./.RESTRICTEDWORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONWT/WGTGP/W/20/Add.9
11 September 2000
(00-3504)
Working Group on Transparency
in Government ProcurementOriginal:  English
TECHNICAL COOPERATION ACTIVITIES:  INFORMATION FROM
OTHER INTERGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS
UNITED NATIONS OFFICE FOR PROJECT SERVICES (UNOPS)
Addendum
At its meeting of 22 June 1998, the Working Group agreed to request the Secretariat to
provide information on the technical cooperation programmes of international and regional
intergovernmental organizations in the area of gove rnment procurement, so as to enable the Group to
have as complete a picture as possible of the availability of technical assistance in this field.
The present document reproduces the information which has been received from the UN
Office for Project Services (UNOPS) by means of a communication dated 31 July 2000.
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The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) was established as a separate,
identifiable entity within the United Nations system  in order to provide high-quality, timely and cost-
effective development services for the successful implementation of projects.  These services include,
inter alia , comprehensive project management and implementation of project components.
In order to meet these obligations, UNOPS has developed a responsive procurement regime
consistent with internationally accepted norms for public procurement and subject to continuousreview and improvement through internal and external oversight, monitoring by UNOPS' corporate
governance mechanisms and policy formulation that takes into account new and emerging tools,
trends and resources in public procurement.
Because UNOPS is part of the United Nations, the expertise necessary to maintain its cutting
edge procurement regime also is made available to developing countries as capacity-building through
UNOPS execution, as well as direct technical assistance.  This input recognizes the importance of
public procurement as part of any strategy for sustainable development and poverty alleviation and
empowers recipient countries with sufficient capacity to satisfy donor requirements for use of funds
provided for this purpose.
Capacity-building through execution
Development activities/projects funded by bilateral donors and international financing
institutions often are implemented directly by the respective donors.  Such a practice may be anexpedient way to keep a specific project moving, but it does not promote capacity-building within the
recipient's system.  While this responsibility is best given to the recipient government, it has beenWT/WGTGP/W/20/Add.9
Page 2
UNOPS' experience that a transitional approach to national execution may be appropriate, both for
purposes of build capacity and to assure donors that funds will be used according to necessary
standards of accountability.
UNOPS facilitates this transition by providing implementation assistance for development
programmes with capacity-building by design.  Where UNOPS services are requested through a
Management Service Agreement (MSA), between a funding source, like any financial institution, and
a recipient government, UNOPS often creates a Project Implementation Unit hosted by the
beneficiary ministry.  The Unit undertakes project implementation activities, including procurement
and contracting, within the framework of the recipient government but under the stewardship of an
international organization set up for that purpose.  Local staff under UNOPS supervision then gain
valuable experience through project implementation, which covers not only best practices for publicprocurement but also contract management and compliance with donor requirements.
The experience gained through this type of transitional approach to project implementation
ensures that the government has the capacity to maximize economy and efficiency in procurement,
while maintaining the expected standards of transparency, fairness and accountability.  This approachalso may include specific technical assistance inputs as indicated below.
Technical assistance
UNOPS has internal experts in public procurement norms, laws and practices.  The Legal &
Procurement Support Division uses expertise acquired through management of UNOPS' procurement
regime and offers that knowledge, together with specialized experience in legal aspects of
procurement, through technical assistance inputs to development projects.  Technical assistance
offered by UNOPS in the area of public procurement reform includes the following activities:
Assessment.   Review of an existing national procurement regime against international
standards;  identifying strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats.
Advice :  Specific recommendations for and/or assistance with developing a procurement
regime consistent with internationally accepted norms and the countries' development
priorities;  including legal, technical and administrative input.
Training .  Instruction on best practices, procurement laws and procedures, international
standards, etc.
Technical assistance provided by UNOPS experts often is part of capacity-building through
execution.  Therefore, it is a cost-effective way to create a national public procurement regimeconsistent with international norms, while ensuring sustainable development through national
capacity.
A recent example of technical assistance is aimed at governance for sustainable human
development in the Pacific Islands.  The objective of this UNDP project was promotion of sustainabledevelopment through strengthening good governance and, thereby, facilitating job creation and
sustainable livelihoods.  Transparency and accountability in public procurement was considered an
essential feature.  UNOPS technical experts were requested to review existing procurement activities
in several island nations and make recommendations for improvements to their legislation,
regulations, procedures and practices, as well as prepare draft national procurement codes.
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