National Procurement & Policy Consultant

Job Title: National Procurement & Policy Consultant

Type of employment: Consultancy

Department: Programs.

Reports to: Admin and Human Resources Manager

Location: Nairobi.

Start Date: February 2025

Background and Context

Women Educational Researchers of Kenya (WERK) is a not-for-profit professional membership association founded in 1994 as an ad hoc group of women researchers in education and social sciences. WERK strives to contribute to the entrenchment of the principles of equity, justice, and peace in Kenya for the betterment of the lives of girls, women, boys, and men by linking research to advocacy and action.

Women Educational Researchers of Kenya is currently a member of the African Higher Education in Emergencies Network (AHEEN)-Refugees and Displaced Persons (RDP)—Pathways Program, which implements a grant in support of refugees and displaced persons (RDP) in five African countries to ensure their access to and completion of higher education degrees courses and their transition to the labor market. AHEEN offers a network and whole-society approach to addressing the lack of access to accredited tertiary education opportunities for displaced youth on the African continent.

WERK is also implementing a USAID-funded Reading Champions Program (RCP) in partnership with two youth-led organizations- KESHO Kenya in Kilifi County and Youth Bunge Forum Nakuru County, in Nakuru County. The program aims to address the reading gaps in grade 3 with a focus on English (and potentially Kiswahili).

The objective of the Assignment

The main objective of this assignment is to undertake a comprehensive review and update of the current procurement policy manual to ensure smooth, effective, and efficient operations that guarantee the highest returns and value for money. WERK has significantly grown necessitating the revision of the procurement manual to reflect the current diversified grant environment & funding models and partnerships. These changing environments come with new procurement requirements, terms, and conditions hence the need for a review of procurement policies and procedures manual.

The consultant will work closely with the Procurement team and the Senior Management Team to

deliver on the objectives of the assignment. WERK will facilitate access to information on its

operating environment and its current procurement policies and procedures.

Scope of Assignment

• Reviewing and updating the procurement policy regulations, to accommodate the current procurement environment at WERK.

• Develop procurement guidelines, and procedure manual.

• Review and update procurement bidding documents in accordance with the WERK procurement policy regulations, guidelines, and procedures.

• Identify procurement risks and develop a risk management and mitigation plan for procurement.

• Develop a framework for the prequalification of suppliers to ensure a competitive and transparent selection process

• Develop and provide evaluation criteria, templates, and guidelines to ensure a transparent and efficient tendering process.

• Review current IT equipment tender documents and prepare evaluation criteria, templates, and guidelines.

• Guide WERK in evaluating and shortlisting qualified suppliers.

• Draft standard procurement contracts & Agreements, including sample LTAs that WERK can adapt from time to time.

• Create standardized procurement templates, including but not limited to Request for Proposals, (RFPs), Request for quotation(RFQ), Invitation to Tender (ITT) documents, Prequalification templates for suppliers

• Training WERK staff and partners on the revised Procurement policies and

  Procurement procedure manual.

• Train procurement staff to enable them to effectively carry out the implementation of procurement activities such as:

• Contracting & signing and monitoring contract implementations.

• Preparation of procurement contract, status reports, procurement monitoring plans, and performance reviews.

• Procurement processes, ethical procurement practices, and fraud prevention.

• Support the WERK staff to ensure procurement activities comply with relevant regulatory frameworks and donor requirements, including those of USAID and other major donors involved in the RDP Pathways program.

• Evaluation of supplier performance and managing procurement risks.

• Interpretation and provide advisory to WERK on technical, commercial, and legal aspects of procurement management.

• Develop a transport policy for WERK and fleet management.

• Develop an appeal mechanism for procurement disputes.

• Any other related assignment as may be assigned.

• The Consultant may also be called upon to attend meetings and to discuss processes that are affected by (or will depend on) procurement processes.

Location

The procurement Consultant will be expected to work largely remotely and occasionally in WERK offices in Nairobi.

Timeframe and Reporting

The Consultant will be engaged for 30 days and distributed for a period of 3 months based on the deliverables and agreed Consultancy days within a calendar year. The contract period will be renewed subject to satisfactory performance or on a need basis. The Consultant will report to the Executive Officer or any other person as may be assigned. The assignment will commence immediately after the signing of the contract.

Minimum Qualifications & Competencies

1. A Master’s degree in Procurement, Finance, Business management/administration, Commerce, or any other related field from an institution/University recognized in Kenya.
2. At least five (5) years of directly relevant work experience as a Procurement Consultant or having had responsibilities with a substantial content of his/her position in the procurement area.
3. Must be a certified trainer by the Kenya Institute of Supplies Management.
4. Must be a certified Procurement and Supply Professional of Kenya (CPSP-K) or international certifications like CIPS (Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply).
5. Good knowledge of concepts, principles, and approaches in international procurement, and public procurement systems.
6. Knowledge and understanding of technical, commercial, and legal aspects of procurement at all phases donors (USAID, MasterCard Foundation among others) lending operations;
7. Demonstrated analytical clarity, problem-solving skills, and negotiating skills with the ability to balance project objectives and procurement requirements with client needs;
8. Exceptional degree of integrity, judgment, and tact in handling the most sensitive, diverse, and confidential material.
9. Knowledge and experience in the government Public Procurement and Disposal Act (PPADA) and Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Regulations (PPADR).

Key Deliverables, timelines and payment

Details on these is available on our website https://werk.co.ke/job-advertisement/

Note: The consultant is also required to make him/herself available for virtual meetings (skype/Zoom) or other relevant modalities for planning meetings (in person)/ feedback meetings convened by WERK. The consultant once on board will review the TOR together with the WERK staff to align deliverables to the scope of work.

Application Requirements:

Interested candidates are invited to submit the following documents:

Motivation Statement: A brief statement outlining your interest in the position, your relevant experience, and your availability. Please include your daily rate (in Kes) in your motivation statement.

• Current Resume/CV: A detailed resume or CV highlighting your educational background, and work experience in similar tasks.
• Sample Work: Examples of previous procurement policy manual developed (Please note WERK have signed Data Protection Act)
• Technical proposal (showing the candidate’s understanding of the assignment requirements, proposed approach, proposed analytical framework or analysis tools).