HR - Non-Staff - National Personnel Services Agreement - NPSA

National
Personnel Services Agreement (NPSA)
I. Introduction and Background...................................................................................3
II. Use of NPSA..............................................................................................................4
III. Legal Status of the NPSA holder...............................................................................4
IV. General Rights and Obligations of the NPSA holders...............................................5
V. Standards of Conduct...............................................................................................7
VI. Title Rights................................................................................................................8
VII. Nature of relationship between UNDP and the NPSA holder..................................8
VIII. Duration of NPSA......................................................................................................8
IX. Functions: Support or Specialist Functions..............................................................9
X. Types of NPSAs: Regular and Short-term; Office- and Home-based......................10
XI. Engagement of Former and Retired UN Staff Members, and other Non-Staff
Personnel...........................................................................................................................10
XII. Engaging Close Relatives of UNDP Personnel.........................................................11
XIII. Authority for the Issuance of NPSAs.......................................................................12
XIV. Responsibility and Accountability...........................................................................12
XV. Classification & Established Scales.........................................................................12
XVI. Selection of NPSAs.................................................................................................13
XVII. Medical Clearance and Maximum Age for NPSAs.................................................14
XVIII. Part-time work.......................................................................................................14
XIX. Contract Extension, Expiration and Termination...................................................15
XX. Recourse/Settlement of disputes..........................................................................16
XXI. Overtime (applicable to regular NPSAs only).........................................................17
XXII. Danger Allowance..................................................................................................17
XXIII. NPSA Salary Advances............................................................................................17
XXIV. Mandatory subsidized coverage not commutable to cash...................................18
XXV. Mandatory subsidized coverage that is commutable to cash in lieu of coverage
(applicable to Regular NPSAs only)....................................................................................20
XXVI. Optional coverage provided, but not subsidized by UNDP..................................21
XXVII. Working Hours......................................................................................................21
XXVIII. Leave (applicable to Regular NPSAs only)...........................................................21
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XXIX. Travel for Work.................................................................................................26
XXX. Detail Assignments...........................................................................................27
XXXI. Performance Evaluation...................................................................................27
XXXII. Learning Opportunities (applicable to Regular NPSAs only)............................27
XXXIII. Career Paths, lateral moves, status as candidates (applicable to Regular
NPSAs only)........................................................................................................................28
XXXIV. Roles and Responsibilities...............................................................................28
XXXV. National Implementation Programmes (NIM):...............................................30
Annex 1: Recruitment standards and procedures for NPSAs

...........................................................................................................................................32
Annex 2: Remuneration Scales, Classification Bands, and Setting the Remuneration for
NPSAs.................................................................................................................................38
Annex 3: Overview of NPSA benefits.................................................................................41
Annex 4: Definition of functions of inherent and continuous nature...............................42
Annex 5: Performance Evaluation.....................................................................................44
Annex 6: To be included in NPSA file, where applicable – Checklist.................................45
Annex 7: Equipment & Supplies........................................................................................46
Annex 8: Transitional Measures (pay scale rollout)..........................................................47
Annex 9: Letter of No-Contest...........................................................................................50

I. Introduction and Background

A. Overview:
1. The National Personnel Service Agreement (“NPSA”) is a legal instrument, in the form of a

contract modality, established by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
The agreement is to engage the services of individuals to provide a time-limited service to
UNDP under a service-based contract modality.
2. This modality has two key objectives: On the one hand, the
NPSA aims to provide UNDP with a comprehensive, flexible and cost-effective contractual
framework which responds to project, programme, operational and
administrative, requirements. On the other, the NPSA will provide for attractive, stable and
fair conditions of employment which ensure that UNDP is able to attract, select and retain
the services of skilled, high-performing individuals.
3. Individuals engaged under the NPSA Framework have the status of National Personnel
Service Agreement holders and are engaged in recognition of their skills and expertise in
order to deliver on identified functional requirements. These individuals are not UNDP staff
members, but are instead considered part of UNDP’s personnel and, as such, are not
governed by or subject to the United Nations’ Staff Regulations and Rules. Nor is this
contract modality governed by national legislation in countries where UNDP
operates. Given that the services covered by the NPSA may only be provided by natural and
not legal persons (e.g., duly formed/registered companies), as well as by non-incorporated
partnerships, the NPSA falls within the overall scope of UNDP’s Human Resource
management framework.
4. The NPSA may also be used by UNDP to contract individuals on behalf of UN entities

(“partners”) to which it may provide such services. This facility is provided for in the
related policy on Partner Personnel Service Agreement (“PPSA”). Such contracts will
be administered by UNDP, while the contracted personnel will be supervised by the partner
organization.
5. The NPSA is governed solely by its expressed terms and conditions, including the Terms of
Reference (“TOR”).
B. Applicability:
6. The following policy shall apply to National Personnel Service Agreements concluded by
UNDP to perform services for UNDP.
7. UNV and UNCDF can hire NPAs in accordance with this Policy under the same conditions
applicable to UNDP.
8. A holder of a National PSA is a person engaged by UNDP to perform a specific assignment

locally, provided the NPSA holder is legally allowed to work in the country, and may only be
engaged to perform either support or specialist services in duty stations where UNDP
maintains the National Professional Officer category. In HQ duty stations, NPSAs may also
be issued to nationals of countries other than that of the country in which the services will
be provided, so long as (i) the host government does not disallow it, and (ii) an NPSA
remuneration scale for the respective HQ duty station has been established.
II. Use of NPSA

9. The NPSA is to be used when engaging individuals in any of the following circumstances:
i. When undertaking the performance of specific task(s) or delivery of work for the
implementation of project(s) or other activities of a business unit which is funded by
a project (or projects) or a non-continuous source of funding, and required for a
defined period of time (for example, for the duration of the active project(s) carried
out by UNDP or its funding;
ii. When undertaking the performance of specific task(s) that is/are needed because of
the variable business volume due to the nature of UNDP’s business model;
iii. When the services may not be needed long-term by UNDP;
10. The NPSA may not be used in the following cases:
i. When the functions are of both, inherent and continuous in nature (as defined in

Annex 4).
ii. To re-instate a staff member whose previous post/function of identical nature has

been abolished.
iii. As a means of applying a probationary period to candidates prior to offering them a

staff appointment.
iv. Where the services required based on specific deliverables and payments are
lumpsum-based. In such cases, the Individual Contract (IC) modality of UNDP should
be used, governed by its own set of procurement guidelines. Automatic conversions
from IC to NPSA are not possible given that the two modalities follow two very
different purposes and assessments, except during the transition period indicated
above.
11. Offices of wider coverage

In office where the functional coverage is expected to be beyond the country in which the
primary UNDP office is based, the NPSA modality may still be applicable even if the functions are
of global, regional or multi-country nature. Examples of such offices may be HQs, Regional
Offices and Regional Service Centers, as well as Multi Country Offices. Such functions do not
necessarily warrant an IPSA.
III. Legal Status of the NPSA holder

12. A person providing services under an NPSA shall be known as an NPSA holder and is
engaged pursuant to the expressed terms and conditions of the NPSA. NPSA holders are
not recruited under United Nations Staff Regulations and Rules and UNDP business units
must ensure that the administration of NPSAs is consistent with the NPSA Policy, their
contract and their status.
13. NPSA holders have the legal status of a contractor vis-à-vis UNDP and are neither staff

members of UNDP nor of any other entity of the United Nations (“UN”) under the Staff
Regulations and Rules of the UN. Nor are they “officials” of UNDP or any other entity of the
UN for the purposes of the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United
Nations, adopted by the General Assembly of the UN on 13 February 1946 (“General
Convention”).

14. NPSA holders may have the status of “expert on mission for the United Nations” under
Section 22, Article VI, of the General Convention, and perform official duties for the United
Nations. Whether or not an NPSA holder can be recognized as an expert within the
framework of the General Convention is an issue that, if the need arises, will be
conclusively determined by the Secretary-General of the United Nations
or his/her delegate, the UN Legal Counsel, through the Legal Office of UNDP.
15. NPSA holders have neither the authority nor any other right to incur any legal or financial
obligations on behalf of UNDP. The NPSA holder may not expressly or implicitly represent
to any person an authority that the NPSA holder does not have.
IV. General Rights and Obligations of the NPSA holders

16. Rights and obligations under the NPSA are strictly limited to its express terms
and conditions.

General rights and obligations:

17. The terms and conditions of the NPSA differ from those applicable to UNDP staff members
appointed under the UN Staff Regulations and Rules. NPSA holders are excluded inter alia
from participation in the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund and After-Service Health
Insurance. Further, NPSA holders shall not be entitled to any additional benefit, payment,
subsidy, compensation or entitlement, except those expressly stated in the NPSA.
18. NPSA holders may neither seek nor accept any instructions in connection with UNDP from
any authority external to UNDP. Should any authority external to UNDP seek to impose any
instructions on NPSA holders in connection with UNDP, they must promptly
notify UNDP and provide all reasonable assistance required by UNDP to address this
matter. An NPSA holder must not take any action that may adversely affect the interests
of UNDP and must perform their obligations under the NPSA with the fullest regard to the
interests of UNDP. During the period of service with UNDP, an NPSA holder
must refrain from any conduct that would reflect adversely on UNDP or the rest of the UN
system (or both), and must not engage in any activity that is incompatible
with their performance of services for UNDP under the NPSA.

19. During the term of the NPSA, and even after the expiration or termination of an NPSA,
NPSA holders must assist UNDP in any disputes with third parties, and cooperate with
audits conducted by the Office of Audit and Investigations or the Board of Auditors and/or
investigations relating to matters on which the NPSA holders worked or have knowledge.
Such assistance may include providing UNDP or its lawyers (or both) with information
regarding an NPSA holder’s service, and serving as a witness in arbitration, conciliation,
mediation and/or similar proceedings. Whether or not UNDP exercises such an option, an
NPSA holder may not voluntarily or at the request of a third party, without being compelled
to do so by relevant authorities, provide any assistance (other than serving, subject to the
provisions of the NPSA regarding confidentiality, as an unremunerated fact witness) to the
other party or parties to the dispute without the prior written consent of, or in the case of a
request of relevant authorities, without notifying UNDP.
Professional Liability:
20. The NPSA holder shall be solely responsible for all claims arising out of or relating

to their actions or omissions. NPSA holders are solely liable for claims by third parties
arising from their own negligence and/or intentional acts or omissions committed during
the exercise of their duties under the NPSA and must ensure that under no circumstances
will UNDP be held liable for such claims.
21. NPSA holders must indemnify UNDP and its officials, agents, employees and contractors
from and against all suits, proceedings, claims, demands, losses and liabilities of any kind or
nature, including, but not limited to, all litigation costs and expenses, attorney fees,
settlement payments and damages, based on, arising from, or relating to:
i. Allegations or claims that the use by UNDP of any device, any material or any
other goods or services provided by the NPSA holder, in whole or in part, separately
or in combination, constitutes an infringement of any patent, copyright, trademark
or other intellectual property right of any third party; and
ii. Allegations or claims that the NPSA holder during the term of the NPSA caused
injury, loss or damage, whether physical, psychological and/or financial, to anyone
who is not a party to the NPSA, including, without limitation, allegations and
claims in the nature of a claim for workers’ compensation.
Compliance and working arrangements:
22. NPSA holders must adhere to the standards of conduct in the course of their official
duties. NPSA holders involved in any action that is contrary to the Financial Regulations and
Rules, or to organizational policies, or other prescriptive guidance may be held personally
responsible and financially liable for the consequences arising therefrom.
23. NPSA holders must comply with all legislation, ordinances, rules, regulations, instruments,
and other applicable laws in all relevant jurisdictions (e.g., country of origin, country
of residence, country (countries) where services are performed), including, but not limited
to, those relating to taxation, licenses and work permits, as well as visas if required. Under
no circumstances will UNDP be responsible for paying or reimbursing such taxes. NPSA
holders must provide periodic proof of payment of taxes when requested to provide such
proof by UNDP.
24. NPSA holders are responsible and must arrange for any necessary visa(s) and/or work
permit(s) prior to assuming the NPSA. UNDP will not reimburse NPSA holders for visa
and/or work permit fees incurred to assume the NPSA. However, if the NPSA holder is
requested to undertake travel to other locations for UNDP, in which case any visa and/or
work permit fees necessary for said other locations may be claimed through submission of
a travel/expense claim and supporting documents.
25. NPSA holders may serve on corporate committees as may be permitted by the Terms of
Reference of the respective committee. NPSA holders may not serve as chair, alternate
chair or be the majority voting members on corporate committees.
V. Standards of Conduct

