Consultancy - Health Procurement Strengthening Technical Assistance, Windhoek, Namibia

Contract

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UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, access to good health

Scope of Work: The Ministries of Finance and Health & Social Services, through a Reference Group , comprising the key health Organizations and Departments, with financial and technical support from UNICEF and UNDP, have been implementing several reforms to improve health procurement efficiencies in Namibia. To that end, a Health Procurement Project Charter was developed with clear recommendations, actions and timelines for implementation by the different OMAs. The Project Charter, anchored on the recommendations from the Strengthening Health Procurement Study (2021), is being implemented over an initial 7-month period from 21 July 2022 to 21 February 2023.

Notable progress has been made towards meeting the objectives of the Project Charter. Such progress includes: finalization and enactment of the new Public Procurement Act (with specific reforms on pooled procurement and adoption of standard bidding documents & framework agreements for health procurements), development of Standard Bidding Documents, completion of Compliance Audits and Central Medical Stores Internal Audit. Furthermore, support was provided to the Public Financial Management (PFM) Bill Committee, which is working on reforms to the current PFM Act, to ensure alignment of the proposed PFM reforms with the recently approved Public Procurement Act, particularly as it relates to health procurement.

Notwithstanding the above, some activities under the Project Charter are yet to be implemented as they required more time, than envisaged in the Charter, whilst new activities – complementary to the Charter, were identified during the course of implementation.

In order to support the work of the Reference Group to implement the remaining and emerging activities under the Project Charter, there is need to engage a dedicated Project Manager.

[1] The Reference Group consists of representatives from the MoF, Central Procurement Board of Namibia, and MoHSS. The Reference Group provides a platform for continuous discussion of PFM/Procurement challenges, solutions and monitoring their implementation.

How can you make a difference?

Purpose of Activity/Assignment: • Support the coordination and convening of the Reference Group under the Health Procurement Project. • Provide project management support, including technical support and guidance to the Reference Group and lead development, implementation, and monitoring of the Health Procurement Project Charter to translate recommendations to action. • Provide regular updates to the Reference Group and any entity or person as directed by the Reference Group on the progress, challenges and strategic recommendations for health sector procurement as informed by the recommendations from analyses and the work of the Reference Group.

Objectives and expected results: Specifically, the Consultant is expected to: I. Provide project management and technical assistance to the Reference Group and facilitate the implementation of the remaining and emerging activities under the Health Procurement Project Charter; II. Facilitate the convening of the Reference Group for Health Sector Procurement to deliberate on PFM/ Health procurement challenges and solutions, as defined in the Project Charter. III. Provide regular updates on the work of the Reference Group to enable briefings to the Ministers responsible for Finance and Health & Social Services on the progress, challenges and strategic recommendations for health sector procurement, as informed by the recommendations from analyses and the work of the Reference Group.

Main Tasks: To achieve the set objectives, the Consultant is expected to perform the following specific tasks: 1. Support coordination, convening, and documenting, (including making presentations) on the work of the Reference Group. 2. Oversee the implementation of the Project Charter, in particular: I. Finalize current draft Pooled Procurement Regulations and undertake stakeholder consultations, leading to the development of final Regulations. II. Finalize current draft Framework Agreement Regulations and undertake consultations and incorporate stakeholder feedback to address any gaps and produce final Regulations. III. Support the review and strengthening quality of the Annual Procurement Plans for Ministry of Health and Social Services. IV. Support the development of guidelines for advance payments for Pooled Procurement, in alignment with the on-going PFM Bill reforms and support the finalization of Sourcing Strategies. V. Develop and finalize frameworks for multiyear procurement and implementation guidelines of the first wave of 3-year framework agreements and pooled procurements. VI. Develop and support the implementation of Performance Improvement Plans for MoHSS and CMS. VII. Provide technical support to the integration of IFMS and SYSPRO

VIII. Support development and implementation of financial planning and cashflow forecasting frameworks. IX. Provide technical support to the Public Financial Management Reform Technical Committee to ensure procurement gaps are addressed and aligned with PFM reforms. 3. Provide monthly written progress reports to the MoF/MoHSS, as co-chairs of the Reference Group.

