Contract Management Specialist (Infrastructure)
Tashkent
- Organization: UNOPS - United Nations Office for Project Services
- Location: Tashkent
- Grade: Mid level - IICA-2, International Individual Contractors Agreement
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Occupational Groups:
- Procurement
- Infrastructure and Urban-Rural development
- Closing Date: Closed
Functional Responsibilities
Under the supervision of the Senior Programme Manager and with guidance from the Procurement Senior Manager, the incumbent will assist the Project Managers, field level teams including Engineers, as well as other internal UNOPS units such as the Infrastructure and Design Management units in several construction contract administration activities for civil works, with a focus on change management processes, (especially managing Variations and Adjustments), managing Commencement, Delays, Taking Over and other responsibilities of both the Contractor and Employer. , contract award and contracts administration for civil works and medical/laboratory equipment supplies. S/he will also assist the Project Managers, and Procurement team in bid evaluation activities as needed and work in close collaboration with the procurement, finance and administration teams to deliver the final products.
Summary of functions:
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Technical Assistance
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Contract Management
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Monitoring and Process Control
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Stakeholder Management
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Documentation and Reporting
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Knowledge Sharing
1 Technical Assistance
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Provides advice to technical specialists and the Procurement Section in the development of Statement of Works (SOW) and Terms of Reference (TOR) to ensure they contain sufficient details for a clear understanding of requirements and to ensure they are performance-based.
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Coordinates the pre-mobilization kick off meeting with all relevant stakeholders to ensure a full understanding of the requirements, responsibilities, reporting and timing of the contract;
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Take part in the tendering process for selection of suppliers, consultants and contractors;
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Prepares the contract for issuance to suppliers and obtains appropriate signatures once the procurement award is approved.
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Assist Project Managers in the issuance of contract notices in connection with work contracts;
2 Contract management
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Act as the focal point for operational contract management issues as well as in establishing and maintaining a mechanism to capture key issues, challenges, gaps and possible areas of improvement.
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Provide technical lead and guidance on the verification of claims for payment against Contracts (both national and international suppliers/contractors/consultants).
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Supports the development of technical evaluation criteria and provides guidance during contract drafting.
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Develops a quality assurance plan to provide a systematic method to monitor contract performance.
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Participates in the development of contract risk assessments and risk management plans, including mitigating measures.
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Verify the eligibility of contract variation requests previously submitted to the executing project.
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Participates in the assessment of contractor performance, including advice and action to address instances of poor performance and/or non-compliance with contractual obligations.
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Supports contract closeouts including identifying, documenting and disseminating best practices and lessons learned and securing the final contractor performance assessment.
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Liaises with other departments (Procurement, Finance, etc.) in relation to claims and disputes, demanding specific performance, claiming against warranties and other contractual remedies.
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Works towards resolution of conflicts or performance issues arising in cases of poor performance and/or non-compliance with contractual obligations.
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Provide advice to the projects on the management of contractual matters during implementation.
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Interact with local teams in order to understand issues described in the various claims.
3 Monitoring and Progress Control
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Assist the Project Managers in managing and monitoring contractors’ performance to ensure contractual compliance in consultation with the Procurement Manager.
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Support projects to keep track of expenditure verifications of the contractors and ensure their timely closure.
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Supports the preparation and processing of contract amendments and contract terminations as required in accordance with UNOPS rules and regulations.
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Advises the Project Managers of options for remedial actions in cases of conflicts/problems arising in case of poor performance or non-compliance with contractual obligations, negotiates remedies with the contractor and escalates problems as necessary towards the resolution within the terms and conditions of the contract.
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Support the development and continual improvement of the process map and internal Standards Operations Procedures (SOPs) on contract management.
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Support the Project managers and the SPM in the production of reports and other documentation necessary both internally at UNOPS and for external stakeholders' management and updates.
4 Stakeholder Management
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Develops and manages a Contract Management Plan to ensure; all contract conditions are met during mobilization, verification of insurance and goods procured, evaluation of subcontractor’s personnel qualifications, monitoring the delivery of contractual terms, certification of reports, payments are made in a timely manner and contract renewal/new contract procurement is initiated well in advance of needs.
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The plan is also to include the schedule, methods, aims and monitoring of communication with stakeholders.
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Assist PM in drafting a letter to issuance to stakeholders in case of any disputes in the contract.
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Participate in meetings with stakeholders related to contractual issues.
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Assist PMs in preparation for the handover of the asset with proper documentation.
5 Documentation and Reporting
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Maintains electronic files for all contracts, related contract documentation and correspondence.
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Assists the Project Manager with the evaluation of the Vendor’s performance against the agreed performance measurement criteria.
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Monitor information related to contractual arrangements – on audits, inventories, utilization and all such elements in the contracts.
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Maintain the contract database in the system to be readily available.
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Regularly develop and maintain a database/archive of all related information and documentation by filling all required records for contracts both in hard copy and on the share drive;
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Keep PMs updated on progress and issues, and prepare briefing materials as requested for discussions.
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Any other tasks assigned by the supervisor.
6 Knowledge Sharing
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Lead the provision of “contract management knowledge” to be transferred to the team as necessary for the team to understand the main aspects of contract management and claims management.
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Train the team on the structure and principles of the Contracts.
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Interact with the local team to explain, in conformity to Contracts, what data/type of information/documentation is necessary to support to process of claims discussion with the suppliers/contractors.
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Interact with the local team in order to explain the process to follow, according to existing Contracts, in order to properly address the claims for payment.
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When required and appropriate, train team members so to progressively delegate on future claims verification.
Education/Experience/Language requirements
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Advanced University (Master's Degree or equivalent) in Engineering, Law, Business Management, International Development or other relevant discipline with a minimum of 5 years of relevant experience; OR
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First-level University degree (Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent) in Engineering, Law, Business Management, International Development or other relevant discipline with a minimum of 7 years of relevant experience
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A minimum of 5 years of working experience in procurement, contract management and administration, Project Management/ Infrastructure/Office management etc is required.
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Minimum of 5 years relevant experience, defined as experience in contract management, and project management related to Infrastructure and/or procurement of Goods and Services is required;
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Knowledge of FIDIC based contracts is required.
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Proven skills in outlining and transferring to other colleagues from different backgrounds the main elements of contract management requirements and processes are required.
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Proven skills in claims analysis, verification and negotiation, preferably in developing countries is desirable.
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Strong computer skills, including internet navigation and office applications (Google); good knowledge of the use of Google spreadsheets.
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Fluency in English is required
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Fluency in Uzbek and/or Russian is an asset