UN consultants and individual contractors: how the two arrangements differ

UN vacancies often use consultant and individual contractor as if the distinction were obvious. Under the UN Secretariat’s rules, both are non-staff engagements, but they are intended for different kinds of assignments.

This guide covers the Secretariat framework. Agencies, funds and programmes can use other contract forms and may provide different leave, insurance or payment conditions. The contract issued by the hiring entity is the controlling document.

What a consultant does

The Secretariat policy portal describes a consultant as a recognized authority or specialist engaged in an advisory or consultative capacity.

The current administrative instruction adds that a consultant provides special skills or knowledge that are not normally possessed by regular staff. The work is results-oriented. It may involve analysing a problem, conducting a seminar or training course, or preparing a document or report for the organization.

A sound consultancy notice should identify concrete outputs. Examples include an assessment report, a curriculum, a technical design or a set of reviewed policy documents. Payment may be tied to the organization’s acceptance of those outputs.

What an individual contractor does

An individual contractor is engaged for a specific short-term task or piece of work. The work can resemble functions performed by staff and can be full-time or part-time.

The administrative instruction gives examples such as translation, editing, language training, public information work, clerical support and maintenance. An individual contractor does not necessarily work on UN premises.

The practical distinction lies in the nature of the requirement. Consultancy work calls for specialist advice or a defined intellectual product. Individual contracting covers a wider range of temporary tasks and services. Actual terms of reference matter more than the vacancy title.

Both are non-staff arrangements

Consultants and individual contractors are not staff members under the UN Staff Regulations and Rules. They do not receive a staff grade, even when the organization uses an equivalent Professional level as one reference when setting a fee.

Their fee is normally quoted as a gross amount. Under the Secretariat instruction, the individual is responsible for taxes due on that income. The UN does not reimburse those taxes or issue the kind of earnings statement associated with staff salaries.

The Secretariat also does not arrange life or health insurance for consultants and individual contractors. They must secure their own coverage for the period of the contract. Limited compensation can apply to service-incurred injury, illness or death under the relevant rules, but that is not a substitute for personal medical insurance.

Travel is covered only when the contract requires it and states the applicable arrangements. Applicants should not assume that a lump-sum fee excludes travel or that the organization will reimburse every trip. The financial proposal, terms of reference and contract should answer that question.

Duration and payment

The assignment period is tied to the work described in the terms of reference. Under the Secretariat instruction, a consultant may normally be engaged for no more than 24 months within a 36-month period, whether the service is continuous or intermittent.

For individual contractors, the usual ceiling is six work-months within 12 consecutive months. Certain special needs can permit up to nine work-months under the policy conditions. The UNCCD’s official guidance summarizes these Secretariat limits and also explains that these personnel do not receive paid leave or staff benefits.

A contract may pay by completed output, milestone, month or another stated schedule. Payment commonly depends on certification that the work was completed satisfactorily. A monthly payment schedule does not turn the fee into a staff salary.

Questions to settle before accepting

Read the deliverables and delivery dates as closely as the subject matter. Broad terms of reference can create disagreement later about what the fee covers.

Check whether the proposed amount is all-inclusive. Confirm which party pays for travel, visas, equipment, software, communications and insurance. If the work is remote, establish whether working hours must overlap with a particular duty station.

Look at the payment triggers. A contract with one final payment places more cash-flow risk on the contractor than one with accepted monthly milestones. Check the process for revising a deliverable and the time allowed for review.

Applicants should also review provisions on confidentiality, intellectual property, conflicts of interest and termination. If the assignment requires access to another employer’s information, disclose the potential conflict before signing.

Finally, verify the hiring entity. A UNICEF consultancy, a UNDP individual contract and a Secretariat consultancy may use similar language while applying different policies. The correct comparison is between the written offers from those organizations, not between the titles alone.