Post of Duty: Washington DC - USA.
The IDB Group is a community of diverse, versatile, and passionate people who come together on a journey to improve lives in Latin America and the Caribbean. Our people find purpose and do what they love in an inclusive, collaborative, agile, and rewarding environment.
About this position
The IDB seeks to implement a pilot for Caribbean water utilities to be able to share and access information in real time that will help them with decision making as well as potentially carve a way for pool procurement in the Region through a technology platform. The water and sanitation sector in the Caribbean is fragmented. While many utilities face similar challenges, there are limited tools to foster information sharing, particularly on specific and technical aspects, like specifications, performance, and availability of materials utilized for the provision of water service.
Connecting the Caribbean water and sanitation utilities into a virtual community where they can share parts and materials information in real time could have significant benefits, such as save money and time when procuring parts and materials, provide each other with expedited mutual aid in the event of a natural disaster or other emergency need for parts, equipment, or materials. The future of the water and sanitation sector is a networked ecosystem where utilities are working together to improve resiliency, save money, and make smarter decisions. To achieve the objective of the proposed pilot Data Sharing Platform for Caribbean utilities to be able to share and access information, it is proposed that a virtual community is formed by providing access to utilities to the platform by H2bid, powered by AURSI. AURSI is an innovative virtual parts community for public utilities.
The AURSI platform is the only virtual community with a network effect connecting utilities (electricity and water) in real time to share information about parts and materials and expedite mutual aide. AURSI is based on a database where each utilityโs material standards information is entered into a database, cross-referenced, and accessible to other utilities. The IDB Water & Sanitation (WSA) Caribbean Team assembled representatives of the water utilities from IDBโs Country Department Caribbean (CCB) Countries as well as those of the Caribbean Development Bank, the Caribbean Water and Wastewater Association (CWWA), and the Caribbean Water and Sewerage Association (CAWASA) for a demonstration of the H2bid platform. The feedback indicates that the Platform would be useful to share among utilities and with the professional and utility associations in the Caribbean.
The beneficiary utilities would like to test the platform to decide whether to commit to use the platform and incorporate it into their management processes. The proposed pilot focuses on integration of innovative technologies to improve information sharing and potentially pool procurement by utilities of the Caribbean Region. A key feature of the H2bid/AURSI platform is its capability to pool procurement, which would improve economy of scale when purchasing materials, parts, and equipment. However, given its sensitive nature and rules that apply to procurement may differ across jurisdictions, the use of this feature needs to be determined.
What youโll do
The feasibility study will assess the possibility and likelihood of pooling procurement among the participating water utilities in the project. The assessment will review the similarities of parts, equipment and supplies used by the water utilities; the rules, regulations, and procedures that govern procurement in each utility; likelihood of harmonization of the rules, regulations, and procedures among the water utilities; and hurdles/gaps/issues or other impediments to pooling procurements among the water utilities. The key tasks for this consultancy are as follows:
Task 1: Review of parts, equipment, and supplies of water utilities: Identify the parts, equipment and supplies used by the water utilities. Assess the similarities and/or differences of these among the utilities. Task 2: Review of procurement rules, regulations, procedures, and required tasks: Review the rules, regulations, and procedures that govern procurement in each utility. Also, consult with the H2bid/AURSI team to determine the tasks required for pool procurement. Interview persons (i.e., those in the chain of command) responsible for authorization of procurement in each utility to solicit their views on the utilityโs procurement process and their views on the advantage and disadvantage of pooling their procurement with other utilities with similar needs; also, to gauge the willingness of their utility to engage in pool procurement. During the utility interviews, also determine the views and willingness to perform the tasks required if pool procurement is undertaken by the pilot group. Assess the similarities and differences of these rules and procedures among the participating utilities. Interview IDB Procurement Specialists knowledgeable of procurement in the Caribbean water utilities on their views of the possibility of pooling procurement. Investigate other pool procurement that may already exist among Caribbean countries and determine lessons that may be adopted. Determine the likelihood of harmonization of the rules, regulations, and procedures among the water utilities; and impediments to pooling procurements among the water utilities. Determine whether the utilities are willing to perform the necessary tasks if the pilot is expanded to include pool procurement. Also, determine the potential lead persons at each utility for pool procurement and the likely lead agency (or agencies) for pool procurement. Determine which of the utilitiesโ suppliers would be solicited by the group as part of pool procurement. Task 3: Validation of the findings: Conduct a workshop to ascertain the information collected and confirm the likelihood of pooled procurements.Deliverables and Payments Timeline
Deliverable #
Percentage
Planned Date to Submit
1. Submission and acceptance of the work plan for the assignment outlining the sequence of the activities to be conducted.
