Procurement Specialist - Services - State Procurement Facilitation Cell

Guwahati

Organization: UNDP - United Nations Development Programme
Location: Guwahati
Grade: Consultancy - SB-4 (SC8/SC9), Service Contract, Local Contractors Agreement
Occupational Groups:
- Procurement
- Education, Learning and Training
- Other
- PROCUREMENT
- UN Coordination
Closing Date: Closed

Background

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:

a) to maintain and update the State Public Procurement Portal set up under section 17;
b) to arrange for training and certification specified in terms of section 48;
c) to recommend to the State Government measures for effective implementation of the provisions of this Act;
d) 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;
e) to study different methods of public procurement and prepare and recommend standard bidding documents, pre-qualification documents or bidder registration documents;
f) subject to the provisions of sub-section (2) of section 28, encourage procuring entities to adopt electronic procurement; and
g) 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 SPFC in effective implementation of the Act and Rules in the State of Assam. The Consultant team is expected to provide support to the State Procurement Facilitation Cell (SPFC).
Duties and Responsibilities:

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 centre and provide handholding support to the
procuring entities across the Government of Assam. This activity would broadly comprise the following tasks:

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.
Assist procuring entities in preparing accurate cost estimation
Assist procuring entities in contract management and resolving the issues thereof.
Assist procuring entities in creating framework agreements with vendors for recurring requirements of common goods, works and services.
Assist procuring entities in contract extension, variation, pre-mature termination, etc.
Assist procuring entities / SPFC to report anti-competitive practices to the CCI.
Assist in carrying out procurements for externally aided projects during preparatory stages.
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.

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

Post graduate in any discipline and 4 years of working experience in the public procurement domain.
Qualification in procurement will be preferred and given additional weightage.

Experience

Must have demonstrated working experience of planning and executing full cycle procurement process including preparation of bidding documents, evaluation, and contracting etc.
Experience of working with the Governments will be preferred and given additional weightage.

Knowledge and Skills

Must have in-depth knowledge of works procurement including item-rate, percentage-basis, EPC, and supply & installation contracts.
Must have working knowledge of works contract management – including preparation of measurement books and running bill process etc.
Must be conversant with new and innovative procurement practices /systems including the ones existing in India at sub-national level.
Must have In-depth knowledge and understanding of public procurement principles and procedures.
Must have sound understanding of principles underlying good procurement practices and understanding of procurement rules and procedure, ability in identifying and resolving procurement issues.
Service aptitude is a must.
Excellent Analytical & Problem-solving skills.
Prior experience with Government, UN agencies and other international organizations is desirable.

Remuneration package is INR 1,52,593 /- per month (taxable). UNDP also offers additional benefits which include medical insurance coverage and limited pension reimbursement for contract holder and encourages work life balance.

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

Disclaimer

Important applicant information

All posts in the SC categories are subject to local recruitment.

Applicant information about UNDP rosters

Note: UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement. We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

Workforce diversity

UNDP is committed to achieving diversity within its workforce, and encourages all qualified applicants, irrespective of gender, nationality, disabilities, sexual orientation, culture, religious and ethnic backgrounds to apply. All applications will be treated in the strictest confidence.

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This vacancy is now closed.
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