The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS)
How we procure
UNOPS procurement activities are based on the careful and responsible management of our funds or the funds entrusted to us by a partner.
Procurement principles
UNOPS procures according to the following principles:
Best value for money
Fairness, integrity and transparency
Effective competition
Best interest of UNOPS and its partners
Sustainable Procurement
We are committed to making sustainable procurement our default mode of procurement. UNOPS personnel involved in procurement activities consider sustainable procurement to the extent possible within the context of their work, the country, the industry sector and the supply market.
Effective 1 January 2020, UNOPS adopted a mandatory but flexible Sustainable Procurement Framework which requires that most of our procurement processes incorporate sustainability and gender mainstreaming considerations.
The framework also facilitates enhanced supplier sustainability through the Delivering Responsibility in Vendor Engagement (DRiVE) programme. DRiVE is a vendor assessment, inspection and corrective action-planning programme. Its overall scope is to ensure UNOPS vendors operate responsibly and in accordance with high standards of integrity, with a focus on human rights, labour standards, equal opportunity, code of conduct, health and safety, quality management and environmental management.
Becoming a UNOPS supplier
UNOPS is a member of the United Nations Global Marketplace (UNGM) — the common procurement portal of the UN system. All UNOPS suppliers must register with UNGM, where suppliers gain access to a global market of over $17 billion annually across UN organizations.
UNOPS expects all vendors who wish to do business with UNOPS to embrace the United Nations Supplier Code of Conduct, as well as to adhere to principles of the United Nations Global Compact.
eSourcing
The majority of UNOPS procurement processes are carried out through the UNOPS eSourcing system — an e-tendering platform integrated with UNGM. The platform manages the following procurement process stages: sourcing, solicitation, bid opening, evaluation and award.
Learn more about UNOPS eSourcing system.
Contract awards
UNOPS contract award information can be found on the following sites:
Bid protest
Suppliers that believe that they have been unjustly treated in connection with a UNOPS procurement process may lodge a complaint through the bid.protest@unops.org email address, in accordance with the conditions set out in section 10.2.3 of the Procurement Manual. Suppliers are advised that, following internal organizational changes, UNOPS Executive Chief Procurement Officer has decided that the role originally assigned to the Director of Implementation Practices and Standards in respect of bid protests, which was temporarily assigned to the Director of Infrastructure and Project Management from 28 November 2022, is now entrusted to the Director of Quality Assurance from 26 April 2023.
General Conditions of Contract
UNOPS Contracts for Works
UNOPS Contracts for Works use elements from the International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC) standard suite of contracts and are especially adapted to the UNOPS environment. Each of the following UNOPS Contracts for Works include unique General Conditions of Contract:
Construction Contract for Major Works
Construction Contract for Small Works
Construction Contract for Minor Works
Consultant Services Contract for Works
UNOPS General Conditions of Contract for the provision of Goods and/or Services
UNOPS General Conditions of Contract for the provision of Goods
UNOPS General Conditions of Contract for the provision of Services
UNOPS General Conditions of Contract for the provision of Goods and Services
