Democratic Republic of the Congo: Procurement Advisor

Summary of key functions:

1. Development and Implementation of procurement strategies adapted to the new scope of the Hub
2. Management of procurement processes, Technical supervision and support to Project Centres on all procurement related matters
3. Contracts Administration and Management
4. Facilitation of capacity building and knowledge sharing
5. Organization and promotion of Supplier Sustainability Initiative

1.Development and support for Implementation of procurement strategies adapted to the new scope of the Hub

• Coordinate with the relevant staff, including relevant senior managers and clients of procurement department, to understand the needs and plans.
• Conduct review of current procurement processes and provide reports and briefs on relevant issues, as well as project and work plans to remedy identified issues and bring forth improvements.
• Support the implementation of the required strategic procurement activities in the Hub: establish Long Term Agreements and Blanket Purchase Agreements for common user items and services in the Hub, develop sourcing strategies specific to local context for the Project Centres (supplier selection and evaluation, quality management, customer relationship management, performance measurement, etc.), etc.;
• Support the implementation of project specific procurement processes, including formulation of strategy for obtaining best results, developing criteria for evaluation, preparation and conducting of ITBs and RFPs, evaluation of bids and proposals, pre-award negotiation of contract conditions with winning bidder(s), submissions for review and award to UNOPS Contract Committees, prepare Purchase Orders and Contracts in and outside of oneUNOPS;
• Review unsuccessful procurement processes conducted by Hub’s procurement personnel; undertake remedial actions when and where possible to positively conclude the process.
• Work on integrating sustainable procurement and innovation within the hub procurement strategy.

2.Management of procurement processes, Technical supervision and support to Project Centres on all procurement related matters

• Oversight, technical supervision, guidance and mentoring of the procurement units and procurement personnel;
• Provide interpretation of procurement policies and guide the personnel within the Hub on the appropriate application of procurement policies and procedures in their daily work;
• Ensure full compliance of the Hub’s procurement activities with UNOPS policies and strategies by designing and operationalizing a client-oriented procurement management system for the Hub to monitor and control the implementation of procurement plans and procurement processes conducted by Hub’s procurement personnel;
• Manage the process of periodic (annual, semi-annual and quarterly) procurement planning for the projects and oversee their implementation ensuring effectively-functioning processes to avoid costly delays and lost opportunities for the projects and the Hub;
• Provide technical support to Project and Countries on all procurement related matters, including:

• Assistance in identification of procurement needs at the project development stage;

• Assistance in preparation of realistic procurement plans and development of appropriate procurement strategies;

• Assistance in preparation of technical specifications, terms of references, scope of works;

• Assistance in cost estimations for the required goods/services/works;

• Responsible for quality of solicitation documents;

• Guiding the personnel throughout the solicitation, evaluation and submission for award processes whenever required;

• Assistance in contract management and dispute resolution issues;

• Quality assurance (preclearance and clearance) for procurement actions and documentation requiring a PA approval (solicitation documents, shortlists, requests for awards, submissions to LCPC and HQCPC, contracts, agreements, etc.) and obtaining, on timely manner, of the necessary approvals and clearances from the relevant PA; The incumbent should become within the 6 first months UNOPS procurement reviewer if not already the case.

• Ensure effective lines of communication between the Hub’s Programme Management Office, Project Managers and procurement teams to ensure priority requirements, timely delivery of goods, works and services using the most appropriate procurement procedures;

• Provide inputs to the Hub’s administrative business process mapping and development for streamlining the various procurement related process-flows between the Hub and other business units (headquarters, the regional office, countries).

3Contracts Administration and Management:

• Develop appropriate contract management tools, guidelines and manuals for standardization and knowledge sharing purposes;
• Provide oversight over various contract management processes and ensure transparency;
• Monitor and analyze contract performance against agreed benchmarks through agreed reporting mechanisms and advise the concerned Project Manager on potential issues and recommend remedial actions;
• Negotiate, within the terms and conditions of the contract, solutions to conflicts/problems arising in case of poor performance or non-compliance with contractual obligations and convene meetings with contractors to allow ample opportunity for the identification and early resolution of potential disputes in the best manner achieving the best interest of UNOPS, its clients and beneficiaries

4Facilitation of capacity building and knowledge sharing:

• Synthesis of lessons learnt, keeping abreast of best practices in procurement and making recommendations for continuous improvements of processes and policies in the Organisation;
• Develop effective working relationships with the Hub’s procurement personnel; coach, mentor and evaluate the Hub’s procurement personnel;
• Promote and support a learning culture by empowering individuals and teams to identify critical learning needs and plan/provide easy access to learning opportunities to maintain personnel competency and flexibility;
• Develop trainings and related training materials and promote capacity development among the Hub’s procurement personnel;
• Make sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice;
• Build strong and collaborative relationships with a network of people who possess a variety of competencies;
• Look for ways to build capacity of local counterparts and facilitate appropriate arrangements for capacity building for the suppliers and contractors to execute their responsibilities effectively and efficiently.

5Organization and promotion of Supplier Sustainability Initiative:

• Develop risk based mechanisms for monitoring the compliance of suppliers with behavioral codes of conduct;
• Develop processes for managing sustainability risks for goods, works and services.

https://jobs.unops.org/pages/viewvacancy/VADetails.aspx?id=17694#2