Public Procurement Specialist

UNOPS is an operational arm of the United Nations, supporting the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects worldwide. Our mission is to help people build better lives and countries achieve sustainable development.  UNOPS areas of expertise include infrastructure, procurement, project management, financial management and human resources.

As a central procurement resource for the United Nations system and its partners, UNOPS emphasises efficient, transparent, cost-effective and sustainable delivery of goods, services and works, in line with public procurement best practices. We offer dedicated solutions to increase transparency and efficiency throughout the supply chain, including strengthening national procurement capacity.

We advise governments to ensure that public procurement reaps benefits for the whole of society. We offer solutions to address fraud and corruption, increasing competitiveness and effectiveness. With over 20 years of specialised experience, UNOPS is the procurement provider of choice for many partners.

The purpose of this assignment is to provide UNOPS with a high-level understanding of the status of public procurement in Ukraine, including ongoing and planned activities by the government and international partners to improve procurement capacity and practices. On that basis, the consultant will make recommendations on which areas could benefit from UNOPS expertise, identify potential collaboration areas, and help develop UNOPS programmes that address the identified needs. 

1. Monitoring & Progress Controls 

The consultant will be in charge of the following activities:

1. Review the UNOPS methodology for such procurement assessments and adapt it for this assignment. The UNOPS methodology typically includes consideration of:

• Regulatory framework
• Strategic procurement issues
• Governance & anticorruption
• Procurement operations & management
• System performance
• Support functions
• Business perception of public contracting
• Procurement under Overseas Development Assistance 

1. Identification of sources for desk review, according to the topics defined in the methodology.

1. Assessment of the procurement system based on the results of the desk-review.  The methodology provides a number of premises (assertions) describing the features and situation of an ideal procurement system (e.g. positive statements). Each system under analysis will hold those premises true to different levels, hence a scoring criterion is provided.
2. Interviews and consultations with key stakeholders in Ukraine to complement the desk review assessment. 
3. Final conclusions and recommendations. The consultant will prepare a short and concise thematic brief, following a structure provided by UNOPS, highlighting the issues with specific recommendations for a public procurement reform strategy. The assessment will follow the logic of observation - interpretation/conclusion - recommendation.

2.             Deliverables  

1. During the inception phase
   1. Review the methodology and questionnaires already prepared, so as to be aligned and familiar with them in advance of the assignment
   2. Preliminary findings and  issues (high level) to UNOPS based on the desk review and associated assessment;
   3. List of institutions and contacts to be interviewed at the country level;
      
      
   4. Preliminary findings and issues (high level) to UNOPS following the interviews; 
   5. Interview minutes.

1. Interviews at the county level

1. Following the data gathering and analysis

1. The first draft of the assessment report for UNOPS review and comments, covering the following;

• Executive Summary
• Background and Purpose
• Methodology
• Details of Findings
• Recommendations and action plan for the short, medium and long term, including on     governance, management and support structures 
• Annexes: List of interviewees, organizations visited; Documentary references; Completed public procurement questionnaire.

1. The final version of the assessment report based on UNOPS prior review and comments;
2. Draft findings and recommendations in a presentation highlighting the salient points of the findings and the recommendations to be presented at a later stage to Government and Donor stakeholders;
3. List of potential UNOPS programmes that would address Government needs, each accompanied with an initial one-page concept note. 

D. Support partnership building with the Government and international actors

1. Participate in the presentation of the report to the Government and donors, as appropriate.
2. Based on dialogue with the Government and donors, help prepare concept notes and proposals for UNOPS programmes that address Government needs
3. Support the development and funding of programmes, including meetings with Government and donors
4. List of potential partners that can benefit from UNOPS expertise. 

All written deliverables shall be prepared in the English language. 

The payment of the consultant will be based on the timely delivery and approval by the UNOPS Country Director of the agreed deliverables. 

3.             Work plan

Depending on the scale of the context, the level of existing knowledge, and the level of detail expected, this research process (i.e. completion of deliverables A-C) might take up to two months to complete. The support to partnership building with the Government and international actors in procurement is likely to continue during the remaining part of 2021 and beyond. 

1. Master’s degree in Public Administration, Business Administration, International Relations, Political/Security/Development Studies, or other relevant disciplines is required.

2. Post-graduate certifications or accredited training in public procurement is desirable. 

1. At least 7 years of relevant experience, working on Public Procurement. You would have substantial experience from a government agency, a leading local or global provider of management advisory or consulting services to the public sector. 

2. Experience with excellent knowledge of the public procurement system (regulations, and key stakeholders) in Ukraine is a requirement.

3. Knowledge of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Agenda 2030 will be an advantage.

4. Experience as a World Bank, Regional Development Bank, OECD Procurement Specialist / Consultant will be an advantage. 

5. Experience from developing and executing partnership and business development plans, including a recent record of project development, is desirable

1. Contract type: Individual Contractor Agreement (ICA)
2. Contract level: Local ICA level 11
3. Contract duration:  Up to 100 working days on retainer basis

• Please note that the closing date is midnight Copenhagen time
• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
• Only those candidates that are short-listed for interviews will be notified.
• Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
• UNOPS seeks to reasonably accommodate candidates with special needs, upon request.
• Work life harmonization - UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands. We have a progressive policy on work-life harmonization and offer several flexible working options. This policy applies to UNOPS personnel on all contract types
• For retainer contracts, you must complete a few Mandatory Courses (around 4 hours) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS.
• The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS.  

It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential recruits/interns.
Recruitment/internship in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.

PLEASE INCLUDE A COVER LETTER IN YOUR APPLICATION. Thank you.