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Contract, Asset & Procurement Mgmt


Management of SSA

Related Sub Processes

| Selection and Engagement of an SSA| Termination of SSA
| Payment of SSA


Description

The Special Service Agreement (SSA) is a UNDP legal instrument and cannot be governed by national legislation in countries where UNDP operates. The SSA is governed solely by its expressed terms, including the TOR and General Conditions for SSA attached as annexes.

The SSA is a legal instrument used for the procurement of services provided by a person engaged by UNDP, in his/her individual capacity, to provide expert services, advisory services, technical skills or knowledge for the performance of a specific task or piece of work. The policies and procedures set forth in these Guidelines are supplementary to the UNDP Procurement Policies and Procedures, which also governs the procurement of SSA.


1.1 Individual Contractor:

An individual contractor is an individual engaged by UNDP to provide expertise, advisory services; skills or knowledge for the performance of a specific task or piece of work for a limited period of time, provided that such work is not in a staff replacement capacity or is for work normally performed by staff members. Individual contractors are not staff members and as such do not benefit from the protections and privileges and immunities applicable to staff members performing official functions. Their status is governed by section III “Legal status, rights and obligations”.

a) Local individual contractor

A local individual contractor is a local recognized specialist or authority in a specific field, who is retained by UNDP in a programme country for a defined period of time to undertake a specific assignment generally in his/her home country or place of temporary or permanent residence. If an individual contractor is to undertake an assignment in her/his home country but is required to travel outside for more than 50% of the service period, then he/she may be retained as an international individual contractor.

b) International individual contractor

An international individual contractor is an international individual recognized as a specialist or authority in his/her respective field, retained by UNDP for a defined period of time to undertake a specific assignment generally outside his/her home country or place of temporary or permanent residence.



Relevant Policies

The policies and conditions described in this document have been developed to respond effectively to the dynamic environment in which UNDP operates, and to ensure rational use throughout all UNDP Offices in contracting SSA personnel.

2.1 Correct Use of the SSA

The following are the conditions for which the SSA is the appropriate contract to be used:
a) When the required services cannot be met from within the existing staff resources for lack of specialized knowledge and/or expertise; and
b) When the assignment is results-oriented and can be completed outside the office or within the office on intermittent or part-time basis.

2.2 Incorrect Use of SSA

The SSA must not be used for the following purposes:
a) As a stop-gap measure, such as filling posts temporarily vacated by a UNDP staff on any form of absence or leave (annual, home, maternity, etc.), or when recruitment of a new staff for an existing post in an office is taking longer than usual for whatever reason;
b) As a cost-saving measure, to fill regular and continuing functions in an office;
c) As a means to re-instate a staff whose previous post/function has been abolished;
d) As a means of placing a staff on a short-term probationary period, even if a competitive selection process has been completed, prior to confirming the staff's appointment to a fixed-term contract or other contract modality;
e) When a post is on an experimental basis and the office would like to determine whether the said post and functions should be made a regular post/function in the office.

2.3 Computerized System for SSA Administration

The administration of SSAs is automated under Atlas and shall include a database to be set up at the Business Unit (B.U.) level along with all the forms necessary for initiating engagement, maintaining personal data on candidates, monitoring the contractual status, and reporting on the use of SSAs issued by offices.
Individual Contractors are, and will be strictly treated as, vendors of services, registered in the procurement module of Atlas.  The use of SSAs will also be monitored from Headquarters through Atlas, in lieu of individual reporting by Country Offices.