Procurement and Contracts Officer

PROCUREMENT AND CONTRACTS OFFICER

1.0 BACKGROUND

The Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs is implementing Financial Access for Rural Markets, Smallholders and Enterprises (FARMSE) Programme with funding from International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the Government of Malawi (GOM) and the Private Sector and intends to use part of the proceeds of the funding to engage the services of a grant management officer. FARMSE is a ten year programme beginning July 2018 and finishing in June 2028. The total cost of the programme is US$103 million with IFAD contributing US$72 million, with US$31 being contributions from the Government of Malawi, private sector partners and NORAD.

FARMSE is a nation-wide programme mainly implemented through various projects supporting ultra-poor graduation, development of community based financial organizations (CBFOs) and accelerating innovation and outreach facilities for rural financial services.

The programme has four components being:

1. Ultra Poor Graduation component;
2. Support to financial innovation and outreach as component 2 with two sub-components (a) support for community based financial organisations and (b) innovation and outreach facility;
3. Component 3 for strategic partnerships, knowledge generation and policy; and
4. Component 4 is for programme management.

FARMSE is inviting applications for the position of Procurement and Contracts Officer tenable at the PMU in Lilongwe. The Procurement and Contracts Officer shall be responsible for managing procurement processes and contract administration of all programme contracts. As head of the procurement unit, the incumbent will be tasked to ensure compliance with Government of Malawi (GOM) Procurement regulations and ensure due diligence to comply with IFAD Procurement Guidelines and handbook.

Key Responsibilities and Duties

• Managing of appropriate procurement systems and procedures for effective planning and monitoring of procurements under the project;
• Oversee preparation and consolidation of inputs to and manage the Annual Procurement Plan;
• Review and update as required procurement manual for implementing partners for FARMSE, including grant recipients and strategic partners, which sets the minimum standards of compliance for the procurement of goods and services under FARMSE financing;
• Work with National Programme Coordinator and Technical Adviser on the selection processes of Fund Manager for the implementation of wholesale financing under Component 2.2;
• Continuously train (on the job) implementers in the preparation of terms of reference, specifications and proactive follow-up of these inputs in the bidding processes;
• Prepare bidding documents based on acceptable bidding standards for all procurements of the Programme;
• Ensure all prior review requirements such as obtaining of No Objections from IFAD are complied with in a timely manner for all procurements that require prior reviews;
• Ensure that all the due tendering processes are adhered to: sufficient publications, strict adherence to deadlines, transparency in communications with bidders, publication of bid results, etc.;
• Ensure acceptable record keeping in procurement with at least a complete procurement file for each procurement from start to contract finalization. Maintain all procurement records in a form appropriate for regular auditing and spot checks by supervision missions;
• Communicate to all implementing entities and service providers their responsibilities and requirements with respect to procurement in keeping with prevailing Government practices which are acceptable to IFAD;
• Oversee the contracting processes and management of all contractual obligations of the FARMSE including matching grants from start to end;
• Oversee the contracting process, including ensuring that Evaluation Committees have people with appropriate expertise;
• Monitor implementation of contracts: report status and problems to the National Programme Coordinator monthly; and intervene to address problem upon request by the Coordinator;
• Ensure that goods and services have been procured in accordance with the financing agreement and the GOM procurement regulations;
• Work with the Financial Controller to ensure that tax exemptions for the procurement of goods for the project are secured at the appropriate time;
• Prepare quarterly reports of progress with implementation of the Procurement Plan, and regularly inform the National Programme Coordinator of problems and make proposals to overcome bottlenecks;
• Follow up on any issues related to Procurement, identified in the Supervision Mission Report and Audit Report.
• Advise and propose mitigation measures for non-performance of contracts and report any identifiable indicators of fraud, collusion and other unethical practices in procurement and contracting process.
• Carry out any other relevant activities that are assigned by the National Programme Coordinator.

2.0 Qualifications, Skills and Competencies

The person should be mature, team oriented professional with good analytical and good communication – able to guide procurement processes for the programme. He/ She should be able to strike rapport with personnel at different levels within and without the PMU and be able to support procurement capacities of implementing partners of FARMSE with regards to procurement guidelines and procedures to avoid mis-procurement incidences.

He/she must be a strong self-motivated individual working with no or minimal supervision and able to travel to rural areas and meet tight deadlines.

Specific qualification and skills requirement include:

• Bachelor Degree in Procurement, Business Administration, Economics or similar discipline; or full membership of either Malawi Institute of Purchasing and Supply (MIPS) or Chartered Institute of Purchase and Supply (CIPS). A master’s degree will be an added advantage.
• At least 5 years of relevant work practical experience in procurement at a senior position with at least three years involved in managing project/programme funded by development partners such as IFAD, World Bank, AfDB e.t.c.
• Good understanding of procurement processes of Malawi Government and development partners;
• Ability to work well in teams and to interact with a wide range of private sector partners and government representatives;
• Knowledge and experience of matching grant processes;
• Skills in planning and reporting;
• Excellent quantitative and analytical skills;
• Computer knowledge and able to work on Microsoft Office programmes including Excel, Word and Power-point;
• Experience from working in IFAD funded programme in Malawi will be an added advantage.

3.0 Method of application

Applications must include a covering letter explaining your suitability for the position, a detailed curriculum vitae (CV) giving details of qualifications and experience, certified copies of relevant certificates, Valid mobile phone numbers and names and addresses of three traceable referees, one of which must be from the recent employer should be sent to the following address below before or on 26th September, 2024.

The National Programme Coordinator
Financial Access for Rural Markets, Smallholders and Enterprise (FARMSE)
JAD Complex
P O Box 30049
LILONGWE 3

info@farmse.org

rchisuwo@farmse.org