Consultant –Data Analyst – State Procurement Facilitation Cell

Background

UNDP strives to have a workforce which reflects diversity and gender balance and applies an equal opportunities approach. All selection is on merit.

Government of Assam (GoA) has received financing from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) towards the cost of “Assam State Public Finance Institutional Reforms” project (ASPIRe Project). A Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) in the form of a Society named, Assam Society for Comprehensive Financial Management Systems (AS-CFMS) has been created for implementing the ASPIRe Project. ASPIRe project envisages to i) strengthen the the PFM institutional framework and systems, ii) improve institutional and human resource capacity in the areas of cash and debt management, procurement and Public Private Partnerships (PPP), and iii) build the capacity of the Government of Assam’s officials in Finance and line departments in various aspects of Public Financial management (PFM).

To strengthen efficiency and transparency in public procurement; GoA has enacted the Assam Public Procurement Act, 2017. The objective of the Act is to provide a sound legal framework for public procurement reflecting the principles of transparency, efficiency, economy, and accountability and to scale up the use of e-procurement. The Assam Public Procurement Rules are currently in the final stage of approval and are likely to be notified soon.

The Assam Public Procurement Act, 2017 prescribes formation of the State Procurement Facilitation Cell (SPFC). This cell shall serve the purpose of providing policy and technical guidance to the government in procurement related matters. The functions of SPFC as outlined in the APPA are as follows:

1. to maintain and update the State Public Procurement Portal set up under section 17;

2. to arrange for training and certification specified in terms of section 48;

3. to recommend to the State Government measures for effective implementation of the provisions of this Act;

4. to provide guidance, consistent with the provisions of this Act and the rules and guidelines made thereunder, to the procuring entities with respect to the matter relating to public procurement;

5. to study different methods of public procurement and prepare and recommend standard bidding documents, pre-qualification documents or bidder registration documents;

6. subject to the provisions of sub-section (2) of section 28, encourage procuring entities to adopt electronic procurement; and

7. to discharge such other functions as may be assigned to it by the State Government consistent with the provisions of this Act and the rules and guidelines made there under.

The Government of Assam (GoA) has sought UNDP’s technical assistance in strengthening the State Procurement Facilitation Cell (SPFC) by providing experts in the public procurement domain.

Duties and Responsibilities

The overall objective of the proposed services is to provide technical support to the State Procurement Facilitation Cell (SPFC) in effective implementation of the Act and Rules in the State of Assam. The Consultant is expected to provide support to SPFC. The scope of support provision is bifurcated into the following:

Procedural Support:

Procurement reforms in Assam are at a nascent stage. As such, many procuring entities lack capacity. This results in several procedural deficiencies and errors thereby leading to procurement failures. Thus, the consultant is expected to act as a procurement resource expert and provide handholding support to the procuring entities across the Government of Assam. This activity would broadly comprise the following tasks:

1. Assist procuring entities in their bid process management, including selection of appropriate procurement method, preparation of bidding documents, conducting pre-bid meetings and making necessary documentation, drafting corrigenda, creating templates for bid evaluation, preparing a checklist for negotiations etc.

2. Assist procuring entities in preparing accurate cost estimation

3. Assist procuring entities in contract management and resolving the issues thereof.

4. Assist procuring entities in creating framework agreements with vendors for recurring requirements of common goods, works and services.

5. Assist procuring entities in contract extension, variation, pre-mature termination, etc.

6. Assist procuring entities / SPFC to report anti-competitive practices to the CCI.

7. Assist in carrying out procurements for externally aided projects during preparatory stages.

8. Analyse procurement data generated through e-Procurement portal, GeM, etc., and provide insights to the procuring entities / SPFC on matters such as sector-wise competitiveness of the market, price trends, commonly made mistakes, etc.

9. Any other tasks assigned by the supervisor.

Duration of Consultancy:

The consultant shall be engaged for six months which shall be spread over a period of 2 years. The consultant shall work closely with the SPFC and ASPIRe Procurement Reforms Unit during the engagement.

Competencies

Functional Competencies:                                                                                                

Job Knowledge/Technical Expertise:

• Knowledge related to Public Procurement Systems

• Exposure to Central or State government’s work

Communication skills:

• Good communication, interpersonal and presentation skills, with an ability to work in a multi-cultural environment.

Building Strategic Partnerships

• Establish, build and sustain effective relationships, partnerships and alliances, advocate effectively and communicate sensitively

Results based monitoring

• Identifies problems and propose solutions

• Demonstrates extremely strong influencing and facilitation skills.

Promoting Organizational Learning and Knowledge Sharing

• Generates new ideas and approaches, researches best practices and proposes new, more effective ways of doing things

• Shares knowledge across the organization and builds a culture of knowledge sharing and learning.

Corporate Competencies: 

• Demonstrates integrity by modelling the UN’s values and ethical standards

• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability

Core Competencies: 

• Demonstrates/safeguards ethics and integrity

Required Skills and Experience

Educational Qualifications:

Graduate / Post graduate in any discipline

Experience:

• At least 6 years of working experience in the data analytics domain out of which at least 3 years should be in analysing data pertaining to procurement / purchase including spend analysis.
• Experience of working with the Governments will be preferred and given additional weightage.

Knowledge and Skills

• Must have sound understanding of principles underlying good procurement practices and understanding of procurement rules and procedure, ability in identifying and resolving procurement issues.
• Must have good understanding of the public procurement process including e-procurement platforms.
• Service aptitude is a must.
• Excellent Analytical & Problem-solving skills
• Prior experience with Government, UN agencies and other international organizations is desirable

Language Requirements : Fluency in English

Consultancy Fee:Consultant shall be required to submit per day rate quotation; payments shall be made on quarterly basis upon submission of invoice along with a report of tasks performed during each quarter.

Evaluation Method and Criteria: Evaluation and ranking will be done based on the following criteria:

• Educational Qualification: 20 Marks;
• Relevant Experience: 30 Marks;
• Interview: 30 Marks;
• Financial Quotation: 20 Marks

Candidates obtaining a minimum of 70% (35 marks) of 50 marks will be eligible to appear for the interview. Top scoring candidate (out of total 100 marks) will be sent offer of consultancy in order of ranking.

Interview for the shortlisted candidates would be either conducted face to face (Venue to be informed) or by telephone /over skype.

Notes:

As system allows uploading only one file, please merge above-mentioned documents to be submitted as part of application into one (1) single PDF document and upload.

Application may not be accepted, if all the above listed documents are not submitted.

The following documents can be accessed, clicking the link:

General Conditions for Individual Contract-http://www.in.undp.org/content/dam/india/docs/procurement/UNDP%20General%20Conditions%20for%20Individual%20Contracts.pdf

Offerors Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and Availability for the Individual Contractor (IC) Assignment, including Financial Proposal template

http://www.in.undp.org/content/dam/india/docs/careers/PSU_%20Individual%20Contract_Offerors-Letter-UNDP.pdf

For queries, please email to: ic.india@undp.org