The UN may condition its acceptance of a bid or proposal on pre-inspection of the deliverables, if such inspection is deemed prudent and in the best interest of the UN. In such cases, the Solicitation Document shall state that pre-inspection shall not relieve the contractor from any of its warranties or the performance of the supplied goods/services or any obligations under the contract. Such inspection should be completed before an award is issued, unless there is reason to issue a conditional award, for instance, to lock in prices, subject to a satisfactory inspection.

Examples of cases which may warrant an inspection include the purchase of pharmaceuticals, vaccination material and high-value goods being supplied from a new source. In this context, "high value" is defined to mean goods with an estimated value of USD 500,000 or more.

Who performs these inspections?
Although such inspection may be performed by UN personnel, inspection by a duly authorized agent such as an international surveillance company is normally preferable to ensure that an independent and qualified third party certifies the quality of the deliverables.