Background on South East Asia and the Pacific Multi-Country Office (EAPMCO):
UNOPS South East Asia and Pacific Multi Country Office (EAPMCO) supports, develops and oversees the UNOPS portfolio of projects in South East Asia and the Pacific. EAPMCO was established in January 2023 following the merger of the Thailand Multi-Country Office, which covered 20 countries across North East Asia, South East Asia and the Pacific, and the Cambodia Multi-Country Office, which covered 4 countries South East Asia - 3 countries in the Mekong Sub-region (Cambodia, Lao PDR and Vietnam) and the Philippines. EAPMCO currently covers 24 countries across North East Asia, South East Asia and the Pacific. With its head office in Bangkok, the Multi-Country Office comprises nine EAPMCOs: EAPMCO Thailand, EAPMCO Indonesia, EAPMCO Pacific Operations Cluster, EAPMCO Papua New Guinea, EAPMCO China, EAPMCO Vietnam, EAPMCO Mekong, and EAPMCO Philippines.
In 2023, the UNOPS EAPMCO implemented projects worth more than USD 76 million, in the areas of Energy Transition, Digital Transformations, Sustainable Environmental Management, Climate Change, Waste Management, Rule of Law and Access to Justice, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Post Conflict Reintegration, Emergency Relief, Post COVID19 Economic Transformations, and Health, through HR, procurement, construction, contract management, fund and program management services.
The Multi Country Office head office in Bangkok provides strategic direction, operational support, delivery oversight and assurance of the excellence of business processes and quality standards across all of the entire Multi Country Office locations. It is also responsible for developing, delivering and managing the portfolio of engagements in the country of the MCO location itself.
Local Context: UNOPS in Papua New Guinea
The EAPMCO Papua New Guinea (PNG) was formed in early 2020 to support the implementation of design and construction of infrastructure, sustainable procurement, capacity development to support technical and governance excellence, programme management, and to facilitate access to funding sources in Papua New Guinea.
As an established office since 2022, EAPMCO PNG is demonstrating significant growth and portfolio diversification potential in a short period of time. Working with an increasing number of development partners, in 2023 EAPMCO PNG is quickly being recognized as a responsive and quality partner in climate change resilient infrastructure, health infrastructure, sustainable procurement and governance support to the Government of PNG in its service delivery obligations to the people.
Project Background: IMPACT Health Project
The National Department of Health (NDOH) is responsible for improving access to and outcomes from health services in Papua New Guinea in accordance with the National Health Plan (NHP) 2011 - 2030. A key function of NDoH is the procurement, supply and distribution of pharmaceutical drugs and other medical supplies to all public hospitals, health centres and aid posts. Such supplies are grouped into two types, General Hospital Orders and Medical Kits. Significant problems remain in the delivery of medical supplies to health facilities at rural and provincial levels throughout the country. The strengthening of medical supplies procurement and distribution is a key result area of the National Health Plan.
Despite their important role in health service provision, NDOH have faced a number of challenges in effectively carrying out their functions and responsibilities, ranging from: (i) limited financial resources and budgetary constraints, which result in limited funds for procurement activities (ii) limited infrastructure, including storage facilities and transportation networks, which has limited procurement processes, due to delays in delivery, storage constraints (iii) NDOH lack sufficient skilled personnel with expertise in procurement, including market research, tendering, and contract management (iv) lengthy procurement cycles, and bureaucratic hurdles which have delayed the acquisition of medical equipment (v) limited capacity for quality assurance, inadequate technical specifications (vi) logistical challenges in transporting medical supplies to hard to reach locations (vii) Challenges in effective coordination and communication between PHAs and NDOH to successfully conclude procurement processes.
Addressing these challenges requires concerted efforts to strengthen financial management, enhance infrastructure, build human resource capacity, streamline procurement processes, improve quality assurance mechanisms, and enhance coordination and communication among stakeholders.
The Role:
Reporting to the Senior Programme Manager from UNOPS and under the technical supervision of NDOH counterparts, the incumbent will be responsible for UNOPS programmatic, operational and technical backstopping through ensuring that projects outputs are delivered within the specific project tolerances of time, cost, quality, scope, risk and benefits. The incumbent will establish, promote and assure quality in all the work performed by the team and for applying best practices and methodologies for the successful delivery of the program, with a focus on good financial management adhering to strict compliance guidelines and operational management of all project components.
Key activities of the assignment include::
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Carry out a capacity needs assessment and, based on the results, design, develop and implement a capacity development framework, including a professional development plan and learning materials for the Commercial Support Services Branch of NDOH and through NDOH for the PHAs
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Review existing systems and determine the governance requirements to achieve a robust system for planning and tracking NDOH procurement over the procurement life cycle with an emphasis on contract management and capacity development outcomes.
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Work with key stakeholders to assess the weaknesses in the governance structure of the current inventory management system and facilitate a plan to achieve agreed deliverables to demonstrate efficiencies in supply and distribution mechanisms
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Assist the NDOH’s Commercial Support Services Branch in its role as the Secretariat of the NDOH-led Special Procurement Committee, helping to set up the process for efficient preparation, undertaking and follow-up of the meetings; and
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Assist the NDOH with completing procurement oversight and good governance during Technical Evaluation processes and Committee Meetings.
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Provide surge support in procurement activities as required.
The incumbent will be based in the Commercial Support Services Division of the National Department of Health (NDOH) in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.