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1 United Nations Nations Unies United Nations Procurement Manual Revision 6 March 2010 Department of Management Office of Central Support Services Procurement Division United Nations Procurement ManualRevision No. 6 Table of ContentsDate of Publication: 01 March 2010 Chapter 1. Introduction and Overview of the United Nations Procurement Manual Chapter 2. Organisation, Responsibilities and Functions of Procurement OfficesChapter 3. Delegation of Procurement AuthorityChapter 4. Ethical Standards in ProcurementChapter 5. Global Compact Chapter 6. Overview of the Procurement ProcessChapter 7. Vendor Registration and ManagementChapter 8. The Acquisition ProcessChapter 9. The Solicitation ProcessChapter 10. Management and Treatment of Vendor SubmissionsChapter 11.

2 The Source Selection Process Chapter 12. Organization and Functions of, and Review by, the HCC and LCCC hapter 13. Contractual InstrumentsChapter 14. Delivery and Receiving ProcessChapter 15. Contract ManagementChapter 16. Property Disposal Copyright the United Nations01 March 2010 All Rights Reserved PM Table of Contents Chapter 1. Introduction and Overview of the United Nations Procurement Manual Introduction and Purpose of the Procurement Best Value for Money UN Financial Regulations and Rules Specific to Procurement (excerpt) Explanation of Terms and Procurement Division s IT Systems & Internet SitesPM Table of Contents PM Table of ContentsNextChapter 1. Introduction and Overview of the United Nations Procurement Manual Introduction and Purpose of the Manual 1.

3 Purpose and Use of the Manual a. The United Nations needs to procure goods, services and works to support its activities at its Headquarters (HQ), OfficesAway from Headquarters (OAHs), Regional Offices, Commissions and Tribunals, as well as Peacekeeping/PoliticalOperations (Field Missions). The present Manual is intended to provide guidance on procurement policies, procedures andpractices to all staff members involved in the procurement and acquisition processes and activities in all such offices andlocations. The Manual is a compendium of regulations approved by the General Assembly and the related rules and inaddition an official guide published by the UN Secretariat Procurement Division (UN/PD) and approved by the AssistantSecretary General/ Office of Central Support Service (ASG/OCSS) for use by management and staff in performing theprocurement function.

4 Therefore, the present Manual provides the legal framework to undertake procurement activities infull compliance with current policies and industry practice. Staff should rely on the Manual to guide their actions and tocarry out their official duties. Equally, the procedures in this Manual are designed to ensure that those seeking to dobusiness with the UN can be confident that their proposals are considered and assessed in a fair, objective and transparentmanner. b. At HQ, procurement is the responsibility of the Procurement Division (UN/PD). At other UN locations, Procurement Staff, inan organisational unit reporting to the Director of Mission Support (DMS) or Chief of Mission Support (CMS), or theDirector of Administration (DOA) or Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), are responsible for local procurement and may alsorequest that UN/PD perform procurement on their behalf.

5 C. All UN activities, including procurement, are carried out under the provisions of the UN Charter, which is the primaryinstrument in this regard. The UN Financial Regulations as approved by the General Assembly and the Rules (FRR) aspromulgated in ST/SGB/2003/7 dated 9 May 2003, more specifically regulate the Organisation s procurement activities. Some administrative issuances (SGBs, AIs) relating to procurement have also been promulgated under such authority andare referred to in the Manual. Finally, other policies, procedures and guidelines for procurement activities have beenissued by officials who have been granted authority to do so pursuant to the issuances referred to above and delegations ofauthority granted to them ( , the ASG/OCSS, Director, UN/PD).

6 2. The FRR, in particular, Regulations , and , when applicable, and Rules through and , govern procurement activities conducted at HQ, OAHs and Field Missions (see Chapter 1. Section UNFinancial Regulations and Rules). In case of any conflict or inconsistency between the FRR and this Manual, the FRR shallprevail. The ASG/OCSS reviews and approves any formal interpretations of the FRR regarding procurement, based on advicefrom UN/PD and from other concerned UN departments and offices. In the event of any ambiguities or lacunae in the Manual,SGBs and AIs relating to procurement, the UNCITRAL Model Law on Procurement and the UN Practitioners Handbook maybe consulted. 3. This Procurement Manual reflects the principle of segregation of responsibilities between requisitioning and procuremententities by specifying their separate and distinct functions within the overall procurement process.

7 At the same time,cooperation between the requisitioning and procurement entities is essential to ensure that, under a balancing of the four basicprinciples of Financial Regulation , the UN obtains high quality goods, services and works that meet the applicablespecifications, Terms of Reference (TOR) or Statement of Work (SOW) at competitive prices and within the time framerequired, in order to achieve the mandates of the Organisation. 4. Procurement Staff are responsible for the purchase, rental and sale of goods, services, real property, works and otherrequirements of the Organisation, for budgeted funds allocated to HQ, OAH and for procurement actions funded by FieldMissions. In addition to entering into contracts, this function involves the invitation of Vendors to register, submit Quotations,Bids and Proposals, negotiation with Vendors and contract signature.

8 5. Requisitioners are responsible for identifying the needs of the Organisation and developing generic Specifications, TORs andSOWs to fulfil such needs, as set forth in Chapter 8. Section Requisitioners need to be familiar with this Manual and theFRR. The Logistics Support Division of the Department of Field Support (LSD/DFS) may render advice to Field Missions inissuing Requisitions for local procurement. For certain requirements of Field Missions ( , aircraft charters), LSD/DFS mayhave sole responsibility for issuing Requisitions. 6. Given that the commercial environment and technology change over time, and that procedural changes may emanate from theUN s ongoing procurement reform programme, this Manual will be updated and modified from time to time.

9 Comments andsuggestions for modification of provisions of this Manual or for additional provisions should be addressed to the Director,UN/PD. This Manual is subject to change from time to time as deemed necessary by the ASG/OCSS, particularly uponchanges to the FRR and relevant SGBs and AIs. The changes will be provided in the form of amendments to the Manual, or, ifdeemed necessary by the ASG/OCSS, a new version of the Manual. The Director, UN/PD is responsible for the distribution ofthis Manual and its amendments. The current version can be found on the UN/PD Internet website at 7. UN/PD provides day-to-day advice and guidance on procurement policies and procedures in consultation with the Office ofASG/OCSS and Office of Legal Affairs (OLA), when necessary.

10 8. References in this Manual to particular UN officials shall be deemed to refer to that official or his/her duly authorized delegate. Likewise, references to particular offices or departments shall be deemed to refer to any successor office or departmentthereto. Chapter 1. Introduction and Overview of the United Nations Procurement ManualPM Table of Contents Next PM Table of ContentsPrevious / Next Chapter 1. Introduction and Overview of the United Nations Procurement Manual Best Value for Money Principle 1. Best Value for Money Principle a. Financial Regulation establishes Best Value for Money (BVM) as one of the general principles that should be givendue consideration when exercising the procurement functions of the United Nations .