7 United Nations, Investing in Development A Practical Plan to Achieve the Millennium Development Goals (2005).

The company had been the highest of three bidders for the contract, and the lowest bid was 28,800.

Similarly, for management and operation of catering services at United Nations Headquarters, where 28 days were allowed, only 1 bidder responded out of 11.

The most common procedure was the tendering method (adjudication), in which the contract was awarded to the tenderer offering the lowest price.

Joint Social Investment

55. Similar extensions in contracts were awarded without bidding in UNIFIL, UNDOF and UNFICYP.

(a) When a formal invitation to bid has been issued, the procurement contract shall be awarded to the qualified bidder whose bid substantially conforms to the requirements set forth in the solicitation document and is evaluated to be the lowest cost to the Tribunal.

The Joint Social Investment Programme

An abnormally low tender is one that involves a risk that the tenderer would be unlikely to be able to perform the contract at the tender price or could do so using only substandard workmanship or materials by suffering a loss it could also indicate collusion between the tenderers (A CN.9 WG.V WP.22).

188. UNU and UNEP cooperation led to the successful bid for inclusion of UNU PLEC into the GEF portfolio.

Delays in evaluation of bid documents and contract extensions

Investments will be made subject to programme country demand, matched by adequate funding, and fulfillment of basic investment criteria.

(g) Investment mechanisms and joint ventures

24. Cooperation between UNU and UNEP led to the successful bid for inclusion of the United Nations University project on People, land management and environmental change (UNU PLEC) into the Global Environment Facility (GEF) portfolio.

The bid was recommended by the Committee.

The contract had been let on a competitive tender basis.

1 United Nations Millennium Project report, Investing in Development A Practical Plan to Achieve the Millennium Development Goals (New York, 2005).

Lesley Page, Evening Standard. Oh, yes?

121. Responsibility for providing the training courses and internships lies with training institutes which call for tenders after having prepared their bids jointly with industrial firms.

The Investment Map is an interactive Internet tool that combines statistics on FDI, international trade and market accession for better investment targeting (www.investmentmap.org).

29. Although the contract was bid internationally, the Office of Internal Oversight Services believed that there was evidence to suggest that the bidding process was lax.

The Tender Committee unduly delayed bid openings.

The Secretary General concluded that, in accordance with the financial rules, the awarding of contracts in the Secretariat is based on the lowest acceptable bid in order to ensure the best use of the Organization's resources, and that all valid bids, regardless of origin, are considered and evaluated for best offer without prejudice or preference.

On the other hand, it was observed that for the electronic reverse auction to function correctly and ensure that bidders priced their bids realistically and provided their best offers, bidders would be required to know the cost structure of their bids in detail. Prime contractors in complex construction contracts would not have such knowledge as regards the subcontracted elements of their bid.

Investments of the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund

INVESTMENTS OF THE UNITED NATIONS JOINT STAFF PENSION FUND

31. The Department of Management indicated that a broker competition for a combined Headquarters and foreign property policy will be implemented this year .

196. In the future, greater emphasis will be given to what the Organization intends to accomplish in terms of results, as opposed to focusing on inputs and instrumental measures.

The solicitation documents in such a case could also set out that the second best bidder would be awarded the contract.

Meeting servicing and documentation services would be put out to tender to selected private and United Nations sources (including UNOG), with contracts awarded to the most competitive bidders.

In a further case, in UNMIH, involving a contract of 19.8 million, 39 vendors were invited but only 3 responded.

Compliance with the United Nations accounting standards

United Nations System Accounting Standards

(4)(b) The successful tender shall be that submitted by a supplier that has been determined to be fully qualified to undertake the contract, and whose tender is

Investing in Development A Practical Plan to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, United Nations Millennium Project, New York, January 2005, Overview, page 26.

Diversification of investments of the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund

(m) Article 34 (2) on when a tender is responsive.

Tender committee

All term deposits are placed following the United Nations investments policies and guidelines.

As a result the original lowest bidders were requested to revise their proposals to reflect the manpower levels reflected by the second lowest bidder.

Some of the other measures to be considered are charging for the use of United Nations developed software and charging potential suppliers for bid submissions.

Bidders must be aware how a public institution will assess bids.

The key stages in the process are also similar from preparation of solicitation documents to bid review and contract award.

United Nations Mission for the referendum in Western Saharaa

(e) United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara