United Nations Office for Project Services

What United Nations Office for Project Services does

UNOPS (United Nations Office for Project Services) is a United Nations operational agency headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, established in 1973 and operating as a separately governed UN entity since 1995. The organization provides five core services: Infrastructure Solutions, Project Management, Procurement, Human Resources Services, and Financial Management. These services are delivered directly to national and local governments, UN agencies and missions, international development organizations (including the World Bank and African Development Bank), and to fragile and conflict-affected states. Approximately two-thirds of UNOPS project work in 2025 was delivered in special or fragile situations, underscoring the operational focus on high-risk environments where private-sector capacity is constrained.

The business model is project-based professional services delivery rather than product sales. UNOPS does not publicly disclose pricing; services are funded through voluntary contributions from UN member states, multilateral development banks (such as KfW and JICA), and other partners who engage UNOPS to manage and implement funds on their behalf. In 2025, the organization signed contracts worth $3.4 billion and procured $1.4 billion in goods and services, against a five-year average annual delivery of approximately $3 billion. The organization operates in 130+ countries with 5,001-10,000 employees, distributed across regional structures spanning Africa, Asia & Pacific, Europe & Central Asia, Latin America & Caribbean, and the Middle East.

The technology footprint is operational rather than proprietary. UNOPS maintains the data.unops.org transparency platform, publishes IATI-format datasets under specified terms of use, and offers business opportunities and jobs portals. There is no public-facing developer API. UNOPS hosts or co-hosts several multilateral platforms including Cities Alliance, the Santiago Network, the Platform on Disaster Displacement, the South East Asia Energy Transition Partnership, ICAT, the NDC Partnership, and SEforALL. Leadership is provided by UN Under-Secretary-General Jorge Moreira da Silva as Executive Director. The organization is governed by its Executive Board and operates under the UN Charter.

Name

United Nations Office for Project Services

Legal name

United Nations Office for Project Services

Website

https://unops.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1973

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

UNOPS is a UN operational agency that delivers infrastructure, procurement, project management, HR, and financial management services to governments, UN agencies, and multilateral development partners across 130+ countries, with two-thirds of work in fragile and conflict-affected contexts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Development and Project Implementation Services

NAICS

Public Administration (92), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Facilities Support Management Services (8744), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

United Nations System & Specialized Agencies (BPADAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Health Systems Strengthening & Universal Health Coverage (UHC) (BPADAIAE)

Keywords

• Project implementation services
• Sustainable infrastructure development
• Public procurement services
• Humanitarian project management
• UN operational services

Headquarters

HQ city

Copenhagen

HQ country

Denmark

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Project Implementation Services: UNOPS provides infrastructure, procurement, project management, HR services, and financial management services to governments and UN partners. The organization manages funds entrusted by partners and delivers projects on their behalf.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

UNOPS is a United Nations operational agency that delivers infrastructure solutions, project management, procurement, human resources services, and financial management support to governments, UN agencies, and international development partners. It implements projects on behalf of partners in over 130 countries, specializing in fragile, conflict-affected, and developing contexts, with a focus on sustainable, climate-resilient, and inclusive outcomes.

Product overview

UNOPS operates as a United Nations agency providing practical solutions through five integrated core services: Infrastructure Solutions, Project Management, Procurement, Human Resources Services, and Financial Management. The organization also offers data.unops.org as a transparency platform for project information and publishes IATI-format datasets for stakeholder use. These services collectively support peace, security, humanitarian, and development projects globally, with a focus on delivering sustainable, resilient, and inclusive outcomes in conflict-affected and developing regions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Infrastructure Solutions Provides sustainable, resilient, and inclusive infrastructure solutions to governments and partners worldwide, supporting climate adaptation, nature-based solutions, and long-term development objectives.
• Project Management Uses sustainable approaches to deliver projects and programmes of all sizes and build capacity in developing countries on behalf of governments and institutional partners.
• Procurement Helps governments and partners leverage public procurement for sustainable impact, sourcing goods and services from suppliers globally with emphasis on transparency and value for money.
• Human Resources Services Provides tailored human resources solutions offering effective operational support to address partners' staffing, recruitment, and personnel management needs across project locations.
• Financial Management Manages grants and funds entrusted by partners, providing transparent and efficient financial services aligned to development priorities, including fund administration and fiduciary oversight.
• data.unops.org A dynamic data platform providing information on UNOPS projects implemented worldwide, supporting transparency, accountability, and stakeholder access to operational data.

