Bid Protest

Responsible for reviewing requests from suppliers who believe they have been unfairly treated or that procurement procedures were not followed during a UNOPS procurement process.

What do we do?

The Bid Protest is an administrative review mechanism, not a misconduct reporting channel. It is designed specifically for suppliers who believe they have been unfairly treated or that procurement procedures were not followed during a UNOPS procurement process in which they participated.

While misconduct (such as fraud or corruption) must be reported via the Integrity Portal to UNOPS’ Internal Audit and Investigations Group (IAIG), challenges to procurement evaluation processes must follow the formal Bid Protest procedure. Detailed instructions and contact poin are located within the specific solicitation documents for each tender.

Please consult the UNOPS Procurement Manual (Section 10.2) which contains the protest procedures. You may also consult the Supplier Resource Centre (Post Bidding section) for the mandatory prerequisite steps required before lodging a formal protest.

Bid Protest Key Features

Primary goal: To review the fairness and accuracy of a specific procurement process.

Who can initiate the protest? Only suppliers who participated in that specific tender.

Typical issues covered: Incorrect evaluation, bias in requirements, or breach of procurement rules.

Timing: Must be filed within strict timelines (please see solicitation documents).

Result: Re-evaluation of bids, cancellation of award or process correction.

Important Note: If a Bid Protest review uncovers evidence of fraud, the matter will be internally referred to the Investigations team (IAIG). However, the Bid Protest process itself remains focused on the procurement outcome.

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Bid Protest

Disclaimer

Personnel and reporters are reminded to only use the official reporting channels outlined on this portal. Providing confidential or sensitive information to external parties may amount to misconduct.

The summary content provided on this page is issued for informative purposes only and reflects the most accurate information available at the time of publication. However, the summary does not amend, replace or override the applicable legal framework set out, inter alia, in the UN Charter, the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations, the UN Staff Regulations and Rules, relevant administrative issuances and any specific contracting arrangements in place. UNOPS personnel should therefore not rely upon the summary information provided in the portal, as it is not intended to be an authoritative resource. Instead, they should refer to the aforementioned legal framework and their contract with UNOPS for definitive guidance.