While international competition is the preferred mode of procurement in UNDP, national competition may be allowed when the value of the requirement is less than US $200,000, and when any one or any combination of the following circumstances also exists: a. The required goods/services/works are available locally at about the same or lower prices compared to those of comparable quality from the global market. b. The requirement is for construction works that are expected to be geographically scattered in various parts of a country and intensive in the use of local labour, and the country has a sufficient base of contractors with the qualifications and competence needed to complete the works. c. Services needed require a substantive depth of knowledge and understanding of the local environment, culture, language, socio-political dynamics or national systems that an international entity will probably not possess. d. There is a very low probability that an international entity will be interested in submitting an offer or partnering with national entities, so that the administrative and financial costs of opening to the international market will not yield any benefit.
Responsibility for NIM projects rests with the government, as reflected in the Standard Basic Assistance Agreement signed by UNDP with the government, and with the implementing partner, as agreed in the country programme action plan or United Nations development assistance framework action plan and respective annual work plan.
The National Personnel Service Agreement (“NPSA”) is a legal instrument, in the form of a contract modality, established by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in order to engage the services of individuals to provide a time-limited service to UNDP under a service-based contract. The effective date of entry into force of this policy is 1 June 2021, from which date it will replace the Service Contract modality. This new modality has two key objectives: On the one hand it aims to provide UNDP with a comprehensive, flexible and cost-effective contractual framework which responds to project, programme, operational and administrative, requirements. On the other, the NPSA will provide for attractive, stable and fair conditions of employment which ensure that UNDP is able to attract, select and retain the services of skilled, high-performing individuals. Individuals engaged under this instrument have the status of National Personnel Service Agreement Holders and are engaged in recognition of their skills and expertise in order to deliver on identified functional requirements. These individuals are not UNDP staff members, but are instead considered part of UNDP’s personnel and, as such, are not governed by or subject to the United Nations’ Staff Regulations and Rules. Nor is this contract modality governed by national legislation in countries where UNDP operates. Given that the services covered by the NPSA may only be provided by natural and not legal persons (e.g. duly formed/registered companies), as well as by non-incorporated partnerships, the NPSA falls within the overall scope of UNDP’s Human Resource management framework.
An information safeguarding strategy where user gets access only to the data that is clearly required for him/her to carry his duty. In other words it is a demonstrable and recognized purpose (business need) for accessing specific information.
The purpose of the night differential is to compensate staff members performing night-time duty functions. Hours of Night-Time Duty. For staff members stationed in: a) Headquarters duty stations, night-time duty hours are between 6:00 pm and 9:30 a.m. b) Non-headquarters duty stations, night-time duty hours are established by the Resident Representatives (RR), following interagency consultation.
A non-governmental organization (NGO) is defined as a non-profit organization, group or institution that operates independently from a Government and has humanitarian or development objectives. If a NGO is designated to implement a UNDP project, the NGO must have the legal status to operate in accordance with the laws governing NGOs in the programme country.
The non-reimbursable loan of persons from Partner Entities is permissible, subject to the provisions of Financial Regulation 5.07 and applicable procedures of the Office of Human Resources and this policy. A non-reimbursable loan is defined as a loan of the services of a person without any cost to UNDP for his or her salary or remuneration, allowances, medical, dental and life insurance or other benefits.
Positions not subject to rotation and include the majority of other IP positions which still have a mobility requirement. There is also a small number of highly specialized positions whose incumbents do not have a mobility requirement (e.g. Comptroller, Treasurer, certain positions in the Executive Office etc.).
Not allowed, not supported – Components or systems that have known compatibility issues or which have not been tested in standard UNDP environment. Not allowed or not supported components or system will not be serviced through normal UNDP ICT support channels. Not allowed and not supported systems are considered as non-compliance. Offices are not allowed to deploy, use or maintain such components or systems.
