The process under which cases are reviewed by a panel composed of UNDP staff who determine the recommendation(s) to be made to the Chief Procurement Officer (CPO).
Under Parallel Fund Management, each organization independently manages its own funds, whether coming from Regular or Other Resources. This option is likely to be the most effective and efficient when interventions by participating UN organizations are aimed at common results, but with different national, sub-national and/or international partners.
PCAT is a mandatory tool that includes a partner pre-requisite checklist and capacity assessment scoping to assist project developers to determine which capacity assessments (if any) need to be completed before the project is finalized and approved.
PPSA is a contractual modality through which UNDP may engage and administer non-staff personnel contacts for an on behalf of client UN entities - ‘the Partner’ for the purposes of this policy.
Partner risk is determined by the impact on human development and well-being which arises from the nature of the industry sector and business performance. It has social, environmental and governance aspects.
Partner Risk Rating is defined as the overall Risk Assessment derived from the Micro Assessment risk rating adjusted for other available information including results of the Macro Assessment, past experience with the Partner including results of assurance activities, prior capacity assessments and micro assessments by other Agencies.
A UNDP partnership is a voluntary and collaborative commitment between UNDP and one or more parties. Together, they work to achieve common objectives in line with overall development goals supported by UNDP. Parties should agree to respect the values and policies central to UNDP’s mandate, and maximize the effective use of resources, including through careful assessment of risks, responsibilities, competencies and benefits. They may provide opportunities for innovation and achievements that might not be feasible by either UNDP or its partner working alone.
Partnership risk is shaped by the nature of the collaboration with UNDP, by the private and public benefits of the collaboration, and also by the role that UNDP takes in brokering, co-creating and/or implementing activities that arise from the collaboration.
Under the pass-through fund management, two or more organizations develop a multi-donor trust fund or joint programme. If the donor(s) and participating UN organizations agree to channel the funds to participating organizations through one UN organization, then the pass-through modality applies. The UN organization channelling resources, called the Administrative Agent (‘AA’), is jointly selected by all participating organizations.
The United Nations Joint Pension Fund (UNJPF) provides participating staff members with benefits in the event of death, disability, separation from service before retirement age, or upon retirement. The United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund (UNJSPF) (www.unjspf.org) was established by the General Assembly (GA) to provide retirement, death, disability, and related benefits for the staff of the United Nations and other organizations admitted to membership in the Fund. The Fund is administered by the UNJSPF Board together with staff pension committees from each member organization, with a secretariat to the Board and to each such committee (in tripartite and equal representation). The assets of the Fund are property of the Fund and are acquired, deposited, and held in the name of the UN on behalf of the participants and beneficiaries of the Fund; however, the assets are held separately from those of the UN and can be used only for the purposes stated in the Fund's Regulations.
For the purposes of the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund (UNJSPF), special scales, called Pensionable Remuneration (PR), are established as the basis for determining the contribution to be paid by the staff member and by UNDP as well as the pension benefits to which the staff member may become entitled.
All UNDP staff members are accountable to the Administrator for performing their functions and delivery of agreed results based on the highest standards of competence, integrity, ethics, and efficiency, in line with the UN values, Standards of Conduct for the International Civil Service, Secretary-General’s Bulletin on the Status, Basic Rights and Duties of United Nations Staff Members, UN Staff Regulations and Rules, and UNDP policies.
Performance-based payments (PBPs) are a type of agreement between UNDP and a responsible party to provide funding upon the verified achievement of an agreed measurable development result. No advances are provided, rather payments are made only upon the verified achievement of agreed results. This approach gives greater incentive to responsible parties to achieve results.
A Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) is a tool that aims to facilitate the required improvement in the performance of a staff member. It serves to record: (1) identified shortcomings and improvements to be achieved, (2) actions to be taken to fully meet the requirements of the job and performance objectives, (3) timelines; as well as (4) support to be provided, (5) outcomes of periodic check-ins, and (6) the final review of the PIP implementation.
Effective performance management and development of each staff member (PMD) are a shared responsibility of the supervisee and the supervisor. Performance management and development are continuous processes and are anchored in the frequent, two-way, open communication between the supervisor and the supervisee aimed to ensure the achievement of results, staff development, and the provision of timely and appropriate support. Both the supervisor and the supervisee are expected to initiate and engage in such communication.12. The annual performance management and development cycle is from 1 January to 31 December of the year and includes: annual performance planning (mandatory); regular performance discussions, including performance monitoring, feedback and coaching during the performance year; the mid-term review (MTR) (mandatory); and the annual performance review (APR) (mandatory) .
Any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person (“data subject”); an identifiable person is one who can be identified, directly or indirectly, in particular by reference to an identification number or to one or more factors specific to his physical, physiological, mental, economic, cultural or social identity; [EU directive 95/46/EC]
UNDP staff and other persons engaged by UNDP under other contractual arrangements to perform services for UNDP programme activities or for programme support.
PCF is the cash balance kept in the safe in a CO’s main office or a HQ unit to meet small expenses for management projects where the use of cheque or electronic funds transfer (EFT) is inefficient.
“Pipeline” refers to the totality of planned projects, programmes, and initiatives that UNDP is expected to pursue within a foreseeable time in the future.
Plant comprises those assets that are grouped together; held in use for the production or supply of goods or services; used in the implementation of UNDP programmes and administrative operations; and are expected to be used during more than one financial reporting period. Examples of such assets are heavy machinery; furniture and fixtures. The combined cost of such group of assets together should be US$5,000 or more and should meet the capitalization criteria described under “Recognition.”
The definition endorsed by the Organizational Performance Group in 2015 refers to policies as providing an operational, long-term framework for the organization and describe what the organization intends to do. Policies are to be clear and simple statements and should not be overly prescriptive. UNDP’s main policy and procedures repository is the POPP (Programme and Operations Policies and Procedures).1
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.
A portfolio is a programming delivery instrument, which contributes to one or more country programme outcomes and engages one or more implementing partners to address system level challenges for strategic development results.
Positive pay is a process used to combat cheque fraud. With this service a company transmits a file of issued cheque information to the bank soon after its issuance to the payee. The bank matches cheque serial numbers and amounts of cheques presented for payments against the issue file and pays only those cheques that match. Exceptions are conveyed to the company for disposition. Some positive pay services match against the payee field as well as the serial number and amount, in an effort to detect altered payees.
The Post Adjustment system was designed to equalize purchasing power of United Nations salaries for professionals and higher categories, taking into account the cost of living differences between the base city of the system (New York) and other duty stations. The system aims at ensuring that, no matter where United Nations common system staff work at some 180 locations worldwide, their take-home-pay has a purchasing power equivalent to that at the base of the system. The Post Adjustment System is available at: http://icsc.un.org/secretariat/cold.asp?include=par
Particularly for high value or complex procurement requirements, a solicitation may be limited only to vendors who meet established criteria for capacity and resources, based on a prequalification process. The prequalification process aims to ensure that solicitation documents are extended only to those with adequate capacity and resources to provide the requisite goods, services or perform civil works.
UNDP’s Information Disclosure Policy is guided by openness, with the underlying presumption that any information concerning UNDP programmes and operations enumerated in Chapter III is available to the public, in the absence of a compelling reason for confidentiality in line with the exceptions to the Policy in Chapter IV.
Prima Facie case (of Retaliation) is established when the information available to the Ethics Office indicates that it is more likely than not that a causal connection exists between the Protected Activity (defined below) and the detrimental action that has been taken or threatened against the individual. When the Ethics Office has determined that a prima facie case is established, the matter will be referred to OAI for a full investigation.
The term ‘private sector’ refers to any such entity that could collaborate or collaborates with UNDP. UNDP can work with a private sector group or with an individual company.
Policy, institutional and capacity-building activities promoting the growth of local small and medium enterprises, and also including support for the provision of micro-finance.
Activities undertaken in collaboration with companies to develop solutions, mobilize resources, and advocate for change in order to support poverty reduction and the achievement of the SDGs.
UNDP may issue contracts equivalent to those for individual consultants to professionals who are financially supported by a third-party for up to two years. If the financial support is provided by a private sector company, UNDP’s rules for due diligence apply.
Procedures serve as a blueprint for policy implementation and as step-by-step instructions on how to implement a policy and states who will implement it.
Limited international competition is conducted by narrowing the competitive field to a short list of prospective offerors. This is pre-determined through a non-discriminatory evaluation of qualifications. Such a process may involve various sourcing methods, such as: a. Use of existing rosters; b. Shortlisting from previous rounds of prequalification or expressions of interest from another selection process, assuming similar goods or services; c. Previous vendors of known satisfactory performance; d. Referrals of vendors from other UN entities; e. Publicly accessible trade books and online databases; f. Advertised call for expressions of interest; g. Conventional business directories
In accordance with UNDP procurement policies and procedures, this should be a competitive bidding process. The responsibility for the award of a contract to a bank for the provision of banking services has been delegated by the Administrator to the Treasurer under UNDP Financial Regulations and Rules, Rule 125.01. Only the Treasurer can approve the recommendation made by the Resident Representative (RR), or the Head of Office following the RFP exercise. This
Procurement Review Committees render independent written advice and recommendations on a procurement action and the proposed commitment of funds to the person approving the procurement action. The review committees have been established at three levels. Contracts, Assets and Procurement Committee (CAP); Regional Advisory Committee on Procurement (RACP); Advisory Committee on Procurement (ACP).
Implementing a programme or a project requires ensuring all outputs in planning documents are delivered and contribute to achieving outcomes in the UNDP Strategic Plan and relevant country or regional programme document.
This is the modality by which a programme country government allocates some of its own resources (which may include the proceeds of a loan from an International Financial Institution and from other sources ) towards a UNDP programme or project. In this context, the government can be the national government as well as any of its branches at the central or local level duly authorized to enter into agreements with UNDP.
Activities related to overall managerial responsibility and accountability for achieving UNDP’s role in supporting programme countries in achieving development results; ensuring continuous and simultaneous alignment (or re-alignment) of Country Programme results with national planning goals and UNDP Strategic Plan results, including responding to emerging needs mid-cycle; UNDP leadership role(s) in the UNCT programming processes and UNCT strategic meetings; strategic partnership management; and overall partnering and positioning of the programmatic work of the organization within the country.
The document approved by the Executive Board that describes the framework for UNDP programme activities, and indicates the proposed UNDP resources to achieve results during a specified period. Programme documents are prepared at the country level in cooperation with the Government of that country, as well as at regional and global levels.
The purpose of appraisal is to review the quality and feasibility of the programme or project and advise on its readiness for approval. Appraisal applies to UNDP programmes (country and regional) as well as all development projects. It does not apply to institutional effectiveness projects, development effectiveness projects, the engagement facility or development services.
The Project Budget Balance is a report used to monitor and manage budgetary availability for a particular project (and its associated outputs) for a single year. The report shows approved budgets, commitments, and expense plus the full asset cost for a particular project. It shows outstanding NEX advances for current and prior years. It shows budget balances and budget utilization rate of the project. Any user can use this report when monitoring the financial movements of all projects.
If the problems have not been resolved in a reasonable time, the project must be cancelled. Unspent funds defined as a target resource assignment from the core that result from a cancelled project may be reprogrammed, considering the outstanding obligations of the cancelled project. Third-party contributions may be reprogrammed subject to approval by the donor (unspent funds must be returned to vertical funds such as the GEF or GCF). The implementing partner proceeds with the steps required for financial completion as described in project closure. If cancellation means significant changes in the approved country programme document, an amendment may be needed.
PCA is a one-time advance issued to a PCA Custodian for a specific one-time project activity. Typically the one-time project activity includes workshops, training seminars or conferences relating to certain projects that take place in remote locations. The duration for such activities ranges from 2 days to 2 weeks.
PCH is a perpetual cash advance to DIM project office/site that is in remote region with project disbursement needs that cannot be met by the CO’s main office through cheque or EFT, nor by PPCF or any supplementary banking arrangements. A DIM project office that meets certain criteria and has monthly project cash requirement beyond $2,500, may elect PCH arrangement.
PPCF is a perpetual petty cash balance kept in the safe in a DIM project office/site to meet the disbursement requirement. Typically, such arrangement is for the DIM project office(s) that are located away from the CO’s main office and the banking services are not accessible in the areas where these project office(s) are located.
Suspension. A project is cancelled after a period of suspension. During this period, the parties consult and try to resolve the problems by corrective measures. If the problems are resolved, the project activities may be resumed. The programme manager/Resident Representative confirms to the parties the date for resuming the activities. In an emergency situation, it is often clear that corrective measures cannot be taken. If so, UNDP proceeds directly with cancellation.
The Project Transaction Detail report is used to provide the lowest level of transactional details supporting commitments, expense, and full cost of asset amounts shown on the project budget balance report. The report shows transactions at the project/, work breakdown structure, tasks /Chart of Accounts(Distribution) level, including invoice/purchase order IDs, vendor ID and name, and line descriptions. Any user who needs to have more detailed information about project transactions can run this report for monitoring the financial movements of all projects.
Property is defined as class of assets that are: Either (a) Land or (b) Buildings that are owned and/or controlled by UNDP with a cost (or value if donated) of US$5,000 or more; and the cost of the Land or Building can be measured reliably.
UNDP Financial Regulations and Rules document defines 'property, plant and equipment' as tangible assets held for use in the activities of UNDP or for administrative purposes and expected to be used during more than one financial period. The Property, Plant and Equipment (PP&E) policy document provides further details of the term 'property, plant and equipment' as a tangible or physically verifiable item that meets ALL the following five criteria: a) Provides future economic or service benefits to UNDP – i.e. the PP&E item is held for use in the implementation of UNDP Programmes or for administrative purposes; b) Is expected to be used during more than one reporting period, which, is 12 months; c) Has a value of US$5,000 (US$5,000 for UNCDF too) or more (New Capitalization Threshold effective as of 01.01.2020); d) Is used and controlled by UNDP; and e) Has a cost that can be reliably determined.
The Proposer’s response to the Request for Proposal, including the Proposal Submission Form, Technical and Financial Proposal and all other documentation attached thereto as required by the RFP.
Protected Activity is a good faith report alleging misconduct and made in accordance with the procedures set out in the UNDP Legal Framework for Addressing Non-Compliance with UN Standards of Conduct. Protected Activity also includes cooperating, in good faith, with a duly authorized audit or investigation.
Based on the approved workplan, UNDP provides the required financial resources to the implementing partner to carry out project activities. Under the Harmonized Approach to Cash Transfers, four cash transfer modalities are available, based on operational agreements described in the project document: a. Direct cash transfers to implementing partners and responsible parties; b. Direct payments to vendors and other third parties for obligations incurred by implementing partners and responsible parties; c. Reimbursement to implementing partners and responsible parties; d. Direct agency implementation through which a UN agency makes obligations and incurs expenditure in support of activities.
A legal obligation arising from a contract, agreement, or other form of undertaking by UNDP or based on a liability recognized by UNDP. Such obligations are represented in Quantum by Purchase Orders (PO).All POs must be supported by legally binding obligations and contracts, entered into with third parties, within the relevant period, for goods and services required by UNDP. All supporting documents should be available for review by internal and external auditors. Purchase orders should reflect budget periods in which the goods and services are expected to be received.
All country, regional and global programmes and projects are required to adhere to the quality standards for programming. Managers are accountable for upholding them. Quality standards are strategic, relevant, principled, managed and monitored, effective, efficient.
Quantum Financial Closure Instructions refers to the process of completing the input of all accounting entries to the UNDP general ledger. This includes the recording of all business transactions for the period as well as any corrections and adjustments pertaining to prior periods. Since the general ledger forms the basis of the financial statements as well as many other reports, it is essential that all inputs be complete and accurate.
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.