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Procurement

© UNESCO/Niamh Burke
A cargo plane transports the Aksum obelisk back to Ethiopia from Italy, 2005.

This page is designed to provide basic information on UNESCO procurement and to answer the questions of potential vendors (i.e. companies/entities) seeking registration and Business Opportunities with UNESCO.

If you are an Individual Consultant, please go to the Consultant Roster to register your CV in order to be considered for potential consultancy work with UNESCO.

Major Procurement Requirements

UNESCO procures goods, works and services at estimated USD 125 Million per year. An estimated 80 % of the total procurement expenditures are related to acquisition of professional services.

In addition to the requirements for the implementation of the programme activities under the main themes of Education, Natural Sciences, Social & Human Sciences, Culture, Communication & Information, UNESCO requires goods, works and services for general administration including Information Technology, Building Maintenance & Renovations as well as Conferences, Languages & Documents Services. Please also refer to UNESCO Worldwide, a section presenting the main activities of the Organization country by country.

Vendor Registrations

If your company/entity provides goods, works or services of interest to UNESCO and complies with UN procurement policies, you are invited to register your company as a potential supplier with UNESCO via the United Nations Global Marketplace UNGM website.

Although registration on UNGM does not automatically guarantee receipt of any enquiries or tender documents from UNESCO, it is an important procurement tool for UNESCO staff looking for potential new suppliers.

UN Global Marketplace

Procurement Policies

UNESCO follows the Common Guidelines for Procurement by Organizations in the UN System. The selection process for contractors is governed by the principles of economy, effectiveness, competition and transparency.

United Nation System General Business Guide
PDF file - 139 pages - 1,1 MB

Business Opportunities

The use of Open International Competition (OIC) is most appropriate and the preferred type of competition at UNESCO for all values equal to or exceeding USD 150,000. However, it is also recommended to use OIC for values below USD 150,000, in particular when procurement is subject to formal methods of solicitation and it is difficult to secure supply.
Procurement opportunities at UNESCO, in the case of open competitions, are announced on the UN Global Marketplace (UNGM).
United Nations Global Marketplace: Procurement notice
Procurement Notice Search page

Contract Awards

All UNESCO contractual arrangements are subject to the Financial Rules and Regulations of the Organization and its Administrative Manual.

In order to underpin the principle of transparency, UNESCO shall post on United Nations Global Marketplace website (UNGM) information about all procurement contracts awarded based on open competitions, or otherwise exceeding USD 150,000.

Grants & Procurement awards under EU-funded operations in 2017
Grants & Procurement awards under EU-funded operations in 2016
Grants & Procurement awards under EU-funded operations in 2015

Supplier Protest

Suppliers perceiving that they have been unjustly or unfairly treated in connection with a solicitation, evaluations, or award of a contract, may complain to the relevant UNESCO Contracting Unit (i.e. Sector/ Bureau/Institute/Field Office) indicated in the solicitation documents. Should the protestor be unsatisfied with the reply provided by the UNESCO Contracting Unit, the protestor may contact the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) in the Bureau of Financial Management (BFM) at bfm.fpc(at)unesco.org. The CFO may seek all necessary clarifications from responsible UNESCO officers and from the Legal Office. If the protest involves allegations of misconduct by UNESCO personnel or corrupt or fraudulent practices, the protest shall be forwarded directly to the Office of Internal Oversight. Please refer to how-to-report-fraud-corruption-or-abuse.

Contact Us

more information of UNESCO procurement activities contact
procurement.info(at)unesco.org

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