How to write an Expression of Interest (EOI) that gets you shortlisted in Sierra Leone

Many of the most valuable consultancy contracts in Sierra Leone never start with a full proposal. They start with a short call titled Request for Expressions of Interest (REOI). Ministries, project units funded by the World Bank or the African Development Bank, and agencies such as the Bank of Sierra Leone use EOIs to decide which firms will be invited to submit full proposals. If your EOI is weak, you never see the Request for Proposals at all.

This guide explains how the EOI stage works and how to prepare one that gets your firm onto the shortlist. If you are still unsure how an EOI differs from an RFQ, ITB or RFP, start with RFQ, ITB, RFP and EOI explained: tender types in Sierra Leone.

What an EOI is actually for

An EOI is a screening step. The procuring entity is not yet asking for your methodology or your price. It wants to know whether your firm has the right background to be trusted with the assignment.

Under Sierra Leone's Public Procurement Regulations 2020, a procuring entity buying consultancy services normally publishes a notice inviting expressions of interest so it can build a shortlist (Regulation 79). The notice must state the scope of the assignment, the shortlisting criteria, conflict-of-interest information, the documents to submit, and the deadline and address for submission.

Regulation 81 then says EOIs are evaluated against the criteria in the notice, and the shortlist must contain a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 6 consultants. A firm is only shortlisted if it can be expected to fully satisfy the requirements, including eligibility, qualifications, capacity, resources and experience. In other words, you are usually competing for one of a handful of places.

Donor-funded projects follow the funder's rules instead. Recent World Bank-financed REOIs in Sierra Leone, for example from the Ministry of Energy's EDSA project and the Bank of Sierra Leone's financial inclusion project, state that firms will be selected under the World Bank Procurement Regulations. Always read which rules the notice cites.

What evaluators look for

World Bank-funded REOIs in Sierra Leone use very similar shortlisting criteria. Typical wording includes:

• Core business and years in business – is this assignment what your firm actually does?
• Relevant experience – similar assignments, ideally in similar conditions (West Africa, low-income settings, donor projects)
• Technical and managerial capability of the firm – staff, systems, equipment, offices

Just as important is what they do not look at. These notices state clearly that key experts will not be evaluated at the shortlisting stage. Sending twenty CVs does not help much at this point. What counts is the firm's own track record and capacity.

Individual consultant calls are different. For example, the AfDB-funded WASHAERP Financial Management Technical Assistant notice asks for a detailed CV and copies of certificates, because a person is being selected, not a firm.

Step-by-step: preparing your EOI

1. Read the notice and Terms of Reference first

Many REOIs say the Terms of Reference (ToR) can be requested by email or collected from the project office. Get them: the ToR shows which experience matters most. Note the funder, the selection method (QCBS, CQS and so on), the submission method and the exact deadline, including the time.

2. List the shortlisting criteria and answer each one

Copy the criteria from the notice into a simple checklist. Organise your EOI in the same order and use the same words as headings. Evaluators assess you against these criteria, so make each one easy to find.

3. Write a short cover letter

Address it exactly as the notice instructs (for example "Attn: The Procurement Specialist, Project Implementation Unit"). Name the assignment and reference number, confirm your interest, introduce the firm in two or three sentences and list what is enclosed. Have it signed by an authorised person.

4. Present your firm profile

Include your legal name, registration details, year established, address, main areas of work and staff numbers. Cut generic marketing language and keep to facts relevant to the assignment.

5. Prove relevant experience with a project table

This is often where firms win or lose a place on the shortlist. For each similar assignment give:

• Name of assignment and client
• Funder (government, World Bank, AfDB, UN agency, NGO)
• Location and dates
• Contract value, if you can share it
• Your role (lead firm, JV partner or sub-consultant)
• Two or three lines describing what you delivered

Put the most relevant and most recent assignments first. Keep completion certificates or reference letters ready, because evaluators may ask for proof.

6. Show technical and managerial capability

Describe your permanent staff by discipline, management systems, offices in Sierra Leone and experience with donor reporting.

7. Declare associations clearly

World Bank-funded REOIs in Sierra Leone say firms may associate with others to enhance their qualifications but must state whether the association is a joint venture, a sub-consultancy, or both. In a joint venture, all partners are jointly and severally liable for the whole contract if selected. Include a short letter of intent signed by each partner.

8. Check conflict-of-interest rules

World Bank-funded notices point to the conflict-of-interest paragraphs of the World Bank Procurement Regulations. If your firm prepared designs or studies for the same project, or has close links with the client's staff, check carefully whether you are eligible.

9. Submit exactly as instructed

Some notices accept hand delivery or email, while others accept email only and require the assignment name in both the email subject line and the attachment name. Send one well-organised PDF if you can, keep within any size limits, and submit at least a day early. A late EOI is simply not considered.

The most common reasons firms miss the shortlist are a generic profile that ignores the criteria, experience listed without clients, dates or roles, and undeclared partners. For a wider list of errors, see Why bids get rejected in Sierra Leone: 12 common mistakes and how to avoid them.

After you submit

If you are shortlisted, you will receive a Request for Proposals with the detailed technical and financial requirements. Under Regulation 84 of the 2020 Regulations, technical and financial proposals are normally submitted in separate sealed envelopes, and technical proposals are scored out of 100 points on criteria such as experience, methodology, personnel and knowledge transfer (Regulation 85). This is the point where your key experts' CVs become central, so line up your team while you wait.

If you are not shortlisted, politely ask the procuring entity for feedback. It will help your next EOI. For donor-funded work, our guide How to bid on World Bank-funded projects in Sierra Leone explains debriefing and other rules in more detail.

Quick EOI checklist

• Notice, ToR and funder rules read
• Every shortlisting criterion answered under its own heading
• Signed cover letter with assignment name and reference number
• Firm profile with registration details
• Table of similar assignments with clients, dates and roles
• JV or sub-consultancy declared, with partner letters
• Conflict-of-interest position checked
• Submitted in the required format before the deadline

New consultancy EOIs from government agencies, UN bodies, NGOs and donor-funded projects are posted on WushBids regularly. Browse the open tenders on WushBids for consultancy opportunities, and follow the WushBids WhatsApp Channel to get new opportunities as soon as they are published.

This guide reflects information available as of November 2026. Rules and fees can change – always check with the official source.