FIDIC in Georgia: the corridor where the form actually works

Georgia differs from its Central Asian neighbours in one respect: on the road programme FIDIC is not episodic but systematic, and has been for years. The cause is the same as everywhere in the region — development bank money — but the scale and continuity of the programme have turned it into settled practice.

The corridor as the source of practice

The East–West Highway Corridor Improvement project is implemented by the Roads Department of the Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure. The World Bank has supported the highway since 2006: nine lending operations totalling USD 527 million, and together with other international financial institutions around USD 2 billion mobilised for the national highway network.

The part that matters here: the loans finance both the construction and the supervision consulting contracts in accordance with FIDIC standards. The Engineer’s role is not decorative — it is separately procured and separately funded, which in this region is the exception rather than the rule. Construction is overseen by construction management consultancies from Australia, France, Italy, South Korea and Türkiye, and the project also provides technical assistance to the Roads Department in contract management, tunnelling and road safety.

For a contractor that means a more experienced employer than the regional average: settled administration habits, familiarity with certificates, and clear expectations on documentation.

The procurement law

Public procurement is governed by the Law of Georgia on Public Procurement as revised in 2023. It runs to 14 chapters — general provisions, exceptions, participants, the Agency, procedures, procurement instruments and aggregated procurement, preparation, announcement and submission, selection and assessment, contract award, amendment and performance, defence and security, dispute resolution, accounting and control, transitional provisions. The competent body is the Public Procurement Agency, an independent legal entity of public law.

A dedicated chapter deals with exceptions and takes account of the procurement procedures of international organisations. The working framework is the regional standard: on a bank-financed project the loan agreement sets the procedure and the evaluation criteria. See FIDIC and public procurement.

Check the exact wording and the number of the version in force on matsne.gov.ge — the law has been amended, and an overview does not replace reading the source.

What is actually procured

By our procurement archive, the World Bank works portfolio in Georgia is broader than roads:

• digital infrastructure and broadband (Log-In Georgia) — the largest block by notice count;
• education (Innovation, Inclusion and Quality);
• secondary road asset management;
• regional and municipal infrastructure;
• irrigation and land market development;
• secondary and local roads.

The profile differs from Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan: fewer notices overall, but a markedly larger share of urban and digital infrastructure. The large trunk contracts run as separate packages and through ADB, whose notices do not reach this archive — ADB blocks automated requests.

What to look at in the contract

The Engineer’s role. Unlike most projects in the region, the supervision consultant here is funded under its own contract. That is good news, but it does not remove the check: look at which of the Engineer’s powers survive in the Particular Conditions, especially under Sub-Clause 3.7, and whether determinations have been quietly made subject to the Employer’s approval.

Tunnels and difficult geology. The highway runs through mountain terrain, so unforeseeable physical conditions are not a theoretical worry. Sub-Clause 4.12 is the first thing to read, and for underground work check whether the Emerald Book and its geotechnical baseline mechanism would fit better.

Claim deadlines. The 28 days under Sub-Clause 20.2.1 is a time-bar. Work out the actual dates with the time-bar calculator.

DAAB. On long road contracts a standing board under Clause 21 earns its keep more than anywhere: the dispute is settled on site rather than in arbitration three years later. Check that it is constituted and budgeted — the DAAB explained.

What to check before bidding

• which book, and who is responsible for design — Book Selector;
• Contract Data and Section VIII, how to read it;
• ground risk and whether the 4.12 mechanism survives;
• the Engineer’s powers in the Particular Conditions;
• the DAAB: membership, timing, budget;
• securities and whether the bank will issue them;
• delay damages and the cap;
• ESHS obligations — what the bank requires;
• governing law and seat of arbitration.

Screen the package with the Tender Risk Lab; draft questions with the clarification generator.

Georgia against the region

The practical upshot: Georgia is the one country in this survey whose employer has been through the full FIDIC contract cycle many times over. Expectations on documentation and deadlines are correspondingly higher, and a contractor used to more forgiving administration should plan for that.

In Georgian

An overview of FIDIC contracts in Georgian: FIDIC კონტრაქტები. The full knowledge base is in English and Russian.

Sources and further reading

• Law of Georgia on Public Procurement, 2023 revision — matsne.gov.ge.
• World Bank, East–West Highway Corridor Improvement (P149952) — worldbank.org.
• Procurement data: World Bank Procurement Notices, Georgia archive, CC BY 4.0.
• FIDIC, MDB Harmonised Construction Contract (Pink Book) and the Emerald Book (Underground Works), 2019.
• See also: FIDIC in Uzbekistan, FIDIC in Kyrgyzstan, FIDIC on MDB projects.

Legal references are stated as at August 2026. This is an overview, not a legal opinion: check the current version of the law and the terms of the actual loan agreement before relying on it.