A common operational (harmonized) framework for transferring cash to government and non‑governmental IPs, irrespective of whether these partners work with one or multiple United Nation agencies. The objective of the HACT framework is to support a closer alignment of development aid with national priorities and to strengthen national capacities for management and accountability, with the ultimate objective of gradually shifting to national systems. It is intended to serve as a simplified set of procedures on requesting, disbursing, providing assurance, and reporting on funds as a way to effectively manage risks, reduce transaction costs and promote sustainable development in a coordinated manner.
Harassment is any improper and unwelcome conduct by UNDP personnel against UNDP or external personnel that has caused, or that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause, offence or humiliation. Harassment may be present in the form of words, gestures, electronic communication or other actions that annoy, alarm, abuse, demean, intimidate, belittle, or cause personal humiliation or embarrassment to another, or cause an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment. It includes but is not limited to harassment based on any grounds, such as race, religion, color, creed, ethnic origin, physical attributes, gender identity, or sexual orientation. Harassment will often consist of a series of incidents, but it may be brought about by a single incident only.
A joint decision of the Executive Boards of UNDP/UNFPA, UNICEF and UNWOMEN approved a new harmonized conceptual framework for defining and attributing all costs, both programme costs and organizational costs (DP-FPA/2012/1), and a new harmonized methodology for calculating cost-recovery rates on other resources (non-core) (DP-FPA/2013/1; DP/2013/9).
“Head of Office” refers to the head of either a UNDP headquarter office or UNDP country office, i.e. Bureaux Directors, Resident Representatives, heads of UNDP liaison offices, and heads of UNDP administered funds and programmes. Heads of Regional Service Centers and Heads of Policy Centers receive their delegated authorities from the Regional or Central Bureaux Directors as the case may be and/or from those directly delegated specific functional authorities by the Administrator (such as the Chief Procurement Officer, Chief Finance Officer, Treasurer etc.) and hence not included in this definition. Similarly, Country Directors receive their authorities from the Resident Representatives and are not considered heads of offices;
The purpose of the Home Leave (HL) travel entitlement is to allow eligible internationally recruited staff members periodic visits to their home country to renew and strengthen cultural and family ties. Having a multicultural staff is a founding principle of our international civil service. The UN invests in maintaining its multicultural nature through the HL entitlement. HL does not carry any extra entitlement to days of leave beyond the normal annual leave entitlement. The time spent on HL is charged against the staff member’s normal annual leave entitlement. Absence on HL is subject to the exigencies of service, as determined and approved by the staff member’s supervisor.
Official UNDP hospitality is intended to facilitate external networking activities undertaken by UNDP officials to serve the interest of UNDP and the larger United Nations (UN) community. guidelines for headquarters locations and other locations, including country offices. UNDP's policy on hospitality recognizes representational activities of senior UNDP staff members in receipt of a representational allowance and explains what the allowance is expected to cover and provides for the reasonable reimbursement of hospitality-related expenses.
Refers to the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons by a vendor, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation
Refers to the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons by a vendor, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation
To ensure the programme remains relevant and effectively contributes to outcome level results, the programme board may approve some changes to the programme without the need to resubmit the programme document to the UNDP Executive Board. These include: (a) removal of outputs that would not adversely affect the achievement of agreed outcomes; (b) adding new outputs necessary to achieve a given agreed outcome identified after the approval of the programme document; and c) changing outcome or output indicators that measure the progress of the programme.
Management activities are activities and costs whose primary function is the promotion of the identity, executive direction, representation, accountability and well-being of the UNDP Country Office.
Under Pooled Fund Management, participating UN organizations pool funds together to one UN organization, called the Managing Agent (MA), chosen jointly by the participating UN organizations in consultation with the (sub-) national partner. The MA will support the (sub)national partner in managing the programme. This option is likely to be the most effective and efficient approach when participating UN organizations work for common results with a common national or sub-national partner (e.g. Department, provincial office, NGO) and/or in a common geographical area.
Categories of costs in which the primary function is the promotion of the identity, direction and well-being of an organization. These include executive direction, representation, external relations and partnerships, corporate communications, legal, oversight, audit, corporate evaluation, information technology, finance, administration, security and human resources. This includes both activities and associated costs of a recurring and non-recurring nature.
This format is chosen if the cheque number is to be assigned by the user, or if the payment is being made in cash. Manual cheques (MAN) are prepared and written/printed by the user. The pay cycle does not include and process manual cheques. This option should be used as infrequently as possible, as the manual nature of the process is prone to errors.
This format of disbursement is chosen if the cheque number is to be assigned by the user, or if the payment is being made in cash. Manual cheques (MAN) are prepared and written/printed by the user.
Manual payments are defined as payments made outside of Quantum and then subsequently recorded in Quantum. Offices may only make manual payments when (1) the office is unable to connect to, or complete, a transaction due to poor system performance or poor connectivity to Quantum and (2) the payment is needed immediately due to an unavoidable emergency situation. All manual payments must have supporting documents.
Material Deviation – any content or characteristic of the Offer that is significantly different from an essential aspect or requirement of the ITB/RFP, and (i) substantially alters the scope and quality of the requirements; (ii) limits the rights of UNDP and/or the obligations of the offeror; and (iii) adversely impacts the fairness and principles
A sound pipeline portfolio is likely to include projects of different maturity, ranging from initial ideas to interventions with secured funding and implementation capacity ready to be launched. Having a clearer idea of the maturity of its pipeline allows better-informed decisions about investment areas which have a higher return potential in terms of development impact.
The purpose of Medical Evacuation Travel (MET) is to allow staff members and eligible dependents the opportunity to secure essential medical care or treatment for a severe illness or injury requiring medical intervention which is locally unavailable or inadequate.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) formalizes a non-binding partnership by stipulating intent and commitment between partners. It articulates the legislative background, general principles and focus of potential cooperation in pursuit of common goals. It serves as the overall framework for all global, regional and country-level cooperation. Specific country-level implementation agreements are subordinate to MOUs and are used to specify conditions of work. UNDP has different templates for Governments, United Nations entities, the private sector, non-governmental and civil society organizations, academic institutions, and foundations. An MoU is not a financial instrument and therefore cannot be used by UNDP to make or receive contributions from partners.
The purpose of the micro assessment is to assess a Partner’s financial management capacity (i.e. Accounting, procurement, reporting, internal controls, etc.) to determine the overall risk rating and assurance activities. The risk rating may be adjusted taking into consideration other available information such as the results of the macro assessment and previous experience with the partner to arrive at an Adjusted Risk Rating which is used to determine the appropriate cash transfer modality to a Partner. This assessment applies to both governmental and non-governmental Partners.
The financial assistance provided to an intermediary which includes
nongovernmental or grass roots organizations in an amount not exceeding$150,000 for each individual grant.
Micro-purchasing is a simplified procurement method for readily available goods, standardized services and small works, where contract amounts do not exceed US $5,000. Such purchases may constitute a significant volume of UNDP’s total procurement, but their aggregate value remains relatively low. A simplified process is preferred to reduce transaction costs.
The failure by a staff member to comply with his or her obligations under the Charter of the United Nations, the Staff Regulations and the Staff Rules or other relevant administrative issuances, or to observe the standards of conduct expected of an international civil servant. Such a failure could be deliberate (intentional, or wilful act), or result from an extreme or aggravated failure to exercise the standard of care that a reasonable person would have exercised with respect to a reasonably foreseeable risk (gross negligence) or from a complete disregard of a risk which is likely to cause harm (recklessness).
Mobility is defined as periodic moves of staff to new or re-classified positions within the same or different occupational group/functional area, laterally or to a different level, within the same or different duty station.
The mobility and hardship scheme consists of the following non-pensionable allowances: a) A mobility incentive, which varies according to the number of assignments to field duty stations and the purpose of which is to provide an incentive for the geographic mobility of staff in support of field operations; b) A hardship allowance, the purpose of which is to compensate for the varying degrees of hardship at different field duty stations; c) A non-family service allowance, the purpose of which is to recognize service in non-family duty stations.
Five basic modes of freight transportation – sea, rail, road, air and parcel post – are used, either individually or in combination, in international transportation. Business Units should consider modes of transport that are both economical and efficient. In general, rail, road and air transport costs are comparatively higher than freight by sea, thus UNDP recommends sea transport. To ensure sound delivery however, it is advisable to select a conference liner, which operates along definite routes and pre-determined ports of call.
Money Laundering (“ML”) is generally considered as concealment of the origins of money obtained illegally, typically by passing it through a complex sequence of financial or commercial transactions. ML usually involves three stages: (i) introducing the proceeds of crime into the financial system (placement); (ii) transactions to convert or transfer the funds to other locations or financial institutions (layering); and (iii) reintroducing the funds into the legitimate economy as "clean" money and investing it in various assets or business ventures (reintegration) appearing to have been legally obtained. The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) recommends that ML be criminalized by every country on the basis of article 3(1)(b) and (c) of the Vienna Convention (United Nations Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, 1988) and article 6(1) of the Palermo Convention (United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime, 2000).
Money Laundering (“ML”) is generally considered as concealment of the origins of money obtained illegally, typically by passing it through a complex sequence of financial or commercial transactions. ML usually involves three stages: (i) introducing the proceeds of crime into the financial system (placement); (ii) transactions to convert or transfer the funds to other locations or financial institutions (layering); and (iii) reintroducing the funds into the legitimate economy as "clean" money and investing it in various assets or business ventures (reintegration) appearing to have been legally obtained. The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) recommends that ML be criminalized by every country on the basis of article 3(1)(b) and (c) of the Vienna Convention and article 6(1) of the Palermo Convention.
Monitoring improves development effectiveness and efficiency by reviewing performance and using evidence to adjust programming for optimal results. Good monitoring starts with good planning and clear identification of what a programme or project will strive to achieve with specified resources. It is a continuous management function that provides decision-makers with regular feedback. Evidence from monitoring also serves as a critical input to evaluation and enables evidence-based reporting. Monitoring includes: (a) tracking performance through the collection of appropriate and credible data and other evidence; (b) analysing evidence to inform management decision-making, improve effectiveness and efficiency, and adjust programming as necessary; and (c) reporting on performance and lessons to facilitate learning and support accountability.
The monthly imprest level is the liquidity requirement of a country office to be funded by Treasury. It is the cash needed by country offices to fund their operations monthly. The imprest level is also a cash management tool used by Treasury to promote efficient cash management. The sum of all imprest levels provides a good estimate of cash outflows from country offices and is used to estimate UNDP’S liquidity needs.
Monthly payments: Monthly earnings of a staff member less payroll deductions, excluding those deductions made at the request of the staff member for payment to the United Federal Credit Union (UNFCU) or a similar institution.
Accountability of donors for providing aid in ways that support country development strategies and recipient governments for using aid and other resources effectively. This includes enhancing the checks and balances fundamental for development. In the case of managers and staff, managers are to provide adequate resources, appropriate tools and delegate relevant authority to staff, and staff are to utilize those resources, tools and delegated authority in an effective and efficient manner, in accordance with the regulatory framework of the United Nations entity, including checks and balances, in order to achieve the objectives and results of the entity
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.