Terms of Reference

Procurement Officer – Saint Lucia Project Implementation Unit

Organisation of the Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Data for Decision Making Project

 

Title:	Procurement Officer – Saint Lucia, Project Implementation Unit for the OECS Data for Decision Making Project
Location:	Saint Lucia Central Statistical Office, The Ministry of Finance, Economic Development and Youth Economy
Duration:	24 months, subject to extension
Tentative Start Date:	27th June, 2023

 

 

1. Background

 

The OECS Data for Decision Making (DDM) Project is a regional project that seeks to improve the capacity of participating Eastern Caribbean countries to produce and publicly disseminate statistical data for country and regional level analytics. It will be implemented by Saint Lucia, Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and the OECS Commission. The project seeks to achieve its objective by strengthening both national and regional level capacities and fostering regional coordination. At the national level, Component 1 and Component 2 of the project will strengthen national statistical systems through (i) statistical modernization and capacity building, and (ii) data production, analysis, and dissemination, with a focus on the population and housing census, living conditions surveys, labor market surveys, and agricultural census. At the regional level, Component 3 of the project will support the OECS Commission’s mandate for regional integration and the strengthening of the regional statistical system. Component 4 will support project implementation, and Component 5 will provide a contingency option for immediate surge funding in the event of a national emergency. The project is to be implemented over a five-year period commencing in 2022.

 

In Saint Lucia, the Department of Economic Development and Youth Economy (DED), within the Ministry of Finance, Economic Development and Youth Economy (MoFED) will be the lead agency for the implementation of the Project. A Project Implementation Unit (PIU) for the Saint Lucia portion of the Project will be established in the DED in the MoFED under the Central Statistical Office (CSO), which is a Division within the DED in the MoFED. It is in this regard that the Government of Saint Lucia is currently seeking to recruit an individual procurement consultant to serve as a Procurement Officer in the Project Implementation Unit of the OECS Data for Decision Making Project. In addition to the CSO leadership and staff the successful applicant will be required to work in collaboration with the Procurement Administration, Ministry of Finance, Central Tenders Board and the World Bank procurement specialist assigned to the project.

 

1. Scope of Services

 

The overall objective of the assignment is the provision of procurement expertise, in accordance with the Financing Agreement and World Bank Procurement Regulation for IPF Borrowers, in order to:

 

1. support the Government of Saint Lucia at key stages of the procurement process (including planning, preparation of procurement documents, bid evaluation, contract negotiation and signing);
2. support the Government of Saint Lucia in contract management, the monitoring and reporting on contracts procured.

 

More specifically the Procurement Officer will be required to carry out the following duties and responsibilities:

 

• Procurement Planning:
  • Review procurement plan and propose changes as necessary
  • Develop procurement plan to reflect any changes in project activities
  • Updating of the Project Procurement for Strategy Development (PPSD)
  • Submitting activities in STEP and keeping STEP updated
• Preparation of procurement documents:
  • Draft, review and/or prepare procurement documents including:
    • Specific Procurement Notice, Request for Expression of Interest
    • Invitation to Quotes and Purchase Orders for procurement of goods using Request for Quotation procedures.
    • Requests for Bids and Request for Proposals; and
    • Provide support for Terms of References preparation.
  • Management of tender process:
  • Publication of procurement notices (REOIs, SPNs, and Contract award notices).
  • Preparation of addenda to tender documents, preparation of tender clarifications.
  • Management of communication with firms/individual consultants.
  • Management of complaints from bidders.
  • Bid evaluation:
    • Attend and record Minutes of Bid Opening
    • Preparation of Shortlists, evaluation and other reports
    • Prepare evaluation forms and brief evaluators on the applicable evaluation methodology in advance of bid or proposal submission to ensure that the evaluators correctly undertake the evaluation methodology to be applied in the case of each procurement transaction
    • Assist with the evaluation and selection of consultants, contractors and suppliers as per procurement plan, in accordance with World Bank Procurement Regulation for IPF Borrowers.
      • Participate as an evaluator if necessary.
      • Facilitate the evaluation meetings and prepare evaluation reports
      • Manage correspondence with bidders
    • Negotiation:
      • Negotiating some of the terms and conditions of the contract where necessary.
      • Preparation of negotiation minutes and the draft contract.
      • Negotiating price and rates for certain deliverables where applicable.

 

• Contract Award:
  • Prepare notifications of intention to award
  • Manage standstill periods
  • Prepare debriefs and responses to complaints
  • Prepared contract award notifications
  • Prepare contract award notices

 

• Contract Management:
  • Provide assistance to the PIU in organizing the management of the contracts:
    • develop contract management plans/guidelines for each contract
    • Maintain overall register of contracts and monitor key milestones
    • Maintenance of a fixed asset register
  • Provide assistance in the interpretation of contract language
  • Prepare contract addenda
  • Monitor the updating of STEP by contract managers.

 

III. Monitoring and Reporting

 

The consultant will perform Monitoring and Reporting functions by:

 

• Supporting the project coordinator in relation to project monitoring and stewardship – including assistance with report reviews, briefings, assessments and project summaries.
• Attending Project review meetings with the World Bank and Implementing Agencies to discuss project status
• Ensuring that procurement and contract records are filed appropriately
• Participating in and contribute to Post Procurement Reviews and annual Audits

 

1. Qualifications and Experience

 

• Bachelor’s Degree in procurement, business management or a similar field. A Masters degree would be a distinct asset.
• Relevant and recognized professional procurement qualifications;
• At least 5 years of working experience in the procurement field.
• At least 2 years experience on projects financed by multilateral development banks on procurement assignments. Experience in procurement for World Bank projects under the Procurement Regulations would be a distinct asset.
• At least 3 years’ work experience in an English-speaking environment.
• Demonstrable experience with contract negotiations.

 

1. Duration of Assignment:

The duration of the entire Data for Decision Making project is 5 years. The procurement officer will be engaged in a 24 month - contract in the first instance, which is renewable upon successfully achieving the duties and responsibilities at the end of the contract period.

1. Selection Method

The consultant will be selected through the “Individual Consultant Selection method” in accordance with the World Bank Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers (Procurement Regulations), November 2020.