Contract Specialist at the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund - Abuja

Job summary

The Contract Specialist will coordinate the planning and implementing of a sound and sustainable procurement process, including sourcing strategy, supplier selection and evaluation, quality management and performance measurement UNICEF's construction works, in support of operations and program objectives.

Qualifications

• Advanced degree in Supply Chain management, Business Administration, Contracts/ Commercial law, Construction engineering other relevant areas.
• A first level university degree with additional three-years of relevant work experience in construction or engineering field may be acceptable in lieu of an advanced university degree.
• A minimum of six (6) years of relevant experience, at the national and/or international levels, in project management, Business Administration, supply chain management, contract law site supervision, quality assurance and/or other directly-related technical fields is required.

Responsibilities

• Collaboration with UNICEF Programmes and government counterparts through involvement of in programme supply planning and preparation for implementation of supply component as well as monitoring and evaluation.
• Conduct surveys to identify potential construction companies and engineering firms available in the local market; prepare terms of reference required for establishing local Long-Term Arrangements for engineering services (design and site supervision).
• Preparation of BLPA requests with supporting documents related to construction activities and share with Supply Division HQ for approval.
• Prepare Statement of Works, Terms of Reference, solicitation documents, Contracts, Grant Agreements and other documents required for project implementation in cooperation with UNICEF Construction Unit, Contracting Centre in Copenhagen.
• Assist in bidding processes; manage the pre-qualification and short-listing of bidders, preparations of bids, issuance of bids, pre-bid conference, receipt and opening of bids Coordinate the tender evaluation process (Technical and financial) after bid opening and bid evaluation, recommendation of award, contracts negotiations, contract finalization and issuance.
• Develop and implement systems for internal control that would ensure compliance with contractual terms and conditions, in collaboration with the program team.
• Make recommendations for payments upon review of certified invoices from construction engineers.
• Monitor and analyse contract performance against agreed benchmarks and through agreed reporting mechanism. Advise Construction Manager on any potential issues and recommend remedial actions or solutions.
• Negotiate, within the terms and conditions of the contract, solutions to conflicts/problems arising in case of poor performance or non-compliance with contractual obligations.
• Frequently convene meetings with contractors to allow ample opportunity for the identification and early resolution of potential disputes.
• Realize syntheses of lessons learnt and best practices in procurement /contract management.
• Develop appropriate contract management tools, guidelines and manuals for standardization and knowledge sharing purposes.
• Ensure key meetings and work procedures are properly documented and institutionalized.
• Engage and involve government counterparts as appropriate, to facilitate contract management as well as to contribute to the capacity building
• Any other duties as assigned

Benefits

• Emergency experience an advantage, especially in Nigeria, and a willingness to travel to all locations in Nigeria.
• Experience working with the UN systems in similar function is highly desirable.
• Proficiency with working with SAP systems.
• Working experience in UN or other international development organization is an asset.
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language or a local language is an asset.

Job description