UN Procurement

UN Procurement Seeks More Suppliers in China

United Nations (UN) procurement can provide huge business opportunities for Chinese enterprises, while domestic companies should learn more about the transparency of the procurement system.

The United Nations' procurement department says it hopes to find more direct suppliers for commodities in China.

Official sources reveal that the UN, including its many affiliated agencies, represents an international market of US$3-4 billion annually for suppliers of virtually all types of goods and services.

Any enterprise can register to be placed on a database of UN suppliers with an annual registration fee of US$100, but registered suppliers should remember that most agencies have a pre-qualification mechanism.

Statistics show that the procurement volume for UN agencies totaled more than 8.3 billion US dollars in 2005, yet the procurement volume from China accounted for only 1 percent. The majority of UN procurement orders are currently given to American, European and African traders, even though most of the products are made in China.