Rank-in-post is a system by which staff are graded and paid for their expected contribution. Rank-in-post means that a serving staff member who is competitively selected for a post classified and budgeted at a higher level, for an expected period of one year or longer, is automatically promoted to that higher level immediately upon assumption of the higher level duties. There are no qualifying periods and no seniority requirements and no promotion bodies to recommend approval. Only candidates meeting the pre-defined requirements for a post as per the job description can be selected. Rank-in-post is based on standardized classification of jobs and transparent recruitment and selection processes, with oversight exercised by the relevant Compliance Review Bodies i.e. Compliance Review Board (CRB) or Compliance Review Panel (CRP) . Hiring units will be responsible for strictly complying with the corporate procedures on classification, recruitment, reassignment and selection, to ensure that only candidates with “the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity” as required by the Charter of the United Nations and who possess the right skills, experience and competencies required for the properly classified and budgeted posts are selected.
DAP can be used on all means of transport. The seller clears the goods for export when the goods are placed at the disposal of the buyer on the arriving means of transport and the goods are ready for unloading at the named place of the destination. All risks to that point are for the account of the seller. The Buyer must pay costs of unloading and import formalities.The Receipt date is the date when the goods have arrived at the specified place, whether they are unloaded from the forwarder’s truck, vessel or other means of transport. This is the date at which the ownership for the goods procured is transferred to UNDP.
The FOB is commonly used in the sale of bulk commodity cargo such as oil, grains and ore. In FOB, the seller clears the goods for export and is responsible for the costs and risks of delivering the goods on the ship at the named port. Carriage to be arranged by the buyer. Buyer pays for the cost of pre-shipment inspection, except if the inspections are required by the country of export. The Buyer pays all costs associated with securing documentation originating in the country of export as required for import. The Receipt date is the date when the goods are placed on board the vessel, because on that date the risk is transferred from the supplier to UNDP
Components or systems described as recommended are considered as the primary options when designing or specifying a new system. Not complying with recommended options, while complying with accepted or supported options is not considered as non-compliance.
Reconciliation is the accounting process used to compare at least two sets of records to ensure the figures are in agreement and are accurate. Given that the Intangible Assets data will be initiated in one module and ultimately recorded in the Quantum Asset Module as well as the General Ledger Account, there will be a need to reconcile the data and information in the three modules.
Records comprise any information, regardless of physical form or characteristics, which originate from, or are received by, UNDP within the framework of its official activities.
An overpayment that creates a debt to the Organization on the part of the staff member will normally be recovered immediately by means of deductions from salaries, wages, and other emoluments payable under the UN Staff Regulations and UN Staff Rules. However, the HR Specialist or the Resident Representative, as the case may be, may agree with the staff member who has received overpayments on: a) Alternative means of repaying the amount due, such as payment by bank transfer, bank cheque or personal cheque from the staff member; or b) Recovery in monthly instalments subject to the contract expiry date of the staff member; or c) Other methods of recovery at the disposal of the Organization.
The resources of UNDP that are comingled and untied. These will include voluntary
contributions, contributions from other governmental, intergovernmental or nongovernmental sources and related interest earnings and miscellaneous revenue.
The designated process in a particular case, through which a Vendor that has been Sanctioned regains its eligibility status and the particular entry related to a specific case is updated on UNDP and the UNGM Ineligibility Lists. This only affects Sanctions issued by UNDP, and not any sanction that may be issued at any given time by another Agency.
The purpose of the rental subsidy scheme is to facilitate the settlement of new staff members and to encourage mobility within the UN Common System. It subsidizes the rental costs of eligible staff members whose rental accommodations are of a reasonable standard but cost significantly more than the average for the duty station. There are two different types of rental subsidy: one for staff members serving in Europe and North America and another for staff members serving outside Europe and North America.
A repatriation grant is paid to internationally recruited staff members upon separation from service as compensation for being stationed away from the home country at the Organization's initiative for a period exceeding 5 years, in order to contribute to the extraordinary one-time expense of relocation and reinstallation.
