One Step Closer to UN Procurement: Datakom’s Experience at EUPF 2026

The European Procurement Forum (EUPF) is an annual international event that brings together European companies and procurement professionals from the United Nations (UN). The forum aims to help businesses better understand the UN procurement system, establish connections with UN agencies, and prepare for participating in international procurement opportunities. The programme includes presentations, panel discussions, one-on-one meetings with UN procurement officers, and practical guidance on supplier registration and cooperation opportunities.

This year, as part of the INGO project, Datakom, a member company of the Latvian IT Cluster, attended the forum. We invited them to share their impressions, key takeaways, and insights into the opportunities this event offers companies interested in developing business with the UN system.

The following questions are answered by Kārlis Skrodelis, Head of the International Project Development Group at Datakom.

1. What were your main objectives in attending the European Procurement Forum in New York?
Our main objective was to gain a better understanding of how Datakom can strategically engage with UN and international organization procurement. We were particularly interested in learning how other providers of ICT infrastructure, cybersecurity, cloud computing, and managed IT services have successfully entered these organizations, as well as building relationships with UN representatives and potential partners.

2. Were you able to achieve your objectives? What were the main insights and benefits of participating in the forum?
Yes, we achieved our objectives. The forum provided a much clearer understanding of UN procurement processes, evaluation approaches, and the practical requirements suppliers must meet. We also gained valuable insights into how other companies have built long-term success working with UN organizations and established contacts with potential partners.

3. Did you establish new contacts or identify potential cooperation opportunities with UN agencies, partners, or other companies during the forum?
Yes. We had valuable one-on-one meetings with representatives of the UN Secretariat and UNDP, as well as discussions with potential cooperation partners and the Permanent Mission of Latvia to the United Nations in New York. These meetings helped identify opportunities both for direct participation in UN procurement and for cooperation with larger international ICT companies. The next step is to make the most of these newly established contacts.

4. What opportunities do you see for Latvian companies within the UN procurement system and the broader international organizations market?
The opportunities are real, especially in ICT, cybersecurity, data centres, managed services, and specialized technologies. However, one thing is very clear—this is not a quick sales channel. Success requires patience, systematic monitoring of procurement opportunities, strong compliance practices, and the ability to meet international requirements. Several companies that are now successful UN suppliers shared that it took them three to five years to build a solid level of cooperation.

5. What are the next steps after participating in the forum? Have you already started using the knowledge and contacts you gained, for example by participating in new tenders or initiating partnership discussions?
Our next steps are to maintain contact with the UN representatives and partners we met, continue monitoring procurement opportunities through UNGM, and carefully identify tenders where we have a strong technical and commercial fit. The knowledge gained is already being applied in evaluating new procurement opportunities and in partnership discussions. However, this is a long-term process that requires persistence.

6. Are there any additional insights, observations, or recommendations you would like to share, either based on your own experience or as encouragement for other companies?
Latvian companies should not underestimate themselves or assume they are too small for the international organizations market. However, it is essential to have a clear value proposition and solid evidence of previous experience. These must align with what UN organizations are actually looking for and need.
The real value of forums like EUPF is created not only during the event itself but especially afterwards—through how professionally a company follows up on conversations and turns new contacts into concrete business opportunities.
As with many industry events, the greatest value comes from networking rather than the presentations themselves. The presentations are publicly available, while the opportunity to build meaningful relationships is what makes participation truly worthwhile.

Participation in the event was supported within the framework of the INGO project.