International Maritime Organization

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) is the United Nations specialized agency with responsibility for the safety and security of shipping and the prevention of marine pollution by ships.

As a specialized agency of the United Nations, IMO is the global standard-setting authority for the safety, security and environmental performance of international shipping. Its main role is to create a regulatory framework for the shipping industry that is fair and effective, universally adopted and universally implemented.

In other words, its role is to create a level playing-field so that ship operators cannot address their financial issues by simply cutting corners and compromising on safety, security and environmental performance. This approach also encourages innovation and efficiency.

Shipping is a truly international industry, and it can only operate effectively if the regulations and standards are themselves agreed, adopted and implemented on an international basis. And IMO is the forum at which this process takes place.

IMO measures cover all aspects of international shipping – including ship design, construction, equipment, manning, operation and disposal – to ensure that this vital sector for remains safe, environmentally sound, energy efficient and secure.

The Secretariat comprises about 330 international civil servants, led by a Secretary-General. It is headquartered in London.

Procurement activities

The most significant categories of procurement carried out by IMO include: 

• Facilities management and general office services
• IT equipment and services
• Book printing
• Graphic design
• Travel services
• Technical consultancies
• Training
• Freight
• Telecommunications equipment and services
• Radiocommunications equipment

No, and therefore the Express Interest button is grey. The user is required to carefully read the instructions of the procurement opportunity, which can be found under the Links/Documents tab of the actual procurement opportunity. 

If there is any doubt, contact the UN officer in charge, his/her contact details are included in the notice under the Contacts tab.

• How to participate in procurement opportunities requiring hard copy or email submission?
• If a procurement protest needs to be submitted, contact the UN organization at procurement@imo.org 

• Procurement value: 12.56M USD
• Number of countries the organization procured from: 27
• Percentage of total UN procurement: <1%
• Ranking by procurement value: 27th
• Top category: Building and Maintenance Services
• Top region: Europe

To learn more about the procurement volume of each UN organization, visit the Annual Statistical Report and use the interactive dashboard.