Reporting is an important accountability function. It draws on data and analysis collected through monitoring and communicates updates on results, risks, quality, learning and operational performance to oversight mechanisms, funding partners and other stakeholders. Reporting is a key input to decision-making at all levels as it provides information required to adjust programming to ensure results are achieved. To this end, reports must capture lessons learned on what worked and what didn’t work and explain how data and learning were used to adjust course or inform other interventions.
The Assistant Administrator and Director of the Bureau of Management authorizes the establishment of a reasonable representation allowance for certain UNDP staff who have extensive outside representation functions. Representation allowances are provided following appropriate authorization directly into the salary of the staff member concerned because these staff members often incur considerable miscellaneous personal expenses in connection with their representational responsibilities (e.g. ad-hoc refreshments, tea, coffee, transportation, gratuities, greeting cards, flowers and other symbolic gifts to hosts, local phone calls etc.).
Media and public attention and visibility, Member States expectations, donor expectations, perception of UNDP’s role by the public, national stakeholders and partners.
A request for information is a cost-effective method to continually update a UNDP office’s vendor database and to deepen understanding of markets and existing technologies. Written communications by the vendor provide the company profile, and information about products, services, resources, qualifications and experience.
The Request for Proposals consisting of instructions and references prepared by UNDP for purposes of selecting the best service provider to perform the services described in the Terms of Reference.
A request for quotation is used to procure readily available goods, services or works, or any combination thereof. A written request with a clearly described requirement is sent to a vendor, soliciting a written price quotation. A request for quotation is mandatory for contract values ranging from US $5,000 ($10,000 if approved by the Bureau) to US $200,000. Beyond this amount, requests for proposals or invitations to bid must be used.
a) MAY – This word, or the adjective "OPTIONAL", mean that an item is truly optional.
b) MUST – This word, or the terms "REQUIRED" or "SHOULD", mean that the definition is an absolute requirement of the standard.
c) MUST NOT – This phrase, or the phrase "SHALL NOT", mean that the definition is an absolute prohibition of the standard.
d) SHOULD – This word, or the adjective "RECOMMENDED", mean that there may exist valid reasons in particular circumstances to ignore a particular item, but the full implications should be understood and carefully weighed before choosing a different course.
e) SHOULD NOT – This phrase, or the phrase "NOT RECOMMENDED" mean that there may exist valid reasons in particular circumstances when the particular behavior is acceptable or even useful, but the full implications should be understood and the case carefully weighed before implementing any behavior described with this label.
Any organization that is legally constituted and duly registered may become a responsible party for a UNDP project where UNDP is the implementing partner or providing country office support to the implementing partner (and that support involves contracting a responsible party for certain activities). This includes government agencies, intergovernmental organizations, private firms, other UN agencies, or civil society organizations, including non-governmental organizations, advocacy groups, state-owned enterprises and academia.
Any organization that is legally constituted and duly registered may become a responsible party for a UNDP project where UNDP is the implementing partner or providing country office support to the implementing partner (and that support involves contracting a responsible party for certain activities). This includes government agencies, intergovernmental organizations, private firms, other UN agencies, or civil society organizations, including non-governmental organizations, advocacy groups, state-owned enterprises and academia. The same policies and procedures for selecting civil society organizations as Responsible Parties are used for private and non-governmental academic institutions and foundations (notwithstanding their form of ownership, i.e., public or private) and state-owned enterprises.
Rest and Recuperation (R&R) is provided to alleviate stress and promote the health and wellbeing of staff assigned to designated locations. R&R is neither additional annual leave nor financial compensation or incentive for the hardship of the duty station; rather it is an investment in productivity and wellness for those assigned to dangerous and stressful duty stations where regular absences from the stressful location is a necessary form of stress relief.