26. NPSA holders must comply with the standards of conduct set out in the UN
Secretary General’s Bulletin of 9 October 2003, entitled “Special Measures for Protection fr
om Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse” (ST/SGB/2003/13) and the UN Secretary-
General’s Bulletin of 18 June 2002 entitled “Regulations Governing the Status, Basic Rights
and Duties of Officials other than Secretariat Officials, and Experts on
Mission” (ST/SGB/2002/9) as they may be amended from time to time. Furthermore, NPSA
holders must comply with all applicable UNDP administrative issuances. NPSA holders must
also fully comply with all security policies, procedures and directives issued by UNDP.
27. Although NPSA holders are not staff members of the United Nations, while working
on UNDP-related activities, they must comply with the standards of conduct required by
the United Nations, except to the extent such standards are, in the opinion of UNDP,
inherently inconsistent with their status as an NPSA holder.
28. Any breach of the NPSA will be grounds for immediate termination for cause, at the sole
discretion of UNDP. If the NPSA holder is found by UNDP to have engaged in fraudulent,
criminal or similar misconduct, UNDP may refer the matter to the relevant national
authorities.
29. NPSA holders must cooperate fully and in good faith with any investigation conducted in

accordance with UNDP’s Legal Framework for Addressing Non-compliance with United
Nations Standards of Conduct” as well as any audit conducted by, or on behalf of, the Office
of Audit and Investigations of UNDP or the UN Board of Auditors.
30. NPSA holders are bound by the terms of their NPSA to respect the impartiality and
independence of the United Nations and UNDP and to exercise the utmost discretion in all
matters relating to the performance of their assignment. During the period of service
with UNDP, NPSA holders may not engage in any activity that is incompatible with the
discharge of their duties with the organization. They should exercise utmost discretion in all
matters of official activities of the organization.


31. Unless specifically set out in their NPSA and/or authorized in writing by the UNDP
Administrator or his/her designate, NPSA holders should not communicate at any time to
the media, or to any institution, person, government, or other external entity/authority any
information that has not been made public and which has become known to them by
reason of their association with UNDP, nor should they use such information for private
advantage. These obligations will survive the expiration or termination of the NPSA.
32. An individual on NPSA may not engage in an outside professional activity (i.e. not for UNDP)
whether remunerated or not, unless and only if the individual has received prior approval
of UNDP to do so from the NPSA’s supervisor at UNDP.
VI. Title Rights

33. UNDP will be entitled to all intellectual property and other proprietary rights, including, but
not limited to, patents, copyrights and trademarks, with regard to products, processes,
inventions, ideas, know-how or documents and other materials which the NPSA holder has
developed for UNDP under the NPSA and which bear a direct relation to or are produced or
prepared or collected in consequence of, or during the course of, the performance of
the NPSA. The NPSA holder must acknowledge and agree that such products, documents
and other materials constitute works made for hire for UNDP in the NPSA. However, to the
extent that any such intellectual property or other proprietary rights consist of any
intellectual property or other proprietary rights of the NPSA holder: (a) that pre-existed the
performance by the NPSA holder of his/her obligations under the NPSA, or (b) that
the NPSA holder may develop or acquire, or may have developed or acquired,
independently of the performance of their obligations under the NPSA, UNDP does not
and will not claim any ownership interest thereto, and the NPSA holder must grant
to UNDP a perpetual license to use such intellectual property or other proprietary right
solely for the purposes of and in accordance with the requirements of the NPSA. At the
request of UNDP, the NPSA holder must take all necessary steps, execute all necessary
documents and generally assist in securing such proprietary rights and transferring or
licensing them to UNDP in compliance with the requirements of the applicable law and of
the NPSA. Subject to the foregoing provisions, all maps, drawings, photographs, plans,
reports, estimates, recommendations, documents and all data compiled by or received by
the NPSA holder under the NPSA will be the property of UNDP, must be made available for
use or inspection by UNDP, must be treated as confidential and must be delivered only
to UNDP authorized officials on completion of work under the NPSA.
VII. Nature of relationship between UNDP and the NPSA holder
34. NPSA holders are not and may not represent themselves as being an agent of UNDP. NPSA
holders shall be solely responsible for all claims arising out of or relating to their actions or
omissions.
35. Any disputes between the NPSA holder and UNDP will be subject to the dispute resolution
mechanism in the NPSA General Terms and Conditions.

VIII. Duration of NPSA

36. An NPSA may be issued for any period from one day and up to a maximum of twelve
months at a time, subject to the confirmation of available funding. The duration of the
NPSA shall not, however, exceed the maximum duration of the project. The maximum
period for the use of an NPSA is normally for the duration of the project and/or its expected
funding period. Should an NPSA be required beyond four years under similar terms of
reference and within the same project, a review of the function must be conducted and
documented by the local HR focal point of the hiring business unit to reconfirm that the
conditions of use of NPSA have not changed which would then reset the period for another
four years. This cycle may be repeated as many times as may be needed, provided the
functions performed continue to be under the conditions of when a NPSA may be used.

37. Due to its nature and purpose, the duration of the agreement has implications on benefits
and entitlements package of each contract category. While regular NPSAs are expected to
be of at least 6 months or longer in duration and provide for the set of benefits and
entitlements, the short-term NPSAs less than 6 months (130 working days or less) will not
have benefits and entitlements.

38. The NPSA carries no expectation of any future or other engagement with UNDP.
39. There may be specific instances where the need and intention are to issue a regular NPSA,
but the current approved-budget periods are shorter than the minimum permissible
duration of six months. In order to allow individuals to benefit from the Regular NPSA
package and to facilitate the operational needs of the office, the policy provides the
following options to the hiring units, provided the budget is expected to be extended
beyond that:
a) Issue a Regular NPSA for a duration of less than six months noting the intention and
the budget expectations, or
b) Issue a Regular NPSA for a duration of six months or more, with the expectation to
foreshorten the NPSA should the budget not be sufficiently approved at the later
stage (expectations are for both UNDP and the NPSA holder, including the potential
bearing of the termination indemnity by the hiring unit).
40. Short-term NPSA on part-time may not exceed 6 months (or 130 working days) and can be
issued for up to one year, provided that the short-term NPSA does not exceed 130 working
days in any calendar year.

IX. Functions: Support or Specialist Functions
41. An NPSA holder is an individual engaged by UNDP for a defined period of time, in the
framework of the project to provide:
i. Support services such as administrative and related support. These types of services
normally require technical knowledge acquired from a general academic education
(secondary education) or from an apprenticeship or from training which may be
specialized (e.g., finance, IT, procurement, etc.)

ii. Specialist services such as expert advisory services, technical skills and/or
knowledge services. Specialist services are typically performed by a recognized
specialist or authority in a specific field and the services performed are mainly of an
intellectual and varied character. Performance of specialist services involves the
regular and consistent exercise of discretion and judgment and the output produced
or the result accomplished cannot be standardized in relation to a given period of
time.
42. An NPSA holder may provide inputs to the performance evaluation of a staff member
where the staff member’s terms of reference include functions of a technical nature, as
may be determined by the Head of the Business Unit, or their designated representative.
X. Types of NPSAs: Regular and Short-term; Office- and Home-based

43. The below is a summary of the types of NPSA engagements depending on the needs of the
business unit

Type Use Period Location
Regular Regular functions and Longer-term for continuous use of
duration a minimum period of 6 months
Office- or Home-
Short-term Used as needed, based on Short-term for use up to a total of
based
daily rate 6 months (130 working days) per
calendar year

i. NPSA agreements other than short-term agreements are referred to as “regular”.
Regular NPSAs are to be used when services are required on a longer or more
continuous basis throughout the project periods. Regular NPSAs are issued for up to
a year at time and used on a continuous basis throughout the period of a minimum
of six months continuously. Payments are made at the end of each calendar
month.
ii. NPSA agreements may be issued for up to a year at a time and used continuously or

intermittently for up to a total of six months (130 working days) per calendar year
and are considered a “Short-term” agreement. The NPSA recruited under a short-
term agreement will specify a “unit price” (e.g., amount per hour, amount per
translated page, etc.) For budgetary purposes, a monetary cap will be determined
when the agreement is issued.
44. Additionally, any of the NPSA modalities may be used to engage someone on a home-
based NPSA when they are not expected to work in any UNDP office or work location,
or work is expected to be done on an intermittent basis only (i.e., the NPSA holder will
mainly work away from a UNDP work location). The home-based status may be applied to
regular NPSAs with a daily or monthly remuneration and to NPSAs issued as short-term,
depending on the exigencies of the hiring business unit.

XI. Engagement of Former and Retired UN Staff Members, and other Non-Staff Personnel

45. In the selection and engagement of NPSA holders, it is important to note that the
engagement of candidates who currently work or have previously worked as UN staff
members, or are retired UN staff members, is subject to special rules.
i. Staff members may not be separated for the sole purpose of immediately re-
engaging them under an NPSA. Should a staff member wish to convert to an NPSA,
and submit a motivated request in writing, UNDP may consider any such request,
provided that it is compatible with the relevant terms of reference as well as
the position structure and requirements. The Head of the Business Unit may make
the determination on the functions. However, any such conversion must only be
made in full consultation with the Bureau for Management Services’ Office of Legal
Services (BMS/OLS). In such cases, a one-month break in service must occur
between separation from the existing staff contract (Permanent Contract/Fixed-
Term Appointment and the commencement of the NPSA.
A United Nations staff member who has separated may only enter into an NPSA with an
effective starting date at least one (1) month after the effective separation date.

ii. . Former staff and non-staff personnel may be recruited only after the expiration of
such other contract. In no case may such other contract be foreshortened, i.e.,
terminated earlier, in order to allow such person to be engaged under an NPSA
iii. Determining remuneration of Former or Retired Staff Members:
a) When a former staff member is engaged under an NPSA, the remuneration must not

be based on the level of remuneration before separation, but rather on the nature
and complexity of the assignment to be performed under the NPSA.
b) Former staff members in receipt of a UN pension benefit, may be engaged

under NPSA only if:

- The engagement represents both a cost-effective and a compliant solution
to meet the service needs of the hiring business unit;
- A competitive process was carried out and is properly documented;
- The 30-day break in service requirement is met (not applicable to TAs);
- The former staff member in receipt of a UN pension benefit was not
separated on grounds of disciplinary action or unsatisfactory performance;
and,
- The individual is medically certified as fit.

c) The Head of the Business Unit (as the term is defined below) must ensure that the
remuneration of a UNDP (or UN and its funds and programmes) retiree does not
exceed the limits set for those receiving a UNJSPF pension benefit.

d) Engagements of former staff in receipt of a UNJSPF pension benefit must not exceed
the total duration of 6 months or total UN derived remuneration of USD 50,000
within one calendar year, which every comes first, and are non-renewable.
XII. Engaging Close Relatives of UNDP Personnel

46. NPSA holders are subject to UNDP’s Policy on Family Relationships. Notwithstanding the
foregoing, the Head of the Business Unit must ensure at all times adherence to the
requirements in the Staff Regulations and Rules relating to conflict of interest (refer to Staff
Regulations and Rules 1.2 g m). If in doubt, cases should be communicated with the Ethics
Office for support.
XIII. Authority for the Issuance of NPSAs

47. The authority to create any NPSA position, as well as the decision to award such a contract
to the selected individual, is delegated and/or extended to the Resident Representative in
Country Offices, and to the Bureau Director and UNV/UNCDF Executive Coordinator, and
UNOSSC Director, or his/her Deputy for non-country office duty stations, if applicable (HQs,
liaison offices, RSCs, policy centers etc).
48. NPSAs are issued and administered by UNDP’s GSSC.

