How to write a tender CV (World Bank Form TECH-6)

Every multilateral development bank asks for consultant CVs inside the technical proposal, but the required form differs by institution. Always use the exact form named in the request for proposals (RFP). Submitting a different layout, or a general job-application CV, can cost technical points or lead to rejection.

• World Bank: Form TECH-6, the standard CV form in the World Bank Standard Request for Proposals for consulting services.
• Asian Development Bank (ADB): its own consultant CV template, used in consultant recruitment.
• EBRD: its own CV format for consultancy assignments.
• AIIB and IsDB: the CV format specified in each project’s RFP or procurement documents.

The form is not interchangeable. A CV that is strong in one bank’s template can still lose points if it is submitted in the wrong format, so confirm the required form before you start writing.

Form TECH-6, "Curriculum Vitae for Proposed Professional Staff," is the CV form in the World Bank Standard Request for Proposals for the selection of consultants. It is completed for each key expert named in the proposal and is the main evidence the evaluation committee uses to score that expert. A typical TECH-6 asks for:

• The proposed position on the assignment and the expert’s name.
• Date of birth and country of citizenship or residence.
• Education: degrees, institutions, and dates.
• Employment record relevant to the assignment, with employer, dates, and positions held.
• Membership in professional associations and relevant publications.
• Language skills, with a proficiency level for speaking, reading, and writing.
• An "adequacy for the assignment" table that maps the tasks assigned to the expert against prior work that best shows the capability to handle them.
• A signed certification that the CV correctly describes the expert, their qualifications, and their experience.

The adequacy table is where most points are won or lost. Fill it in specifically, linking each assigned task to a named prior assignment, rather than repeating the general employment history.

In quality-based methods such as QCBS and QBS, the qualifications of the key experts are a scored part of the technical proposal, and the CV is the evidence behind that score. Evaluators usually rate each expert on three sub-criteria:

• General qualifications: overall education, training, and length of professional experience.
• Adequacy for the assignment: experience in the specific sector, scope, and type of work the terms of reference describe.
• Relevant experience in the region and language: knowledge of the country or region and the working language of the assignment.

Because scoring follows the terms of reference, the CV that wins is not the longest one. It is the one that most clearly demonstrates the exact experience the ToR asks for.

Within the required form, order and wording still matter. A strong tender CV makes the relevant experience easy to find and score:

• Identity and proposed role: your name, the position proposed on this bid, and your specialization.
• A focused summary that connects your background to the assignment in a few lines.
• Relevant assignments first: projects that resemble the tender in sector, scope, and country, with your specific role and results.
• Development-bank funded experience, since work on World Bank, ADB, EBRD, AIIB, or IsDB projects is often rewarded.
• Employment history with dates, employers, and responsibilities, consistent with the assignments you list.
• Education and certifications that meet the qualification requirements in the ToR.
• Languages with honest proficiency levels.

Keep one complete master profile of your experience and generate each tailored CV from it. A single source of truth keeps dates, roles, and references consistent across every bid.

1. Read the terms of reference first. Identify the exact qualifications, sector experience, and regional or language requirements the role is scored on.
2. Choose the required form. Use TECH-6 for World Bank assignments, or the ADB or EBRD template, exactly as the RFP specifies.
3. Lead with the closest experience. Move the assignments that most resemble this tender to the top, and describe your specific role and measurable results.
4. Mirror the ToR language. Use the same sector and technical terms the terms of reference use, without overstating what you did.
5. Complete the adequacy table precisely. Link each assigned task to a concrete prior assignment.
6. Tailor for each bid. Adjust the summary and the highlighted assignments for the specific opportunity rather than reusing one generic CV.
7. Check consistency. Confirm that dates, roles, and references match across the CV and the rest of the proposal.

• Submitting a general job-application CV instead of the required bank form.
• Using the wrong institution’s template, or an outdated version of the form.
• Listing every project instead of leading with the assignments relevant to this ToR.
• Leaving the adequacy for the assignment table generic or blank.
• Overstating a role or a language level in a way the rest of the proposal or references contradict.
• Inconsistent dates, titles, or spellings between the CV and the technical proposal.
• Ignoring the region and language sub-criterion when the assignment is country-specific.

Silka lets experts keep one structured profile, covering assignments, employment, education, certifications, and languages, and generate CVs in the formats banks expect, including World Bank Form TECH-6 and the ADB and EBRD templates, ready to include in a technical proposal.