UNDP

Procurement

The Office of Procurement (OP)

Buying for a better world

UNDP manages one of the largest procurement operations in the UN, procuring around US$3 billion worth of goods, works and services each year. Ensuring that developing countries have access to life-saving medicines, emergency relief supplies and a host of other needed items. UNDP sustains this service by developing lasting procurement capacities among clients and partner countries.

The Office of Procurement (OP) provides direct support to country offices and other business units worldwide to ensure transparent purchasing processes that the best value for money. This is achieved through targeted training, direct assistance, and tools and systems to facilitate the procurement process. Through innovative supply chain management, OP helps country offices and Headquarters units to keep pace with the dramatic growth in volume and complexity of procurement at OP.

With a dynamic and expanding portfolio of services, OP is committed to helping business units to not only secure the goods and services they need but also to sustain the procurement qualifications and competencies they need to empower communities and build resilient nations.

Central procurement

The Central Procurement Unit (CPU), based in New York, provides procurement support services for UNDP business units by centrally coordinating all procurement transactions over $5K. It serves central bureaus within UNDP to ensure cost and time efficiency, required compliance and added value to clients.

The bureaus identify procurement needs and make decisions, while CPU provides procurement services and guides the client through the process and decides on the best sourcing strategy.

Specialized procurement

The Global Procurement Unit (GPU) based in Copenhagen, Denmark, has three dedicated teams of procurement specialists offering procurement services within three thematic areas:

Crisis recovery, energy and environment (CREE)
Health
Elections

Applying a strategic risk management approach to the procurement of complex goods and services is vital to UNDP’s implementation of projects and programmes The goal is to reduce purchase costs by consolidating global volumes and standardizing categories through centrally-managed long term agreements (LTAs) and corporate partnerships

The CREE Team supports relief-to-rehabilitation/reconstruction activities. The Health team plays an important role in the UNDP-Global Fund partnership, working to ensure the uninterrupted supply of time-sensitive, life-saving medicines and health products by procuring these goods and developing innovative approval and supply chain management methodologies. The Elections Team provides strategic guidance and operational support in electoral procurement to UNDP Country Offices and Electoral Management Bodies around the world.