The United Nations procurement market is a global market where UN Organizations procure goods and services to support their activities and operations.
The UN market
The UN market consists of a multitude of specialized agencies, affiliated programs, funds and many subsidiary bodies.
These UN organizations fulfill different mandates and therefore have different requirements for goods and services. These requirements are dependent upon their areas of intervention and structure. The procurement processes utilized by the UN organizations are largely harmonized with only minor differences between the organizations.
Potential suppliers considering to venture into the UN market may perceive it as a challenging and intimidating market due to its complexity and structure.
Understanding the UN procurement landscape
The UN system comprises organizations with different mandates, areas of intervention, geographical coverage and operational structures.
As a result, procurement requirements can vary significantly between organizations. A product or service that is regularly procured by one UN Organization may not be relevant to another.
Users interested in working with the UN are therefore encouraged to:
- Identify the UN Organizations whose mandates and procurement needs are relevant to their activities.
- Familiarize themselves with the goods and services those organizations procure.
- Review procurement opportunities and procurement plans to understand current and anticipated requirements.
- Learn about the procurement procedures and registration requirements applicable to each organization.
UNGM provides information and resources to help users understand these differences and identify relevant opportunities.
How do UN Organizations procure?
UN Organizations use different procurement procedures depending on their requirements, the estimated value and nature of the procurement, and other applicable rules.
Most UN Organizations publish their procurement opportunities on UNGM. These may include Requests for Expressions of Interest, Requests for Proposals, Requests for Quotations, Invitations to Bid, Requests for Information, pre-qualification notices and other types of opportunities.
The method for participating in an opportunity can also vary. Depending on the organization and procurement process, submissions may be made through an e-procurement system, by email or through another specified method.
Users should always carefully review the instructions provided in the procurement opportunity and its accompanying documentation.
Why was UNGM created?
The United Nations Global Marketplace (UNGM) was initiated in the 1990s under the Inter-Agency Procurement Working Group, now the High Level Committee on Management's Procurement Network.
UNGM was initially developed to:
- Provide suppliers with a single point of entry to the UN procurement market;
- Create a global supplier sourcing portal for the UN procurement system; and
- Consolidate UN Organizations' supplier rosters into one common supplier database.
The development of UNGM was also supported by General Assembly resolutions on procurement reform.
GA/RES/57/279 (Procurement Reform) January 2003, called for UN organisations
i. Para 4: …to enhance the transparency and increase harmonization of procurement practices among the UN Organizations;
ii. Para 5: …to improve procurement practices by simplifying the registration process for vendors that have already registered with another body of the UN system and by placing the procurement information on their respective web sites; and
iii. Para 6: …to encourage the organizations of the UN system to take further steps to increase procurement opportunities for vendors from developing countries and countries with economies in transition.
GA/RES/59/288 (Procurement Reform) April 2005, called for UN organisations.
Para 5: …to further improve their procurement practices, inter alia, by participating in the UN Global Marketplace with a view to creating one common UN procurement website;
ii. Para 7: …to continue to simplify and streamline the vendor registration process and to share responsibilities among the various UN organizations;
iii. Para 8a: …to continue to simplify the vendor registration process, taking into account access to the Internet.
GA/RES/61/246 (Procurement Reform) March 2007, called for UN organisations.
Para 27: …to further improve their procurement practices, inter alia, by participating in the UN Global Marketplace with a view to creating one common UN global procurement website;
ii. Para 28: …ensure that the UN Global Marketplace website is fully accessible to Member States no later than 1 June 2007;
iii. Para 29: …to ensure that the UNGM website features lists of companies that register through the Global Marketplace as vendors of UN system entities, as well as statistics on contract awards, acquisition plans and procurement notices.