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.[1]
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
| Equipment | Ratio | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Desktop or laptop | 1:1 | Personnel |
| Handheld portable radio | 1:1 | Personnel |
| Desktop printers | 1:4 | Computers |
| Mobile radios (VHF) | 1:1 | Vehicles |
| Mobile radios (HF) | 1:1 | Operational vehicles regularly traveling outside VHF repeater range or vehicles utilized for road evacuation |
| Base station radios (VHF) | 2:1 | Per fixed geographic location if no mobile HF network exists, otherwise 1:1 |
| Base station radios (HF) | 1:1 | Per fixed geogrphic location if mobile HF network exists |
Formed military and police units
| Equipment | Infantry battalion | Standalone company | Formed police unit | Position or outpost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Telephone lines | 10 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Telephone sets | 10 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Handheld radios | 12 | 6 | 6 | 4 |
| HF base station | 6 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| VHF/UHF base station | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| HF mobile radio | 10 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| VHF/UHF mobile radio | 10 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Mobile phone | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| DC-DC converter | 10 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Satellite phone | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Computing device | 10 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Multi-function printer | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Transport ratios
Light passenger vehicles
| Personnel type | Ratio personnel per vehicle |
|---|---|
| Head of mission, DRSRSG, D-2 (VIP vehicles) | 1.0 |
| Senior mission management, D-1 | 1.0 |
| Close protection officers | 2.0 |
| International civilian personnel in substantive offices | 2.5 |
| International civilian personnel in integrated support services | 2.5 |
| International civilian personnel in administrative services | 4.5 |
| United Nations Volunteers | 4.5 |
| National Professional Officers | 4.5 |
| Military observers | 2.5 |
| Military staff officers | 4.5 |
| Military police | 2.5 |
| Individual police officers | 2.5 |
| Contractors | as agreed in contract |
| Formed military and police units | as agreed in memorandum of understanding |
| Driver testing vehicles | as required |
| Local staff (minibus for commuting) | 8.0 |
| Local staff (medium bus for commuting) | 24.0 |
See also
References
- ↑ Standard Cost and Ratio Manual, Version 2.0 (August 2016)