On the occasion of the recent media report regarding the procurement of PCR tests, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) issued a press release, in which they pointed out that before concluding the contract for the procurement of PCR tests, the offered PCR tests went through a double-check of quality and acceptability.
“UNDP is fully committed to providing support to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) when it is most needed through the management of our donors and partners with the utmost professionalism and due diligence,” they mentioned at the beginning of the statement.
When it comes to allegations of irregular procurement processes, they would like to emphasize that UNDP follows and applies its own corporate procurement rules and procedures in BiH, designed and implemented by following the principles of “value for money”, fairness, integrity, competitiveness, and transparency.
“The allegation that 204.900 PCR tests were donated is factually incorrect because UNDP delivered 204.900 PCR tests to the Institute of Public Health of the Republika Srpska (RS) in the period from April 2020 to August 2021. Out of a total of 204.900 PCR tests delivered, 179.000 were funded by the Institute of Public Health of RS (and do not represent a donation), while 25.900 were funded by donors, ” it was stressed by the UNDP.
They further state that before concluding the contract for the procurement of PCR tests, the offered PCR tests passed a double-check of quality and acceptability.
“One of the requirements within the tender procedures was that the supplier and the test be registered with the Agency for Medicines and Medical Devices of BiH. The general specification of PCR commonly used in procurement is based on the standards of the World Health Organization (WHO) and is validated by end-users before the announcement of the tender. Only tests that were either on the list of approved tests by the WHO or passed the UNDP mandatory check by health experts who are in the Global Health Unit were considered for procurement, ” it was noted by the UNDP.
Anyone, including UNDP staff, suppliers, partners, and the general public, can submit allegations of possible irregularities directly to the UNDP Independent Audit and Investigation Office, using publicly available contacts.
