David Noble, Chief Executive of CIPS, presents members of the UNOPS procurement team and UNOPS Executive Director Jan Mattsson with the official CIPS certificate. Photo: UNOPS

The certification, considered the most demanding of its kind, confirms that UNOPS follows world-class procurement and supply chain processes that have been verified and monitored by a respected independent body.

UNOPS, a central resource for procurement within the United Nations, is the first UN body to have received this recognition and the first organization to have undergone the rigorous certification process since a section on sustainable procurement was introduced.

David Noble, Chief Executive of CIPS, presented UNOPS Executive Director Jan Mattsson with the award at an official ceremony held at the UNOPS headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Ambulances procured by UNOPS on behalf of the Peruvian national health insurer EsSalud. Photo: UNOPS/Jorge Mantilla

During the ceremony, Mr Noble applauded UNOPS for reaching “a high standard of process control” by achieving CIPS Certification.

“More and more organizations are seeing this certification as a mark which differentiates a successful operation,” he said. “CIPS sets stringent requirements to achieve Certification, meaning UNOPS achievement is highly commendable.”

According to UNOPS Executive Director Jan Mattsson, the organization is committed to improving and verifying the quality of its processes, as reflected by the CIPS award and the recent ISO 9001 certification of UNOPS global quality management system. He added: “We continue to strive for and achieve external certification, allowing our partners to benefit from business practices that reflect leading international standards.”

The CIPS Certification allows UNOPS to demonstrate the quality of its procurement and supply chain services to its partners, which include other UN bodies, national governments and international financial institutions, among others.

UNOPS buys more than $1 billion of goods and services every year, in support of humanitarian, peace building and development projects worldwide. The organization has more than 30 years’ experience delivering high quality, cost-effective procurement services safely and swiftly, often in the most challenging of settings.

Undergoing the certification process has helped UNOPS further increase its efficiency by identifying better ways of working, such as introducing a category management strategy for services and goods.

The certification process has included regular CIPS performance audits, which have identified opportunities for continuous improvement.

As UNOPS begins to offer management advisory services to developing countries, the certification is also testament to the quality of expertise the organization can offer, particularly in supply chain management.

In addition to the certification, UNOPS has begun a partnership with CIPS, a chartered body with charitable status, to help other organizations raise their procurement processes to the same standard.

The partnership will focus on helping low- and middle-income countries design and manage their own procurement and supply chains more efficiently and effectively, in order to save money and reduce poverty. Through a range of consulting, training, qualification and certification services, UNOPS and CIPS are helping governments in developing countries advance their skills in the field and stem ‘leaks’ in the supply chain.

Highlighting the partnership at the ceremony, Mr Mattsson said that CIPS Certification coupled with the joint capacity building initiatives will help public sector bodies in developing countries attract new donor fund streams.

“I am very excited about seeing hundreds if not thousands of these certificates in different ministries in different countries around the world,” he said.