The United Nations Global Marketplace (UNGM) is the common procurement portal of the United Nations system.
UNGM was established to support the United Nations in making procurement more transparent, efficient and accessible, while simplifying access to the UN procurement market.
The mandate of UNGM is based on a series of General Assembly resolutions that call for greater transparency, harmonization and efficiency in United Nations procurement.
General Assembly resolutions
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
i. 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
i. 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.
What does the mandate mean in practice?
UNGM supports these objectives by providing a common platform for participating UN Organizations and suppliers.
UNGM aims to:
- Increase transparency in UN procurement.
- Harmonize and simplify supplier registration across participating UN Organizations.
- Facilitate access to the UN procurement market, including for suppliers from developing countries and countries with economies in transition.
- Provide a common global procurement portal for the United Nations system.
UNGM provides access to procurement information and services, but does not conduct procurement on behalf of UN Organizations. Each UN Organization remains responsible for its own procurement processes and decisions.
Learn more: What is the United Nations Global Marketplace (UNGM)?