AI procurement leap — World Bank turns months of paperwork into minutes

The World Bank is deploying artificial intelligence to overhaul public procurement processes, introducing a new platform called Project IQ designed to reduce delays and improve the delivery of development projects.

Speaking at the International Public Procurement Conference 2026, Michael Osborne, a senior procurement specialist at the World Bank, emphasised a fundamental principle: development projects must deliver real outcomes, not just remain plans on paper.

“If we want economic growth, jobs and tangible development, our projects must deliver results, not just exist as documents,” he said. “If projects fail to deliver, children do not get schools, patients do not get hospitals, and communities do not get internet access.”

This thinking led to the creation of Project IQ, an AI-powered platform that helps manage, analyse and track procurement and project workflows.

Cutting delays by 87%

The system was first piloted in World Bank projects in the Pacific about a year ago, with striking results. Procurement-related delays were reduced by as much as 87%.

In one case, a project that had been stuck at just 2% completion for years progressed to nearly 18% within nine months after the platform was introduced.

The results were presented to senior World Bank management in October last year, leading to approval for wider implementation across the organisation.

A global bottleneck

Each year, the World Bank manages around:

• 1,800 development projects
• 21,000 procurement contracts
• Around 5,000 system users

The total procurement value involved represents an efficiency opportunity of nearly US$400 million.

Osborne noted that procurement delays are a recurring global problem, driven by several key challenges.

• First, project managers often lack a clear overview of complex workflows involving thousands of interconnected tasks, making it difficult to determine next steps.
• Second, procurement processes are heavily burdened by documentation and repetitive administrative work, from drafting terms of reference and publishing tenders to evaluating bids.

“It is a system that relies heavily on manual work and paper, consuming significant project resources,” he said.

Third, most projects lack the ability to anticipate risks such as delays or cash flow issues, forcing teams into reactive problem-solving instead of proactive planning.

How Project IQ works

Project IQ addresses these issues by integrating procurement plans into a single digital platform that maps out:

• Task sequences
• Required resources
• Financial flows

Within one system, project managers can see all critical information needed to decide the next best step.

The platform also allows users to add essential but often overlooked tasks, such as:

• Import permits for medical equipment
• Visa arrangements for foreign technicians
• Staff training
• Site readiness checks

These elements, while not always included in initial plans, directly affect project delivery.

The system’s AI analyses data from more than 15,000 World Bank projects, enabling it to predict risks and flag potential issues early.

From months to minutes

The most significant transformation comes in document generation and evaluation, traditionally the most time-consuming part of procurement.

Preparing a single Terms of Reference (ToR) document previously took an average of nearly six months across the World Bank. Evaluating contractor proposals required a similar timeframe.

Osborne said AI can now generate these documents in seconds, while evaluation reports that once took months or even more than a year can now be completed in under 30 minutes.

“What used to take months, or sometimes more than a year, can now be done in less than 30 minutes and across multiple projects simultaneously,” he said.

A real-world example

Osborne pointed to a case involving stacks of proposal documents for medical equipment procurement.

Previously, reviewing and approving these submissions took around 11 months before equipment could be delivered and installed in hospitals.

“With the new system, we can complete the same process in just a few days,” he said. “That means diagnostic tools reach patients much faster; what once took months or years now takes days or weeks.”

Scaling up carefully

Despite the strong results, the World Bank is taking a measured approach to expanding Project IQ.

Over the next six months, the system will be piloted in additional countries, including:

• The Philippines
• Mongolia
• Fiji

A wider global rollout will follow.

Osborne stressed that success depends not only on technology, but also on organisations’ ability to adapt.

“This is not just about adding a new tool; it is about changing how we work,” he said.

He concluded by returning to his core message: “If we want real development outcomes, we must deliver real results and AI is a tool that can help us achieve that.”