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The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is an international financial institution and a specialized United Nations agency dedicated to eradicating rural poverty and hunger. It does so by investing in rural people. IFAD finances programmes and projects that increase agricultural productivity and raise rural incomes, and advocates at the local, national, and international level for policies that contribute to rural transformation.
The Programme Management Department (PMD), under the leadership of an Associate Vice-President (AVP), is responsible for the overall programme of loans and grants of the Fund and is composed of five (5) regional divisions and the Operational Policy and Results Division (OPR).ย
OPR oversees the development and implementation of operational policies, procedures, training, compliance performance against IFAD's procurement guidance, social, environmental, and climate assessment procedures, portfolio management, and monitoring and evaluation (M&E).
Background information
OPR is seeking qualified, experienced and motivated public procurement experts to work as individual consultants and provide first-rate services to IFAD and the projects it supports.
IFAD's Public Procurement Consultant Roster serves as an intermediate between qualified public procurement experts interested in working on IFAD consultancy assignments, and regional operational divisions seeking consultation.ย
The Procurement Consultants will work under the supervision of an IFAD's Country Director and work collaboratively with a team of IFAD staff responsible for overseeing an IFAD operation and implementing partners.
The Procurement Consultant may be contacted for specific assignments throughout the year and the remuneration will be commensurate with the candidate's qualifications, experience, and skills as well as the nature of the assignment in terms of:
Applicants that meet the qualification and experience requirements will be invited to take a written assessment. The assessment consists of multiple choice questions. ย They will be informed if they pass or fail the assessment.ย
Proof of academic requirement, work experience and references will be checked from successful candidates. Applicants will be placed on the roster for a period of 3 years only upon ย positive outcome of such checks and they will be informed accordingly.
In the interest of making most cost effective use of funds and resources, we are only able to respond to applicants who are selected for further assessment. Applicants who do not receive any feedback within three months should consider their application unsuccessful.
This call for interest is open to nationals of IFAD members States (the list can be found at https://webapps.ifad.org/members/member-states).
Key Functions and Results ย
Tasks that may require the services of procurement consultants may include:
Project design:
Assess the procurement capacities, systems and risks of implementing agencies; Determine appropriate project procurement implementation arrangements, including determining the extent of reliance on countries' procurement systems, additional procedures to ensure consistency with IFAD's Procurement Guidelines, and prior review thresholds; Develop the IFAD Procurement Risk Matrix (Part A: country-level, Part B: project-level) Develop and draft the procurement section of the Project Implementation Manual (PIM); Develop suitable project procurement supervision plans; Develop the Project's Procurement Strategy that identify the ideal market approach, contractual solution as well as Environmental & Social safeguards for the big-ticket contracts of the project lifecycle; Develop initial 18-month procurement plans; Develop capacity building plans for project staff responsible for procurement; Develop specific, actionable guidance on addressing E&S/SECAP risks (e.g. in technical specifications or bidder qualifications of the bidding documents); Prepare the Quality at Entry Questionnaire for review by the Senior Procurement Officer (SPO); Submit an assignment report (as per IFAD format), and any other relevant ancillary documents (including Procurement Plans, Implementation Manuals, Operation Manuals, etc.); Support the development of key project procurement performance indicators for IFAD's project procurement activities.Project supervision:
Conduct Project Procurement Reviews to ensure appropriate oversight of project procurement practice; Advise on complex procurement issues, propose sound solutions to correct procurement deficiencies or deter future ones; Assess contract administration and management procedures and review the completeness and updated nature of contract data in the Contract Monitoring Tool;ย Conduct specific analysis of value for money (VFM) at all levels and the reasonableness of prices; Identify risk flags and evidence of malfeasance in procurement by performing a procurement risk assessment as per IFAD's requirements; Review the current Procurement Plan in order to assess it has been fully updated and upgraded in the correct IFAD template or appropriate IFAD procurement system, ascertain its completeness, its concurrence with the AWPB, Financing Agreement, Project Procurement Arrangements (PPA) and Project Procurement Strategy (especially concerning packaging and value for money) and its consistency with the country systems and/or IFAD Procurement Guidelines and Handbook; Based on the desk review of contract data, review a minimum sample of 10% of all post-review contracts (including contracts and agreements with implementing agencies and a sample of downstream contracts) and high-risk prior review contracts during the mission for compliance;ย Review the management capacity and appropriateness of addressing SECAP risks through procurement (with specific focus on big ticket contracts and SECAP-related management at bidding stage and contract implementation stage), as outlined in the PIM; Assess the suitability and the correct compliance with the terms of any contract/agreement with implementing agencies. Downstream contracts signed by implementing agencies should be part of the post review sample in order to check if the implementing agency complies with its contractual requirements. When downstream contracts are reviewed, the existence and adequacy of distribution lists should be verified (these can be requested to be brought to the PMU).ยJob Profile Requirements ย
Education
Applicants must meet the following requirements to qualify to take the assessment:
Academic degree in Procurement, Business, Law, Economics, Finance, Engineering, Public Administration or related field. Full membership of CIPS will be considered equivalent to an academic degree. Five (5) years' experience working as a public procurement professional. Procurement work experience with projects funded by United Nations organizations or Multilateral Development Banks (e.g. IFAD, AfDB, AsDB, IADB, World Bank, UNDP, etc.).Other Information ย
It must be noted that consultants are not staff of IFAD, and that this consultancy does not carry any expectation of employment with the Fund. Remuneration will be in line with the standards set for UN consultants.