STEP (Systematic Tracking of Exchanges in Procurement)

STEP (Systematic Tracking of Exchanges in Procurement) is the World Bank's mandatory e-procurement system for all Investment Project Financing (IPF) operations, covering the complete procurement lifecycle from rolling procurement plans through contract management, and serving as the authoritative record of what is being procured under each World Bank-financed project.

What is STEP?

STEP is the internal platform through which borrowing governments and World Bank task teams plan, announce, evaluate, and contract every procurement activity under an IPF project. It tracks four main lifecycle stages: procurement plans (updated on an 18-month rolling basis), notices (General Procurement Notices, Specific Procurement Notices, IFBs, and REOIs), evaluations (bid opening records and evaluation reports), and since April 2025, contract management. All procurement notices generated in STEP are published automatically to the World Bank's public procurement search portal at search.worldbank.org, which is where suppliers and the public see them. STEP itself requires borrower or Bank login and is not publicly accessible; it is an internal workflow tool, not a supplier-facing marketplace.

Understanding that STEP is the upstream source of World Bank notices matters for suppliers using the world-bank REST API or the public search portal: the data freshness and completeness of what appears publicly depends on how promptly borrower project implementation units update their STEP records. Delays in STEP updates mean notices sometimes appear on the public portal later than the actual procurement timeline would suggest.

Why STEP matters for bidders

Suppliers cannot access STEP directly, but understanding its role explains two practical realities of World Bank procurement. First, the 18-month rolling procurement plans that STEP holds are the earliest warning of upcoming opportunities; when borrower project teams publish these plans on the public portal (as they are required to do), suppliers can identify contracts 6 to 18 months before they are formally advertised, giving time to build relationships with the implementing agency and position a proposal. Second, the completeness of public notice data varies because it depends on borrower teams updating STEP accurately; suppliers who also monitor the implementing agency's own website, attend project launch events, and engage directly with the project implementation unit get earlier and more reliable intelligence than those relying solely on portal alerts.

FAQ

Can suppliers log into STEP?

No. STEP is restricted to World Bank staff and borrower project implementation units. Suppliers access World Bank procurement information through the public search portal at search.worldbank.org, which publishes notices generated from STEP.

What types of notices does STEP generate?

STEP generates General Procurement Notices (GPNs), Specific Procurement Notices (SPNs), Invitations for Bids (IFBs), and Requests for Expressions of Interest (REOIs), all of which are published to the public search portal once the borrower submits them in the system.

Why do World Bank notices sometimes appear late on the public portal?

Because the public portal pulls data from STEP, and the timeliness of that data depends on how promptly the borrower's project team updates the system. Directly monitoring the implementing agency and engaging project staff is the most reliable way to track upcoming opportunities.