Expertise France is the French international technical expertise agency. Its mission is to participate in France’s policy of international cooperation, development aid and economic influence, by responding to the growing demand for expertise from developing countries and emerging countries to build public policies, taking into consideration their institutional, economic, demographic, social and environmental challenges.
Website: https://www.expertisefrance.fr
JOB DESCRIPTION
Deputy Manager – Procurement and Contracts of the Project Support Unit for Expertise France Projects in Rwanda (Kigali)
About Expertise France:
Expertise France is a public agency for international technical cooperation. The agency focuses on four priority areas:
- Democratic, economic and financial governance;
- Stability of countries in crisis/post-crisis situations and security;
- Combating climate change and sustainable urban development;
- Strengthening of health, social protection and employment systems.
In these areas, Expertise France carries out engineering missions and implements capacity-building projects, mobilises technical expertise and acts as a project coordinator, bringing together public expertise and private know-how.
With a business volume of €390 million and over 400 projects in its portfolio in 145 countries, the efforts of Expertise France are part of France’s international cooperation policy and official development assistance.
Expertise France Rwanda is implementing 6 projects, mainly funded by the European Union, AFD and the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for a total of €50m. The agency’s main areas of activity in Rwanda are:
- Economic and financial governance
- Sustainable development, climate and agriculture;
- Health and human development
Description of the mission
Based in Kigali, the Procurement and Contracts Deputy Manager position reports directly to the Procurement and Contracts Manager (PCM) within the Project Support Unit (PSU). More broadly, this person is part of the Expertise France legal function, which is supervised and functionally managed by the Legal Affairs Department (LAD) based in Paris, France.
The PSU is made up of the procurement, logistics, finance and human resources departments needed to implement the projects, under the supervision of the Head of Support Services.
The main role of the Procurement and Contracts Deputy Manager is to assist the Manager in developing the Project and Country Procurement strategy, implementing procurement procedures and securing legal commitments/acts entered into by the PSU.
In liaison with the LAD, with the help of his/her team and within the framework of the rules and procedures adopted by the Agency, the Procurement and Contracts Deputy Manager has the following tasks:
Draw up and monitor the Project and Country procurement strategy
- Provides advisory support to projects and portfolio procurement officers to optimise and consolidate the programming of procurement procedures through the development and updating of their Contract Awarding Plan (CAP)
- Provides 1st level advice to projects on the expression of needs, contracting, procurement techniques and implementation monitoring
- Assists the Manager with the drafting of the Country CAP
- Organises the “procurement optimisation” of the programmed requirements under his/her responsibility, using any useful approach (benchmarking, sourcing, supplier database preparation, purchase mapping, use of any pooling mechanism, etc.)
- Identifies the potential for joint contracts and framework agreements
- Supports the definition of specifications and lots with a view to the preparation of joint framework agreements
- Supports the Manager in coordinating the portfolio procurement activities
Coordination of the department’s implementation of procurement procedures
- Ensures that the department is organised efficiently for the benefit of projects, combining adherence to the activity schedule with legal compliance.
- Supports the Procurement Manager in coordinating the procurement procedures of the Portfolio Procurement and Contract Officers
- Supports the teams in drawing up tender documents and monitoring proper execution, in particular of works contracts, while complying with the rules specific to this type of contract (public procurement code, construction law, etc.)
