On February 25th , the MCCI’s Competition Policy and PPP Committee, together with the Joint Working Group under the Commissioner for the Protection of Entrepreneurs' Rights in Moscow and the Moscow Chamber of Commerce and Industry held an expert online session: "Participation of Russian enterprises in the International Procurement of the UN system - a myth or an export opportunity?”.
"The system of international procurement under the UN is open to the whole world. Participation of Russian enterprises in the procurement activities under the auspices of the UN gives many advantages, both for the enterprises themselves and for the economy as a whole," said Mr. Sergey Makoveev, the Deputy Chairman of the MCCI Committee on Competition Policy and Public and Private Partnership, and the General Director of the Competitive Procurement Agency LLC "Cennyi Kontrakt”. (Valuable Contract).
The volume of trade under the auspices of the UN today is more than $18 billion, but the share of Russian enterprises in it is very modest - less than 2%. Why does this happen? According to the speaker, the main barriers are the disinterest and inertness of potential participants, lack of knowledge of foreign languages, English, in particular and unwillingness to spend money for the services of specialists (attorneys, for example,) who are versed in the language and appropriate procedures.
Meanwhile, Mr. Makoveyev noted that entering foreign markets gives the company enormous prestige and allows it to take a leading position in its particular industry. The UN Supplier certificate is a serious contribution to the portfolio of any business.
Mr. Vladimir Zaitsev, the General Director of Moscow’s public enterprise the "Corporation of Zelenograd Development", chairman of the Guild of High Technologies and Innovation of the Moscow Chamber of Commerce and Industry, reminded that the first step towards attempting foreign sales is always a serious and complex endeavour, associated with the certification, search for reliable partners, market analysis which requires considerable preparation.
"In this regard, working with the UN can be a good first step for companies that have decided to work toward exports," he noted and suggested that businessmen should pay attention to the support measures of the Moscow’s Export Center - subsidies for transportation of goods, certification, cash-back proportional to the amount of the export contracts, etc.
The UN Goodwill Ambassador for Industrial Development UNIDO, President of the Women's Outlook Public Diplomacy Foundation, Ms. Veronica Peshkova, spoke about the broad international opportunities that the UN provides for small and medium - sized businesses (SMEs from around the world account for more than 90% of suppliers).
The speaker reminded that the UN organizations procure more than 10,000 items, from flowers to tomographs and various services, which give even small companies a chance. She disclosed in detail the requirements for participation in the UN bidding online, noting that this procedure is easier than participation in the Russian bidding. The UN market is an opportunity for companies to expand the area of their supplies and acquire foreign exchange earnings. The speaker reminded that such initiatives of businessmen are supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.
Ms. Irina Palaeva, the expert in organization and support of International Activities of Enterprises, Head of “Verax Marketing&Consulting” demonstrated to the audience the whole process of registration on the Unified Procurement Portal of the UN system, consisting of six steps, and specifically emphasized that the lack of knowledge of English is not an obstacle in this case: many tenders are conducted in the Russian language language as well.
The speaker described examples of proposals for tenders. She noted that there are now 82 export support centers in the Russian Federation, where it is possible to issue a required supporting certificate.
At the end of the event its moderator - the Deputy Head of the United Working Group under the Commissioner for Protection of Entrepreneurs' Rights in Moscow and the Moscow Chamber of Commerce and Industry, executive secretary of the MCCI Committee on Competition Policy and PPP Ms. Elena Larkina, presented the main categories of the UN’s procurement, shared the tips that the experts provide to suppliers, explained what the requirements to the latter are, and gave answers to the main questions that concern beginner suppliers.