UN Procurement Practitioner's Handbook

The UN Procurement Practitioner's Handbook (PPH) is a procurement reference document and provides guidance in best procurement practices, processes and procedures. Procurement in the UN system is governed by the established regulations and rules of each UN organization. While such regulations and rules may slightly differ from one to another, all organizations operate following similar principles and general processes. These processes cover all procurement stages from sourcing activities that precede a requisition to the execution of a procurement contract. They do not cover the details of procurement, logistics or contract implementation matters that may be particular to each UN organization, for example, in terms of specific monetary thresholds or individual work flows.

The PPH serves to provide a broader picture of the different ways of doing procurement within the UN system and UN-like organisations. It is considered a descriptive synopsis of good practices within the UN system rather than a prescriptive document such as existing procurement manuals. The target audience for the PPH are procurement practitioners in the UN system of organizations; trainers and facilitators developing UN procurement educational programs; requisitioners, clients and end-users that are part of the UN procurement process.

The UN Procurement Practitioner's Handbook (PPH), originally published in 2006, has undergone an extensive update, improvement and re-design. The latest version PHH is available for download below.

You will find that the structure of the PPH has been amended and more chapters have been added, placing a higher emphasis on the strategic elements and functions of procurement. As well as having a more modern design and structure, the language of the handbook has been updated and content aligned with latest UN Initiatives, such as, the SDGs, One-UN procurement reform initiatives, and the UN Global Compact.

Note: The PHH was originally published in English, but it has now been translated into a number of languages by external translators, thanks to funding that has been provided by various agencies for this purpose. Translation into other UN languages is dependent on further funding. Please note that in the event of uncertainties in the translated versions, it will always be the content of English version that prevails.