Procurement

A/RES/69/273View PDF

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 131 Review of the efficiency of the administrative and financial functioning of the United Nations, published in 2014.

What other versions does this mandate have?

3 versions · 2011–2015

Year	Symbol	Title	Word length	Text similarity
2015	A/RES/69/273	Procurement	1,137	—Compare
2014	A/RES/68/263	Procurement	164	—Compare
2011	A/RES/65/261	Procurement	174	–

Who cites this mandate in the budget?

5 entities

(Sub-)Programme	Title	Total mandates cited
Subprogramme 1	Enterprise resource planning solution, services to the Fifth Committee of the General Assembly and to the Committee for Programme and Coordination, and management advisory services	10
Subprogramme 2	Supply chain management	8
Subprogramme 3	Support services	3
Subprogramme 3	Support services	3
Subprogramme 3	Support services	3

Historical expenditure covers the complete programme or subprogramme, not this mandate. For an overview of all UN entities and programmes, see UN entities and programmes.

Who cites this mandate in the budget?

5 entities

(Sub-)Programme	Title	Total mandates cited	Expenditure
Subprogramme 1	Enterprise resource planning solution, services to the Fifth Committee of the General Assembly and to the Committee for Programme and Coordination, and management advisory services	10	—
Subprogramme 2	Supply chain management	8	—
Subprogramme 3	Support services	3	—
Subprogramme 3	Support services	3	—
Subprogramme 3	Support services	3	—

Historical expenditure covers the complete programme or subprogramme, not this mandate. For an overview of all UN entities and programmes, see UN entities and programmes.

Which reports were submitted under this mandate?

1 report · 2016

Year	Symbol	Title		Mandate resolution
2016	A/71/681	Procurement activities in the United Nations Secretariat report of the Secretary-General		A/RES/69/273

What subjects does this mandate have?

1 subject

Purchasing

What’s in this document?

22 operative paragraphs

Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General;Error: Reference source not found

Endorses the conclusions and recommendations contained in the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions,Error: Reference source not found subject to the provisions of the present resolution;

Reaffirms the need for the United Nations procurement system to be transparent, open, impartial and cost-effective, based on a competitive procedure and fully reflecting the international character of the United Nations;

Stresses that best value for money; fairness, integrity and transparency; effective international competition; and the interest of the United Nations remain the four general principles for United Nations procurement, and requests the Secretary-General to ensure that those principles are adhered to in all United Nations procurement activities;

Recognizes the progress made and the key initiatives undertaken by the Secretary-General to advance a strategic approach to procurement and enhance the acquisition process for critical requirements, and requests the Secretary-General to continue such initiatives;

Recalls paragraph 8 of the report of the Advisory Committee, and requests the Secretary-General to provide information, in his future reports on the subject, on the impact of Umoja on the procurement process, including the elimination of duplicate procurement processes;

Notes the efforts made by the Secretary-General to establish the supply chain module in Umoja, also notes the improved governance of procurement functions to include procurement operations in peacekeeping missions, special political missions, offices away from Headquarters and tribunals, while establishing a clear responsibility and accountability framework, and requests the Secretary-General to provide enhanced visibility of information on vendors that are awarded contracts and purchase orders;

Recalls paragraphs 11 and 12 of the report of the Advisory Committee, and requests the Secretary-General to address the challenges identified therein with regard to information and communications technology procurement;

Welcomes the conclusion of the pilot project on the request for proposal exercise, and looks forward to information on the advantages and disadvantages of the practice of using both invitation to bid and request for proposal methodologies in the procurement of aviation services in the next report of the Secretary-General;

Recalls paragraph 51 of its resolution 65/289, in which it requested that the Secretary-General ensure full transparency in developing the request for proposal methodology for the acquisition of air services, and requests the Secretary-General to ensure that the implementation of this methodology is fair and transparent, as appropriate;

Also recalls paragraph 18 of the report of the Advisory Committee, and stresses the importance of developing a transparent system in the implementation of the electronic tendering pilot project that gives equal opportunity to all potential vendors, bearing in mind technology challenges in developing countries and countries with economies in transition, and requests the Secretary-General to submit an assessment of the pilot project in his next report on procurement;

Welcomes the continuation of the independent procurement challenge system, the Award Review Board, and its phased expansion to also cover offices away from Headquarters, regional commissions and tribunals, and peacekeeping and special political missions, and requests the Secretary-General to provide in his next report an update on the development of the Board, including on the feasibility of lowering the financial threshold for vendors to submit a procurement challenge;

Notes with appreciation the efforts of the Secretary-General and the overall progress made in strengthening internal controls in procurement, including improved vendor management, with an emphasis on fostering a culture of ethics and integrity among staff members and vendors;

Recalls paragraph 28 of the report of the Advisory Committee, requests the Secretary-General to ensure transparency in conducting the activities of the Vendor Review Committee, and looks forward to continued reporting on the activities of that Committee in his future reports;

Also recalls paragraph 25 of the report of the Advisory Committee, and requests the Secretary-General to intensify his efforts to promote procurement from developing countries and countries with economies in transition, so as to develop a vendor roster that is more representative of the membership of the Organization, and to report thereon in his next progress report on United Nations procurement activities;

Requests the Secretary-General to continue to explore additional innovative ways to promote procurement from developing countries and countries with economies in transition at Headquarters and field offices, and to report on concrete measures taken in this regard;

Recognizes the efforts by the Secretariat to increase the number of business seminars in developing countries, and requests the Secretary-General, in his capacity as Chair of the United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination, to encourage the entities of the United Nations system to participate in the business seminars in developing countries and countries with economies in transition;

Requests the Secretary-General to encourage interested local vendors to apply for registration on the United Nations Secretariat vendor roster, with a view to broadening its geographical base;

Recalls paragraph 34 of the report of the Advisory Committee, decides to establish the Regional Procurement Office in Entebbe, Uganda, as a regular office within the Procurement Division of the Secretariat, and looks forward to receiving updates on the functions of the Office in the context of the global service delivery model;

Requests the Secretary-General not to proceed with a pilot project on sustainable procurement at this time;

Notes with satisfaction the efforts made by the Secretariat to implement joint procurement with United Nations system organizations, and emphasizes that, when it does so, the four general principles of financial regulation 5.12 of the Financial Regulations and Rules of the United Nations⁶ shall apply;

⁶ST/SGB/2013/4.

Acknowledges recommendation 5 of the report of the Joint Inspection Unit.Error: Reference source not found

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

What other versions does this mandate have?

Who cites this mandate in the budget?

Who cites this mandate in the budget?

Which reports were submitted under this mandate?

What subjects does this mandate have?

What’s in this document?

Table of contents

Who cites this mandate in the budget?