Business Opportunities for Air Charter Operators with the United Nations

Dec 22, 2008 1:29 PM

UN Air Charter Services
The United Nations (UN) Secretariat is mandated to provide an Aviation Management framework that ensures safe, reliable and cost-effective air transportation services in support of peacekeeping operations. Currently, there are some 30 political and peacekeeping missions around the world that depend on significant passenger and cargo airlift support. Although the business process required by the UN Aviation Programme may, in some cases, mirror those of the aviation industry, there are a number of factors that differentiate the operation of the UN. These include the distinctive operating environment, the Organization’s political mandate, the unique demands of UN Member States and the peculiarities of the UN procurement process.

UN Air Charter Services
The United Nations (UN) Secretariat is mandated to provide an Aviation Management framework that ensures safe, reliable and cost-effective air transportation services in support of peacekeeping operations. Currently, there are some 30 political and peacekeeping missions around the world that depend on significant passenger and cargo airlift support. Although the business process required by the UN Aviation Programme may, in some cases, mirror those of the aviation industry, there are a number of factors that differentiate the operation of the UN. These include the distinctive operating environment, the Organization’s political mandate, the unique demands of UN Member States and the peculiarities of the UN procurement process.

The United Nations Procurement Division (UN/PD) is responsible for procurement of goods and services for the UN Secretariat in New York and Offices Away from Headquarters as well as for providing support to peacekeeping operations around the world. The total value of UN Air Charter services in 2007 was some U.S. $800 million. Given the surge in UN peacekeeping operations in recent years, the demand for air transportation services has increased significantly.

The UN fleet currently ranges between 220 to 250 fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft obtained through commercial air charter contracts and Letters of Assists (LOA) with a number of Troop Contributing Countries (TCCs). Collectively, these air assets flew more than 150,000 flight hours and transported 823,680 passengers as well as 140,980 tons of cargo in 2007. With the growing demand for air transportation services, it is projected that the total size of the UN fleet will surpass 300 aircraft by the end of 2009.

Procurement of Air Charter Services
The UN conducts its procurement activities in a fair and transparent manner through an internationally competitive bidding process. This is done with qualified and registered vendors deemed to be most responsive to the requirements set forth in solicitation documents and evaluated to provide Best Value for Money (BVM) in the best interest of the Organization. To this end, the UN maintains a database of certified air operators and brokers (the latter only for transport of cargo) to help achieve operational efficiency, effective international competition and to ensure BVM in the procurement of air transportation services. Moreover, the UN sets high performance standards and expects the highest level of professionalism, ethical conduct and integrity from all its vendors.

Air Charter services contracted by the UN include but are not limited to:
• Short-term air charters contracted on “per flight” basis for deployment/repatriation of troop contingents and equipment;
• Long-term air charter (more than 1 year) of medium and/or heavy utility helicopters as well as fixed-wing aircrafts for passenger flights, logistical re-supply, observation and monitoring, aero-medical/causality evacuation;
• VIP Jet services;
• unmanned–aerial vehicles (UAVs) and;
• aerodrome and airfields services.

Companies interested in doing business with the UN are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the UN’s operating environment, as well as its legal and regulatory framework for conducting business with vendors. This includes the United Nations General Conditions of Contracts for the Provision of Goods and Services, and in particular the General Conditions for Aircraft Charter, which are available on the UN/PD website: http://www.un.org/Depts/ptd/. Companies are also encouraged to regularly monitor this website for updated lists of Requests for Expression of Interest (REOI), and ongoing solicitations.

Unregistered companies interested in responding to REOI and/or solicitations should first register to become a vendor with UN/PD through the United Nations Global Marketplace (UNGM) at http://www.ungm.org. It should be noted that registration of Air Transportation companies is a two-step process consisting of technical and commercial evaluations. Detailed instructions and evaluation criteria can be downloaded and printed for ease of reference from the UN/PD website: http://www.un.org/depts/ptd/pdf/tech.pdf. For further information on the registration process, please visit www.un.org/depts/ptd/register.htm, or contact UN/PD Vendor Registration Management Team (VRMT) via email at register@un.org.

In light of current and future air operation needs, the UN has launched an outreach programme, which consists of advertisements via industry media and the hosting of specialized Air Carriers’ conferences as well as targeted business seminars. These are all part of the Organization’s ongoing efforts to increase the awareness of the international business community about opportunities to do business with the United Nations and ultimately to expand its database of qualified and registered vendors. For further information on UN Air Charter services, please contact UN/PD Air Charter Team via email at aircharter@un.org.

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