XIV. Responsibility and Accountability

49. NPSA holders, like all other UNDP personnel, are accountable to the Administrator for the
regularity of actions undertaken by them in the course of official duties. NPSA
holders involved in any action that is contrary to the Financial Regulations and Rules, or to
organizational policies, or other prescriptive guidance (i.e., the POPP) may be held
personally responsible and financially liable for the consequences arising therefrom.
50. Responsibility for the correct and effective application and proper management of

the NPSA policy and procedures, as well as the creation, issuance and management of
individual NPSAs, is distributed to various roles in the organization, subject to oversight by
Bureau for Management Services Office of Human Resources (BMS/OHR). Responsibilities
and roles are described in more detail under Section XXXIV of this policy.

51. UNDP, as the steward and utilization of public funds in its operations and administration,
must use due care to ensure funds are utilized only for their intended purpose. Individuals
holding a Delegation of Authority must be particularly careful to ensure actions undertaken
by themselves or persons under their supervision are in compliance with the Financial
Regulations and Rules, Programme and Operations Policies and Procedures
(POPP), organizational directives, policies and prescriptive guidance applicable to UNDP.
52. Persons with delegated authority will be held accountable for the regularity of their actions
relating to management of NPSAs in their respective business unit.
XV. Classification & Established Scales

53. Classification:
The NPSA (Regular and Short-term) consists of several levels at which NPSA holders are
recruited. The levels are established with broad reference to the local national grades and
correspond to the methodology of UNDP classification. All NPSA Terms of Reference use
UNDP’s competency framework, and positions are classified using the standards and frames
of reference used within the UN system.
The following levels and classification scales are established:

Support:
ICSC 1 G1 NPSA1
ICSC 2 G2 NPSA2
ICSC 3 G3 NPSA3
ICSC 4 G4 NPSA4
ICSC 5 G5 NPSA5
ICSC 6 G6 NPSA6
ICSC 7 G7 NPSA7
Officer:
ICSC 8 NOA NPSA8
ICSC 9 NOB NPSA9
ICSC 10 NOC NPSA10

ICSC 11 NOD NPSA11
ICSC 12 NOE NPSA12
54. Remuneration:
After determining the classification level of the NPSA, the pay of NPSA is determined
following the remuneration scale established in the duty station country. Please refer to
Annex 2 for additional details.
55. Increments:
NPSA holders are eligible, if their performance is deemed satisfactory, to receive an

increment of renumeration of up to 3% of their then-current renumeration after continuous
service of 12 consecutive months at their then-current NPSA level, provided, however, that
the maximum remuneration with increments does not exceed the maximum remuneration
of the band (refer to Annex 2).
XVI. Selection of NPSAs
56. UNDP Offices must comply with the principles of UNDP’s recruitment and selection
framework, which include transparency and competitive selection, regardless of contract
modality.
57. The different modalities for the selection of NPSAs are outlined in Annex 1 to this policy.

i. For regular NPSAs the modalities include:
a) Competitive, via a Vacancy Announcement (VA);
b) Using a candidate that has been pre-assessed in a previous competitive process at
the same grade level, in the last 36 months;
c) Direct selection from an HR or other approved Roster;
d) Lateral move from another NPSA position to a substantially similar role at the same
level; and
e) Direct selection upon approval of the Bureau Director.
ii. In addition to the modalities listed in i), for short-term NPSAs, the modalities
include:
a) Direct selection from a procurement roster, i.e. GPN;
b) Direct selection of an individual serving as an IC holder in 2021 or thereafter; and
c) Review and assessment of candidate CVs/P11s.
58. For competitive recruitment processes, one or more assessment methods must be used.
These can include, among others, panel interviews, tests, desk reviews, technical
assessments.
XVII. Medical Clearance and Maximum Age for NPSAs
59. Individuals seeking engagement under an NPSA are responsible for providing certification
of medical fitness to perform the functions they have applied for and/or have agreed to
perform.

60. A medical certificate from a qualified physician is required, certifying that the mental and
physical health of the individual is suitable for the performance of the duties and
responsibilities, as well as the working environment in terms of location, and should be
submitted by the individual prior to any contractual engagement. The cost of any medical
examination necessary for the issuance of the medical certificate should be charged to the
same source of funding as the NPSA itself.
61. The medical certification should be placed in the relevant file of the NPSA holder.

62. NPSA holders may be required, at any time, to undergo a medical examination when
requested to do so to protect their health and safety, to follow-up on chronic health
conditions, or to assess how a change in health circumstances since a
prior certification might affect an NPSA holder’s capability to fulfill the functions for which
they were contracted.
63. UNDP will not issue a regular NPSA to an individual above the age of 65 years. A regular
NPSA may not be issued beyond the end of the month when the individual turns 65 years in
age. For individuals on short-term NPSAs, there is no age limitation, provided that the
individual is medically cleared and certified fit to work.

XVIII. Part-time work

64. The hiring business unit may deem that the functions and activities
appropriate for the NPSA modality may be performed on a part-time basis. The basic
principle for establishing the pay f or part-time remuneration is that of pro-rating the pay
from full-time pay for comparable work. For example, if an NPSA holder is engaged to work
a four-day week (with normal working hours) the pay would be set at 80% of the pay for
an NPSA with the same terms of reference on a full-time basis. Similarly, any other
elements in the pay package (e.g., the organization’s portion of the subsidy for health
insurance; group life and disability insurance etc. will be set at 80%) are to be pro-rated in
the same manner. In the case of the danger allowance which is granted in recognition of
the requirement to report to work under dangerous conditions and not necessarily the
duration of the workday, the full amount is paid.

65. The precise working arrangements of the part-time work must be clearly specified in the
agreement and understood by the NPSA holder and the immediate supervisor. Any change
to the hours of work and pay must be made by an amendment to the agreement.
XIX. Contract Extension, Expiration and Termination
66. Extension of NPSA
i. If a decision is taken to extend an NPSA, it is an opportunity for the Hiring Unit to

discuss and review the terms of reference, and whether any modifications are
needed, bearing in mind that significant modification may require the signature of a
new agreement altogether. Changes to more than two main functions are
considered significant modifications and would require a new hiring process.
ii. A regular NPSA can be renewed for periods between one day and up to one year at
a time, in line with fund availability and suitability of performance.
67. Expiration of NPSA

i. NPSAs carry no expectation of renewal beyond its expiration date. Should the
supervisor wish to extend the NPSA beyond its expiration date, a request for
extension should be made, following communication with the NPSA holder and as
early as possible before the expiration date of the NPSA.
ii. In the event that a regular NPSA is not renewed, the supervisor must inform the
operational units (HR/Finance/IT) at least one month before expiration of the NPSA
to ensure that necessary actions are taken, e.g., recovery of any indebtedness to the
organization, return of UNDP property such as computers/laptops, building access
ID cards, keys, badges, etc. and release of final pay.
iii. The UNDP Office may provide a letter of service upon request.
68. Termination of Contract & Termination indemnity

i. Either party may terminate a Regular NPSA before the expiry date of the contract by
giving a minimum period of 30 calendar days’ notice in writing to the other
party (NPSA holder and Hiring Manager).
ii. BMS/OLS must be consulted prior to the termination of an NPSA by UNDP, unless
mutually agreed to in writing by both the NPSA holder and the UNDP Office
involved.
iii. In the event that the contract is terminated the NPSA holder is entitled to a
termination indemnity equivalent to one month of net pay, in addition to the
minimum required notice period.
iv. If UNDP terminates the NPSA for cause (i.e., as a result of violation of the standards
of conduct or breach of other material terms of the NPSA), the NPSA holder will not
be entitled to either a period of notice or other compensation, and will not be
eligible for any future contract or engagement of any type.
v. No compensation or termination indemnity payment shall be made if the NPSA

holder terminates the NPSA, or upon the natural expiration of the NPSA.
vi. The Head of the Business Unit must terminate the NPSA in the following

circumstances:

a. abandonment of functions, i.e., when the NPSA holder is absent from duty
without approval for more than five consecutive days;
b. violation of the standards of conduct or other material terms of the contract
in the NPSA, including, but not limited to, acts of fraud or
misrepresentation;
c. in the event of unsatisfactory performance, where the Head of the Business
Unit should consult with BMS/OHR and BMS/OLS before deciding whether
to terminate the contract.

vii. There is zero tolerance for acts of fraud and violations of the standards of conduct,
and any such suspicions must be referred to OAI for review, and if the NPSA holder
is found to have engaged in these acts, the Business Unit, after consultation with
BMS/OLS, is expected to terminate the agreement. Advice must be sought from
BMS/OLS prior to taking any decision on such an action.
XX. Recourse/Settlement of disputes

69. In the event of any dispute arising out of the NPSA, the dispute must be resolved in
accordance with the conditions set out in the NPSA on dispute settlement.

70. Hiring offices/managers should consult and seek the advice of BMS/OLS in cases involving
issues of breach of contract, and report to the Office of Audit and
Investigations, including cases where misconduct is involved.

71. NPSA holders can report workplace issues as follows:

i. allegations of workplace harassment, sexual harassment and abuse of authority,
through [email protected]; or
ii. Allegations of fraud of mismanagement of UNDP funds through

[email protected]
iii. Further details and information can be found under the ‘Accountability’ section on
UNDP’s website.
iv. Such allegations must be reported in good faith and with substantiating and detailed
information and documentation. Reporting may also be done anonymously, and
NPSAs are equally protected by UNDP’s Protection against Retaliation Policy.
XXI. Overtime (applicable to regular NPSAs only)
72. While overtime work is generally discouraged, situations arise when it is necessary for
individuals engaged under a NPSA to work more than the established work hours. In such
cases overtime pay may only be applied to NPSA 1 to NPSA 7 levels and must not exceed 40
hours per month; NPSA holders engaged at levels higher than NPSA 7 are not eligible for
overtime pay.
73. The conditions governing the rate and disbursement of overtime pay are those applicable
to locally recruited general service staff in UNDP’s Overtime policy.
74. Overtime pay must be requested and approved by the supervisor in advance of the extra
work period to be performed, subject to the availability of funds. The cost of overtime pay
must be funded from the same source as the NPSA itself. UNDP Offices must ensure that
sufficient funds exist for functions that may reasonably expect payment of overtime.
75. Overtime pay must be monitored closely and kept to a minimum.
XXII. Danger Allowance

76. In addition to the base monthly remuneration, NPSA holders who serve in locations where
danger pay is receivable by staff are entitled to a Danger Allowance.

77. The Danger Allowance is payable based on presence at the duty station. NPSA holders on
parental leave, annual or sick leave continue to be eligible as long as they remain in the
duty station. The Danger Allowance is also payable for time away from the designated duty
station on official duty travel up to a maximum of seven consecutive calendar days
including weekends and holidays falling during that period. Payment ceases from the eighth
day of official duty travel. If the NPSA holder’s travel on mission to another location that
qualifies for Danger Allowance, they will receive Danger Allowance at the rate of that
location if their travel exceeds a full month continuously.


78. Danger Allowance is not payable for days spent away from the duty station on annual leave
or any type of special leave.

79. For NPSA holders who spend one complete month in the area where the Danger Allowance
is applicable, the monthly sum is paid as a lump sum, irrespective of the number of days in
the month at the rate established at the duty station. For remaining periods of less than
one month within the continuous travel period, the amount of Danger Allowance is pro-
rated on the basis of 365 days; the daily rate is calculated by dividing the annual amount by
the number of days actually spent at the duty station during that remainder of a month.
Danger Allowance is payable in increments of one full day and is not prorated on an hourly
basis.
XXIII. NPSA Remuneration Advances

80. NPSA holders may request remuneration advances in emergency situations, provided the
project duration, the contract duration and the availability of funding cover the amount and
the intended period of repayment. In the event that remuneration advances are approved
by the supervisor, the same conditions of request and repayment shall apply as for staff
salary advances.
XXIV. Mandatory subsidized coverage not commutable to cash
81. The following subsidized coverage is provided by UNDP and is mandatory to cover possible
risks against the individual or the organization. These benefits may not be commuted to
cash and are mandatory and applicable as stated below.

