Every office location must have a dedicated area (e.g. mail room) for receipt of shipments, as well as dedicated staff to administer the receipt and inspection of such shipments.
In locations away from Headquarters, the head of the office will appoint in writing the people responsible for the receiving function.All purchase orders for goods or equipment issued by, or on behalf of, an office shall be consigned to the dedicated delivery location.
In the case of international shipments, goods and equipment may be consigned to another UN agency (e.g. WHO or UNDP), who will facilitate customs clearance on behalf of UNAIDS.
Staff members shall not address personal shipments to the office unless it is necessary upon reassignment.
Check on delivery
When a consignment is delivered to the consignee, it is common practice for the carrier to request acknowledgement of receipt on the delivery note.
Do not sign a receipt of delivery without first performing a cursory inspection of the packages as described in the following table (steps 1 and 2 below, and step 3, if possible).| Step | Action |
| 1 | Check the packages against the shipping documents. |
| 2 | Perform a cursory inspection of the packages. If the consignment is in apparent good order, an endorsement of “received in good external condition—contents unchecked” or similar may be given. If the consignment shows visible signs of tampering, the receipt should state necessary reservations (e.g. “cases broken”, “contents lacking”, “cartons opened with signs of pilferage”). |
| 3 | If possible, weigh the packages to determine differences between declared and actual weights. Document any discrepancies on the delivery note/receipt. |
| 4 | Perform a thorough inspection. The inspection should be made with a representative of the end-user, if possible. Note any shortages or damage and record these on the RIR. See PT.16.06 UNAIDS Security Incident Report Any insurance claim will be time-bound, so the detailed inspection must be made without unnecessary delay. |
| 5 | File the RIR in the procurement case file. |
| 6 | Assign and affix a barcoded label to each item. |
| 7 | Enter the equipment in the physical inventory. |