Work Assignment Overview

Tasks/Milestone

Deliverables/Outputs****Timeline****Estimated Budget in USD1. Finalize current Draft Pooled Procurement Regulations and undertake stakeholder consultations. Incorporate stakeholder feedback to address any gaps and produce final Regulations.Pooled Procurement Regulations31 March 202325%2. Finalize the Framework Agreement and undertake key stakeholder consultations. Incorporate stakeholder feedback to address any gaps and produce final Framework Agreement Regulations.Framework Agreement Regulations Support the review and strengthening quality of the Annual Procurement Plans for Ministry of Health and Social Services.Reviewed Final MoHSS Annual Procurement Plans30 April 202325%Support the development of guidelines for advance payments for Pooled Procurement, in alignment with the on-going PFM Bill reforms. Support the finalization of Sourcing strategies.Guidelines for advance payments, performance guarantee waivers and foreign currency bidding & contracting31 May 202325%Develop and finalize frameworks for multiyear procurement and implementation guidelines of the first wave of 3-year framework agreements and pooled procurements.Multiyear procurement frameworks for Pharmaceutical and Clinical Supplies Develop and support the implementation of Performance improvement plans for MoHSS and CMS.Implementation of compliance performance improvement plan Provide technical support to the integration of IFMS and SYSPROIFMS and SYSPRO integration30 June 202325%Support financial planning and cashflow forecasting framework Financial planning and cashflow forecasting framework Provide technical support to the Public Financial Management Reform Technical Committee to ensure procurement gaps are addressed and aligned with PFM reforms.Inputs to the Public Financial Management Bill End of ProjectFinal Report outlining achievements, lessons learnt and key next steps

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

Minimum Qualifications required:

Master's in few disciplines of Project Management, Economics, Public Health, Public Management, Pharmaceuticals, Health Administration, Health Management. A qualification in pharmaceutical and clinical supplies will be an added advantage.

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required:

Work Experience • A minimum of 5 years’ experience in project management of procurement for public health and supply chain management of pharmaceuticals and clinical supplies; • Previous work experience with Ministries of Health and Finance, UN Agencies or other partners in health procurement will be an added advantage • Strong analytical and critical thinking skills • Strong coordination, convening and persuasive skills • Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications • Strong verbal and written communication skills • Ability to work under pressure with minimal supervision and without compromising quality and integrity • Must be able to work in a team with diversity

Competency Profile i. Core Values Required • Care • Respect • Integrity • Trust • Accountability ii. Required Competencies • Manages ambiguity and complexity • Thinks and acts strategically • Works collaboratively with others • Drive to achieve results for impact • Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness.

Administrative issues:

The selection and conditions of service of consultant will be governed by and subject to UNICEF’s Policies and General Terms and Conditions for individual consultants/contractors.

The Consultant will not be provided with a UNICEF computer. The Consultant will be required to provide a monthly report to UNICEF, summarizing key milestones and certified by the Deputy Executive Directors of the Ministry of Finance, as co-chair of the Reference Group. Whilst the Consultant will be expected to share a monthly report, payment should be aligned to tangible and measurable deliverables. Ministry of Finance to facilitate entry and/ working Visa.

No contract may commence unless the contract is signed by both UNICEF and the consultant/contractor. Consultant/Contractor will be required to complete mandatory online courses (e.g. Ethics, Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse and Security) upon receipt of offer and before the signature of contract.

Payment of professional fees will be based on submission of agreed deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payment in case the deliverables submitted are not up to the required standard or in case of delays in submitting the deliverables on the part of the consultant

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS).

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

How to Apply

Qualified and interested candidates are encouraged to submit an online application before the closing date.

Please submit expression of interest together with: • A cover letter, no longer than 1 page, and curriculum vitae showing how the consultant meets the required qualifications, experience and expertise; • Technical Proposal demonstrating the consultant’s understanding of the Terms of References, the proposed methodology/approach and timelines for the respective deliverables; and • A financial proposal/budget, which must include all expenses related to the assignment.

Incomplete applications e.g. without financial/budget proposal will not be considered.

If you have not been contacted within 2 months of the closing date, please accept that your application was unsuccessful. Regret emails will be sent only to shortlisted/contacted candidates.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Remarks:

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.