- Monitors contracting procedures and the progress of order processing
- Provides support to buyers for the completion of purchases, notably in terms of:
- preparing tender documents in conjunction with technical specifiers,
- publication of notices,
- review of bids,
- organising and supervising the assessment of applications, bids and project proposals received, in conjunction with the experts of the prescribing services,
- finalising, drafting and notifying contracts,
- recording contracts in the information systems
- Supports the oversight of activities relating to the contract management information system and is a driving force behind the creation and deployment of new tools
Procurement contract performance monitoring
- Monitor and ensure compliance with contractual conditions: deliverables (interim and final narrative and financial reports), deadlines in liaison with the operational team
Awarding and supervision of the execution of grants in accordance with Expertise France rules
- Supervise calls for projects in conjunction with operational staff;
- Contribute to the drafting/revision of grant awarding guidelines, in conjunction with the responsible project team members, and ensure their publication in accordance with the appropriate rules;
- Receive and open bids, organise assessment committees and serve as the contact person for the drafting of analysis grids and conclusions, supervise discussions and respond to bidders within the required time limits;
- Supervise the assessment and selection of beneficiaries in accordance with the Agency’s procedures;
- Monitor and ensure compliance with contractual conditions: deliverables (interim and final narrative and financial reports)/deadlines in liaison with the operational team, and check / validate payment instalments;
- Ensure that beneficiaries comply with EF rules;
- Set up grant management tools in conjunction with the finance department and the project’s subsidy officer;
- Train beneficiaries in EF and donor rules, if necessary;
- Participate in audits of beneficiaries on legal aspects.
Securing legal commitments/acts made by PSU
- In liaison with the LAD, guarantees that contracts are legally secure in accordance with the applicable French regulations (notably the French Public Procurement Code) and with all of the procedures and best practices defined by Expertise France,
- Ensures application of the internal compliance system and all measures to prevent fraud, corruption and all other forms of malpractice.
To this end, the Procurement and Contracts Deputy Manager:
- Is familiar with all rules applicable to the awarding of contracts by the Agency and keeps abreast of any updates;
- Provides a permanent link between the PSU and the LAD and, insofar as necessary, with all other departments reporting to the Agency’s legal function;
- Participates actively in all bodies and other committees relating to the Agency’s legal function (LAD+ Network, Documentation committee, Internal training courses, working groups, etc.);
- Forwards to the LAD for prior checking, in accordance with the Agency’s processes, the consultation files and other evaluation and award reports and any other documents produced in the course of the award of the contract under review;
- Contributes to and generally facilitates any control or audit of his/her department and the activities to which he/she has contributed.
Reporting / Management / Capitalisation
- Ensure the office’s procurement-legal reporting (updated country CAP, Supplier database, prices, contract monitoring, etc.)
- Serve as interim Procurement Manager in case of absence
- Support the Manager in the preparation of the schedules of the procurement teams under his/her responsibility;
- Support the Procurement Manager in evaluating the performance of team members
- Organise training workshops on themes according to identified needs;
- Take part in briefings for new arrivals, in particular the project manager
- Liaise with the law firm if necessary;
- Participate as necessary in projects launched by the LAD.
PROFILE WISHES:
Qualifications:
- Training in procurement management with a legal rationale, such as Bioforce or University, and/or professional experience demonstrating competence in this area
- Knowledge of EU donor rules is an advantage
- Ability to work in a demanding, multicultural environment;
- Strong capacity for autonomy, independence of mind and impartiality;
- Strong capacity for work, rigour and organisation;
- Perfect command of office automation tools;
- Good interpersonal and teamwork skills;
- Excellent analytical and report-writing skills;
- Excellent written and verbal skills in French and English; fluency in both languages would be a strong asset.
Professional experience:
- At least 5 years of experience in a similar role, as a Procurement/Logistics Coordinator or Public Buyer
- Team management experience is a plus
- Experience with donors (European Union/AFD/World Bank/other development banks) or any other technical cooperation operator
Location: Place of employment Kigali
Additional Information
Contract type: Rwandan fixed-term employment contract for 24 months, renewable
Starting date: 1 January 2025
Remuneration: according to EF salary scale and profile
Note: Candidates interested in this opportunity are invited to submit their CV and covering letter as soon as possible via the following link:
The application selection process will take place in three stages:
- A shortlist will initially be drawn up freely by Expertise France;
- Then, short-listed candidates may be invited to take written tests to assess their technical and linguistic skills;
- Finally, the selected candidates may be invited to an interview.
The application deadline is 15/12/2024.
Expertise France respects equal opportunities
