PRICING GUIDELINES AND PROCEDURES

A. Place-to-Place Survey, April 2016 Turkmenistan

B. Description

On behalf of the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC), a cost-of-living survey will be conducted by the ICSC in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan in May 2016. The data collected will be used to update the post adjustment index and the expenditure weights used in the calculation of post adjustment for Ashgabat, Turkmenistan

C. Scope of Work

Introduction

You are required to STRICTLY adhere to the guidelines and procedures outlined below.

TWO copies of the pricing form are provided for the entry of the prices collected for each of the items specified.

You may use one of copy of this form as a working copy. However, the identical information must be transferred to the other copy. When the task is completed, return both copies of the pricing form to the Survey Coordinator. One copy will be retained at the local office and the other sent to New York.

Actual dates for the price collection should be specified on EACH page of the pricing form (upper-right corner of the page). The entire period of the price collection exercise should be entered on the COVERpage of the pricing form.

LIST OF OUTLETS

The names and addresses for the outlets to be visited will be provided to you by the Survey Coordinator.

The names and addresses of all outlets used should be entered and numbered sequentially on the sheet entitled "List of Stores" provided in each form. Thereafter, the NUMBER of the outlet in which a price was collected, NOT ITS NAME, should be entered under the "Store" column on the pricing sheet.

An outlet on the approved list is not used for price data collection if it:

? is no longer in business;

? could not be found at the location address provided; contains no items with the desired specifications;

? does not correspond to the type of outlet it was supposed to represent (for instance, an outlet that was supposed to be a supermarket but turns out to be a gourmet shop for selected items cannot be used as originally classified); and

? is a small designer boutique or bargain basement or budget store (these types of outlets are not used for price data collection).

Do not collect prices in any open market unless that is where expatriates shop or, if that is the only market available. Also, do not price substandard or luxury items.

D. Expected Outputs and Deliverables

PRICING GUIDELINES AND PROCEDURES

Number of price quotations

It is desirable to obtain 5 quotations for each price item, one from each of five different stores. In some situations, where the stores patronized by the international officials are limited in number, three quotations may be sufficient. In some cases, however, especially for electronic and high-technology items, more than 5 price quotations should be collected.

Review of items to be priced

The items included in these pricing forms are standard and used worldwide for the UN common system. It is assumed that some items may not be available due to local conditions. If some items cannot be priced due to conditions specific to the duty station (e.g., woolen clothing might not be available in a country with a warm climate), please give an explanation.

Use of specifications

Each item for which prices are to be collected is shown on a separate pricing sheet and described in the specification printed on the sheet. Please study the specifications thoroughly.

Prices should be collected in accordance with the specifications and any deviation should be noted. The column "Comments" should be utilized for any explanation or observations.

Prices should be collected for brands suggested in the specifications. If none are available, price well known good quality brands.

All prices should refer to items which are in good condition and which are sold in sufficient quantity in the outlets. If the available item meeting the specification is not in good condition, or is the only piece (either because the management plans to stop selling it or because it will no longer be manufactured), then do not price the item.

Recording of the price data

Use one line (of the five lines per sheet) for each outlet. If more than one line is needed, write "see over" at the bottom of the page and use the reverse side of the pricing form, to record the information. Leave no blank spaces in any of the columns; the store, brand, weight, capacity, price, etc. must be filled in. Unless all the information is properly entered, your work cannot be considered as completed. Special attention should be given to the recording of the NET WEIGHT, CAPACITY OR SIZE. For instance, if the price for French bread is given as "50 cents per loaf", the average weight of a loaf must be indicated; otherwise the price without the weight is meaningless for the purpose of comparison. This rule also applies to the "bottle", "tube", "can", "box", or "piece"; these units must be further described as to weight or capacity.

Since data for five separate outlets will be recorded on a single page, do not allow any merchant to see the data collected in any other outlet. If it is necessary to show the item specification to any person who is assisting you, cover up any data already entered.

Domestic or imported

If domestic goods are purchased by the international officials, prices of domestic products are preferable. When imported goods are widely used, prices for imported goods should be obtained and the country of origin specified.

Sales tax

Prices should include retail sales tax and/or other taxes paid. If the tax is not included in the price of the item, indicate the tax rate to be used for the item.

Sale prices

Whether or not a sale price should be used may be determined by the type of sale involved. If the sale lasts for a week or more, and if the price collection is done during this period, then enter the sale price in the "Price" column, and in the "Comments" column, record the regular price. If, however, the sale is due to the complete liquidation of the outlet, a close-out of an entire line of merchandise, fire-damaged goods being cleared from the outlet, a one-day event or similar special circumstances, then enter the regular price of the item in the "Price" column. No additional notation is required.

Price ranges

In the case where there are several brands/models/varieties of an item, all of which meet the same specification, and there does not seem to be any part of the specification, that helps you decide which one to price, and then choose the one that is the best seller (usually the one occupying the largest shelf space). If there is no substantial difference among them in quantities sold, then give prices for three of the types which meet the specification and which show the lowest, highest and medium prices for the item in that outlet.

Specific commodity groups

For seasonal food items, it is especially important that you indicate the seasonality of the item priced.

If items sold in bulk (e.g., flour, rice) are usually sold by some special local measure, you may give the price for that measure, as long as you provide the equivalent standard weight or capacity.

In all descriptions of food items, when we use the word "fresh", we do not mean "good-looking", "recently delivered to the market", or "newly-harvested". We mean, "not further processed". Therefore, "Fresh pasteurized milk" is milk that has had nothing done to it except pasteurization. Thus, "fresh milk" is differentiated from "long life" and "tinned milk".

It is accepted that items of clothing may not always match the specifications perfectly. For example, all wool or all cotton clothing may not be available, while 80% wool or cotton plus some other fiber may be available. Notwithstanding exclusions listed in pricing forms, in such cases, price items nearest to the specification and indicate the composition of the fabric (i.e., 80% wool 20% silk, or 90 % wool 10% mohair)

Unless otherwise specified, clothing prices should refer to garments, which fit average-sized individuals. Do not price garments meant for those with extra small or extra large build.

For appliances, whenever possible, obtain a manufacturer's brochure or catalogue, which describes the item being priced. The name and model number do not usually give us the information we need, as model numbers vary across countries.

Items priced in other than local currency

If for any reason the prices of items in a particular outlet are quoted in another currency, please indicate clearly the name of the currency and the reason for this method of payment. Also, please provide the exchange rate at time of the survey.

E. Duration of the Work

The data collection takes approximately 2 weeks. Due to the nature of the assignment, the pricing agent must complete the prices collection between May 1 and May 31.

Date: 2016-06-13; view: 5