Group Life and Disability Insurance (applicable to regular NPSAs)

i. All eligible persons hired on an NPSA will be covered for service incurred
disability/injury/death, at no cost to the NPSA holder.
ii. NPSA holders must be enrolled in the global corporate scheme for life and disability
insurance prescribed by UNDP and which provides cover for death and permanent
disability as a result of any cause. In the event of death and disability as a result of
any cause, a claim must be submitted under the scheme for compensation through
the service provider.
iii. The premium for the scheme must be paid by the UNDP Office in respect of each
Regular NPSA holder. The premium is established in US dollars. The local currency
value must be determined monthly on the basis of the UN operational rate of
exchange. The premium must be collected and remitted monthly at the time of
processing the remuneration.
iv. The UNDP Office must maintain a record in QUANTUM of amounts collected, should
there be any questions or audit at a later date.
v. For this premium amount, subject to the service provider policies in place, the NPSA
holder would be eligible to receive up to the ceiling established under this
benefit for permanent total disability and, in the event of the NPSA holder’s death,
the surviving spouse and/or dependents would receive up to the ceiling established
under this benefit.
vi. Claims for Death or Disability:

a) In the event of death of an NPSA holder, the UNDP Office must promptly notify the
insurance company. Information surrounding the death, contractual status and
other documentation must be provided by the UNDP Office as requested by the
insurance company.
b) In the event of a service incurred disability which prevents the NPSA holder from
continuing to perform according to their contract, a claim can be submitted under
the corporate scheme for group service-incurred death and disability for
compensation through the service provider, or under the local scheme established
by the UNDP Office.
c) Each UNDP Office must ensure it has a copy of the policy on file since the claim
procedure is set forth therein. The current certification required by the service
provider for settlement of death, service-incurred injury or disability claims is:

- a report from the UN examining physician;
- evidence of valid contract at the time of death or disability; and
- an indication that the premiums have been paid throughout the contract.

d) The UNDP Office must have on file the original entry medical report, should there be
any question regarding the medical condition of the NPSA holder.
Malicious Acts Insurance Policy (MAIP) (applicable to regular NPSAs)

i. NPSA holders who serve at, or travel at UNDP ’s expense to, a designated hazardous
duty station are automatically covered by the Malicious Acts Insurance Policy
(MAIP) and must therefore be included within established security arrangements in
the Security Plan locally. Failure to comply with security instructions may render the
insurance coverage null and void in so far as it relates to the NPSA holder in
question. Furthermore, non-compliance with security instructions is grounds for
termination of the NPSA for cause. The UNDP Office must therefore ensure that the
information on MAIP and the relevant security instructions are available to NPSA
holders.
ii. All claims, together with supporting documentation, must be submitted by the NPSA
holder to the local Human Resources Administrator, who is responsible for
reviewing such claims and forwarding them to the HR Advisor at
Headquarters serving the duty station in question.
Medical Evacuation

i. Individuals engaged under NPSA are not eligible for medical evacuation unless they
are on official travel status outside the duty station. However, the UNDP office may,
at its discretion, facilitate the medical evacuation in cases of an emergency nature,
where the service exists and is able to cater for such, and where the local health
services are inadequate and the NPSA holder requests the assistance of UNDP. The
cost for such medical evacuation shall be borne by the NPSA holder. The NPSA
holder must be provided with advance notice and agree in writing to pay the full
cost of the medical evacuation.
ii. Under the global group life, disability & medical insurance plan, in the case of
emergency or major disability the cost of special transportation of an insured NPSA
holder from the first place where the NPSA holder is injured or stricken by a disease
to the first hospital where treatment is given, is covered up to the ceiling
established under this benefit. If the NPSA holder is enrolled under the corporate
plan for medical coverage, the CO must inform the service provider when a medical
evacuation takes place to facilitate guidance and support.
XXV. Mandatory subsidized coverage that is commutable to cash in lieu of coverage (applicable to
Regular NPSAs only)
82. Medical Insurance
i. UNDP provides coverage for medical insurance to all its regular NPSAs through a
contract with a service provider. In exceptional cases, NPSAs may choose at the start
of the NPSA, or within permissible entry windows between two options for their
coverage:
a) Standard corporate scheme through service provider, provided through UNDP and
administered directly by UNDP; or
b) Maintaining a pre-existing medical scheme of coverage, not provided through UNDP
and administered directly by the NPSA holder.
ii. In the case that the standard corporate coverage is used, the premium is established
in US dollars. The local currency value must be determined monthly on the basis of
the UN operational rate of exchange. The premium must be collected and remitted
monthly at the time of processing the remuneration in order to have coverage. Only
the premium for the NPSA holder is subsidized by UNDP.
iii. UNDP does not subsidize medical insurance for the NPSA holder’s recognized
dependents. The NPSA holder may choose to enroll dependents recognized by
UNDP within 30 days of the starting date of their NPSA, provided the NPSA holder
pays the full premium for them. These premiums are collected by means of a payroll
deduction every month.
iv. Individual NPSA holders may in exceptional cases remain in a pre-existing medical
scheme, whether through previous employment, a spouse or other source, or
through direct contribution to an existing national medical scheme. In such cases,
UNDP provides a cash amount to cover the premium of the pre-existing scheme or
existing national medical scheme as part of the monthly remuneration, provided
there is proof of coverage and the amount does not exceed the monthly fee amount
for UNDP’s standard corporate coverage. The individual must present proof of
participation and coverage at the commencement of the NPSA, and takes full
responsibility for their own coverage and administration of that coverage. The
UNDP Office is responsible for verifying that the individual has adequate coverage.
The NPSA holder must notify the UNDP Office of any change in coverage during the
term of the NPSA. The payment of cash for medical insurance, without the
individual having coverage, is not permitted.
v. UNDP Offices are responsible for ensuring that no NPSA holder travels on UNDP
mission travel outside the country of residence without arranging medical coverage
under the corporate or other local private scheme for the duration of the mission, at
no cost to the NPSA holder.
83. Social Security and Pension Fund Arrangements
i. NPSA holders must comply with any national social security obligations applicable to
them, and UNDP takes no responsibility for ensuring that they do so. Such coverage
shall be in place from signature of the NPSA by UNDP and the NPSA holder.
ii. UNDP will pay NPSA holders a lump sum amount in addition to their remuneration
equivalent to 8.33% of their pay in lieu of pension fund and all other social security
obligations.
iii. NPSA holders are responsible to ensure that they enroll themselves into any scheme
of their choice, and that the monthly payments are made directly between them
and the service provider.
iv. NPSA holders do not need to submit any proof or evidence of enrolment or
payments.
v. UNDP will not engage directly with any pension scheme service provider, nor will
pay any service provider directly, unless it is not possible for individuals to make
direct payments other than through the office.
vi. In countries where a national social security scheme exists, individuals under NPSA
are expected to contribute directly to such a scheme. UNDP has no obligation to
contribute directly to the national scheme, as it cannot be subject to any national
scheme.
vii. By signing the NPSA, the NPSA holder agrees to a ‘No Contest’ (attached as Annex 9)
that confirms agreement to receive the pension contribution in the form of a lump
sum.
XXVI. Optional coverage provided, but not subsidized by UNDP

84. UNDP may make available a range of optional benefits and coverages to be accessed by
individuals directly and at their own expense. Any such benefits will be made available
through agreements concluded by UNDP and service providers, and incur no corporate
liability for the organization, only making these services available for the direct benefit and
at the full cost and responsibility of the NPSA holder.
XXVII. Working Hours
85. The working hours, UN official holidays and weekends for regular NPSA holders are aligned

with those applicable to staff and other personnel in the duty station.

XXVIII. Leave
86. Annual leave:
i. NPSA holders with regular NPSAs are eligible for paid annual leave of two and a half
working days per month, which may be accumulated during the contract period, as
specified below.
ii. All annual leave is expected to be taken within the period of the NPSA agreement.
If the NPSA agreement is extended for an additional period and funded from the
same funding source/project, the NPSA may carry over accrued annual leave to the
subsequent contract period. As of the annual leave cut-off date of 1 April of any
given year, the annual leave balance (if any) will be re-set to a maximum of 24 days.
iii. Unused paid annual leave is not commutable to cash unless it is approved and/or
requested by the supervisor, for example, when the presence of the NPSA holder is
required to perform their functions prior to separation within the notice period
given, and where the budget is able to cater for this payment and charged fully to
the current budget period of the funding source. A maximum of twenty-four (24)
annual leave days may be commuted to cash.
iv. Any absence from duty not specifically authorized, including any absence beyond
the allowable time-off in accordance with this policy, will be treated as unauthorized
absence and must be charged to unpaid leave.

87. Sick Leave:

i. Eligible individuals holding Regular NPSAs who are unable to perform their duties
because of illness or injury or whose attendance at work is prevented by public
health requirements shall be granted sick leave in accordance with the terms of
their NPSA.
ii. Regular NPSA holders shall accrue credits towards sick leave at the rate of two
working days for each month of service up to a maximum of 31 days (24 certified
and 7 uncertified), or at the rate applied as per local practice, whichever is
higher. Of those sick leave days accrued, a total of seven working days in an annual
cycle starting 1 April of any year (subject to a maximum of two consecutive working
days) may be taken as sick leave without providing a medical certificate from a duly
recognized medical practitioner; or for family-related emergencies and/or
obligations, such as in the event of a death in the NPSA holder’s immediate family or
to take care of his/her child or an immediate family member who becomes ill.
iii. Any absence supported by a medical certificate from a certified medical practitioner
shall be considered as certified sick leave. The sick leave certificate from a certified
medical practitioner must state that the individual is unable to perform his or her
duties indicating the probable duration of the illness. In the event that the NPSA
holder fails to provide the required supporting documents, the absence shall be
charged to annual leave. Should the annual leave be exhausted, the absence shall
be deducted from remuneration accordingly.
iv. Medical reports must not be shared with non-authorized medical professionals
including supervisors and heads of business unit.
v. NPSA holders must inform their supervisor of absences due to illness or injury on

the same day of absence, except in emergency situations where the NPSA holder is
unable to communicate this absence.
vi. Eligible NPSA holders may, in exceptional circumstances, be granted advanced

sick leave up to a maximum of ten working days, provided that his/her service under
the NPSA is expected to continue for the period that is necessary to accrue the sick
leave days so advanced.
vii. Certified sick leave shall be recorded in units of full days and/or half-days.
viii. In the event that the NPSA is extended for an additional period under the same
terms of reference, the individual may carry over unused sick leave credits to the
subsequent NPSA up to a maximum of 31 days. Sick leave credits will stop accruing
when an NPSA holder has a balance of 31 unused sick leave days.
ix. An individual who is sick for more than five working days in any seven-day period
while on annual leave and/or hardship leave, shall have that portion of his or her
absence considered as sick leave upon presentation of satisfactory medical
certification.
x. Sick leave shall not be granted instead of parental leave.
xi. Unused sick leave credits are not commutable to cash.
xii. An NPSA holder may be required at any time to submit a medical report in relation
to a health condition or to undergo a medical examination by a certified medical
practitioner at the request of the Head of the Business Unit. Costs of the medical
report will be reimbursed by UNDP, unless such an exam is covered by an
insurance.

xiii. The termination of a contract shall, from the date it is effective, terminate any
possibility to claim sick leave credits.
xiv. In the event that an individual surpasses the sick leave credits limit during
the contract period, the excess period will be charged against accrued annual leave.
Should the annual leave be exhausted, the NPSA holder may be played on special
leave without pay, otherwise any further absence shall be deducted from the
remuneration accordingly.
xv. If the individual is not eligible for paid sick leave, managers should exercise
the highest possible degree of flexibility in accepting unpaid leave due to illness.
Only in such cases where the extent or timing of absences prevents the individual
from delivering the services as specified in the terms of reference may the manager
consider a termination of the contract due to illness.
Computation of Annual and Sick Leave

- When the contract start date falls on the 1st of the month: Full leave
entitlements
- When the contract start date falls between the 2nd and the 16th of the
month: two days annual leave and one day sick leave for that calendar
month.
- When the contract start date falls on the 17th of the month or later: one
day annual leave and one day sick leave for that calendar month.
- When the contract end date falls between the 1st and the 16th of the
month: one day annual leave and one day sick leave for that calendar
month.
- When contract end date falls on the 17th of the month or later, but not on
the last day of the month: two days annual leave and one day sick leave.
- Part-time NPSAs will have their starting and ending annual and sick leave
totals pro-rated to reflect their part-time schedule.

