15 July 2008

As part of the Organization's ongoing reform program, and particularly in the interest quality control, I am pleased to present the United Nations Procurement Manual updated in June 2008 (Revision 05), which revises the November 2007 version (Revision 04) of the Manual. The effective date of this Procurement Manual is 16 June 2008.

The United Nations Financial Regulations and Rules, as promulgated by Secretary-General's Bulletin ST/SGB/2003/7 dated 9 May 2003, govern the procurement functions of the United Nations. The provisions of the Procurement Manual should be read as subordinate to the provisions of the United Nations Financial Regulations and Rules. Thus, the Procurement Manual is intended to provide guidance on procurement policies and procedures to all staff members involved in the various stages of the procurement actions conducted by the UN in all offices and all locations, and is not intended to be exhaustive. In view of rapidly changing procurement practices and technology, the Procurement Manual should be regarded as a "living" document that will be subject to further periodic updating and refinement by the Organization, as and when necessary.

The United Nations reserves the right to make exceptions to the provisions contained in the Procurement Manual, if and when necessary, and in the best interests of the Organization.

Warren Sach
Assistant Secretary-General, Controller
Department of Management

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