UNDP

Procurement

Procurement Protest And Vendor Sanctions

As the steward of public funds, UNDP wants to award contracts through fair and effective competition. If you believe you were not treated fairly, you have the right to present a procurement protest.

All procurement protests should be addressed to the UNDP Country Office or HQ Business Unit that undertook the procurement action. If the matter is not resolved satisfactorily, it may be raised to the Office of Procurement (OP) by the Country Office or Business Unit.

In order to present a protest, you must compile the following information and submit it over e-mail to the Resident Representative:

  1. Your name, address, telephone number, fax number, and email;
  2. The solicitation or contract number, name of contracting office and the procurement officer;
  3. A statement of the grounds for your protest, and an explanation on how you were directly affected;
  4. Copies of relevant documents supporting your statement;
  5. Any information that can help UNDP determine that you are an interested party in this process;
  6. Any information that can help UNDP establish that your protest is timely; and
  7. A statement on the best way UNDP may provide you with relief.

 

Vendor Sanctions

Effective governance and integrity are central to the UNDP mandate. UNDP requires its Vendors to comply with the highest ethical standards, and report to UNDP all suspected acts of fraud and corruption. See also the Office of Audit and Investigations site here.

UNDP has banned a series of practices in its procurement process. These behaviors, also known as proscribed practices, include:

  • Corruption: offering, giving, receiving or soliciting, directly or indirectly, anything of value to influence improperly the actions of another party.
  • Fraud: any act or omission, including a representation, that knowingly or recklessly misleads, or attempts to mislead, a party to obtain a financial or other benefit or to avoid an obligation.
  • Coercion: any act or omission that impairs or harms, or threatens to impair or harm, directly or indirectly, any party or the property of the party to improperly influence the actions of a party.
  • Collusion: an arrangement between two or more parties designed to achieve an improper purpose, including influencing improperly the actions of another party.
  • Unethical Practices: behavior that constitutes a conflict of interest, or that is contrary to the policies and requirements of doing business with UNDP, including but not limited to post-employment and gifts and hospitality provisions.
  • Obstruction: Acts or omissions by a Vendor that prevent or hinder UNDP from investigating complaints of Vendor engagement in Proscribed Practices.

 

Vendor Review Committee

The Vendor Review Committee (VRC) is a technical advisory body, tasked with considering allegations made against UNDP vendors. The VRC may issue Notices of Administrative Action when it determines that the Office of Audit and Investigations (OAI) has provided information that indicates that one or more vendors have engaged in proscribed practices. The VRC will give the vendor a reasonable period to respond to these allegations and their supporting documentation, and present explanations and documentation of its own. Sanctions proceedings, which are regulated by the UNDP Vendor Sanctions Policy may result in a vendor being censured or debarred for up to 7 years, depending on the level and severity of the allegations.

UNDP shares the outcomes of adverse final decisions by the VRC with other UN Agencies, Funds and Programs as entries to the UN Ineligibility List, hosted by UN Global Marketplace (UNGM).  Access to The Ineligibility List in UNGM is available to the participating UN Agencies.

UNDP may, at its sole discretion, share such information with its clients or partners who can submit such requests to secretary.vrc@undp.org.

UNDP Sanctions are separate from any actions that may be taken by any government or international organization under international law.