88. Parental Leave (for birth parent):
i. NPSA holders on regular NPSAs are entitled to 16 consecutive weeks of

paid parental leave for the birth parent.
ii. Extensions of parental leave for birth parents may be granted on the basis of unpaid
leave, regardless of contract durations for regular NPSAs.
iii. Parental leave for the birth parent must fall within and be taken during the contract
period. Where the parental leave started during the contract period, but the
contract is due to expire during the period of the parental leave, the contract will be
extended for the purpose of covering the full 16-week duration of
the parental leave. There is no expectation or obligation to extend beyond the
above extension to accommodate for parental leave for the birth parent if the
original position was not envisaged to be longer. No leave will be accumulated
during the extended period.
iv. Individuals must submit the request for parental leave at least three months prior

to the anticipated start date and the request should be accompanied by a
certification from a doctor or midwife stating the Expected Date of Delivery (EDD).
v. Parental leave for birth parents must begin between two and six weeks prior to EDD
and be taken in one consecutive period.
vi. Annual leave will accrue during the period of parental leave.
vii. Time-off to breast feed infants up to two years old: The UNDP standard policy
applies.
89. Parental Leave (for non-birth parent)
i. NPSA holders on regular NPSAs are eligible for four weeks of paid parental leave.
ii. Parental leave for non-birth parents may be taken in either one or two fixed

periods during the first 12 months from the birth of their child.
iii. NPSA holders must submit their request for parental leave within a reasonable

period of not less than two weeks prior to the expected start of the parental leave,
in agreement with the supervisor, and the request should be accompanied by
a certification from a doctor or midwife stating the EDD to be followed by a copy of
the child’s birth certificate.
iv. Parental leave for non-birth parents is limited to one occurrence per 12 months,

regardless of the number of children born during that 12-month period.
v. Parental leave for non-birth parents must fall within and be taken during the

contract period. Unused parental leave is not commutable to cash. The
contract must not be extended solely in order to exercise the unused portion of the
parental leave.

90. Unpaid Leave:
i. In emergency situations, the Head of the Business Unit may exercise flexibility in

allowing unpaid leave at the NPSA holder’s request for up to 12 months, subject to
exigencies of service, for individuals who have been on a continuous NPSA for at
least 36 months.
ii. In conjunction with parental leave of birth parents, NPSA holders may also be
eligible for unpaid leave immediately following the parental leave for up to eight
additional months. The 36-month eligibility stated above does not apply in such a
case.
iii. The Head of a Business Unit may also exercise at their own decision to apply unpaid
leave to an individual on NPSA without any notice period. Such decisions should
only be made in cases or serious breach or identified conflict of interest, or of
similar seriousness, and only in full consultation with the Office of Legal services
and/or Ethics Office.
iv. Unpaid leave shall not be granted until paid leave provisions, when applicable, have
been exhausted.
v. Unpaid leave must be approved in advance by the supervisor and Head of the

Business Unit.
vi. Unpaid leave will normally only be allowed in the following circumstances:

- In connection with parental leave;
- In relation to illness;
- In relation to family/personal reasons; and similar emergency situations
- For deployment or assignment to another office within UNDP, academic
research, lecturing or advancement of a relevant expertise through special
trainings.

vii. Annual leave will not accrue during unpaid leave periods of 30 days or longer.
viii. Except when unpaid leave is taken in connection to certified sick leave, health and
life insurance coverage during periods of unpaid leave of 30 days or longer, is
discontinued or paid directly by the NPSA holder.
91. Jury Duty, Other Appearances in Court and Military Service:
i. NPSA holders serving on jury duty will be granted leave with pay by the
relevant Head of the Business Unit up to a maximum of five working days in a
calendar year, in units of full or half days as certified by the court.
ii. Court appearances at UNDP’s request should be recorded as absence on official

business.
iii. Court appearances as a party in the NPSA holder’s personal capacity and not at

the request of UNDP will be charged to annual leave or unpaid leave.
iv. For court appearances as a witness in the NPSA holder’s personal capacity, the

heads of business units shall decide whether the absence is to be charged to annual
leave or special paid or unpaid leave, according to the circumstances of the case.
v. NPSA holders may be granted unpaid leave for military training or service

required by their government at the discretion of the Head of the Business Unit.
92. Leave Provisions on Contract Extension:
When an NPSA of an initial duration of less than six months is subsequently extended to reach

or exceed six months for continuous use of the NPSA holder, provisions for annual leave and sick
leave will start to apply subject to the eligibility as specified in this policy, from the effective date
of the contract extension. Leave is not accumulated retroactively.

93. Time off for Voting in Elections:
NPSA holders wishing to exercise their right to vote on election days should try to do so outside
their normal working hours. Those who are unable to do so should request up to two hours of
time off from their Head of the Business Unit. However, upon presentation of satisfactory
evidence that voting may take longer, the Heads of Business Units may grant up to four hours of
time off subject to the exigencies of service.

94. Hardship Leave:
NPSA holders are not entitled to Hardship Leave.
XXIX. Travel for Work
95. Travel for work outside the country of duty station shall always be in economy class for
NPSA holders, regardless of travel time. Travel arrangements shall follow the regular
procedures as established for corporate travel and are to comply with provisions of the
Security Clearance policy. DSA is paid regularly during travel for work outside the country of
duty station as per the corporate travel policy.
XXX. Detail Assignments
96. Regular NPSAs are eligible for detail assignments, provided that the requirements of both
the releasing and receiving offices, as well as their host countries allow for that, and that
the individual is adequately covered with health insurance while on assignment abroad.
This eligibility does not apply to non-residents of NY HQs-based G-level personnel.

XXXI. Performance Evaluation
97. Service monitoring and performance evaluation are mandatory for regular NPSA holders as

part of a process to be carried out by supervisors in order to provide regular feedback
about individual performance and progress achieved against agreed terms of reference, as
well as set objectives and results. The performance of the NPSA holder must
be communicated to the NPSA throughout the duration of the NPSA.

98. In this context, the purpose of the Performance Evaluation is to:

i. Review progress against agreed upon terms of reference and set objectives;
ii. Provide feedback on the performance of the individual NPSA holder; and
iii. Make informed decisions on contractual matters (extension, non-renewal).

99. For regular NPSA holders, a full- service evaluation report must be completed, using the
online PMD platform for any service period exceeding six months worked during that
evaluation year. Where the PMD platform is not available or for short-term NPSA holders,
the NPSA Service Evaluation form in Annex 5 can be used.

100. For short-term NPSA holders, or for periods of service of less than six months, only section I
of the NPSA Service Evaluation form is completed and should be documented as a note to
file.

101. Each Service Evaluation form must be filed for record keeping by the human resources focal
point of the Business Unit, or online when available.

XXXII. Learning Opportunities (applicable to Regular NPSAs only)
102. All regular NPSA holders must complete any applicable corporate and mandatory training
courses within the required time established by UNDP.
103. NPSA holders will have access to learning and development opportunities available to
UNDP personnel, including access to formal programmes (in line with the target audiences
and requirements established for such programmes), on-demand learning resources, and
the UNDP learning management system/platform(s).
104. The proforma cost of the NPSA will include a contribution to the UNDP corporate Learning
Reserve to enable NPSA holders’ access to the initiatives funded from the Learning Reserve
and resources that are offered to UNDP personnel at no cost. Any additional costs related
to the participation in the UNDP corporate learning and development programmes and
other relevant costs will be charged to the funding source(s) of the respective NPSA
holders.
105. NPSA holders may be requested to take part in the specific training or professional
certification programmes, if necessary or required by UNDP.
XXXIII. Career Paths, lateral moves, status as candidates (applicable to regular NPSAs only)
106. Regular NPSA holders will have access to career opportunities within UNDP as well as to the
career development resources available to all UNDP personnel, subject to eligibility
requirements specific to the functions. As such and subject to eligibility, they will be able to
apply for UNDP staff positions and job opportunities under other contractual modalities, in
line with UNDP recruitment and selection framework, and the requirements of the
respective positions and offers.
107. NPSA holders who have served a minimum of three years with UNDP and have
demonstrated successful performance, as recorded in the formal performance reviews, will
be eligible to participate in the corporate talent pool assessments and similar initiatives as

internal candidates, subject to meeting the relevant eligibility requirements. All NPSA
holders will be able to participate in such initiatives, when open to external candidates.
108. NPSAs shall not be considered internal candidates for vacancy announcements that have
been categorized as internal, regardless of time spent on NPSA contracts.
XXXIV. Roles and Responsibilities
109. Heads of Business Units / Responsible Officers (Heads of Offices):

Heads of Business Unit (incl. Resident Representatives, HQs units, UNV Executive
Coordinator, or other individuals delegated authority hereunder) are designated as Responsible
Offices, responsible for enforcing the terms of this policy and are accountable for decisions
taken. Directors must consider the performance of the Responsible Officers in managing
the NPSA in accordance with this policy, e.g. Audit Reports and BMS/OHR reports may be used
as a reference for evaluation.

110. Responsible Officers:

i. defining clear terms of reference with measurable outputs, timelines, and indicating
qualifications and competencies required
ii. determining the use of NPSA as the appropriate contractual modality and adhering
to the requirements of this policy
iii. ensuring availability of funds for the duration of the NPSA and extension
iv. contracting the most qualified candidate in a transparent and competitive manner;
and
v. service monitoring and evaluation, recommendation for level of payment and NPSA
extensions.
vi. exercising delegation of authority on the issuance of NPSAs
vii. ensuring that a transparent and competitive selection process is instituted
for NPSAs in their respective office
viii. monitoring the transparency and competitive selection process for NPSAs in their
respective office
ix. managing the conflict resolution process in accordance with the NPSA and in
consultation with BMS/OLS and the BMS/OHR Policy Unit as set forth in this policy
x. Setting the remuneration scales in country offices, incl. NIM scales where applicable.

111. The Local BU HR Focal Point & GSSC:

i. Before issuing an NPSA, the Human Resources Focal Points must ensure that
the policy is complied with and that the NPSA template is used for contracting
services of the individual. No deviations to the model NPSA template can be made
without consultation with, and clearance of, BMS/OHR and BMS/OLS. The local BU
is responsible for classifying short-term NPSAs.
ii.
GSSC Focal Points are responsible for:
 coordinating and administering the recruitment process
 coordinating the contracting process of the candidates;
 issuing the NPSA including the applicable conditions of service;
 Management of NPSAs in the corporate ERP;
 ensuring payment of monthly remuneration according to terms of
NPSA;
 ensuring that adequate insurance provisions are in place;
 maintaining a roster of candidates in the various categories; and
 maintaining records for monitoring and reporting purposes.

iii. NPSAs are paid through UNDP’s GSSC/Global Payroll.

112. BMS/OHR Business Partners:

BMS/OHR Business Partners are responsible for providing advisory support and
guidance in the administration and application of NPSAs.

