Congo, Republic of the - Country Commercial Guide
Selling to the Public Sector
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Selling to the Government

The Congolese government typically publishes public bids to buy or contract with commercial entities through a commercial transaction.  Public bids are published for transactions involving amounts above $100,000 for equipment, supplies, and other goods and for transactions above $40,000 for professional services (i.e. architects, lawyers, consulting services).  Below this level, the government may follow a simplified process for public bids where three bidders are asked to submit their bids and the bidder with the lowest price is selected.

Companies hoping to conduct business successfully with the government should have either a local presence or a local partner to more easily identify opportunities to bid on government projects, which may be advertised by word-of-mouth prior to publication, or be physically posted in hard copy only at the advertising ministry itself.  Additionally, a potential bidder will be taken more seriously if the relevant government ministry is acquainted with the company.

U.S. companies bidding on Government tenders may also qualify for U.S. Government advocacy. A unit of the U.S. Commerce Department’s International Trade Administration, the Advocacy Center, coordinates U.S. Government interagency advocacy efforts on behalf of U.S. exporters bidding on public sector contracts with international governments and government agencies.  The Advocacy Center works closely with our network of the U.S. Commercial Service worldwide and inter-agency partners to ensure that exporters of U.S. products and services have the best possible chance of winning government contracts.  Advocacy assistance can take many forms but often involves the U.S. Embassy or other U.S. Government agency officials expressing support for the U.S. bidders directly to the foreign government.  Consult Advocacy for Foreign Government Contracts for additional information.   

Financing of Projects

The government of the Republic of the Congo finance public works projects through borrowing from bilateral partner, mostly the People’s Republic of China, but also through the multilateral development banks.

Multilateral Development Banks and Financing Government Sales 

Price, payment terms, and financing can be a significant factor in winning a government contract. Many governments finance public works projects through borrowing from the Multilateral Development Banks (MDB). The Guide to Doing Business with Multilateral Development Banks overviews how to work with MDBs.  The International Trade Administration (ITA) has a Foreign Commercial Service Officer stationed at each of the five different Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs): the African Development Bank; the Asian Development Bank; the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development; the Inter-American Development Bank; and the World Bank.

The government of the Republic of the Congo has been suspended at the beginning of this month from borrowing from the World Bank for failing to make any payments on his outstanding World Bank’s debt.

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