The International Personnel Services Agreement (“IPSA”) is a legal instrument established by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in order to engage the services of individuals to provide service to UNDP under a services-based contract modality. 

This modality has two key objectives: On the one hand, the IPSA aims to provide UNDP with a comprehensive, flexible and cost-effective contractual framework which responds to project- and programme-based, as well as operational and administrative, requirements. On the other, the IPSA will at the same time provide for attractive, stable and fair conditions of employment which ensure that UNDP is able to attract, select and retain the services of high-quality individuals.

Individuals engaged under the IPSA framework have the status of International Personnel Service Agreement holders, and are specifically engaged in recognition of their skills and expertise, to provide identified deliverables. These individuals are not UNDP staff members, but are considered affiliate 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 IPSA may only be provided by natural and not legal persons (e.g., duly formed/registered companies), and by non-incorporated partnerships, the IPSA falls within the overall scope of UNDP Human Resource management framework.

The IPSA may also be used by UNDP to contract individuals on behalf of entities to which it may provide such services (“partners”), whereby the personnel so contracted are supervised by such partners. Such contracts are administered by UNDP. This facility is provided for in the related policy on Partner Personnel Service Agreement (“PPSA”).

The IPSA is governed solely by its expressed terms and conditions, including the Terms of Reference (“TOR”).