113. Office of Audit and Investigation (OAI):

OAI will audit the use of NPSAs by the UNDP Offices and report on its findings at any
time OAI deems necessary.

114. Oversight, Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting:

i. The Responsible Officers, Business Partners, GSSU and the respective HR Focal
Point(s) should use the information available in the corporate (ERP) database to act
on their respective responsibility for oversight, monitoring and / or evaluation on
the use of NPSAs. These include the use of data for, among others, succession
planning, contract extensions, as well as monitoring of the performance of their
respective business units against corporate indicators, such as gender ratios.
ii. Organizational score cards or benchmarks will be established by BMS/OHR on a

periodic basis to ensure the reporting, monitoring and evaluation of the use
of NPSAs.
XXXV. National Implementation Programmes (NIM):
115. In countries with programmes that fall formally under the Support Services of UNDP to
National Implementation (NIM), and where alignment to the set standards of benefits and
entitlements of the national implementation partners is deemed necessary, UNDP Resident
Representatives may apply flexibilities outside the regular NPSA parameters in the
following areas, provided that systems and internal UNDP procedures allow for such
flexibilities to be practically applied, that the risks and liabilities related to these benefits
and entitlements are formally covered by the national implementation partner, and
provided that these benefits and entitlements fulfill the minimum national standards of the
country in which the programme is being nationally implemented:

i. When UNDP issues the agreement, NPSA holders hired under a National
implementation modality, remain under the administrative supervision of UNDP,
even if daily supervision is ensured by the national counterpart;
ii. Alternative remuneration scales may be promulgated by the Resident

Representative of the country office to be used specifically for NPSAs that fall under
the NIM. A NIM-specific remuneration scale shall follow the same principles used to
construct the regular NPSA scale for the country, and applied across all the NPSA
levels under the NIM project(s) subject to the NIM-specific remuneration scale in
that country. The level and the suggested remuneration rate may also be set by the
national implementation partner if the agreement clearly allows for it;
iii. Annual increments may align to the practice of the national implementation
partner;
iv. Performance evaluation: If the NPSA holder is supervised by the national

implementation partner, the performance evaluation can follow the same format
and procedure used by the national implementation partner. UNDP should maintain
a copy of the evaluation for its records;
v. Working schedules and official holidays can be aligned to those of the national
implementation partner;
vi. Leave entitlements: Leave entitlements can be aligned with the standards
applicable to the national implementation partner;
vii. Pension schemes: Similarly, payments in lieu of pension may be adjusted to those of
the national partner;
viii. Official Travel: Official travel shall follow the standards and policies of the national
partner, including class of travel as well as daily subsistence allowances;
ix. Security costs: Where the NPSA holder is covered by and falls under the security
scheme coverage of the national partners, they shall be exempted from the UN
security plans and security costs otherwise applicable to UNDP NPSAs will not be
applied, and the NPSA holder will be so notified; and
x. Normally the mandatory insurance coverages which are otherwise applicable as a

standard for UNDP NPSAs, will apply, any exceptions must be agreed to by GSSC, in
consultation with the BMS/OHR/Policy and Compensation unit.
116. In situations where the NIM personnel are contracted directly by the national
implementation entity, and where such personnel contracts are also signed by that national
implementation entity, UNDP may support in sharing advice and good practices on
standards, templates and tools. The accountability and decision to use and/or apply such
standards shall be solely that of the national implementation entity.

Annexes:

Annex 1 – Recruitment standards and procedures for NPSAs.
Annex 2: Remuneration Scales, Classification Bands, and Setting the Remuneration for NPSAs
Annex 3 – Overview of NPSA benefits
Annex 4 – Definition of inherent and continuous nature of functions
Annex 5 – Performance Evaluation
Annex 6 – Checklist of inclusions in NPSA file
Annex 7 – Equipment and Supplies
Annex 8 – Transitional Measures – Rollout of the new remuneration scale
Annex 9 – Certificate of No-Contest

Annex 1: Recruitment standards and procedures for NPSAs
For the selection of NPSAs, the selection process must adhere to the general principles listed in
the UNDP’s Recruitment and Selection Framework Policy to ensure that the person selected is
the best-qualified candidate to perform the job functions in a fully satisfactory manner. These
principles are:
Competition: Selection will follow a visible and fair competitive process for all vacancies,
regardless of post, contractual modality or hiring unit;
Objectivity: Screening will be conducted with professional rigor, with candidates measured
against clearly articulated criteria, job skills and competencies and corporate priorities;
Transparency: The recruitment and selection criteria and all phases of recruitment processes
will be transparent to candidates to the fullest extent possible;
Diversity: UNDP’s workforce will reflect diversity and will strive to include equal numbers of
men and women, and individuals from under-represented groups, indigenous groups and
persons with disabilities;
Non-Discrimination: UNDP will not discriminate in its recruitment and selection processes on
the grounds of race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, age, sex, gender identity, sexual
orientation, marital status, family status or disability; and
Accountability: Hiring managers will be held accountable both for their selection proposals and
the manner in which they have followed the processes leading up to them.
Other fundamental conditions:
Residency Requirements: Depending on the duty station, certain specific residency

requirements may be applicable before an offer of a national personnel services agreement is
made. Generally, it is expected that candidates will either: i) be nationals or permanent
residents of the country where the NPSA position is being offered; or ii) having the proper
documentation allowing the NPSA holder to legally work in that country.
Recruitment of Government Personnel: Any candidate who is a government employee must

disclose this relationship prior to being engaged on an NPSA. As a rule, candidates who are
employed by a government or a government entity are expected to resign from said
employment upon acceptance of an NPSA with UNDP. In cases where candidates continue to be
employed or affiliated with a government institution or other authority external to UNDP, they
must provide evidence that they have been accorded special leave without pay, or a similar
status, from their employer prior to being engaged under a NPSA. Notwithstanding the
disclosure, the individual engaged under an NPSA Service Contract is bound by the principle of
impartiality as specified in the agreement.
Obligation of Confidentiality: Everyone who is involved in a selection process, in one capacity or

another (e.g. long-listing, short-listing, interview panel, etc.) must engage in these such activities
maintaining strict confidentiality. A selection process is not completed until all the different
selection, review and clearance steps have been taken. It is therefore expected that no
information be shared with the candidates or others not involved in the selection process until
the final approval for the selection has been signed
Selection Modalities and Procedures:
NPSA Level Regular NPSA Short-Term NPSA

All NPSA levels Advertise: Minimum 1 week Advertise: Minimum 1 week
Modality: Competitive; Pre-assessed Modality: Same as for Regular NPSA, in

candidate from a previous competitive addition to:
process at the same grade level (in the Direct selection from a procurement roster,
last 36 months); Direct selection from such as GPN or local interagency rosters;
an HR or other approved Roster; Lateral Direct selection of an individual serving as an
move from another NPSA position to a IC holder in 2021 or thereafter; Direct
substantially similar role at the same selection upon approval of the Head of the
level; Direct selection upon approval of business unit (RR/DRR in country offices); and
the Bureau Director. review and assessment of a candidate
CVs/P11s.
Assessment: one or more assessment
methods must be used. These can
include, among others, panel
interviews, tests, Panel desk reviews, Assessment: Same as for Regular NPSAs but a
technical assessments review and assessment of just the
candidate’s CV/P11 is also allowed.
Selection decision: Head of the Business
Unit, Bureau Director for direct
selections. Selection decision: Head of the Business Unit,
Head of the business/RR/DRR for direct
selections.

Unless a competitive selection is considered not practicable, each recruitment and selection
must include the following:
i) Vacancy announcement of a budgeted and classified NPSA post;

ii) Competitive, job-specific objective assessment of skills and competencies as well as a
competitive assessment of corporate values and ethics.
A thorough verification of relevant qualifications and credentials, including thorough reference

checks must be completed in every case.
A. Selection by competitive process

A competitive recruitment process is the standard procedure for recruiting regular NPSAs.
To ensure competitiveness, the shortlist must be comprised of at least two candidates, but
ideally three or more. At least one woman should be included on the short-list. If no female
candidate is included on the short-list, the Hiring Unit must document the efforts that have been
made to identify qualified female candidates including re-advertisement. Where only one
qualified candidate has been identified, the Hiring Unit must document the efforts that have
been made to identify additional candidates, and secure approval from the OHR Business
Partner before proceeding further.
For short-term NPSAs, an assessment and review of the profiles or CVs at least two qualifying
candidates is required and should be documented and presented to the Head of the Business
Unit for their selection decision.
B. Direct recruitment of a previously assessed candidate
This option allows offices to hire a candidate who has been assessed through a competitive
process for the same job function and level, and who has passed the threshold in a previous
recruitment process completed within the previous 36 months.
Individuals who had previously been assessed for similar positions and had passed the threshold
but were ranked below the candidate selected within the past 36 months, may be placed on an
HR roster. Hiring managers should preferably interview the individual to ascertain that the
individual is interested in the position and to reconfirm their suitability.
A hiring unit may also transfer an NPSA Holder from one project or position to another in the
same duty station with identical functions, and the same band/level and remuneration, without
a new competitive process, provided that the candidate has a satisfactory performance record.
In such instances a new NPSA contract must be issued. It must also be noted that by doing so,
the time of service of the NPSA holder is not reset in such case, if there is no break between the
contracts.

For the purposes of this Policy, “similar position” shall mean a position under the same contract
modality (NPSA), grade and band with two or less changes to the stated functions.

C. Direct recruitment from a roster that has been formally recognized by UNDP
UNDP business units may also use a roster of pre–assessed candidates, in accordance with
locally established roster procedures without having to go through a full process outlined in
Section A. above. The selection from the roster remains subject to the approval of the Head of
the hiring Business Unit.

Where one or more suitable candidates is/are identified by the Head of the Business Unit, the
remuneration to be offered will be calculated by the unit using the remuneration setting tool as
relevant to the role described in the TORs and the duty station.

In such cases, a review or assessment process is not necessary. The recommendation and the
criteria must be documented.

For certain roles, UNDP may access formally established personnel rosters of other UN,
recognized multi-lateral international organizations and International Financial Institutions (IFI)
to source suitable personnel. It is at the Hiring Manager’s discretion to select external partner
personnel, through the clearance of the Regional HR Business Partner.

D. Direct selection of a candidate
The UNDP Administrator, Associate Administrator or their delegates (RB Directors and Deputies,
UNV or UNCDF Executive Coordinator, and UNOSSC Director) may hire a candidate on any NPSA
position directly.

In instances where business needs prevail, for example, in emergency response situations, the
Head of the Business Unit (RRs/DRRs in country offices) may select individuals directly and
contract them under a short-term NPSA, provided the candidate meets the requirements of the
position.
E. Review and assessment of at least 2 candidates (for short-term NPSAs only)
A hiring unit may proceed to a competitive selection via a review and assessment of at least 2
qualified candidates CVs/P11s.
Assessment procedures:
The assessment procedures used to evaluate candidates for a specific position may vary
depending on the position requirements.

The Hiring Manager, in consultation with the HR focal point, will decide on the assessment
methodologies to be used to best determine the suitability of the candidate for the position, as
well as the relative weight to be assigned to each assessment technique. In order to ensure
transparency, Hiring Managers are required to account fully for all techniques used and relative
weights assigned.

To ensure a fair and equal assessment of all candidates, assessments for the same position must
be conducted following the same assessment methods.
A. Interview panel
The Hiring Unit can establish an ad hoc panel made up of at least three UNDP members of
personnel, either FTA or PSA Holders habitually at the same level or higher as that of the NPSA
position under assessment. The panel will normally be chaired by a FTA holder, however, when
this is not possible, the Head of the Business Unit may authorize the chair of the interview panel
to be the PSA holder holding the highest level. Due consideration should be given to diversity
and gender considerations, as appropriate for the duty station. The panel provides its
recommendation to the Head of the Business Unit for a final decision.

