National Expert on Public Procurement Curricula

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Background:

Public procurement is one of the key areas of state activity and it’s one of the most important processes of public finance management. It is also an instrument that can be used to help achieve other policy goals, such as good governance, anti-corruption, and economic development including successful recovery from the present crisis. The Government of Albanian has taken important steps to build a modern system to improve the overall effectiveness of public procurement, especially regarding the legal, regulatory and institutional frameworks, as well as with the development and functioning of an e-procurement system . Procurement officials’ educational level and qualifications are a key source influencing administrative capacity to carry out public procurement procedures, ultimately impacting institutions' overall performance and management. The OSCE Presence in Albania’s Extra-budgetary Project “Enhancing policies and strengthening the capacities, transparency and accountability of the Public Procurement System in Albania”, aims to support the public procurement authorities to address the lack of a continuous, certified training on public procurement for public procurement officials. The development of a new curriculum and training program aims to increase the capacities of public procurement officials and eventually improve efficiency, planning and monitoring of public procurement procedures in contracting authorities and the Public Procurement Agency

Objective of Assignment:

The project will support the design of a new curriculum on public procurement for public officials including specific syllabi, as well as the development of a new Training of Trainers (ToT) program. The ToT participants will be tested and evaluated on the knowledge gained through the ToT program and their teaching skills developed through the delivery of five pilot procurement training targeting about 100 officials. The development and roll out of this training will be coordinated with key institutional stakeholders – namely the Albanian School of Public Administration (ASPA), the Public Procurement Agency (PPA) and the Department of Public Administration (DoPA), which would ultimately take all the necessary institutional and legal procedures to certify the new continuous public procurement curriculum as per the legal framework in place. The Presence will engage for the implementation of these activities a team of consultants as trainers and subject matter experts in public procurement, composed of international and local experts

Duration of Assignment:

The consultancy is envisaged during the period October 2022 until March 2023.

Tasks and Responsibilities:

As part of the inception phase, the Presence will establish a working group for the coordination and implementation of this activity, including representatives of the key beneficiaries (ASPA, PPA and DoPA) and the hired consultants. The Presence will initiate and maintain the communication flow between all engaged experts, institutions involved and beneficiaries (ASPA, PPA and DoPA), and the training participants.

Under the supervision of the Presence and in close collaboration with the international Senior Advisor, the consultant will perform the following main tasks: Task 1. Support the International Senior Advisor for the design of the work plan by providing inputs related to his/her distinct area of expertise

The new curriculum should contain three comprehensive syllabi and several training modules to respond to different skills and knowledge of procurement officials at basic, intermediate and advanced levels. The consultant is expected to provide inputs in the work plan as per his/her area of expertise in all foreseen activities, such as the design of the curricula, the ToT program design and delivery and piloting of the curriculum with public officials. Therefore during the inception phase, the consult is expected to develop a work plan for this assignment, incorporating the methodology that he/she proposes for the design of his/her assigned specific syllabi and training modules, and specifying the timeline for the delivery of the tasks and key deliverables. The workplan should be consulted with the other engaged experts prior to submission, and it will ultimately contribute to the International Senior Advisor’s inception report. Once prepared, the consultant will also review the inception report and reflect any additional comments related to his/area of expertise (e.g legal framework). Throughout the assignment, there will a need for continued coordination with other experts and Senior Advisor hired and participation in working group meetings (both online and in-person).

Task 2. Draft and finalize specific modules and training materials for the new Public Procurement Curriculum

Based on the inception report and curriculum outline finalized as per Task 1, the consultant will draft specific teaching modules for the new Public Procurement Curriculum. The consultant will be responsible to draft selected topics from the below list, to be assigned as per his/her area of expertise. The below list of the training modules is indicative, and more guidelines will be discussed and shared during the recruitment interview. - Knowledge of Regulatory Framework - Implementation of basic and standard tasks of procurement procedures - Functioning of the electronic procurement system - Central Purchasing - Integrity and Conflict of Interest Principles - Planning procurement procedures, evaluation, monitoring the implementation of the contract - Preparation of tender documents - EU Public Procurement Directives and Tools - Drafting feasibility plans for infrastructure projects - Conducting corruption risk assessment, risk management on high value public procurement procedures - Green Procurement; Socially responsible Public Procurement including a gender analysis of public procurement In coordination with other experts, the consultant will engage in necessary consultations with the beneficiaries and practitioners when drafting the modules to address the current needs and priorities of the sector; to reflect the most up to date information in relation to the legal framework, guidelines, procurement processes, etc; and to validate examples and data collected, etc. The specific procurement curriculum training materials should be designed using interactive layout and case studies for illustration of the theoretical part. The consultant will revise the specific training material to reflect comments and recommendations by the beneficiary institutions, Senior Advisor and the Presence. The final revised curriculum will be subject to approval by the Presence.

Task 3. Draft and deliver specific teaching module(s) for the Training of Trainers program in Public Procurement

Based on the new curriculum on public procurement finalized under Task 2, the consultant will design a specific Training of Trainers teaching module(s) assigned as per his/her area of expertise (e.g public procurement legal and regulatory framework). The designed ToT course needs to emphasize and interlink teaching and coaching techniques throughout the program to ensure that the ToT participants are not only trained on a specific content/subject area, but their teaching capacities are developed to deliver it to their future trainees.

