Background

The purpose of this procurement exercise is to contract individual consultants who will support and strengthen the capacity of the CPU Team to provide quality and accelerated service delivery in response to the procurement requirements of UNDP HQ Business Units.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the UN’s global development network, advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. UNDP works to implement the SDGs in more than 170 countries and territories, helping to achieve the eradication of poverty, and the reduction of inequalities and exclusion. It helps countries to implement projects, develop policies, leadership skills, share experiences, develop institutional capabilities and build resilience to sustain development results. 

To fulfil its mandate and achieve its vision, UNDP must procure a significant volume of goods and services. As a public organization entrusted with donor funds and committed to supporting developing economies, UNDP works to improve access to quality assured supplies in a cost effective and reliable way. Due to the complexity and time sensitivity of some procurement actions, procurement experts are a key element of Operation Teams and UNDP projects. The contracting of these experts in a timely and effective manner is essential to respond effectively to the organization’s expertise needs within challenging contexts, without compromising any of its rules and regulations.  

The Central Procurement Unit (CPU/PSU) in the Bureau for Management Services (BMS) provides procurement support services for UNDP business units in UNDP Headquarters by centrally coordinating all procurement transactions over USD5K. It currently serves the following Central Bureaus (CBx): BMS, Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS), Bureau for External Relation and Advocacy (BERA) and Crisis Bureau (CB), ensuring cost and time efficiency, required compliance and added value to clients.

Those CBx identify procurement needs and make decisions, while CPU provides procurement services and guides the client through the process and decides on the best sourcing strategy. Routing procurement requests through CPU will lead to a quicker turn-around time, and a higher quality, cost effective outcome.

Duties and Responsibilities

Task and Deliverables:

• Provide support to CPU Buyers in assisting clients with procurement planning, contract management, and complex procurement processes, conducted by CPU.
• Support CPU buyers in conducting supply market analysis of requirements received in CPU in order to understand how the market works, the direction, the competitiveness of the market, the key suppliers and the value that suppliers place on the organization.
• Support with procurement activities and identify most suitable procurement strategies to meet the identified needs.
• Provide inputs to assist CPU in determining opportunities for consolidating and standardizing requirements from various offices.
• Provide inputs to assist CPU in determining feasibility of developing comprehensive supply mechanism such as LTAs, etc. to meet the identified needs.
• Develop and support efforts to enhance financial sustainability of procurement operations with focus on internal efficiencies and value for money, e.g. by streamlining internal business procedures, e.g. updating and maintaining the LTA Repository and IC Roster platform, etc.
• Support in conducting procurement processes leading to development of suitable procurement tools, systems, mechanisms and contracts that will ensure timely delivery of equipment to National Institutions fulfilling the identified requirements.
• Provide support elaboration of contract strategy, sourcing strategy, quality management, supplier selection, improvement of procurement processes.
• Provide support with analysis of information for preparation of procurement plans and monitoring of its implementation.
• Provide support with development and management of the rosters of suppliers, LTAs, elaboration of supplier selection and evaluation criteria, quality and performance measurement mechanisms.
• Identify opportunities for leveraging supply markets on the basis of consolidated needs.
• Support CPU with specific procurement processes including preparation and conduct of RFQs, ITBs or RFPs, receipt of quotations, bids or proposals, their evaluation, negotiation of certain conditions of contracts in full compliance with UNDP rules and regulations.
• Liaise with technical managers, as directed by CPU buyers, to review TOR and provide support to the technical evaluations.
• Assist with specific contractual issues and monitoring.

Support CPU buyers with the preparation of submissions to the Contract, Asset and Procurement Committee (CAP) and Advisory Committee on Procurement (ACP).

Competencies

Functional Competencies:        

Promoting Organizational Learning and Knowledge Sharing:

• Researches best practices and proposes new, more effective ways of doing thing.
• Documents innovative strategies and new approaches.

Job Knowledge/Technical Expertise:

• Understands the main processes and methods of work.
• Possesses basic knowledge of organizational policies and procedures relating to the assignment and applies them consistently in work tasks.
• Identifies new and better approaches to work processes and incorporates same in own work.
• Strives to keep job knowledge up-to-date through self-directed study and other means of learning.
• Demonstrates good knowledge of information technology and applies it in work assignments.

Design and Implementation of Management Systems

• Uses information/databases/other management systems.
• Provides inputs to the development of simple system components.
• Makes recommendations related to work procedures and implementation of management systems.

Client Orientation:

• Reports to internal and external clients in a timely and appropriate fashion.
• Organizes and prioritizes work schedule to meet client needs and deadlines.
• Establishes, builds and sustains effective relationships within the work unit and with internal and external clients.
• Responds to client needs promptly.

Core Competencies:

• Demonstrating/safeguarding ethics and integrity.
• Demonstrate corporate knowledge and sound judgment.
• Self-development, initiative-taking.
• Acting as a team player and facilitating team work.
• Facilitating and encouraging open communication in the team, communicating effectively;
• Creating synergies through self-control.
• Learning and sharing knowledge and encourage the learning of others.

Required Skills and Experience

Academic qualifications:

• A minimum level of Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Management, Public Administration or related field is required.
• Higher level of education (Master’s Degree) in relevant area will be an asset.
• Specific training, certificate (e.g. CIPS certification) or diploma in supply chain, procurement and/or logistics will be positively considered.