Note: Notwithstanding that programme delivery increasingly relies upon building a close
partnership with governments, participation of national counterparts or government officials on
UNDP interview panels is generally discouraged but may be permissible in the capacity of
“observer”. In considering if a national counterpart or government official will participate in a
panel as an observer, Hiring Units must fully consider the principle of independence as
articulated in the United Nations Charter, and determine whether or not such participation
would compromise the actual, or perceived, independence of UNDP.
B. Technical assessments
It is important to ensure candidates can deliver the technical aspects of the role. The Hiring Unit
has several options to confirm this aspect of the candidate’s profile. This includes psychometric
and skill-based assessments offered internally or through an external firm; Asynchronous
interviews through a provider such as Vid-cruter; A technical phone screen, writing sample or
assessment. The Hiring Unit must share a rubric to assist with evaluating the response from the
candidate.
C. Panel desk reviews
Candidates can be assessed using full panel desk reviews A full panel desk review, includes in
addition to the review of a candidate’s CV, the review of written responses to the competency-
based questions. A full panel desk review can be used to assess both regular and short-term
NPSAs.
D. Review and assessment of CVs/P11s
An assessment and review of CVs/P11s can be used ONLY to assess short-term NPSAs.
Preparation of the long-list and short-list

Only candidates who fully meet the required qualifications for the position, as specified in the
vacancy announcement, may be short-listed for the post. However, candidates who are within
six months of the minimum relevant experience requirement may be considered in situations
where a business case is made. The business reason must be documented and on record for the
file.
To ensure competitiveness, the shortlist must be comprised of at least two candidates. At least
one woman should be included on the short-list. If no female candidate is included on the short-
list, the Hiring Unit must document the efforts that have been made to identify qualified female
candidates including re-advertisement. Hiring units must ensure that every application to a
position is afforded due consideration, and that there is an objective reason provided for
including, or not including, candidates on long-lists and short-lists.
The Head of the Business Unit is responsible and accountable for the quality of the long-list and
short-list.

Annex 2: Remuneration Scales, Classification Bands, and Setting the Remuneration for NPSAs
A. The remuneration scale for NPSAs is established for each country individually and
promulgated by the Resident Representative of the country office. While it is
understood that the scale does not utilize the same comparators as those used for
setting the UN staff salary scales, the UN salary scale is used as a reliable reference point
in each country.
In countries with programmes that fall formally under the Support Services of UNDP to
National Implementation (NIM), alternative remuneration scales may be promulgated
by the Resident Representative of the country office to be used specifically for NPSAs
that fall under the NIM. A NIM-specific remuneration scale shall follow the same
principle of fixating a reference (percentage) to the UN salary scale as appropriate, and
applied across all the NPSA levels under the NIM project(s) subject to the NIM-specific
remuneration scale.
Generally, adjustments to NPSA scales will be prospective in nature, unless the Bureau
Director or his/her Deputy approves the adjustment retroactively. A Resident
Representative may request the retroactive application of a scale, for compelling
reasons specific to their country, keeping in mind the implications of such a decision
across all entities using the modality. The request must be sent via the Regional Business
partner.
A new NPSA scale is established in each country, effective the month following the
announcement of a new UN salary scale in that country (not the effective date of the UN
salary scale). For example, should a UN salary scale be announced in September, taking
effect retroactively as of March, the new NPSA scale would only be established with
effect from October and applied accordingly.
Temporary special measures may also be extended to NPSAs in countries where such
measures have been introduced by the wider UN due to high inflation rates or other
emergency needs, subject to the approval of the UNDP Resident Representative.
In exceptional cases, UNDP may conduct its own remuneration survey for purposes of
establishing salary scales in respect of NPSAs in cases where a UN local salary scale for
staff in the General service and related categories does not exist or where the
application of the UN salary survey methodology has resulted in a remuneration scale
that is very significantly different from conditions in the local labour market and has
demonstrably and negatively impacted UNDP’s ability to recruit and/or retain personnel
over an extended period, in particular in very small countries or micro-states served by a
multi-country office. Such cases could be prompted by, but are not limited to, the
application of a reference UN staff salary scale that is manifestly out of date, or where,
in a specific country or geographical region, the local labour market is extremely limited
such as to preclude a standard UN salary survey from being conducted.
B. The NPSA comprises a number of levels at which NPSA holders can be appointed. The
classification of these levels is aligned to the corresponding UNDP grade levels and is set
out in the form of broad bands, as shown in the table below. They provide a necessary
degree of flexibility for hiring managers to adjust pay according to skills and market
circumstances.
The Bands:
Classified As Corresponding National UN Staff
NPSA 1-3
NPSA 4-5
NPSA 6-7
NPSA 8-9
NPSA 10-11
NPSA 12

C. The NPSA remuneration scale is set at 76% of each of its corresponding levels on the
national UN salary scale established in the country office. The minimum for each band
shall equal 76% of step 1 of the lower of the two grades at the corresponding grade in
the national UN salary scale. The maximum is 76% of step 8 of the higher of the two
grades. For example:
NB2 – Min. = UN Salary Scale 4 step 1 x 76%
Max = UN Salary Scale 5 step 8 x 76%
NB1 (which extends into 3 grades, the maximum is established as

follows):
Min. = UN Salary Scale 1 step 1 x 76%
Max = UN Salary Scale 3 step 10 x 76%
While the pay of NPSAs may be set at any point between the minimum and the maximum within
each band (the range), the classified level of the position would serve as an
indicator for the level of remuneration for individual NPSAs. The default pay is always the
equivalent of 76% of the net salary of its corresponding UN scale level. Business Unit Heads may
also pay above the default if necessary, that is, in instances where there is a need to pay above
the default levels, but not exceeding the maximum of the band, due to contingencies of service
and up to any amount from within the respective National Band in which the NPSA level falls.
Such contingencies of service for paying below or beyond the default shall require the approval
of the Head of the Business Unit, but never beyond the band minimum or maximum, and may
include reasons such as budget (if lower than the default but within the band), availability of
technical expertise in the local market, and based on the special skills the individual brings with
him/her to the position and to the organization.
NPSA salary scales are linked to those applied by the UN only with those provisions of the UN
remuneration scales and methodology that apply which are relevant for the purposes of the
NPSA. The linkage should not be construed as a direct linkage in terms of common status or

objectives or purpose between the contracts, nor conferring rights which apply to other
categories of personnel to whom the UN Staff Rules apply. The purpose of contracting NPSAs
remains consistent with the overall effort to increase national capacity and expertise in the
countries of operation and is geared towards a different market target group hence its original
sourcing of survey inputs predominantly from the public sector in the past. The NPSA type of
work is strongly linked to the project nature and funding of the activities and functions.
The NPSA targets a different market portion (prevailing instead of best prevailing), and focuses
on public sector rather than the private sector. Hence the practical linkage to the UN salary scale
as a reference point utilizing those specific portions of comparators that are relevant to the
purpose of this contract and not all those utilized by UN standard methodology, and that the
link is purely a practical one for a process that is already being invested in.
The NPSA stipulates a fixed level of remuneration in local currency and payments are made in
local currency, but also follows the currency established by the UN in that country if the
remuneration payments in a currency other than the local currency. If the remuneration scale is
denominated in a currency other than the local currency and is paid in local currency, the UN
prevailing rate of exchange (UNORE) must be applied. For countries where special measures are
approved by the UN and applied to the reference UN salary scales (i.e., payment of national staff
salaries in hard currency), the special measures will be automatically applied to the NPSA
remuneration scale as well.
Regular NPSAs may be eligible to have a portion of their local salaries transferred directly into
their UNFCU accounts in United States Dollars through central Payroll at the prevailing rate of
exchange (UNORE), only if exceptional approval of the Associate Administrator through the BMS
Director’s Office is obtained, first. The exceptional approval is time-bound, usually for one-year,
and would need to be re-submitted to the Associate Administrator for an additional extension of
time at expiration. Eligibility is also dependent upon any limitation placed by UNFCU on the
operation of such accounts.
In situations where there is a freeze on the NPSA salary scale, and where the current pay of an
individual on NPSA is on a higher pay than a new position for which the NPSA holder has been
newly hired on, the salary of the newly hired NPSA holder shall be protected and maintained at
his/her previous nominal salary.

Annex 3: Overview of NPSA benefits

Regular Short-term
Yes (3%)
Annual Increment No
(Ceiling is band maximum)
National Pension Fund
Yes No
(in lieu of)
Medical Insurance Yes No
Medical Ins. (depend.) Optional No
MAIP Yes Yes
GLI, D&D Yes Yes
Overtime Yes (NPSA 1-7) No
UN Holidays/Weekends Yes No
Yes (>6m), 2 d/m, plus 7/year
Sick Leave No
uncertified (a total
Annual Leave Yes (>6m), 2.5 d/m No
Parental leave for the birth Yes 16 wks
No
parent (
Parental leave for the non- Yes,
No
birth parent 4 wks
Hardship Leave No No


Annex 4: Definition of functions of inherent and continuous nature

Definition of functions of Inherent Nature:
Activities of an inherent nature to the UN are those which require the exercise of substantial
discretion in applying UN authority and/or in making decisions for the UN. The activities
normally fall into two categories: a) the exercise of high-level authority or b) the establishment
of procedures and processes related to the oversight of monetary transactions or entitlements.
An inherently UN activity involves:

a. Binding UNDP to take or not to take some action by contract, public pronouncement or
otherwise;
a. Determining, protecting, and advancing the interests of the United Nations, by

diplomatic means or political means or otherwise;
b. Significantly affecting the safety and security or property of persons;
c. Exerting ultimate control over the acquisition, use, or disposition of United Nations
property (real or personal, tangible or intangible);
d. Establishing policies or procedures for the collection, control, or disbursement of funds;
e. Acting as internal control custodian of the organization. The list below contains an
example of such functions that must be held by staff, as specified in UNDP’s internal
control framework:

2nd Authority - Approving Managers and Global Payroll Administrator
3rd Authority - Disbursing Officer and Disbursing Officer - Payroll
HR Administrator and Position Administrator
Bank Account Signatory
Trust Fund Manager
Bank reconciliation Approver
Safe custodian
Supplemental roles of: Vendor Approvers, Override match exceptions, Fund
manager and Retirement of assets
As such, administering or managing a selection process in accordance with the UNDP standard
policies and established processes is not considered an “inherent function”. However, deciding
what rules to put into the corporate manuals and policies or making exceptions to such policies,
in the interests of the UN is an “inherent function”;

Representing the organization, such as negotiating and deciding with governments or external
partners, or deciding on which business line to focus, is considered an “inherent
function”. When in doubt, BMS/OHR shall consult with BMS/OFM to determine what is
considered an inherent function.

Definition of functions of a continuous nature:

The functions are of continuous nature when the position is primarily core funded (>50%), and

a) The functions performed under the position are not meant to indirectly support a specific,
limited in time, kind of initiative/project, such as a specific business development
engagement, study visit, consultancy, specific training, etc.

b) The position covered by the NPSA is not a temporary replacement of a UNDP post where the
staff member incumbent is on an extended leave, such as parental leave, special leave, etc.

Annex 5: Performance Evaluation
Short-Term NPSA:
For short-term NPSAs, only section I of the NPSA Annual Performance Review template needs to
be completed.
Regular NPSA:
For regular NPSAs, the evaluation must be completed using the online PMD platform. If the
platform is not available, the supervisor can use the form below. Please note that the entire
evaluation form needs to be completed.
A. The NPSA Annual Performance review must be completed by the supervisor in line with the
regular performance management cycles as set out by the administration and applying the
same cycle consistently across all personnel (calendar year). The simplified performance
management process is initiated at the start of the year with clearly set goals to achieve as
per the work plan of the unit and the individual, as well as learning and development plans
of the individual, and agreed on by the supervisor. The performance assessment is
conducted within the regular set schedule at the start of the following year and conducted
against the set goals. The assessment by the supervisor is completed after:

i. a short written self-assessment is provided by the NPSA holder including on their
special accomplishments; and
ii. a Performance review session with the individual NPSA holder with a view to discuss
performance during the reporting period.

