Procurement Senior Associate, Multiple positions

Austria Multi-Country Office (AUMCO)

The Austria Multi-Country Office (AUMCO) is part of the UNOPS Europe and Central Asia Region (ECR). Specifically, AUMCO aims to enable the achievement of Agenda 2030 and the Paris Agreement through global programmes and tailored interventions in the Balkans, South Caucasus, and Central Asia, focused on Infrastructure, Procurement, Project Management (full service, back on track), HR and Transactional Services, Grants Management and Technical and Advisory Services. 

Uzbekistan Office

Under the purview of AUMCO, the UNOPS Uzbekistan Office, established in Tashkent in October 2022 supports the Government of Uzbekistan’s development efforts in the country, through the provision of effective project management, infrastructure and procurement services. At present, the office has signed and has been implementing three engagements contributing to SGD3 (Good Health and Wellbeing), while actively working with the Government of Uzbekistan and development partners in diversifying its portfolio in line with the country’s development priorities including education.

Project Information

The UNOPS Uzbekistan Project Office currently has two ongoing projects both of which are major contributions to SDG3 (Good Health and Wellbeing). 

The first project, “Support to Development of Oncology Services in Uzbekistan” is funded through a major loan from the Islamic Development Bank. UNOPS will support the Government of Uzbekistan in strengthening the preparedness of its national healthcare system and preventing and treating oncological cases in an effective and timely manner. By identifying, procuring, delivering, and operationalizing urgently needed medical, laboratory, radiological, and ICT equipment, the project will significantly contribute to improved access and quality healthcare services for local communities in 14 regional locations including Tashkent and throughout the country.

Summary of key results:

1. Procurement services

2. Contract administration

3. Team Management

4. Knowledge building and knowledge sharing

1. Procurement services

• Ensure compliance of all procurement activities with UNOPS regulations and rules, other applicable policies, procedures and strategies, including the execution of necessary steps to embed sustainability in the procurement processes.

• Collaborate with projects personnel and Managers in the preparation of their procurement plan;

• Conduct routine market research using United Nations Global MarketPlace and other internal and/or external sources, issue formal Calls for Expression of Interest and Requests For Information, to determine sources of supplies and to set-up or enhance the local supplier database, ensuring regular update of data.

• Review of the assigned requisitions for completeness;

• Prepare proper and complete solicitation documents (RFQs, ITBs, RFPs) including tender particulars, evaluation criteria, schedule of requirements (specifications for equipment and materials, Terms Of Reference for services, Statements of Works for civil works), draft contracts and returnable bidding forms, ensuring clearance/approval by the Pre-clearance Officer and Procurement Authority; 

• Prepare shortlists of suitable vendors for limited competitions, if appropriate, in line with the approved procurement strategy of the respective project, ensuring clearance/approval by the Pre-clearance Officer and Procurement Authority;

• Execute the solicitation processes through eSourcing (UNOPS electronic tendering platform) ensuring competitiveness (receipt of sufficient number of offers); organize pre-bid meetings, where necessary, and ensure timely response to bidders’ queries on technical and administrative matters of the tenders;

• Together with the assigned colleagues and external subject matter experts, where appropriate, review and evaluate the received bids or proposals, seek clarifications from bidders, conduct price reasonableness analysis, conduct background checks, negotiate with the winning vendor(s), if deemed necessary, prepare the negotiations minutes and evaluation reports; 

• Depending on the value of the resulting awards, submit the cases for award to the relevant Procurement Authority or prepare submissions to Contracts and Property Committee for review and recommendation to the Regional Director or the Executive Chief Procurement Officer;

• Register the vendors and create contracts and purchase orders in oneUNOPS system (UNOPS Enterprise Resource Planning system) to obligate funds for the relevant contracts;

• Prepare Letters of Intent, Purchase Orders, Contracts, Long-term Agreements and other forms of contracts based on the approved awards and secure signatures of both parties.

• Finalize the cases in the eSourcing system, notify the unsuccessful bidders and conduct debrief meetings, if requested by the unsuccessful bidders.

• Prepare oral/written responses to queries from projects personnel, clients, suppliers, etc. regarding procurement related matters;

• Update and maintain all procurement files and records for audit and review purposes;

• Generate regular and ad-hoc status reports, as required.

2. Contract administration

• Provide support in the design, planning, and implementation of an appropriate logistics management and contract administration systems;

• Liaise with the suppliers and beneficiaries to ensure the development of an appropriate administration and management plan for each contract;

• Maintain the monitoring tool for all the contract management and administration activities and keep it up-to-date at all times; monitor the progress of all the shipments per the relevant contracts; keep all the relevant stakeholders updated about the procured items’ status from the time of order until it is delivered and installed at final destinations; maintain all the logistics-related documents and files;

• Liaise and coordinate with the suppliers, freight forwarders, and different government offices to ensure timely registration (where relevant) and efficient customs clearance processes for all imported goods;

• Liaise and coordinate with suppliers and end-users to ensure timely transportation of the equipment to the designated locations, including loading and unloading activities; ensure issuance of proper documentation, i.e. delivery notes, packing list, insurance policies, etc.;

• Liaise and coordinate with suppliers and end-users to ensure timely completion of installation and end-user training activities at the final destinations; follow-up on end-users’ possible complaints regarding the quality of the goods at reception time and liaise with the supplier until deficiencies are eliminated;

• Continuously monitor the performance of the suppliers and complete the supplier performance evaluation report in oneUNOPS system upon completion of the contracts;

• Travel to the regions within Uzbekistan to support the projects’ operations, as necessary.

3. Team Management

• Facilitate the engagement and provision of high quality results and services of the team supervised through effective work planning, performance management, coaching, and promotion of learning and development.

• Provide oversight, ensuring compliance by team members with existing policies and best practices.

4. Knowledge building and knowledge sharing

• Collect feedback, ideas, and internal knowledge about processes and best practices and utilize them productively. 

• Provide sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice by synthesizing the lessons learnt and disseminating the best practices in procurement;

• Organize, facilitate and/or deliver training and learning initiatives for personnel on procurement and contract management activities.

a. Education

High school diploma or equivalent (secondary education) +  7 years of relevant experience required. 

First University Degree in Procurement and/or Supply Chain Management, Law, Commerce, Business Administration, or related areas is desirable but not required and may substitute 2 years of relevant experience. 

Relevant certification in procurement and supply chain management (CIPS or similar) is a distinct advantage.

Contract type: Local Individual Contractor Agreement (LICA)
Contract level: Local Support Level 7, LICA-7, ICS-7
Contract duration: Open-ended, subject to organizational requirements, availability of funds, satisfactory performance, and project duration. 

For more details about the ICA contractual modality, please follow this link:

• Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes.

• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.

• Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments.

• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures,  languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. UNOPS seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. 

• Qualified women and candidates from groups which are underrepresented in the UNOPS workforce are encouraged to apply. These include in particular candidates from racialized and/or indigenous groups, members of minority gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities.

• We would like to ensure all candidates perform at their best during the assessment process.  If you are shortlisted and require additional assistance to complete any assessment, including reasonable accommodation, please inform our human resources team when you receive an invitation.

Terms and Conditions 

• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post. 

• For retainer contracts, you must complete a few Mandatory Courses (they take around 4 hours to complete) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. For more information on a retainer contract here.

• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda.

• It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.