Retaliation is any direct or indirect detrimental action recommended, threatened or taken against an individual because that individual engaged in a “Protected Activity” as defined in the UNDP Policy for Protection against Retaliation. Interim and permanent protective measures may also be implemented to ensure the victim of retaliation is shielded from current or future threats or acts of retribution. However, the legitimate application of regulations, rules or administrative policies, issuances or procedures, or the mere expression of disagreement, admonishment, criticism or a similar expression regarding work performance, conduct or related issues within a supervisory or similar relationship, do not constitute Retaliation. Retaliation is itself a separate act of misconduct and a violation of the UNDP Policy for Protection against Retaliation.
A staff member who has not received an allowance, grant, or other payment to which he/she is entitled, does not receive it retroactively unless a written claim has been made within one year following the date on which the staff member would have been entitled to such payment.
Revenue recognition is the process of recording revenue in the General Ledger (GL) accounts for eventual reporting in the UNDP financial statements. Under the International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) revenue may be recorded before cash is received, however, spending by UNDP may only occur after cash is deposited into the respective UNDP bank accounts, in accordance with the UNDP FRRs.
Adopted in 2014, it supersedes the previous framework adopted in 2005. The revised framework represents a shift from assurance for cash transfers derived from project level controls and audits towards a method of assurance derived from risk/system-based assessments and audits. In essence, it reaffirms a shift from a control-based to a risk-based management approach. The revised Framework provides added clarity on the integrated suite of assurance activities (financial audits, internal control audits, special audits, programming visits and spot checks) to be performed based on the results of macro and micro assessments.
The process, conducted by the RFP evaluation committee in HQ or a country office, with specific steps and procedures prescribed in the RFP for Banking Services and Guidelines to assess the type and quality of services offered by banks within a local environment. The objective of the RFP is to select a bank, among the banks that are evaluated, to provide banking services based on the business requirements of UNDP HQ and/or country offices and based on UNDP procurement principle of the best value for money.
The effect of uncertainty on organizational objectives, which could be either positive and / or negative (ISO 31000:2018). Risk is described as a ‘future event’, with its causes and its potential consequences. UNDP ERM is concerned with: • Institutional risk. Existing and emerging uncertainties that could facilitate or hinder the efficiency and effectiveness of core operations within the organization. • Programmatic risk. Existing and emerging uncertainties that could facilitate or hinder the realization of programme or project objectives. • Contextual risk. Existing and emerging uncertainties that could facilitate or hinder progress towards development priorities of a given society. ERM considers contextual risk when these external uncertainties also present institutional or programmatic risks. Note that some contextual risks may fall under established risk management practice and definitions that need to be considered (e.g. for climate and disaster risk).
The amount and type of risks that projects, programmes/units, and UNDP as a whole is willing to take in order to meet its strategic objectives at each level respectively.
A risk classification system in relation to what organization does to help to systematically identify and track the risks across its main areas of performance.
Coordinated activities to direct and control an organization with regard to risk at all levels. Risk management is concerned with exploring new opportunities and avoiding negative consequences within the realization of UNDP Strategy.
A description of any set of risks. The set of risks can contain those that relate to the whole organization, part of the organization, a programme or project, or as otherwise defined.
A risk management tool that serves as a record of all risks across the organization, including at the project level, programme/unit level, and corporate level. For each risk identified, it includes the following information: risk ID, risk description (cause, event, consequences), likelihood, impact, significance level, risk category, risk owner, risk treatment action, risk escalation, and risk status.
A measure to modify risk exposure to provide reasonable assurance towards the achievement of objectives. This includes risk treatment, which is response to negative events, and opportunity management, which is response to positive events.
Rotation is a centrally managed process of assigning staff to rotational positions. Staff can participate in a rotation exercise whether or not they encumber a rotational position.
Rotational positions are positions subject to rotation. They include positions that exist in multiple country offices, HQs Bureaux/offices and in global and regional offices/centres. Their profiles, in terms of functions, qualifications, experience, competencies, expected contribution, level of responsibility and outputs are generally similar to those of multiple positions across UNDP. All rotational positions are subject to an Annual Rotation Exercise (ARE), though rotational positions may also be filled outside of the ARE when vacant or when it is in the interest of UNDP to do so.