SBEE: IsDB cancels recruitment of financial manager for PAEB

The process was opened on March 3, 2026, in the form of a call for expressions of interest aimed at selecting an individual consultant. In its decision No. 2026-078, issued on July 30 and made public on September 17, the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (ARMP) stated that the IsDB, the funder of the PAEB, identified a non-compliance in the choice of this procedure.

According to the decision, the bank determined that the recruitment of professional staff for the project management unit should not be conducted as an intellectual services contract. Instead, it should follow a direct recruitment process leading to an employment contract. In a letter dated July 3, 2026, the IsDB requested the cancellation of the ongoing process to allow for a proper framework.

The case was already contested by Léonid Igor Zohoungbogbo, a candidate for the administrative and financial manager position. After scoring 56.20 points out of 100 and being eliminated, he appealed to the SBEE and then to the ARMP on June 10, particularly denouncing the handling of his application and the criteria applied during the evaluation.

The SBEE subsequently forwarded the appeals received and the evaluation committee’s proposed responses to the IsDB on June 24. The funder ultimately found that the procedure itself did not align with the framework outlined in the project document. The halt to the recruitment process was already underway when the ARMP heard the parties on July 17.

This cancellation rendered the contestation moot. Therefore, the ARMP did not address the substantive grievances regarding the candidate’s scoring: it declared the appeal without merit in its decision on July 30.

The initial notice specified a Bac+5 level degree in accounting, financial management, or management control, along with at least seven years of professional experience, including five years as an administrative and financial manager or director. The application deadline was April 2, 2026.

Decision No. 2026-078, issued on July 30, 2026, can be appealed to the Administrative Chamber of the Supreme Court within one month of its notification.