ICV Certification UAE

What Is ICV Certification?

The In-Country Value (ICV) program was launched by ADNOC (Abu Dhabi National Oil Company) in 2018 to measure and maximize the UAE economic contribution of its suppliers. The program has since expanded across UAE government and semi-government procurement.

An ICV Certificate demonstrates how much your company contributes to the UAE economy through:

• Local employment and training of UAE nationals and residents
• Procurement of UAE-made goods and services
• Capital investments and assets in the UAE
• Third-party ICV contributions from your UAE-based supply chain

A higher ICV score gives your company a bid evaluation advantage of up to 10% in government and ADNOC tenders — a critical competitive differentiator.

Who Needs ICV Certification?

ICV certification is mandatory to bid for:

• ADNOC and its subsidiaries (ADNOC Drilling, ADNOC Distribution, etc.)
• Abu Dhabi government entities
• Federal and emirate-level government and semi-government entities that have adopted the ICV program
• Certain private sector supply chains requiring certified ICV from their suppliers

If you are active in energy, construction, industrial, healthcare, technology, or professional services — and you bid for UAE government work — you almost certainly need ICV certification.

ICV Score Components

Your ICV score (expressed as a percentage of revenue) reflects your company's total in-country economic contribution relative to your turnover. A score of 40% means 40% of your revenue is re-contributed to the UAE economy through these components.

Our ICV Certification Process

Step 1 — Data Collection (Days 1–2)

We collect all required financial and operational data:

• Audited financial statements (most recent year)
• Payroll records (nationality breakdown, salaries, training spend)
• Procurement records (UAE-sourced vs. imported goods and services)
• Asset register (UAE-based assets and capital investments)
• Third-party ICV certificates from suppliers (where available)

Step 2 — ICV Score Calculation (Days 2–4)

We calculate your ICV score using the ADNOC-approved template — a detailed Excel-based model. We:

• Classify all employees by nationality and role
• Identify and classify UAE-sourced procurement
• Calculate capital investment contribution
• Aggregate third-party ICV from suppliers
• Compute the overall ICV score with all supporting schedules

Step 3 — Certified Auditor Review & Signing (Days 4–6)

The ICV certificate must be reviewed and signed by a ADNOC-accredited certified auditor. Our CA/ACCA auditors are accredited to sign ICV certificates. The auditor:

• Reviews the data and supporting documents
• Verifies calculation accuracy
• Signs and stamps the ICV certificate

Step 4 — Certificate Issuance (Day 6–7)

The signed ICV Certificate is issued, valid for 1 year. You submit this certificate with tender applications to claim your bid score advantage.

Improving Your ICV Score

We don't just certify your current score — we advise on practical steps to improve it for next year:

Increase Local Manpower Score:

• Hire UAE nationals (Emiratisation counts heavily)
• Invest in UAE-based employee training programs
• Promote UAE residents into higher-paid roles

Increase UAE Goods & Services Spend:

• Source materials and services from UAE-based suppliers (who themselves have ICV certificates)
• Prioritize UAE-made products where technically equivalent
• Request ICV certificates from your key suppliers to contribute their scores to yours

Increase UAE Asset Investment:

• Purchase equipment, technology, and infrastructure in the UAE
• Invest in UAE-based R&D or manufacturing capability

An ICV improvement of even 5–10 percentage points can materially change your bid competitiveness.

ICV Certificate Submission

When submitting a tender, you attach your ICV certificate to the bid documents. The procuring authority (ADNOC, government body) compares ICV scores across bidders and applies the bid evaluation adjustment — effectively reducing the evaluated price of high-ICV bidders.

Formula: Evaluated Price = Offered Price × (1 - ICV Adjustment Factor)

A company with a 60% ICV score has a more favorable evaluation than a 30% ICV competitor — even if their actual bid price is identical.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is ICV certification mandatory for all UAE government tenders? Not universally — it depends on the procuring authority. ADNOC always requires it. Many Abu Dhabi government entities require it. Dubai government entities are increasingly adopting it. We advise on whether your target tender requires ICV certification.

How long does ICV certification take? 5–7 business days with complete financial data. If your audited accounts aren't ready, we coordinate with our audit team to complete them — total timeline in that case: 3–4 weeks.

My company is very new — can I still get an ICV certificate? ICV certification typically requires financial data from a complete financial year. Newly established companies (less than 12 months old) may need to wait or apply with available data subject to the authority's discretion. We advise on your specific situation.

Does my ICV score need to be above a minimum threshold? Procurement authorities do not typically set a minimum ICV threshold for participation — but a low score (below 20%) provides a negligible bid advantage. Our goal is to maximize your score to be competitive.

What happens if our ICV certificate expires mid-tender? You must renew the certificate before expiry. Most procurement authorities require a certificate valid at the time of bid submission. We set renewal reminders 60 days before your certificate expires.

Office 225, Oud Metha Offices, Dubai Healthcare City +971 50 380 7565 | support@hashmibusinessconsultant.com