The UN Procurement Awards aim to recognize and celebrate excellence within the United Nations system regarding procurement and supply chain management. Through the Awards, the pivotal role and motivation of procurers and supply management professionals in achieving strategic UN objectives is highlighted. Success stories are displayed as inspiration to UN and public sector Entities.
The Procurement Awards are coordinated by the High-Level Committee on Management’s Procurement Network (HLCM PN) and its Professional Development working group. The responsible cross-agency Project Team comprises representatives of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), and the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO).
In 2022, the Awards were inaugurated with a single category: “Sustainable Procurement and Supply”. This category recognized successful and value-adding sustainable procurement and supply chain initiatives that contribute to environmental protection, social progress, and economic development. Notably, UNOPS received the Award for their project ''Procurement of Medicines and Medical Supplies in Mexico'', where sustainability criteria were integrated into tenders, promoting gender equality, social inclusion, and capacity-building for governmental institutions and suppliers [link].
For the 2023 edition of the Awards, the HLCM PN’s Professional Development working group introduced a second category: “Collaborative Procurement”. UNICEF, UNFPA, and UNHCR won with the project “Joint development of technical specifications for reusable menstrual cups, disposable pads, reusable pads, and tampons”. In addition, UNICEF and UNFPA received an award for the project “Joint tendering on reusable menstrual cups”. In the same year, UNOPS secured the 2023 Award in the “Sustainable Procurement and Supply” category with the project “Women-Owned Business Initiative in Yemen” [link].
The 2024 Awards welcome a new category on "Procurement and supply chain innovation". The three categories for 2024 are:
- Sustainable Procurement and Supply
- Collaborative Procurement
- Procurement and Supply Chain Innovation
The submission period for the UN Procurement Awards opened on 15 February and will close on 15 May 2024. To find out more about the 2024 UN Awards and the process to apply follow the UNGM 2024 Procurement Awards page.
Story written by Ilektra Papadaki from the Sustainable UN Facility of UNEP thanks to information kindly provided by Beatriz Castillo from UNOPS.