Experience:

• At least two (2) years of experience in procurement, logistics, administration, management, research, or related area is required.
• Proven exposure to complex procurement operations in a multilateral/international organization, and experience with development of tender documents, management of procurement processes, bid evaluation, submission of cases to Oversight Committees and contract management is an asset.
• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) is required.
• Advance knowledge of automated procurement and ERP System (such as UNDP Atlas or similar) and experience in handling of web-based management systems is an asset.
• Proven professional experience focusing on client management and working with a diverse team will be an asset.

Language:

• Fluency in written and spoken English is required.
• Working knowledge of another UN language would be an asset.

Application Procedure

The application package containing the following (to be uploaded as one file):

• A cover letter with a brief description of why the Offer considers her/himself the most suitable for the assignment; and
• UNDP P11 form (template available on the link below), indicating all past experience from similar projects and specifying the relevant assignment period (from/to), as well as the email and telephone contacts of at least three (3) professional references.

Note: The above documents need to be scanned in one file and uploaded to the online application as one document.

Shortlisted candidates (ONLY) will be requested to submit a Financial Proposal.

• The financial proposal should specify an all-inclusive daily fee (based on a 7 hour working day - lunch time is not included - and estimated 21.75 days per month).
• The financial proposal must be all-inclusive and take into account various expenses that will be incurred during the contract, including: the daily professional fee; (excluding mission travel); living allowances at the duty station; communications, utilities and consumables; life, health and any other insurance; risks and inconveniences related to work under hardship and hazardous conditions (e.g., personal security needs, etc.), when applicable; and any other relevant expenses related to the performance of services under the contract.
• In the case of unforeseeable travel requested by UNDP, payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses should be agreed upon, between UNDP and Individual Consultant, prior to travel and will be reimbursed. In general, UNDP should not accept travel costs exceeding those of an economy class ticket. Should the IC wish to travel on a higher class he/she should do so using their own resources.
• If the Offeror is employed by an organization/company/institution, and he/she expects his/her employer to charge a management fee in the process of releasing him/her to UNDP under a Reimbursable Loan Agreement (RLA), the Offeror must indicate at this point, and ensure that all such costs are duly incorporated in the financial proposal submitted to UNDP.

The Financial Proposal is to be emailed as per the instruction in the separate email that will be sent to shortlisted candidates.

Evaluation process

Applicants are reviewed based on Required Skills and Experience stated above and based on the technical evaluation criteria outlined below.  Applicants will be evaluated based on cumulative scoring.  When using this weighted scoring method, the award of the contract will be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

-Being responsive/compliant/acceptable; and

-Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation where technical criteria weighs 70% and Financial criteria/ Proposal weighs 30%.

Technical evaluation - Total 70% (70 points):

• Criteria 1: Master’s Degree in Business, Management, Public Administration or related field. Weight = 10%; Maximum Points: 10pts
• Criteria 2: Specific training, certificate (e.g. CIPS certification) or diploma in supply chain, procurement and/or logistics. Weight = 5%; Maximum Points: 5pts
• Criteria 3: Proven exposure to complex procurement operations in a multilateral/international organization, and experience in management of procurement processes including development of tender documents, receipt and evaluation of bids, submission of cases to Oversight Committees and contract management Weight = 20%; Maximum Points: 20pts;
• Criteria 4. Professional experience focusing on client management and working with a diverse team will be an asset. Weight = 10%; Maximum Points: 10pts;
• Criteria 5: Working knowledge of a UN language other than English. 1 additional language=2pts, 2 languages=4pts; more than 2 languages=5pts. Weight = 5%; Maximum Points: 5pts; and
• Criteria 6: Interview: Weight = 20 %; Maximum Points: 20pts.

Having reviewed applications received, UNDP will invite the top shortlisted candidates for interview. Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Candidates obtaining a minimum of 70% (49 points) of the maximum obtainable points for the technical criteria (70 points) shall be considered for the financial evaluation.

Financial evaluation - Total 30% (30 points)

The following formula will be used to evaluate financial proposal:

p = y (µ/z), where

p = points for the financial proposal being evaluated

y = maximum number of points for the financial proposal

µ = price of the lowest priced proposal

z = price of the proposal being evaluated

Contract Award

Candidate obtaining the highest combined scores in the combined score of Technical and Financial evaluation will be considered technically qualified and will be offered to enter into contract with UNDP.

Institutional arrangement

The consultant will work under the guidance and direct supervision of the Chief of Central Procurement Unit (CPU) and will be responsible for the fulfilment of the deliverables as specified above.

Payment modality

-Payment to the Individual Contractor will be made based on the actual number of days worked, deliverables accepted and upon certification of satisfactory completion by the manager.

The work week will be based on 35 hours, i.e. on a 7 hour working day, with core hours being between 9h00 and 18h00 daily.

Any request for clarification must be sent by email to ignacio.inestal@undp.org with copy to ferouze.mohamed@undp.org   

The UNDP Central Procurement Unit will respond by email and will send written copies of the response, including an explanation of the query without identifying the source of inquiry, to all applicants.