Course | Doing business with UNOPS

Recognizing their important role in building sustainable economies, a new online course is helping micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) tap into UNOPS procurement opportunities.

Last year, UNOPS procured almost $1.1 billion worth of goods and services. Within this, more than 80 percent of tenders were awarded to approximately 1,500 different MSMEs.

Contributing between 50–70 percent of a country’s gross domestic product, MSMEs are the backbone of economies and make significant contributions to sustainable development. The economic fallout during the COVID-19 pandemic has left these businesses hard hit, including those owned by women and young entrepreneurs.

“Our suppliers – big and small – play a vital role in our efforts to build better lives and countries achieve peace and sustainable development,” said UNOPS Director of Implementation Practices and Standards, Nick O’Regan

The online course ‘Doing Business with UNOPS’ was developed with the aim of improving the knowledge of current and potential suppliers on how to do business with UNOPS, including expectations on ethics and sustainability. The course is expected to enhance procurement outcomes by fostering competition, transparency, and value for money.

The free course is available in English, French, and Spanish.

To date, more than 400 vendors have completed the pilot course – a vast majority of which were MSMEs from developing countries including Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Somalia and Yemen.

Original source: UNOPS
Published on 27 June 2020