Standard Cost and Ratio Manual

The Standard Cost and Ratio Manual is a set of internal guidelines, originally established by the Field Budget and Finance Division of the Department of Field Support, which provide guidance for the preparation of peacekeeping and special political mission budgets.

Purpose
The Manual is a compilation of best practices and relevant instructions from the General Assembly. Although the element of the manual that receives the most attention from the General Assembly are the standard ratios and usage, the Manual also covers guidance on staffing as well as the costing of operational requirements and military and police personnel requirements. The standard ratios and usage cover the number of items (or monetary equivalent) per type of personnel and, for vehicles, costing considerations such as fuel usage, replacement criteria, spare parts allocation and insurance costs.

Standard ratios and usage
The standard ratios are not prescriptive. Each mission is assessed in its own right, using the ratio as the benchmark; where needed, plans are customized to address individual mission needs in line with the expected levels. For illustrative purposes, tables for information and communications technology and transport equipment from the 2016 edition of the Manual are reproduced below; as the ratios are periodically updated to reflect corporate initiatives, these are not necessarily the ratios currently in use.

Distribution ratio for common ICT equipment
Civilian personnel, military observers, staff officers and individual police officers

Formed military and police units

Transport ratios
Light passenger vehicles