UNHCR’s top suppliers in 2021

The UN Refugee Agency is the United Nations’ leading agency working to protect the rights and welfare of refugees, asylum-seekers, internally displaced people, and the stateless. From a $300,000 annual budget when it was established in 1950, it has grown rapidly, until its total procurement volume amounted to $1.3 billion in 2021. Although down by 3.2% from the previous year, the agency still ranked eighth among the biggest procurers within the U.N. system. According to the U.N.’s annual statistical report data — which covers what it terms major contract awards worth over $30,000 — UNHCR spent $1.1 billion on major contracts in 2021 or 4.9% of the total spent by all U.N agencies. We looked into the data to see where it went. UNHCR’s top supplier countries and sectoral priorities Denmark is UNHCR’s top supplier country in 2021, with $113.4 million, or 10.5% of the agency’s total spending on major contracts. Lebanon followed, with $70.5 million, Switzerland, with $59.1 million, then the United States, with $49.8 million. Others in the top 10 supplier countries were: • Kenya — $45.5 million. • Turkey — $45.4 million. • United Arab Emirates — $44.3 million. • India — $44 million. • Pakistan — $33.3 million. • Uganda — $29.8 million. Six among these countries are classified as low- and middle-income: Lebanon, Kenya, Turkey, India, Pakistan, and Uganda. The remaining are high-income countries. Six sectors accounted for over half of UNHCR’s spending on major contracts: • Management and administration services — $157.1 million. • Engineering and research services — $102.3 million. • Financial and insurance services — $97 million. • Transportation, storage, and mail services — $81.9 million. • Building and maintenance services — $68.7 million. • Sports and recreational equipment — $58.2 million. UNHCR’s top suppliers in 2021 Overall, the top 10 suppliers received $181.4 million, accounting for 16.8% of UNHCR’s total major contract spending. Among these, six were also part of the top 10 in 2020: Alpinter, Danoffice IT, Kuehne + Nagel, Nextcare, NRS Relief, and Toyota Tsusho Corporation. Seven of the top 10 suppliers are based in high-income economies: Belgium, Denmark, Japan, Norway, Switzerland, and the United Arab Emirates. The rest are in low- and middle-income countries: Lebanon, Pakistan, and Russia. 1. Nextcare Founded: 1999 Location: Beirut, Lebanon Total procurement value: $37.9 million A part of the French insurance company Allianz Partners, Nextcare works in the health third-party administration industry. Since 2017, it has been contracted by UNHCR as a third-party administrator for hospital care support in Lebanon, which is part of the agency’s initiative to deliver emergency care to refugees in the country. Nextcare is UNHCR’s top supplier across all years, receiving a total of $216.3 million from 2017 to 2021. 2. Alpinter Founded: 1988 Location: Ronse, Belgium Total procurement value: $24.3 million Alpinter is a manufacturer and supplier of relief and humanitarian aid-related products, such as hygiene kits and tents. The company won $24.3 million in 2021, including contracts for the delivery of shelters and winterization kits to Afghanistan. In the last seven years, from 2015 to 2021, Alpinter received $112.8 million. Aside from UNHCR and other U.N. agencies, Alpinter has also supplied shelter and relief products to other international organizations, such as CARE, International Committee of the Red Cross, Oxfam, and Save the Children. 3. Danoffice IT Founded: 1995 Location: Svendborg, Denmark Total procurement value: $19.4 million Danoffice IT is an information technology solutions company that offers services and IT infrastructure across the world. It supplies products and services to governments and international organizations, such as the U.N. Its total awards from UNHCR since 2015 amount to $58.8 million. 4. NRS Relief Founded: 1966 Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates Total procurement value: $19.4 million NRS Relief is one of the primary suppliers of tents, solar energy products, and other relief items to U.N. agencies and other leading international organizations. In 2021, it supplied relief products worth $19.4 million to UNHCR. NRS Relief has received $158.4 million since 2016. 5. National Tent House Founded: 1957 Location: Karachi, Pakistan Total procurement value: $16.8 million A leading distributor of relief products — ranging from food parcels, hygiene kits, and tents, to winterization kits — NTH first registered as a UNHCR supplier in 1979 and has since partnered with other humanitarian organizations. NTH received a total of $99.5 million since 2015, making it UNHCR’s fifth biggest supplier overall. 6. Oracle Software Switzerland Founded: 1997 Location: Baden-Dättwil, Switzerland Total procurement value: $16.4 million Oracle Software GmbH is the Swiss office of the American multinational technology company Oracle Corporation. The company supplies computer software, winning $16.4 million in 2021 and $28.9 million overall. 7. Kuehne + Nagel Founded: 1890 Location: Taastrup, Denmark Total procurement value: $14.3 million The Danish office of Swiss transport and logistics company Kuehne + Nagel won $14.3 million for transportation services. Since 2018, the company has won $53 million in contracts from UNHCR. 8. Toyota Tsusho Corporation Founded: 1948 Location: Nagoya, Japan Total procurement value: $12.1 million Toyota Tsusho is the trading arm of the Toyota Group, working in a wide range of sectors, including automotive, energy, food and consumer services, and electronics. It won $12.1 million from UNHCR for the supply of vehicles and other related parts. Since 2018, the company has received a total of $62.9 million from UNHCR. 9. W. Giertsen Energy Solutions Founded: 2014 Location: Bergen, Norway Total procurement value: $10.5 million Part of the Norwegian industrial company W. Giertsen Group, W. Giertsen Energy Solutions works in the solar power sector. It has a strong presence in Africa, supporting both local and international organizations by providing access to electricity. In 2021, the company won $10.5 million from UNHCR for electrical systems components. The Norwegian company is among UNHCR’s overall top suppliers, receiving a total of $78.2 million since 2015. 10. Undisclosed A supplier from Russia also ranked among UNHCR’s biggest suppliers, with $10.3 million. However, the agency withheld the information — including the company name — for privacy reasons. Try out Devex Pro Funding today with a free 5-day trial, and explore funding opportunities from over 850 sources in addition to our analysis and news content.