The course should feature theoretical instructions, group work, practical exercises, and evaluation tools. The consultant will revise the new ToT course training materials under the guidance of the Senior Advisor and by addressing the comments and suggestions of the beneficiary institutions and the Presence. The entire ToT program is estimated to about 10 days, delivered to 15-20 participants, out of which the consultant will deliver only specific modules assigned.

Task 4. Provide mentorship and performance evaluation of the new trainers during the piloting of the public procurement training with public procurement officials

The Presence will support, in coordination with the ASPA and PPA, the organization of five complete cycles of procurement training as a piloting phase. This will include at least one per level (basic, intermediate and advanced) of the newly developed public procurement curriculum (Task 2) with a sample of procurement officials of various contracting authorities. The trainings will also enable all the new certified trainers to take part in pairs in the delivery of cascade training modules, as part of their evaluation and certification process as trainers. An evaluation mechanism will be applied to assess skills and knowledge of the new trainers from the entry level to the certification level. This would consist of at least two phases: a) selection of the applicants for the ToT course, which will be based on an entry test; and b) assessment of their learning outcomes throughout the training program, which will be based on a final test.

- The consultant will attend pilot trainings as assigned by the Senior Advisor and provide mentorship to the new certified trainers in delivering 5 (five) pilot training sessions. This will consist in advising them and guiding them on possible amendments of training materials and teaching approach through online and in-person communication. - The consultant will keep records on the performance of the new trainers on training delivery quality, as per specific evaluation instruments/template agreed ahead with the Senior Advisor and beneficiary institutions (ASPA and PPA). - The consultant will prepare a brief training/activity report outlining the implementation of the curriculum (challenges, recommendations, teaching performance)

Deliverables:

Deliverables will be submitted to the Presence in English language. Deliverables Timeline 1. Work plan for the specific training modules - Task 1 5 October 2022 2. Draft and finalized version of the specific modules and training material as part of the new curriculum on public procurement as per Task 2 20 October 2022 3. Draft and finalized version the new Training of Trainers program and materials as per specific teaching modules as per Task 3 2 December 2022 4. Delivery of the certified Training of Trainers program as per specific modules as per Task 3 28 February 2023 5. A brief training implementation report as per Task 4 15 March 2023

Necessary Qualifications:

• Advanced Degree in law, economics, finance, public policy management, with specialized training in procurement; • More than 7 years of experience in design and delivery of training of trainers; designing and delivery of public procurement training, implementing capacity development programs for public officials, academic teaching, including training needs assessment and evaluation. • Specialized knowledge of and professional experience in at least 2 substantive areas as below: - Public Procurement Legal framework - EU Directive and EU Tools on Public Procurement - Public Procurement procedures - Drafting Technical Specification - Planning and Procurement Forecast - Monitoring the implementation of the contracts - Drafting feasibility plans for infrastructure projects - Conducting risks assessment on high value public procurement procedures / Corruption risk management - Principles of conflict of interest, integrity and transparency in public procurement - Market Analysis - Green Procurement - Socially Responsible Procurement (including gender sensitive procurement)

• Excellent knowledge of EU public procurement legal framework; • Highly skilled in drafting complex, mixed-method studies, and producing high quality written deliverables; training materials, project reporting, oral presentations, in both English and Albanian language. • Ability to work efficiently and effectively in a multidisciplinary context; • Computer literate with professional experience in Microsoft applications (PowerPoint and familiarity with Video Teleconferencing tools, such as Zoom, Webex, MS Teams or others.

Remuneration Package:

Remuneration will be based on the selected consultant's/expert's qualifications, experience, the tasks and deliverables for this position and in accordance with the OSCE established rates.

If you wish to apply for this position, please use the OSCE's online application link found under https://vacancies.osce.org/.

The OSCE retains the discretion to re-advertise/re-post the vacancy, to cancel the recruitment or to offer an appointment with a modified job description or for a different duration.

Only those candidates who are selected to participate in the subsequent stages of recruitment will be contacted.

The OSCE is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages qualified female and male candidates from all religious, ethnic and social backgrounds to apply to become a part of the Organization.

Candidates should be aware that OSCE officials shall conduct themselves at all times in a manner befitting the status of an international civil servant. This includes avoiding any action which may adversely reflect on the integrity, independence and impartiality of their position and function as officials of the OSCE. The OSCE is committed to applying the highest ethical standards in carrying out its mandate. For more information on the values set out in OSCE Competency Model, please see https://jobs.osce.org/resources/document/our-competency-model.

Please be aware that the OSCE does not request payment at any stage of the application and review process.

Additional Information

  • Issued by: OSCE Presence in Albania
  • Requisition ID: GOV00001R
  • Contract Type: Special Service Agreement (SSA) / Consultant
  • Grade: No grade
  • Job Type: Consultant
  • Number of posts: 3
  • Location: OSCE Presence in Albania, Tirana
  • Issue Date: Sep 21, 2022
  • Closing Date: Oct 2, 2022
  • Target Start Date: TBC upon selection
Added 1 year ago - Updated 1 year ago - Source: vacancies.osce.org