15%
15 days after contract signature.
2. Submission and acceptance on report on parts, equipment, and supplies of water utilities.
20%
6 weeks after contract signature.
3. Submission and acceptance of report on review of procurement rules, regulations, procedures, and required tasks.
20%
15 weeks after contract signature.
4. Submission and acceptance of report on validation of the findings.
20%
20 weeks after contract signature.
5. Submission and acceptance of the Final Report with recommendations.
25%
25 weeks after contract signature.
Products must be presented in English. All reports will be presented as follows: (i) relevant electronic files in MS Word, Excel, or other application acceptable to the IDB (they must include all annexes and appendices); (ii) an electronic PDF file for each full report. These reports and electronic files must be submitted within the time frames mentioned above.
The consultant must provide verified work copies of all executable files, templates, databases, and other files created during the consultation.
What you'll need
Education: masterโs degree (or equivalent advanced degree) in Procurement, Project Management, Engineering, or other fields relevant to the responsibilities of the assignment. Experience: At least 10 years of progressive experience in procurement or project management. Knowledge of procurement is a must. Experience in the Caribbean water sector is desirable. Languages: Proficiency in English.Key skills
Learn continuously. Collaborate and share knowledge. Focus on clients. Communicate and influence. Innovate and try new things.Requirements
Citizenship: You are a citizen of one of our 48-member countries. Consanguinity: You have no family members (up to the fourth degree of consanguinity and second degree of affinity, including spouse) working at the IDB, IDB Invest, or IDB Lab.Type of contract and duration
Type of contract: Products and External Services Consultant (PEC), Lump Sum. Length of contract: 6 months. Work Location: Remote.What we offer
The IDB group provides benefits that respond to the different needs and moments of an employeeโs life. These benefits include:
A competitive compensation package. A flexible way of working. You will be evaluated by deliverable.Our culture
At the IDB Group we work so everyone brings their best and authentic selves to work, willing to try new approaches without fear, and where they are accountable and rewarded for their actions.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) are at the center of our organization. We celebrate all dimensions of diversity and encourage women, LGBTQ+ people, persons with disabilities, Afro-descendants, and Indigenous people to apply.
We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job interview process. If you are a qualified candidate with a disability, please e-mail us at diversity@iadb.org to request reasonable accommodation to complete this application.
Our Human Resources Team reviews carefully every application.
About the IDB Group
The IDB Group, composed of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), IDB Invest, and the IDB Lab offers flexible financing solutions to its member countries to finance economic and social development through lending and grants to public and private entities in Latin America and the Caribbean.
About IDB
We work to improve lives in Latin America and the Caribbean. Through financial and technical support for countries working to reduce poverty and inequality, we help improve health and education and advance infrastructure. Our aim is to achieve development in a sustainable, climate-friendly way. With a history dating back to 1959, today we are the leading source of development financing for Latin America and the Caribbean. We provide loans, grants, and technical assistance; and we conduct extensive research. We maintain a strong commitment to achieving measurable results and the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and accountability.
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About IDB Lab
Is the innovation laboratory of the IDB Group. We mobilize financing, knowledge, and connections to drive innovation for inclusion in Latin America and the Caribbean. We believe innovation is a powerful tool that can transform our region, providing today unprecedented opportunities to populations that are vulnerable due to economic, social, or environmental factors. IDB Lab has a commitment to gender quality and diversity as part of its development mandate. The Strategy and Impact unit supports IDB Lab in the development of strategy, connections and knowledge, and impact measurement and reporting.
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