Quantifiable outcome

• Delivered $1.4 billion in procurement in 2025
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• African Development Bank GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 June 2026Joint partnership with WFP and Federal Government of Somalia on $11.8 million ACALS initiative to strengthen agricultural and pastoral systems in drought-affected regions of Hirshabelle and Puntland, supporting 180,000 people.
• World Food Programme (WFP)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 June 2026First joint project between WFP and UNOPS in Somalia, signaling shift from short-term emergency aid toward longer-term food security and climate adaptation investments. Joint initiative with African Development Bank Group.
• PT PLN (Persero)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 April 2026Formalized expanded partnership to accelerate Indonesia's energy transition through studies on coal-fired power plant transition, smart grid and Energy Storage System development, and renewable energy assessments. Building on 2021 collaboration foundation.
• Global Center on AdaptationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 March 2026Bangladesh Climate-Resilient Infrastructure Stress-test assessment led by Bangladesh's Ministry of Environment, working with UNOPS, University of Oxford, and Center for Environmental and Geographic Information Services, with support from Netherlands Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management.
• University of OxfordsupportingTechnology or Integration · 4 March 2026Partner in Bangladesh Climate-Resilient Infrastructure Stress-test assessment, providing academic expertise and research support.
• World BankcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 December 2025World Bank-supported Emergency Lifeline Connectivity Project in Yemen, implemented by UNOPS. Has rehabilitated 153 km of rural roads, providing climate-resilient access to over 1.5 million people and generating 807,300 labor-days of employment.
• Cities AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal partnership hosted by UNOPS that fights urban poverty and supports cities to deliver sustainable development. Works to build resilient cities and support urban adaptation and mitigation processes.
• Santiago NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-hosted by UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction and UNOPS, plays crucial role in enhancing delivery of action and support to address climate change impacts in developing countries.
• Platform on Disaster DisplacementcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosted by UNOPS, a group of states leading action to better protect people displaced across borders in the context of disaster and climate change.
• South East Asia Energy Transition Partnership (ETP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerManaged by UNOPS, a multi-stakeholder platform that aims to accelerate energy transition in Southeast Asia and deliver Paris Agreement targets by bringing together government, donors, philanthropies and partner governments.
• Initiative for Climate Action Transparency (ICAT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerManaged by UNOPS, supports improved transparency and provides policymakers with tools and support to measure and assess the impacts of their climate actions.
• NDC PartnershipsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrings together 117 developed and developing countries and 84 institutional members to create and deliver on ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions for Paris Agreement and SDGs.
• Climate Vulnerable Forum & Vulnerable Twenty (V20)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNOPS supports Climate Vulnerable Forum and Vulnerable Twenty Joint Multi-Donor Fund to help build stronger, climate-resilient and low carbon economies.
• Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerSEforALL drives action towards achieving SDG7: access to sustainable energy for all by 2030. Works with UN, governments, private sector, financial institutions, civil society and philanthropies.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Chemonics International: Chemonics is one of the largest US-based international development contractors, implementing donor-funded programs in governance, health, and infrastructure globally. It competes with UNOPS for bilateral donor implementation mandates, particularly in conflict-affected environments.
• DAI Global Health: DAI is a private-sector international development company that competes with UNOPS for USAID, FCDO, and World Bank implementation contracts in fragile states. It is smaller and operates commercially rather than as a UN agency, but offers similar project management, procurement, and capacity-building services.

Direct peers

• UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR): UNDRR co-hosts the Santiago Network with UNOPS to deliver climate adaptation support to developing countries. The two agencies share mandates in disaster preparedness, climate resilience, and fragile-state engagement.
• United Nations Development Programme (UNDP): UNDP is the UN's global development network and the closest direct peer to UNOPS. Both agencies deliver projects on behalf of partners across 130+ countries, share the same governance structure (UN Executive Board), and compete for the same donor-funded implementation mandates covering infrastructure, governance, and crisis response.
• Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ): GIZ is Germany's federal agency for international development cooperation, providing project implementation, procurement, and capacity-building services to governments and multilateral partners. Its service portfolio (infrastructure, procurement, HR, financial management) maps almost one-to-one to UNOPS's five core service lines, making it the most comparable bilateral agency peer.
• UNDP Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office: UNDP MPTF Office administers pooled donor funds for development and humanitarian programming — a service line that directly overlaps with UNOPS's financial management mandate. Both compete for fund-agent designations from the same donor pool.
• UN-Habitat: UN-Habitat is the UN agency for sustainable urban development and works closely with UNOPS on resilient cities and infrastructure projects (e.g., Cities Alliance, hosted by UNOPS). Both agencies target similar government clients and climate adaptation funding pools.
• UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO): UNIDO is a UN specialized agency promoting industrial development, with overlapping mandates in sustainable infrastructure and inclusive economic development. It partners with UNOPS on industrial and energy transition projects and shares the UN governance and funding model.
• UNICEF Supply Division: UNICEF Supply Division procures over $7B annually of goods and services for children, operating a global procurement and logistics function that directly overlaps with UNOPS's procurement service line. Both compete for and cooperate on UN system procurement mandates.

Broad incumbents

• World Bank: The World Bank is a much larger multilateral development institution that funds infrastructure and development projects and increasingly implements directly. As a major UNOPS funder and partner (e.g., the Yemen Emergency Lifeline Connectivity Project), the World Bank is both customer and competitor in the implementation space.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/unops
• YouTubevimeo.com/user45688906
• Facebookfacebook.com/unops.official
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/unops
• Instagraminstagram.com/unops_official
• TikToktiktok.com/@unops_official

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about United Nations Office for Project Services