UNGM Vendor Registration.ppt

UNMIS.ppt

UNTSO.ppt

UNIFIL.pps

UNPD.rar

Briefing

-         The notable increase in United Nations (UN) activities in recent years (especially in the field of peacekeeping) has resulted in a prolific increase in sums spent on UN procurement in order to fulfill its growing obligations, especially with regards to providing humanitarian assistance, and maintaining international peace and security.

-         The value of the organization’s procurements increased steadily from a level of around 813 million US dollars in 2002 to almost 2 billion dollars in 2007. This number is expected to increase exponentially within the next few years, in light of the UN’s continued engagement in a wide array of multifaceted activities and in light of the organization’s participation in the largest peacekeeping operation in its history, namely the hybrid force in Darfur, Sudan, whose budget totaled 1.3 billion US dollars in 2008.

-         There are also a number of other peacekeeping operations in the region, including the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS), Lebanon (UNIFIL), and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) which are regarded as some of the largest operations when assessed according to cost.

-         Here, it is important to note that Egypt’s share of UN procurement is very small, when compared with other neighboring states in the African continent. In 2007, it barely reached 2.794.928 US dollars or 0.15% of the UN’s total procurement budget. Needless to say such Egyptian contributions are very small and do not coincide with Egypt’s capabilities nor with the chances created by the presence of a number of UN operations in the region.

-         It is also important to note that Egypt’s share in UN procurement has decreased significantly within the past few years. This is illustrated when contrasting the abovementioned figures with Egypt’s 2000 share in the UN’s procurement budget which exceeded 13.5 million dollars or 1.66% of the total ordinary procurement budget, and almost 2.1% or 13.4 million dollars of the UN’s peacekeeping procurements.

-         In light of the above, and in hope of unraveling the different opportunities available to Egyptian companies to enter this field, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs - in coordination with the Permanent Mission of Egypt to the United Nations in New York- has asked the procurement division of the UN to organize a workshop in Egypt with the aim of raising the awareness of Egypt’s private sector with regards to the various procurement and vending opportunities that are currently available.

-         With a view towards guaranteeing the conclusion of a successful seminar, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs contacted various concerned parties, as well as a number of governmental authorities including, the Ministry of Investment, the General Authority for Investment and Free Zones (GAFI), the Federation of Egyptian Industries, the General Union of Egyptian Commercial Chambers, and the Egyptian Junior Businessmen Association. This in turn resulted in the hosting of the aforementioned workshop by the General Authority for Investment and Free Zones at its premises, which was also responsible for inviting the interested private sector companies.

-         The workshop was held on June 2-3, 2008 in Cairo, and primarily aimed at opening the door for serious exporters from the private sector in the industrial, agricultural and services fields to engage in UN procurement activities. It also aimed to shed light on the entire procurement process of the UN, including how to register as a UN vendor, and all the detailed requirements for participating in future bids.

Workshop deliberations:

-         Representatives from the UN procurement division participated in the workshop, headed by Mr. Dmitri Dovgopoly the Chief of Procurement Division. A number of procurement officers from various Peacekeeping missions around the region also participated, including from Darfur (UNAMID), Sudan (UNMIS), Lebanon (UNIFIL), and the Truce Supervision Organization in Jerusalem (UNTSO). Moreover, a UN Vendor Registration and Management officer also attended.

-         The workshop succeeded in attracting the attention of many private sector companies (more that 50), in addition to the Arab Organization for Industrialization.

-         During the opening session, Mrs. Wafaa Sobhi, the Vice Chairman of GAFI gave a speech which highlighted a number of issues, including the steady improvement in Egypt’s main economic indicators during the span of the past few years, the enhancement of Egypt’s overall investment climate, GAFI’s ‘simplification of  procedures’ program and Egypt’s current rankings in international reports. Ambassador Naela Gabr, Assistant Foreign Minister for Multilateral Affairs, on the other hand, addressed Egypt’s growing role in UN peacekeeping operations, and its support for the maintenance of regional (especially in the African and Middle East regions) and international peace and security. She also referred to the recent increase in the United Nations peacekeeping operations’ budget, which expanded from around 1.5 billion dollars in the middle of 1990s to almost 7.8 billion dollars during the fiscal year 2008/2009.

-         Mr. Dmitri Dovgopoly, Chief of Procurement Division, made a presentation on the procedures and statistics involved in UN procurement processes which are undertaken either at its premises in New York or in the regions where Peacekeeping operations function. He also explained the ‘general terms and conditions’ which potential suppliers need to abide by.

-         The UN Vendor Registration and Management officer briefed the companies on the procedures pertaining to registering as a UN vendor, via the use of the on-line registration website (www.ungm.org). She explained that this electronic process consisted of 13 steps, each of which involved the completion of a simple form which would be filled out by the interested companies.

-         The procurement officers of the abovementioned peacekeeping missions gave a presentation on the specific requirements (including goods and services) for each mission, as well as the necessary documents to register in its vendor list.

-         The workshop’s second day was designated for conducting a number of field visits, to two factories (a vehicles and an electronics pant) affiliated to the Arab Organization for Industrialization. This was followed by a field visit to two agro-industrial plants (specialized in the production of juice and dairy products, located in the 6^th of October city).