The EC Donor Report is designed for submission to the EC and consistent with the budget categories agreed under the FAFA. It can be used for both fund-level co-financing (EC trust funds), as well as for project-level co-financing (cost sharing agreements signed with the EC). If ‘trust fund' is selected, the report will be generated for all projects funded from the selected fund.
Electronic Funds Transfers (EFT): When disbursing payments through the Electronic Funds Transfers (EFT), payment instructions are generated in electronic format using the batch process of the ‘PPR’ for using ‘TRF’ method..
EFT is an Electronic Funds Transfer method implemented with banks using a) ISO Standard 20022, b) and any other electronic method using a ICT approved security standards.
Electronic record. An electronic record is a record in electronic format. This includes, but is not limited to, electronic data interchange, electronic mail and other computer-based programs.
Electronic signature. An electronic signature is an electronic symbol or process that is attached to or logically associated with an electronic record and executed or adopted by a person with the intent to sign the record. The electronic signature is an integral part of the electronic record and indicates the identity of the signatory. The electronic signature represents the signatory’s acknowledgement, agreement and/or approval of the information contained in the electronic record. Electronic signatures include, among others, digital signatures, which are a type of electronic signature and are therefore covered by this Policy.2 An email may be used to indicate approval under certain business processes, but it does not constitute an electronic signature. Copied-and-pasted images of a signature are not electronic signatures for the purposes of this Policy either.
The remuneration of internationally recruited staff members comprises of all or several of the following elements. a) Base salary; b) Post adjustment; c) Rental subsidy/deduction scheme; d) Mobility and hardship allowance; e) Allowances relating to the family status of the staff member; f) One-time allowances relating to appointment, assignment, reassignment, or separation, such as: i) Assignment grant; ii) Repatriation grant; iii) Termination indemnity; iv) Commutation of annual leave; g) Ad hoc allowances relating to unique situations, such as: i) Danger Pay; ii) Extended monthly evacuation allowance; iii) Special operations living allowance; iv) Hardship Allowance.
The engagement facility provides a rapid and flexible response mechanism to support upstream policy results, evaluation and assessments, crisis responses and the testing of innovations with scale-up potential. It must support results identified in the UNDP Strategic Plan and relevant country or regional programme documents. Any country office, regional hub or Bureau may establish one or more engagement facilities in accordance with this policy. Resources can be committed by the programme manager/Resident Representative by signing the updated multi-year workplan maintained for the engagement facility. The facility always uses direct implementation. Terms of reference and concept notes, as relevant, are required to justify and detail expected results.
E-requisition is used to request procurement of goods or services, defining the specifications and covering other details such as what is needed, when it is needed, and where it is needed. From the e-requisition, a buyer will source the necessary goods or services, evaluate the offers of relevant suppliers, and conclude the process by placing a Purchase Order with a specified supplier.
The Ethics Panel of the United Nations consists of the heads of the Ethics Offices of the separately administered funds and programmes of the United Nations and the Ethics Office of the United Nations Secretariat, and is chaired by the head of the United Nations Ethics Office.
Since 2015, the EU Pillar-Assessed Grant or Delegation Agreement (PAGoDA) templates was introduced. There are some specific reporting requirements for contracts funded through DG ECHO (EU Humanitarian Assistance) linked to their obligatory on-line platform used for submission of reports.
An assessment, as systematic and impartial as possible, of an activity, project, programme, strategy, policy, topic, theme, sector, operational area or institutional performance. Evaluations should focus on expected and achieved accomplishments, critically examining the presumed causal chains, processes, and attainment of results, as well as the contextual factors that may enhance or impede the achievement of results. Evaluations focus on determining the relevance, impact, effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability of UNDP work in order to make adjustments and improve its organizational and system-wide contributions to development.
The evaluation policy sets out the purpose and basic principles of evaluation, and defines the institutional architecture for UNDP and its associated funds and programmes. The policy covers the independent evaluations conducted by the Independent Evaluation Office of UNDP; the decentralized evaluations commissioned by UNDP programme and policy units, the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme and the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF); as well as the activities of UNDP and the Independent Evaluation Office in support of national evaluation capacity.
The occurrence or change of a particular set of circumstances. An event can be one or more occurrences, can have several causes, and can consist of something not happening.
Any type of proof which tends to establish or disprove a fact material to the case. It includes, but is not limited to, oral testimony of witnesses, including experts on technical matters, documents, electronic, audio, video records and photographs.
Per Staff Rule 7.15, excess baggage means baggage in excess of the accompanied baggage carried without extra charge by the transportation company.
Excess baggage should be avoided to the extent possible in order to minimize the environmental impact of transportation. Staff members traveling by air shall be entitled to reimbursement of the cost of excess baggage for themselves and their eligible family members for one bag in addition to their free baggage allowance or up to 25 kilogram per traveller.
The Bureau for Management Services (BMS), Office of Financial Management (OFM), prepares three main papers for the Executive Board:a. Statistical Annex to the Annual Report of the Administratorb. Structured Funding Dialogue in collaboration with BERAc. Detailed annual review of the financial situation and appendixes – integrated as Annex I to Structured Funding Dialogue.
Refers to the closure of the staff member’s case after disciplinary proceedings have been initiated through the issuance of a charge letter to him or her.
Includes disbursements and accruals for goods and services received, and the use or impairment of assets, dependent on the implementation arrangement and in accordance with administrative instructions issued by the Comptroller for a financial period.
The call for an expression of interest is a notice used to assess interest in an upcoming solicitation for goods, works or services. Vendors are requested to express interest and provide information about products, services, resources, qualifications and experience before a fixed deadline. This method may be used to continually update a UNDP office’s vendor database, where procurement planning has forecasted future requirements of specific goods, services or civil works.
The Extended Monthly Evacuation Allowance (EMEA) is applicable when staff members assigned to duty stations designated as non-family duty stations are therefore unable, for security reasons, to have their family members join them. The EMEA was established to alleviate hardships of staff members faced with the inconvenience and cost of maintaining two households and with having to pay rental costs in two locations. Staff members may opt to settle their family either in their place of home leave, previous duty station, or a third country.
Refer to ICT components that can no longer perform their intended function due to loss of compatibility with other ICT systems or failing to meet standards. Obsolete components cannot and should not be used UNDP ICT environments. For example, hardware becomes obsolete when it is unable to efficiently run a minimal version of UNDP standard software. Software becomes obsolete when it is unable to integrate with other ICT infrastructure components or it is no longer able to run on hardware with minimum supported configuration defined in this document.
Obstruction or Obstructive Practice is an act or omission by a vendor that prevents or hinders UNDP’s data gathering and analysis in a particular case.
The Offeror’s response to the Invitation to Offer, including the Offer Submission Form, Technical Offer and Price Schedule and all other documentation attached to the Offer.
An Offer of Settlement, as further described in paragraphs 44 and 45 below. An OoS may be made by UNDP to the Respondent(s) under either the DRP and PRP
A staff member or a group of staff members who are designated with an authority for acquiring, creating, maintaining and disposing of information and corresponding ICT systems as well as to make operational, strategic, financial or human resource decisions in the corresponding office (e.g. Director of the Bureau or Office, Deputy Director, Resident Representative, Country Director or Operations Manager, etc).
The OAI, as internal auditor of UNDP, conducts its audit to give reasonable assurance to UNDP senior management about the activities undertaken by a given UNDP unit and to bring to their attention areas requiring improvement. OAI reports to the Administrator.
This sourcing method creates awareness in the business community of an opportunity related to a specific project, and requires advertisement in an appropriate medium (including, but not limited to, the UNDP global website) depending on the nature of the procurement activity. In an open competitive bidding process, there will be no shortlisted companies; consequently, all vendors wishing to participate in the process are invited to do so.
Opening competition to the international market provides equal opportunity to all eligible vendors. It entails a public advertisement in globally accessible media. The following conditions must be met: a. The procurement opportunity should be advertised on UNDP’s corporate website; b. It should be posted in the UN Global Marketplace (i.e., www.ungm.org); and c. Advertisements should remain online for a minimum of two weeks.
These are trust funds established by UNDP to receive contributions from multiple donors for global, regional or broad thematic programmes, which usually consist of a number of projects. Their terms of reference outline their purpose, objectives and administrative arrangements.
An Operating Lease is a lease other than a Finance Lease. For office space, a Lease that has been formulated and agreed following UNDP’s Standard Lease Template will be an Operating Lease.
Operations Management & Administration: Activities related to overall staff/office management and the provision of workplace and support services (ICT, Finance, OHR, UNDP security, travel, assets and general services) which permit UNDP to carry out the mission of the organization (but excluding direct project implementation support). Activities related to the harmonization and simplification of UN operational processes and business practices should also be included here.
