Organisations, especially if highly decentralized as it is UNDP in terms of programming and operations, may largely benefit from maintaining specific support functions at central level. In the case of UNDP procurement, this is achieved through UNDP/PSO (Procurement Support Office) Global Procurement Unit (GPU), which provides support and conducts procurement on behalf of UNDP COs for strategic or capacity-related reasons. PSO GPU focuses only on UNDP Practice Areas, being Electoral Procurement and Assistance a major one.

Advantages experienced from such set up are visible in terms of results: streamlined and quality-assured procurement of complex items and equipment or in high risk situations. For that, there are a number of factors that directly contribute to GPU’s capacity to provide so, including:

• Channeling and consolidation of demand and subsequent increased negotiating power in front of potential suppliers. UNDP PSO becomes a more permanent representation of UNDP for many actors at International level, who otherwise would only work punctually with one or other UNDP Country Office
• Accumulation of experience and best practices in specific key support areas, through time and through various Country Office electoral projects and approaches, including different election systems, technical solutions, and different political, institutional and security landscapes
• Development of procedures and tools, such as Long Term Agreements (LTA) for highly specialized or utilized goods
• Continued Contracts and Vendor management, and keep track of the contractual performance of suppliers on prior contracts in a systematic manner

Regarding the type of support functions proving suitable to perform at a central office, in the case of GPU in support to electoral processes are:

1. Assistance to UNDP Country Offices and EMBs through advice and support on procurement planning, timelines and budgeting, on-site training and, in most cases, targeted exploratory, formulation and assessment missions relating to procurement, capacity and operations for each step of the electoral cycle
2. Direct procurement support to UNDP Country Offices. When requested, GPU conducts full procurement processes, management of suppliers and logistics until delivery and completion of contracted services. In such cases, support in planning, development of specifications, on-site evaluation processes, validation tests and liaison with EMBs during the procurement process are also provided by GPU

Functions above and benefits from a central support office become more value adding and useful as the more experiences are achieved. Accumulated experience and knowledge from a wide range of projects including various Country Office different election systems, different technical solutions, and different political, institutional and security landscapes, becomes a key asset to effectively provide quality and expert services to UNDP.

Another aspect facilitated by the existence of a central support office is the production of statistics and cross-organisational analysis of demand factors and markets’ responses, such as product trends and procurement volumes, among others.

In terms of volumes and products, how does electoral procurement look currently from a central support office? As per data from PSO GPU procurement, the below illustration shows which items represented during the period the main expenditures overall. Among them, it is remarkable the volume that biometric registration equipment and technology represents, being by large the product group that concentrates most of the cost. This confirms a trend towards an increasing use of biometric/digital registration technology, and of overall budget expenditure around this highly costly technology investment. Should a similar overview be established today, the commodity expenditure volumes would confirm even further such trend, with approximately 10 African countries currently introducing biometric civil/voter registration technology, including Zambia, Kenya, Benin, Togo, DRC, Guinea, Cote d’Ivoire, etc. (The graphic below includes only 2 countries at that time).

Finally, support from central office shall include at the top of the priorities longer term focus and activities, as continued resources development and coordination at institutional level. With regards to this fundamental aspect, UNDP PSO GPU is part of the Joint ECUNDP Task Force on Electoral Assistance collaborating and participating regularly in joint EC-UNDP formulation missions with an operational focus, workshops and other initiatives within the field of electoral assistance.