The UK House of Commons International Development Committee (IDC) has expressed concerns that “when bidding for infrastructure projects, local contractors often do not stand a chance against international bidders, partly due to rigid rules used by multilateral development banks (MDBs) such as the European Union (EU) and the World Bank.” The IDC’s September report calls on the UK Department for International Development to use its leverage to ensure that the World Bank builds “capacity within developing country government procurement processes ”, arguing that procurement of goods and services can reduce poverty by providing local firms with contracts and boosting local employment.