Economies of Operations

Economies of Operations is the term the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development uses to describe the countries where it is legally mandated to invest, currently 38 nations spanning Central and Eastern Europe, Central Asia, the Western Balkans, the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean, and sub-Saharan Africa.

What are EBRD Economies of Operations?

The EBRD was founded to support market-oriented reform and private-sector development in the former communist bloc, but its geographic mandate has expanded steadily since 1991. The current economies of operations include countries such as Poland, Ukraine, Egypt, Morocco, Turkey, Kazakhstan, and Georgia, among others. The phrase matters for procurement because the bank's projects, and therefore its procurement opportunities, are physically located in these countries. Clients receiving EBRD financing conduct their purchases under the bank's ppr rules and publish all notices on ecepp.

Understanding the geographic spread is also essential for assessing transition-impact, which the bank uses to justify each investment: a project must demonstrate a measurable contribution to the transition of its host economy toward open markets. The number of economies of operations, 38 as of 2025 with EUR 16.8 billion deployed in that year alone, reflects the bank's scale and the breadth of procurement available to international suppliers.

Why Economies of Operations matters for bidders

For a supplier building a pipeline of EBRD-financed work, knowing which countries qualify as economies of operations determines where to look and what local presence or partnerships may be needed. The EBRD's open eligibility policy means firms from any country can bid, regardless of whether their home country is itself an economy of operations. However, contracts are executed on the ground in these 38 countries, so logistical capability, local registration, and sub-contractor networks in the target economy are practical requirements. Monitoring the country-strategy documents the bank publishes for each economy helps predict which sectors will attract investment and therefore generate procurement over the next three to five years.

FAQ

How many economies of operations does the EBRD currently have?

As of 2025 the EBRD operates in 38 economies, having expanded from its original Central and Eastern European mandate to include countries in the Western Balkans, Central Asia, the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean, and parts of sub-Saharan Africa.

Can suppliers from outside the economies of operations bid on EBRD contracts?

Yes. The EBRD has the most permissive eligibility rule among major multilateral development banks: firms from all countries, member or non-member, and from inside or outside the economies of operations, may bid on financed contracts.

Where are most EBRD procurement opportunities concentrated?

The largest procurement volumes typically follow the bank's biggest annual investment flows, which have historically concentrated in Poland, Turkey, Ukraine, Egypt, and the Western Balkans, though the country mix shifts as the bank approves new country strategies.