Procurement Consultant – 3 Positions – Home-Based

Job Title: Procurement Consultant (Construction) – 3 Positions – Home-Based

Organization: UN Women

Location: Home-based

Application Deadline : 14-Jul-23 (Midnight New York, USA)

Job Category : Management

Type of Contract : Individual Contract

Post Level : International Consultant

Languages Required : English  

Duration of Initial Contract : 12 Months

Expected Duration of Assignment : 12 Months

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.

UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Background

UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security.

Under the overall guidance of the Chief of Procurement, and working under the auspices of the UN Women Procurement Policy Team, the Procurement Consultant ensures execution of transparent and efficient procurement services and processes for the designated units/projects within HQ – and provides guidance to field and regional offices as assigned, consistent with UN Women rules and regulations. The Procurement Consultant will promote a client-focused, quality and results-oriented approach and will support: (i) compliance with UN Women policies and regulations; (ii) effective systems to support programme delivery and growth; (iii) accountability to organizational values and principles; and (iv) an enabling workplace environment in which staff potential is maximized.

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Provide technical expertise and guidance in complex procurement cases related to civil works and engineering projects in full compliance with UN Women’s rules, regulations, policies, and business procedures:

• Provide technical advice pertaining to procurement of civil works, construction, civil/electrical engineering including identification and reporting of risks involved in the procurement plans for civil works in all stages and recommend mitigation measures
• Lead the review of procurement requests related to civil works/engineering services and collaborate with UN Women Regional and Country Offices to assess needs and develop detailed technical requirements.
• Lead the preparation and/or review of tender documents (RFQ, ITB, RFP), technical specifications, and evaluation methodologies in compliance with UN Women procurement rules, related to civil works.
• Lead the review of relevant procurement plans to identify a pipeline for complex procurement projects and determine the technical expertise needed for civil works.
• Provide input and lead the development of Standard Operating Procedures, best practices or existing tools related to the procurement of civil works, construction, or technical/engineering expertise necessary for quality assurance mechanisms in civil works contracts.
• Identify potential categories for Long-Term Agreements (LTAs) with construction and engineering suppliers.
• Share knowledge, experiences, and enhance the overall capacity in the area of procurement of civil works.

2. Organization of procurement processes as entrusted to the Procurement Section at UN Women Headquarters - focusing on achievement of the following outputs:

• Administer sourcing, supplier selection and evaluation, quality management, customer relations management, e-procurement introduction and supplier performance management;
• Remain aware of agreed procurement plans for designated units/departments at UN Women Headquarters; monitor their implementation;
• Organize procurement processes including preparation and conduct of RFQs, ITBs or RFPs, receipt of quotations, bids or proposals, their evaluation, negotiation of certain conditions of contracts in full compliance with UN Women rules and regulations;
• Review procurement requests; prepare submissions to the Procurement Review Committee (PRC);
• Organize the high value and complex procurement processes, for designated units/departments (and others where applicable), in the development of solicitation documents; conduct evaluations and perform the quality assurance for the procurement actions;

3. Participate in implementation of UN Women’s procurement strategies in full compliance with UN Women’s regulations, rules, policies, and business procedures, focusing on achievement of the following outputs:

• Monitoring and reporting on the progress of the periodic and year end closures for the designated units/departments;
• Provide and gather substantive inputs to procurement related reports and analyses; research and draft responses to enquiries for clearance by the Procurement Specialist;
• Provide substantive inputs to the implementation of procurement management policies and strategies on cost saving and reduction;
• Introduce new ideas to the existing policies and procedures in line with the corporate business requirements and ensure benchmarking with other UN and non-UN agencies with respect to gender responsive procurement policies, procedures, systems, guidelines as well as the application of best practices;
• Contribute to the development of sourcing strategies.

4. Technical Procurement and Travel support for designated units/departments in the organization’s ERP system in full compliance with UN Women’s rules, regulations, policies, and business procedures:

• Review vendor information and ensure its compliance with organization policies and requirements;
• Review and provide technical advice to UN Women Regional and Country Offices’ procurement focal persons;
• Receive and review travel requests and other forms for further processing; Provide advice, information, and assistance related to the procurement module in Atlas, procurement policies and related business procedures;
• Conduct periodic and annual PO closure exercise by generating reports from Atlas in coordination with the project managers of the designated units/departments;
• Submit documents and information related to designated units/departments to auditors and other entities upon request, following approval by the chief of section.

Competencies

Deliverables

• Support the timely coordination, facilitation and implementation of procurement activities based on procurement plans and available budget;
• Timely and quality processing of purchase orders;
• Proper and accurate maintenance of files and databases, documents are easily retrievable;
• Timely organization of transport and logistics activities.

Competencies

Core Values:

• Respective for Diversity
• Integrity
• Professionalism

Core Competencies:

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues
• Accountability
• Creative Problem Solving
• Effective Communication
• Inclusive Collaboration
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Leading by Example

Please visit this link for information on UN Women’s Core Values and Competencies that you are expected to abide by during the execution of the consultancy: https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-values-and-competencies-framework-en.pdf.

Mode of Contract Execution

The services will be delivered remotely out of an abundance of caution due to COVID.

Required Skills and Experience

Required Qualifications, Experience and Skills:

• Master’s degree in Civil Engineering, Structural Engineering, Architecture, Procurement, Administration with (2) years of progressively responsible experience in constructions works and procurement at the national or international level or a Bachelor's degree (or equivalent) in the same fields with at least two (2) additional years of experience.
• Knowledge of UN and/or public procurement procedures and practices pertaining to civil works is highly desirable (such as FIDIC).
• Procurement Certification from an internationally recognized provider such as CIPS (level 2) is an asset;
• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc);
• Experience in handling of web-based management systems, such as Oracle

Languages

• Fluency in oral and written English is required;
• Knowledge of another official United Nations language is desirable.

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