The Committee recommends that the Division make efforts to ensure that bidding is as open as possible and is accessible to potential new vendors.

Of the 130 cases examined by the Board, 75 per cent had been exempted from bidding.

The Commission also established educational programs on the issue of affirmative action for women for members of tender committees.

The Head of the Engineering Department of the Council refused to release the exact date for the publication of the invitation to tender because the subject had not yet been discussed in the Council.

He thought he'd sing to the Crime Commission. He won't.

An invitation to tender is then addressed to laboratories, and the projects are selected after consultation of the scientific commissions.

The Committee welcomes the effective control over hospitality expenditures.

The Board s review disclosed that the bids were invited from the registered vendors in the vendor supplier roster of the Procurement Division.

Tender committee

The Board recommends that guidelines for open tendering should be included in the Procurement Manual and that the Manual should specify the frequency at which the Supplier Review Committee should review the evaluation of potential suppliers.

The Advisory Committee notes with serious concern the Board s findings, inter alia, about the non compliance with the requirement for competitive bidding and in some cases not even giving reasons for the waiver of competitive bidding, lack of effective internal control, poor management and non observance of approved financial limits.

Engagement of consultants without bidding

Clarification and modification of solicitation documents and withdrawal of the solicitation

The new Manual provides guidelines on methods of invitation to bid but does not cover open tendering, even though the Administration informed the Board that it was standard practice in the case of a highly valued requirement to publish a procurement notice in a publication of wide international circulation.

A call for proposals for and an international bidding process is under preparation.

The Board noted that, in all the cases, no justification for the exception to competitive bidding had been provided, contrary to financial rule 110.19 (d) and (h).

Bidding process

One hundred and eighty five organizations were informed by the Commission that their target group numbers did not reflect the representation of competent persons within that group in the applicable recruitment area.

The Committee trusts that such audit would be carried out by a firm selected under international competitive bidding in accordance with the Financial Regulations and Rules of the United Nations.

1. Public tendering

COPUOS Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space

12. In the example cited in the Board s report, requests for proposals for three missions were consolidated for the first time and savings eventually realized.

(g) The composition of the Sub Commission and criteria for membership

The Board recommended that guidelines for open tendering be included in the Procurement Manual, which should also specify the frequency at which the Supplier Review Committee should review the evaluation of potential suppliers (A 53 5, chap. II, paras. 99 104).

Finally, I welcome the recruitment of the new experts to help the Committee in its task.

(7) The Committee welcomes the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act 2003, which prohibits courts from accepting confessions unless they are made in court.

Accordingly, the Commission agreed to submit the proposed changes onfor expedited review by the Standards Committee.

Guidelines on methods of invitation to bid

The Board reviewed 126 purchase orders with a total value of 56.25 million to examine whether the bids were invited in accordance with the established procedure, whether the number of bids invited was adequate with reference to the value of the purchases and to verify the extent of vendor response.

The Committee understands that currently the Division is not using actively all United Nations facilities that may be available to advertise in a wider geographical area.

72. The Board s test examination of 60 special service agreements of the Programme Division disclosed that 13 contracts (22 per cent) had been awarded without competitive bidding.

Provision of solicitation documents

2. Invitation and proposals

All provinces have counterparts of the Federal Public Service Commission, called the provincial public service commissions, and these are mandated to recruit persons to the various provincial services.

The diagrams contained in the present annex are for purposes of discussion only.

The Tender Committee unduly delayed bid openings.

4. ISAR recognizes that a number of these issues are under consideration by the International Accounting Standards Committee (IASC).

At its eighty third session, the Committee agreed that press conferences be prepared sufficiently in advance and that in session press conferences be organized when relevant.

Member of the National Committee on Industrial Quality Standards.

23 February 2005

Internal Control Standards Committee

The Focal Point organized, for instance, a press conference for the Chairman of the Human Rights Committee while he was in New York for the fifty seventh session of the Committee.

(c) Prepare specifications and invitations to bid

The Committee suggests that Panama consider becoming a party to ILO Convention No. 138 concerning the minimum age for admission to employment and review all relevant standards.

The Committee suggests that Panama consider becoming a party to International Labour Organization Convention No. 138 concerning the minimum age for admission to employment and review all relevant standards.