B. The performance assessment must include details regarding performance during the review
period, as applicable, any mention of service provided above or below expected standards
or in addition to those activities established in the TOR. Should the performance be
evaluated as below the acceptable performance levels, a recommendation for non-
extension or termination should be clearly stated and reasoned. If the PMD platform is not
available, the NPSA Annual Performance Review template should be used for the evaluating
regular NPSAs.

Annex 6: To be included in NPSA file, where applicable – Checklist

Check list of documentation for the NPSA holder
 Terms of Reference (TOR)
 Certification of appropriateness of functions for use of an NPSA (included as
part of the TOR template)
 Classification level and report (included as part of the TOR template)
 Confirmation of remuneration level (e.g. costing sheet)
 Minutes of the Ad-hoc panel with relevant supporting engagement
documents
 Reference check report
 Medical certification from recognized Physician
 Copies of professional qualifications in line with NPSA level (if applicable)
 Completed and signed NPSA face sheet and its General Terms and
Conditions
 Signed ‘Certificate of No Contest’ – Annex 8 to this policy
 Application for medical coverage
 Application for Death and Disability coverage
 Signed acknowledgement that NPSA holder has received all documents and
information related to social security and MAIP coverage
 Amendments/Extensions to NPSA-with signed acceptance
 Copy of passport/ID
 Bank details authorization for direct deposit of remuneration distribution
(or Vendor form)
 Service Evaluations
 Minutes of the selection, where applicable
 Termination notification, where applicable.


Annex 7: Equipment & Supplies

Any equipment or supplies that may be furnished by UNDP to the NPSA holder for
the performance of the NPSA holder’s obligations under the NPSA remains the property of
UNDP, and any such equipment or supplies must be returned to UNDP at the conclusion of the
NPSA or before if no longer needed by the NPSA holder. Such equipment, when returned to
UNDP, must be in the same condition as when delivered to the NPSA holder, subject to normal
wear and tear, and the NPSA holder will be liable to compensate UNDP for any damage or
degradation of the equipment that is beyond normal wear and tear.


Annex 8: Transitional Measures (pay scale rollout)
Transitional measures:
From the date of entry into force of this policy on 1 June 2021, all new national, non-staff
personnel engaged to provide services which are not lumpsum based will be under the NPSA,
and the setting of the remuneration scale for NPSAs will follow the formula introduced by this
policy. As a modality that is being introduced to replace the existing Service Contract modality in
UNDP, the transition from an existing Service Contract will follow the phased approach
described in Annex 7.
Also, from 1 June 2021, the use of the local Individual Contract (IC) agreement will be limited to
lump sum-based activities only. All other activities for which the services of an individual
contractor (national) are not based on a lump sum against specific deliverables will be
undertaken on the basis of an NPSA. It is therefore envisaged that a number of national ICs who
fall under this category will be transitioned to NPSA upon expiry of their existing contracts on or
before 31st March 2022, whichever is earlier. For example, should a national IC with activities
that are not lumpsum-based have an expiration date of 30 June 2021, an extension should be
through a conversion to an NPSA as of 1 July 2021. Current IC agreements which are not
lumpsum based may be extended on ICs for periods that may not exceed 31 March 2022.
During the transition period from 1 June 2021 until 31 March 2022, the conversion of local ICs to
NPSAs shall not require a new selection process provided that the activities to be carried out are
under the same TORs and classified at the same levels. When transitioned, the new
remuneration scales of the NPSA shall apply, and the newly introduced benefits for the NPSA,
where applicable, will apply as of their respective NPSA effective starting date.
Transitioning of current Service Contract holders to NPSA:
The NPSA is expected to replace the Service Contract modality in UNDP, and with that, all
individuals currently contracted under the Service Contract modality and the Individual Contract
(local) and who would be continuing their services with UNDP (except those whose local IC
agreements are lumpsum-based) are expected to be converted to their corresponding
classification level and their corresponding NPSA pay scale upon their extensions anytime
between 1 June and 30 June2022 as a one-time transition. Current Service Contracts or local
Individual Contract agreements which are not lumpsum based may be extended on their same
contractual agreements any time before 1 June 2021 for periods that may not exceed 30 June
2022. As such, no Service Contracts for UNDP personnel will exist beyond 30 June 2022.
The full transition of the Remuneration Scales in relation to any existing Service Contract salary
scales to the new NPSA scale, and the transitioning of individuals’ pay levels from their current
Service Contract to the NPSA pay scale will be rolled out starting 1 st of June 2021 and completed
no later than 30 June 2023. While this policy provides a suggested approach to rollout, Resident
Representatives will assess and determine the stages of the rollout which are most suitable to
their respective office context.

Transitioning of entitlements:
While it is understood that the NPSA is being introduced as a new modality and does not
formally replace the Service Contract, UNDP shall permit the crediting of the following
entitlements to the new NPSA upon conversion from Service Contract only:
- Annual leave balance: Up to 18 days.

- Parental leave for birth parents leave: Months worked under the Service
Contract would count towards the accumulated eligibility for parental leave
of 16 weeks.
Transitioning of (national) Individual Contract holders to NPSA:
From the date of entry into force of this policy on 1 June 2021, all new national non-staff hires
against tasks which are not lumpsum based will be on NPSA, and the remuneration calculation
will follow the formula introduced by this policy.
Individuals whose current remuneration is higher than that of the equivalent levels on the new
scale will not be eligible for annual increments until such time where their remuneration
matches the 0.76 mark.
All new personnel hired as of 1 June 2021 will have their remuneration set according to the new
NPSA scale in place.
Also, from 1 June 2021, the use of the IC agreement will be limited to lump sum-based activities
only. All other activities for which the services of a national individual contractor are not based
on a lump sum against specific deliverables will be undertaken on the basis of an NPSA. It is
therefore envisaged that a number of ICs who fall under this category will be transitioned to
NPSA upon expiry of their existing contracts or before 1st January 2022, whichever is earlier. For
example, should an IC with activities that are not lumpsum-based have an expiration date of 31
July 2021, an extension to that should be through a conversion to an NPSA as of 1 August 2021.
Current IC agreements which are not lumpsum based may be extended on ICs any time before
1st of June 2021 for periods that may not exceed 31 December 2021.
During the transition period throughout 2021, the conversion of ICs to NPSAs shall not require a
new selection process if under the same TORs and are classified and paid at similar levels. When
transitioned, the new remuneration formula of the NPSA shall apply, and the newly introduced
benefits for the NPSA, where applicable, will apply as of their respective NPSA effective starting
date.
The following staged approach is being suggested for country offices:
For countries where the current SC salary scales (by grade) against the UN salary scale are (as of
1 March 2021):
a) Higher than that of the UN salary scales, i.e., resulting in a decrease:

In which case, the levels of net pay of existing personnel would be frozen until the
future NPSA salary scale catches up with them, or by 30 June 2023, whichever comes
first. Any contracts or extensions beyond 30 June 2023 will be set at the applicable NPSA
scale.
b) Lower than the UN salary scales resulting in an increase of:
a. 0-10%
Change of current SC scale is applied effective 1 June 2021 and is applied to all
NPSAs at the time of the conversion.
b. 11-20%
Change to current SC scale is either applied fully effective 1 June 2021 (to be
decided by the Head of the Business Unit), or gradually in two equal stages by
applying a mid-point effective 1 June 2021 to fully reach the 0.76 reference
point on 1 July 2022
c. >21%
Change to current SC scale is either applied fully effective 1 June 2021 (to be
decided by the Head of the Business Unit), or gradually in up to three equal
stages effective 1 June 2021, 1 July 2022, to fully reach the 0.76 reference point
on 1 July 2023.
For all countries, the scale in its staggered approach applies to current and new
hires equally, to avoid paying new hires more than current ones at any time
during the rollout.

Annex 9: Certificate of No Contest
Pension Lump Sum
CERTIFICATE OF NO CONTEST
Name:
I hereby certify that I accept payment of a monthly lump sum in lieu of pension
contributions in accordance with the provisions of the UNDP policy on National Personnel
Services Agreement and as specified in my contractual agreement with UNDP. I understand that
the lump sum will be calculated on the basis of 8.33% of the base monthly remuneration
excluding payments in lieu of social security coverage, hazard allowance and performance
bonus, if applicable.
In signing this Certificate, I acknowledge that I have received a copy of the calculation
sheet which I understand. I have agreed to receive the pension contribution in the form of a
lump sum. I am solely responsible for saving and investing this lump sum amount for my
pension as I deem best. UNDP has no further obligation with respect to my pension than as set
forth herein and in my contractual agreement.
National Personnel Services Agreement holder: ____________ ID No: _________
Date:

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National

Personnel Services Agreement (NPSA)

Page 1 of 51 Effective Date: 15/01/2023 Version #:

Annex 1: Recruitment standards and procedures for NPSAs

Page 2 of 51 Effective Date: 15/01/2023 Version #:

1. The National Personnel Service Agreement (“NPSA”) is a legal instrument, in the form of a

4. The NPSA may also be used by UNDP to contract individuals on behalf of UN entities

8. A holder of a National PSA is a person engaged by UNDP to perform a specific assignment

II. Use of NPSA

iii. When the services may not be needed long-term by UNDP;

10. The NPSA may not be used in the following cases:

i. When the functions are of both, inherent and continuous in nature (as defined in

ii. To re-instate a staff member whose previous post/function of identical nature has

iii. As a means of applying a probationary period to candidates prior to offering them a

11. Offices of wider coverage

III. Legal Status of the NPSA holder

Page 4 of 51 Effective Date: 15/01/2023 Version #:

13. NPSA holders have the legal status of a contractor vis-à-vis UNDP and are neither staff

IV. General Rights and Obligations of the NPSA holders

Page 5 of 51 Effective Date: 15/01/2023 Version #:

20. The NPSA holder shall be solely responsible for all claims arising out of or relating

Compliance and working arrangements:

29. NPSA holders must cooperate fully and in good faith with any investigation conducted in

Page 7 of 51 Effective Date: 15/01/2023 Version #:

VII. Nature of relationship between UNDP and the NPSA holder

Page 9 of 51 Effective Date: 15/01/2023 Version #:

X. Types of NPSAs: Regular and Short-term; Office- and Home-based

ii. NPSA agreements may be issued for up to a year at a time and used continuously or

Page 10 of 51 Effective Date: 15/01/2023 Version #:

iii. Determining remuneration of Former or Retired Staff Members:

a) When a former staff member is engaged under an NPSA, the remuneration must not

b) Former staff members in receipt of a UN pension benefit, may be engaged

Page 11 of 51 Effective Date: 15/01/2023 Version #:

XII. Engaging Close Relatives of UNDP Personnel

XIII. Authority for the Issuance of NPSAs

48. NPSAs are issued and administered by UNDP’s GSSC.

50. Responsibility for the correct and effective application and proper management of

XV. Classification & Established Scales

The following levels and classification scales are established:

ICSC 10 NOC NPSA10

NPSA holders are eligible, if their performance is deemed satisfactory, to receive an

Page 13 of 51 Effective Date: 15/01/2023 Version #:

XVII. Medical Clearance and Maximum Age for NPSAs

Page 14 of 51 Effective Date: 15/01/2023 Version #:

XIX. Contract Extension, Expiration and Termination

66. Extension of NPSA

i. If a decision is taken to extend an NPSA, it is an opportunity for the Hiring Unit to

67. Expiration of NPSA

68. Termination of Contract & Termination indemnity

Page 15 of 51 Effective Date: 15/01/2023 Version #:

v. No compensation or termination indemnity payment shall be made if the NPSA

vi. The Head of the Business Unit must terminate the NPSA in the following

XX. Recourse/Settlement of disputes

ii. Allegations of fraud of mismanagement of UNDP funds through

XXI. Overtime (applicable to regular NPSAs only)

75. Overtime pay must be monitored closely and kept to a minimum.

XXII. Danger Allowance

Page 17 of 51 Effective Date: 15/01/2023 Version #: