Forced labour refers to all work or service which is exacted by a vendor from any person under the menace of any penalty and for which the said person has not offered themself voluntarily
Forwarding agents, known also as freight forwarders or freight brokers, act as international freight forwarders, clearing agents or custom brokers to carry out the formalities and operations of consignment. Generally employed to receive consigned goods where UNDP staff may not be physically present, forwarding agents engage in the prompt clearance and collection of goods vulnerable to loss and pilferage. Business Units should forward to the respective forwarding agent all necessary documents (i.e., bill of lading, shipping instructions) for the release of goods in transit.
It is any act or omission, including a misrepresentation, whereby a vendor knowingly misrepresents or conceals a fact (a) in order to obtain an undue benefit or advantage (not limited to financial) or to avoid an obligation for itself, or a third party, and/or (b) in such a way as to cause an individual or entity to act, or fail to act, to his, her or its detriment.
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.