August 16, 2000
The United Nations has taken a series of measures to open procurement opportunities to more vendors in developing nations and countries with economies in transition, according to a UN report released today.
These steps, outlined in the report by Secretary-General Kofi Annan on procurement reform, are among the initiatives launched by the UN Secretariat to increase transparency and evaluation objectivity in the Organization's bidding process while increasing the cost-effectiveness of its procurement activities.
The report stresses the role that the Procurement Division's web site has played in raising awareness about UN opportunities. "The Secretariat has received feedback that the availability of comprehensive information on the Procurement Division's web site (http://www.un.org/Depts/ptd/) has made United Nations procurement activities one of the most transparent among international organizations," the Secretary-General reports.
UN procurement briefing material in CD-ROM and video formats were produced and distributed to Member States, field missions, UN information centres and other UN offices away from Headquarters, according to the report. The aim is to reach business communities that do not have access to the Internet. In addition, the report states that "simple-to-read and replicate printed literature in all the official languages on how to do business with the United Nations has been produced and freely distributed."
According to the report, the Secretary-General "remains committed to ensuring that these positive developments in procurement reform are sustained and advanced."
