account for the security environment, the availability of local expertise, uncertainty in assignment scheduling, and the commercial attractiveness of the FA arrangement for high-quality international and Ukrainian firms.

Summary and Next Steps

The meeting confirmed substantial market interest in the potential use of FAs for consulting services under the Ukraine Government PPF and generated practical feedback for further consideration by the PPP Agency and the World Bank. The feedback received during the session, together with written submissions from market participants, will be reviewed when refining the proposed FA structure and preparing the relevant procurement strategy and documentation.

The EME was conducted for information-gathering and market-consultation purposes only. Participation did not constitute prequalification, shortlisting, or selection and did not create any right to be awarded an FA or a Call-off Contract.

Key dates and upcoming actions

• Deadline for written feedback from market participants: June 25, 2026.
• Indicative publication of the Expression of Interest (EOI) / Request for Proposals (RFP): Q3 2026.
• Indicative award of Framework Agreement(s): Q1 2027.
• Indicative start of the first call-offs: Q2 2027.

Communications

Market participants are invited to submit written responses and any additional recommendations to the contact email indicated in the EME invitation by June 25, 2026.

Written responses will be treated as confidential and will not be attributed to individual organizations without prior consent.