Document Repository












Procurement of IT hardware and software
Supply Directives - Policies and Procedures



Document Symbol/Series:

CF/SD/2004/003

Country:

Global



Date:

27 April 2004

Language:

English








Attachment(s):



Related Links:


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Executive Summary:
This Supply Directive supersedes CF/SD/2003/008 dated 28 October 2003. It explains the global procurement strategy for IT hardware and software:

· Supply Division implements global direct ordering arrangements for purchases of hardware that complies with UNICEF global IT standards, for use by all Regional and Country Offices.

· Regional and local procurement, within the monetary limits for regional and local procurement, is authorised for the purchase of:

s hardware items that comply with UNICEF global IT standards, for use in UNICEF offices;
s accessories and disposables;
s spare parts for UNICEF standard desktops, subject to prior consultation with the Regional IT Officer on technical compatibility with existing hardware and software;
s hardware items, accessories, disposables and spare parts on behalf of host governments, NGOs and other partners.

· Only globally certified and supported software may be acquired for use by UNICEF offices and all purchases of such software should be made through Supply Division (New York).

Local and regional purchases of IT items must follow established local and regional procurement procedures.
Document Text:
Any queries or comments regarding the contents of this Supply Directive should be directed to Alain Fortin, Contracts Officer, New York Supply Centre, email: afortin@unicef.org.

To: Regional Directors/Deputy Regional Directors Representatives/Assistant Representatives
All Supply and Programme Officers (Regional and Country)
All Operations Officers (Regional and Country)
All IT Officers (Regional and Country)

From: Alan Court, Director, Supply Division

Andre Spatz, Director, Information Technology Division

Subject: Procurement of IT hardware and software


This Supply Directive supersedes CF/SD/2003/008 dated 28 October 2003, all copies of which should now be destroyed.

PURPOSES
This Supply Directive, issued jointly by Supply Division (SD) and Information Technology Division (ITD) explains the organization’s global procurement strategy for IT hardware and software. It establishes the criteria for local purchases of IT hardware and the procedure to submit a request for Local Procurement Authorisation (LPA) for IT hardware, when required.

APPLICABILITY
The Directive applies to all UNICEF offices when procuring IT hardware and software.

BACKGROUND
ITD develops and establishes global IT standards to ensure uniformity and compatibility throughout the organization. They are at the core of enterprise-level applications like the Programme Manager System (ProMS), Notes/Domino, etc. The most important reason for having IT standards is to ensure that all systems work harmoniously worldwide, and that no technical issues arise that hinder the successful running of applications. The second most important issue is cost. For example, non-uniformity of hardware creates the necessity to test and “version” many more variations of the same underlying software for applications like ProMS and Notes/Domino. This can become very expensive. Standards allow UNICEF to negotiate global agreements with lower costs. With a common set of standards the organization is also able to provide standardised training and support for all staff in all locations.

WHEN IS LOCAL PROCUREMENT AUTHORISATION REQUIRED?
An LPA is required when:

(a) the supply requisition (PGM) will exceed the local blanket procurement authorisation, usually US$50,000; or
(b) the PGM will include non-standard hardware items for use by UNICEF offices.

Local procurement of software is not allowed. All purchases of software must be made through Supply Division (New York Supply Centre). (See below.)

STANDARDS
A list of all hardware standards is available on the UNICEF Intranet > Information Technology.

Only globally certified and supported software is considered “standard software”. A list of standard software is maintained by ITD. This is currently available to Regional IT Officers and will soon also be available on the Intranet. All purchases of software must be made through Supply Division (New York). Please consult CF/AI/2004-10 - Policy on IT software systems acquisition and certification for further details.


PURCHASES FOR USE BY UNICEF OFFICES

Standard hardware
All hardware items purchased for use by UNICEF offices must comply with the latest UNICEF IT standards. Whenever possible, Direct Ordering should be utilised. The Direct Ordering mechanism for standard hardware has been in existence since 1994. It provides Country and Regional Offices with an efficient method of procurement with favourable commercial terms and conditions. Please consult the UNICEF Intranet > Supply > Direct Order Price Lists.

If the Regional or Country Office chooses not to purchase through Direct Ordering, it may proceed with local or regional procurement, without requesting an LPA, if the hardware items comply with IT standards and the value of the PGM does not exceed the local blanket procurement authorisation.

Non-standard hardware
The purchase of any hardware for use by UNICEF offices that deviates from the latest IT standards, as available on the Intranet, must be submitted to the Regional IT Officer prior to the drafting of a PGM. The Regional IT Officer will review it and carry out a technical assessment. The request for deviation will be considered as “rejected” if the Regional IT Officer does not endorse the request, and there will be no further action.

If the Regional IT Officer endorses the request for deviation, he/she will forward a report to the Director, ITD, including a full written justification that documents the application, the business case and the rationale for the deviation. The Director will revert in writing to the Regional IT Officer whether or not the request is accepted. The Regional IT Officer will then forward a copy of the decision to the originator of the request. If rejected, there will be no further action.

The Supply Section will raise a PGM, including the description of the approved non-standard item(s) and attaching a copy of the written approval from the Director, ITD, using ProMS catalogue “452010 - Non-standard IT processing equipment (LPA is required)”. The PGM, once approved, will be automatically transmitted to Supply Division as a request for an LPA. Supply Division will review the request, consult with field and headquarters colleagues and either authorise local or regional procurement or will proceed with offshore procurement, as the case may be.

Standard software
Only globally certified and supported software should be acquired and all purchases of software must be made through Supply Division (New York). Supply Division negotiates global software licenses to support the standardisation of software across the organization and take advantage of economies of scale. The global licensing agreements cover software required by the majority of users (i.e. Microsoft Office, Lotus Notes, Oracle, etc.) Please consult CF/AI/2004-10 for further details.

From a budgeting perspective, Country Offices are not required to provide a budget code to ITD for the use of software covered by global licenses. However, the Country Office will be required to provide a budget code when requesting more copies than are covered by a given global license.

Non-standard software
A request for the purchase for non-standard software for use by UNICEF offices must be submitted to the Regional IT Officer prior to the preparation of a PGM, using the form contained in CF/AI/2004-10. The request for deviation will be forwarded to the Regional IT Officer, who will review the request for deviation and carry out a technical assessment. The request will be considered as “rejected” if the Regional IT Officer does not endorse the request and there will be no further action.

If the Regional IT Officer endorses the request for deviation, he/she will forward a report to the Director, ITD, including a full written justification that documents the application, the business case and the rationale for the deviation. The Director will revert in writing to the Regional IT Officer whether or not the request is accepted. The Regional IT Officer will then forward a copy of the decision to the originator of the request. If rejected, there will be no further action. If accepted, the originator of the request shall forward a copy of the acceptance to the Supply Section for the purchase of the approved non-standard item(s).

The Supply Section will raise a PGM, including the description of the non-standard item(s) and attaching a copy of the written approval from the Director, ITD, and using ProMS catalogue “458000 - IT Software”. The PGM, once approved, will be automatically transmitted to Supply Division as a request for offshore procurement. Local procurement of software is not authorised.

Accessories and disposables
Regional or local purchases of items for use by UNICEF offices, such as printer toner, ink cartridges, labelling equipment, paper, patch cords, power cables, CD/DVD media, diskettes, and accessories such as ergonomic keyboards, cordless mice, USB “drive keys” or “memory sticks”, equipment stands, mounting mechanisms, laptop carrying cases, CD/DVD containers, cleaning kits, etc., do not require an LPA if the value of the PGM does not exceed the local blanket procurement authorisation.

Spare parts for standard desktops
Regional or local purchases of items for use by UNICEF offices, such as memory modules, hard disks, keyboards, mice, floppy or CD drives, etc., to either upgrade an existing part or replace a defective one in an existing standard desktop do not require an LPA if the value of the PGM does not exceed the local blanket procurement authorisation. However, spare parts from third party manufacturers can impact the proper functioning of the Windows XP standard on the existing desktop. The Regional IT Officer must therefore first be consulted on the technical compatibility of such spare parts with the existing standard desktop environment.

Personal Digital Assistants
There is currently no standard for Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs). ITD is working with users to identify a standard that will be acceptable across the organization. In the meantime, purchases of PDAs must support either the Pocket PC or the Palm OS operating system. ITD will shortly publish a list of recommended PDA hardware that meets this requirement. However, no technical support can be expected from ITD until a PDA standard is agreed upon.

PURCHASES FOR USE BY GOVERNMENTS, NGOS AND OTHER PARTNERS

Hardware
Hardware items, accessories, disposables and spare parts purchased for use by Governments, NGOs and other partners must meet the needs of our partners and there is therefore no obligation for these to comply with the UNICEF IT standards. However, ITD cannot be expected to provide installation, training, technical support, “system interfaces” or any help desk services to our partners. These purchases do not require an LPA if the value of the PGM does not exceed the local blanket procurement authorisation.

Software
Such purchases must be made through offshore procurement. Software is not authorised for local procurement.

RETURNING HARDWARE FOR REPAIR
ITD and SD are aware that some Country Offices experience difficulties when returning equipment to local suppliers for repair under warranty. ITD and SD are working with the manufacturers to improve the service level locally. Country Offices should report difficulties to Supply Division (Alain Fortin afortin@unicef.org or Giselle Lassalle glassalle@unicef.org) for follow-up with the manufacturers. ITD and SD are also working towards a global pricing structure with the major suppliers (HP for PCs and servers, Toshiba for laptops, Microsoft, etc.). This may include selected suppliers in the regions.

IAPSO IT CATALOGUE
The Inter-Agency Procurement Services Office (IAPSO) has recently issued an IT catalogue accessible through UN WebBuy. This can be a useful source of technical information, but must not be a substitute for UNICEF’s IT standards and procurement guidelines. Note – UNICEF staff are not authorised to procure items through UN WebBuy.

QUERIES
Contact Alain Fortin, Contracts Officer, New York Supply Centre, tel. +1 212 326 7484, email: afortin@unicef.org.


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