The VRC may recommend, and the CPO may decide to impose, other sanctions that it finds appropriate, including requiring that future contracts with the Vendor reflect special conditions, or that the vendor compensate UNDP for any loses and/or costs sustained or incurred by it as a result of the Vendor’s involvement in a Proscribed Practice.
Overpayments: Payments made by the Organization to a staff member in excess of his/her salary, benefits and entitlements under the UN Staff Regulations and Staff Rules and relevant policies;
Oversight means the general process of review, monitoring, evaluation, supervision, reporting and audit programmes, activities, policy implementation, and results of the organization. This is to ensure organizational, financial, operational and ethical accountability, effectiveness of internal controls, and the prevention of fraud and malpractice.
All UNDP programmes and projects must be governed by a multi-stakeholder board or committee established to review performance based on monitoring and evaluation, and address implementation issues to ensure quality delivery of results. In crisis contexts where constraints prevent the government from being able to participate in relevant programme and/or project boards, the Regional Bureau can grant approval for modified oversight mechanisms, taking risks and stakeholders into account.
Overtime means the time worked in excess of the scheduled workday or scheduled workweek or during any of the UN official holidays. 2. The following is not considered as overtime: a) Time spent travelling to and from the place of work; b) Work performed during the lunch period; c) Work performed outside regular working hours due to the adoption of a shift system except when the total time worked exceeds the scheduled workday or workweek. Overtime compensation (OC) is payable to General Service (GS) staff members, with Permanent, Continuing or Fixed-Term appointments governed by the UN Staff Regulations and Staff Rules. OC is neither payable to National Professional Officers (NPOs) nor to International Professional staff members.
The purpose of the safe driving bonus (SDB) is to financially compensate drivers with an additional one week’s net salary at the end of each year for performing accident-free and safe driving functions on a regular basis, subject to the following conditions: a) The driver has worked for the UNDP office since 1 January of that year; b) The driver has not been involved in any automobile accident considered to be his/her fault during the entire year; c) The driver has not been convicted of any traffic violation, such as reckless driving or going through a red traffic light, during the year. At the discretion of the Resident Representative, fines for improper parking need not be considered as a traffic violation for this purpose.
The purpose of a within-grade salary increment from one step to the next higher step within the established salary scale is to award a staff member an increase in salary for satisfactory performance and conduct during a qualifying period. The qualifying period is one year, except for movement to longevity steps as specified in the respective salary scale. For staff at or above P-2 step 12, P-3 step 14, P-4 step 13, P-5 step 11, D-1 step 5, and all steps at D-2, the qualifying period is two years. Award of the increment is subject to confirmation of the staff member’s satisfactory performance in his/ her assignments and conduct as evaluated by his/her supervisor(s) and documented in UNDP’s performance evaluation mechanism; and to the existence of a higher step within the staff member’s current grade in the respective salary scale.
An administrative determination, including any measures or rehabilitative requirements, as determined and applied by the CPO as a result of a Vendor being involved in Proscribed Practices. Potential sanctions include: censure, debarment, other possible sanctions.
The document included in this ITB which lists the goods required by UNDP, their specifications, the related services, activities, tasks to be performed, and other information pertinent to UNDP’s receipt and acceptance of the goods.
Scheduled audit: These refer to systematic and independent examination of data, statements, records, operations and performances of a partner. A scheduled audit is either an internal control audit which is conducted for Partners which are rated “Low” risk and “Medium” risk or a financial audit which should be conducted for all other Partners including non-assessed Partners.
Secondment: Movement of a staff member from one organization to another for a fixed period, normally not exceeding two years, during which the staff member will normally be paid by and be subject to the staff regulations and rules of the receiving organization, but will retain his or her rights of employment in the releasing organization. The period of secondment may be extended for a further fixed period by agreement among all the parties concerned. Secondments are generally granted with a general lien to the organization.
Refers to the financial contribution to a government budget, managed in a national account by a government entity for a specific set of sector or programme results.
It is mandatory for United Nations system personnel and eligible family members to obtain security clearance for all official travel, regardless of location, and they cannot commence official travel without obtaining it except in compelling cases, where insufficient time is available such as during periods requiring immediate medical evacuation or other life-threatening situation. For the purpose of this policy, official travel includes official home leave or other entitlement travel where the cost of travel is borne by organizations of the United Nations system. This applies regardless of whether official travel is undertaken by air, sea, land, or any combination thereof.
The senior most UNDP staff member at the country level (typically the RR) will represent UNDP at the Security Management Team (SMT). The next most senior UNDP staff member should be appointed as an alternate SMT member for periods when the RR is performing the functions of Designated Official (DO)6 ad interim or away on leave. Members of the SMT are responsible for supporting the DO in discharging their mandate related to the safety and security of all UN personnel, premises and assets.
Segregation of duties is anchored in UNDP financial regulation 20.02 and is a keystone control that helps UNDP safeguard its assets and mitigate the risk of fraud and error. Segregation of duties is based on ensuring that no one staff member can: (i) have custody of assets; (ii) authorize and approve the use of assets; and (iii) record and report assets.
UNDP selects one implementing partner for each project in consultation with the government coordinating agency. This is also the case for project portfolios; one implementing partner is selected for each project within the portfolio, while more than one implementing partner can be part of a portfolio (directly and nationally implemented projects may be part of the same portfolio). In multi-country and South-South projects, one implementing partner can be selected per country.
For UN Agencies who do not use Quantum (the “non-Quantum Agencies”), a dedicated Service Clearing Account (SCA) is established for each Agency. Through the SCA, all global prefunding received from UN Agencies are recorded, and all services provided by UNDP Offices to these UN Agencies are recorded. A dedicated Service Clearing Account is not applicable to Quantum Agencies (UNFPA, UN Women, UNU, UNCDF, UNV, UNITAR).
The service contract (SC) is a modality for hiring individuals under a non-staff contract. The SC is a decentralized contracting instrument, which is cost effective and flexible for use only by UNDP country offices and regional centres outside of Headquarters. The SC is not for use in HQ duty stations and Liaison Offices e.g. New York, Geneva, London, Madrid, Montreal, Paris, Rome, Vienna, Brussels, Copenhagen, Geneva, Tokyo and Washington. Payment under the SC is based on services satisfactorily provided in accordance with the terms of reference under the SC. The payment terms can be based on (i) all-inclusive lump-sum monthly payments, where cash payments are included for pre-existing social security as described in the Section on Social Security Arrangements below or (ii) monthly remuneration with provision of a local social security scheme where applicable and legally feasible.
The entire scope of tasks and deliverables requested by UNDP under an RFP, or the scope of tasks related or ancillary to the completion or delivery of the goods, as required by UNDP under the ITB or RFQ.
The purpose of the settling-in grant is to provide eligible staff members reasonable financial support for relocation on initial appointment or reassignment to a new duty station. It is the total compensation payable by the Organization towards costs incurred by the eligible staff member and his or her family members as a result of an appointment or reassignment involving relocation, as well as any pre-departure expenses that the staff member may incur as a result. The settling-in grant enters into force on 1 July 2016, and replaces the former Assignment Grant which is discontinued as of that date. 3. The grant consists of two elements: a) a Daily Subsistence Allowance (DSA) portion; b) a lump-sum portion
For the purposes of the present bulletin, the term “sexual exploitation” means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another.
Refers to all forms of inappropriate conduct of a sexual nature committed by an employee, officer, adviser, or representative of a vendor, with the knowledge of that Vendor.
Sexual Harassment is a form of harassment and is any unwelcome sexual advance, request for sexual favour, verbal or physical conduct or gesture of a sexual nature, or any other behaviour of a sexual nature that has or that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offense or humiliation. Sexual harassment may result in an intimidating, hostile or offensive environment or is made a condition of employment. Sexual harassment normally implies a series of incidents. However, a one-time incident could fall within the definition of sexual harassment if it has an unambiguously offensive sexual character. Staff members with any gender identity can be either the injured party or the offender.
Shortcuts limit time for bidding and inappropriate issue expressions of interest or requests to quote. Risks of fraud rise dramatically, as both suppliers and UNDP personnel act on insufficient information. This is a critical risk especially in emergency situations.
Staff members who are unable to perform their duties due to illness or injury, or whose attendance is prevented by public health requirements, may be granted sick leave under United Nations Staff Rule 6.2 and in accordance with the provisions of this policy document. For sick leave specifically related to injury or illness that is considered to be attributable to the performance of official duties on behalf of UNDP, in addition to the relevant provision of the Sick Leave policy document, Appendix D of the UN Staff Rules applies. Staff members are responsible for informing their supervisors and HR focal points/leave monitors promptly of absence due to injury or illness to enable timely entry into the UNALL HR e-Services module. Certified sick leave will be granted only on the basis of a medical certificate or report from a medical practitioner licensed to practice where the certificate or report is issued, except in cases of uncertified sick leave as detailed in paragraphs 6 and 7.
Signatories are staff who have been designated by the Treasurer to operate UNDP bank accounts. The Signatory Panel for any UNDP bank account is made up of those individuals designated by the Treasurer or under the delegated authority, by the Resident Representative to operate that UNDP bank account.
The signatory is a person who can be uniquely identified and linked to an electronic signature and who has the sole control over the password-authentication key related to the electronic signature. An electronic signature can only be attributed to the person that owns and places the electronic signature in a record and is not attached to the function occupied by the signatory at the time of the placing of the signature. Since the electronic signature is personal, it cannot be shared.
We can define significant purchases as those that are of high relative expenditure and/or for which supply is difficult to secure. The relative expenditure of goods and services is defined as their cost relative to the total purchasing expenditure of the business unit or agency. For UNDP, a transaction of 100,000 USD or more is considered a significant purchase.
UNDP programmes and projects adhere to the objectives and requirements of the Social and Environmental Standards (SES). The SES objectives are to: (a) strengthen the quality of programming by ensuring a principled approach; (b) maximize social and environmental opportunities and benefits; (c) avoid adverse impacts to people and the environment; (d) minimize, mitigate, and manage adverse impacts where avoidance is not possible; (e) strengthen UNDP and partner capacities for managing social and environmental risks; and (f) ensure full and effective stakeholder engagement, including through a mechanism to respond to complaints from project-affected people.
A staff member (other than a TA) who is temporarily (i.e. for a period not exceeding one year) assigned to a higher level post, or is temporarily required to perform higher level functions while remaining on his/her current post may be granted a non-pensionable Special Post Allowance (SPA) after completion of 3 months of continuous service at the higher level functions, subject to confirmation in writing by the supervisor that the staff member is indeed performing at the higher level. The reason for the three-month grace period is that, from time to time and as part of their normal duties, staff may be expected to temporarily assume higher level functions (during periods of absence, for instance). However, (i) when a staff member is temporarily assigned to a post more than one level above their personal grade or to a different category or (ii) when the temporary assignment is in a D or E hardship category, SPA may be granted by the supervisor with immediate effect and will not have to wait three months provided that the supervisor confirms that the staff member is performing all the responsibilities attached to the higher position.
Categories of costs of a cross-cutting nature that (a) involve material capital
investments, or (b) do not represent a cost related to the management activities of the organization.
Periodic on-site reviews (spot checks) are performed to assess the accuracy of the financial records for cash transfers to the IP and the status of programme implementation (through a review of financial information), and to determine whether there have been any significant changes to internal controls. The spot check is not an audit hence, the extent of expenditure testing is generally lower than what would be undertaken during an audit. Spot checks should be completed prior to the operational and financial closure of the project to ensure supporting documents are still available for review and any adjustments required in Quantum are made.
Spouse or partner: an individual whose personal status has been recognized as such for purposes of United Nations entitlements, or where that status is legally recognized as such under the laws where the marriage or partnership was formed.
In order to avoid inequalities in the level of taxation between staff members of different nationalities, a uniform amount of tax (i.e., staff assessment) is levied by the United Nations and only the resulting net amount is paid to the staff member. Like most national income tax scales, the scale of staff assessment is progressive, i.e., the higher the salary, the higher the percentage rate of assessment. The amount of the staff assessment is credited to the Tax Equalization Fund. 3. Those Member States that do not impose income tax on UN earnings receive a portion of the Tax Equalization Fund as an offset against their assessments for the UN regular budget, peacekeeping, and tribunal budgets. When staff members have to pay national income taxes on their UN earnings, they are reimbursed from the Tax Equalization Fund irrespective of the total amount of staff assessment deducted from their salaries.
Unified and approved approach to achieve highest integration with overall UNDP IT infrastructure and services. UNDP will consider standards as the most commonly used solution across the organization and therefore all future solutions will be aligned and based on standard configurations. It is strongly recommended that all offices use these standards as the base for their IT infrastructure and services.