Effective Qualifications-Based & Gender-Responsive Procurement – ITF Summit 2025

This side event will take place in the context of the 2025 ITF Summit on Transport Resilience to Global Shocks, held from 21 to 23 May in Leipzig, Germany, under the ITF Presidency of Chile.

The session “Effective Qualifications-Based and Gender-Responsive Procurement” will be held on 21 May 2025, from 15:30 to 16:30. It is organised by the International Road Federation (IRF), the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) and the International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC).

Transport infrastructure in many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and emerging economies is still under development, making the decisions taken this decade especially critical. Each year, natural hazards cause an estimated USD 15 billion in direct damage to transport systems, with LMICs absorbing more than half of this loss. Despite receiving approximately 29% of climate finance, the transport sector still faces the largest investment gap.

In this context, effective procurement becomes essential—not only to maximise the impact of limited resources but also to ensure that transport infrastructure is resilient, inclusive and future-proof. The session will explore how procurement strategies such as Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS) can enhance outcomes by prioritising expertise, innovation, and quality over cost alone. QBS is particularly relevant in contexts where roads must withstand extreme conditions and rapid urbanisation, allowing for the integration of advanced engineering techniques and sustainable materials from the outset.

The session will also address the increasing integration of social responsibility into procurement frameworks. Drawing on the World Bank’s precedent of disqualifying contractors over non-compliance with Gender-Based Violence (GBV)-related obligations, the discussion will consider how procurement can promote not only technical excellence, but also equity, accountability and social resilience in infrastructure delivery.

By bringing together expertise from across regions and sectors, this session aims to demonstrate how smart, ethical procurement practices can deliver transport systems that are not only fit for purpose, but built to last.