Procurement Associate

The 2030 Agenda for SDGs and the pledge to leave no one behind reflect the interconnectedness of health and sustainable development, including widening economic and social inequalities, the climate crisis, rapid urbanization, the continuing burden of HIV and other infectious diseases (e.g., malaria, tuberculosis), the growing burden of non-communicable diseases and the emergence of health threats. The scope and scale of delivering health and well-being for all demands innovative partnerships and financing. As affirmed in the Political Declaration of the 2019 High-Level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage (UHC), the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund), Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance (Gavi) and others are critical partners for delivering on the health-related goals of the 2030 Agenda. Stronger Collaboration, Better Health: Global Action Plan for Healthy Lives and Well-being for All outlines how a dozen multilateral health, development and humanitarian agencies, including UNDP, the Global Fund, Gavi and others will collaborate to be more efficient and effective in supporting countries to deliver UHC and achieve the health related SDG targets. 

UNDP’s partnership with the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund), in line with UNDP’s HIV, Health and Development Strategy 2022-2025: Connecting the Dots, makes a vital contribution to UNDP’s Strategic Plan 2022-2025, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the SDGs and the pledge to leave no one behind.  

As a long-standing partner of the Global Fund , UNDP’s value proposition lies in providing an integrated package of development solutions to strengthen institutions to deliver health services. Through its contributions as an interim Principal Recipient (PR) and a provider of technical assistance to Global Fund grants in countries more than 53 since 2003, UNDP’s provision of integrated policy, implementation and capacity development support to countries has yielded significant health and development results in challenging operating environments. Proactive risk management and investing in sustainability are the cornerstones of UNDP’s portfolio management approach in supporting to countries with significant national capacity constraints to manage large-scale health programmes. UNDP has established a comprehensive risk management framework (RMF) to mitigate and manage risks, through specific implementation modalities and other targeted measures to manage risks effectively.  Integral components of the Risk Management Framework (RMF) are Sub-recipient (SR) management to allow for prevention and detection of weaknesses and support to safeguarding, maintaining, accounting and reporting on Global Fund financial resources and assets.  By providing technical assistance to national counterparts in all phases of implementation, strengthening legislation, policies and regulatory frameworks, and building capacities across key functional areas, including financial management, health information systems, procurement and supply chain management, SR management and asset management, UNDP has been able to deliver results whilst sustainably transitioning health programs to national entities. UNDP’s track record as a PR over the last 18 years and capacity to deliver in challenging operating environments has been critical for strengthening its positioning as a health implementation support partner. 

Based on demands from Country Offices, and building on the relationships, expertise, systems, partnerships, including across the UN family, and comparative advantage established through the GF partnership, the GPN/BPPS/Global Fund Partnership Health Systems Team (GFPHST) is providing support to Country Offices through three overarching modalities: 1) the Global Fund portfolio, 2) health procurement and supply chain management support (PSM), and 3) other health implementation support beyond the Global Fund, including Gavi-funded activities. The GFPHST provides its support through a country team approach to strengthen and integrate the different functional capacities (e.g., programmatic, procurement/PSM strengthening, finance, capacity development, SR management and asset management), leveraging technical assistance and policy support from the HHD Group and other GPN teams and advisory services from the Office of Audit and Investigations. 

The Global Health Supply Centre under the Office of Procurement, which is co-managed by the Bureau for Programme and Policy’s GFPHST,  is designed to cater the needs of GF funded programmes and other health implementation programmes, to ensure uninterrupted and timely supply of quality assured pharmaceutical and health products, to mitigate the risk associated with pharmaceutical and health related procurement, thereby preventing reputational damage and liabilities, to foster the partnership with agencies, maintain the framework agreements with manufacturers and qualified procurement agencies, to negotiate the best deals, thereby generating savings and volume discounts. 

Under the supervision of the Procurement Analyst in the Global Health Supply Centre (GHSC) the Procurement Associate provides procurement support services to CO ensuring high quality, accuracy, effectiveness, transparency and integrity of support services. The Procurement Associate promotes a client-focused, quality and results-oriented approach.

The Procurement Associate works in close collaboration with the PSM, programme and finance teams of GFPHST in providing procurement support services to CO for resolving complex procurement-related issues and information delivery.
 

1. Supports maintenance of procurement architecture to efficiently and cost-effectively meet UNDP’s needs for the procurement of quality health products, more particularly pharmaceuticals, with the following key responsibilities

• Ensures full compliance of procurement activities with UN/UNDP rules, regulations, policies and strategies; implementation of the effective internal control.
• Supports in operationalizing and managing Long-Term Agreements (LTAs), in line with UNDP Quality Assurance for health products and Procurement policies and UNDP rules and regulations.
• Supports the mapping of procurement business processes and the elaboration/establishment of internal Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in procurement and proposes controls for the workflows.
• Assists in monitoring of timely initiation of procurement activities as per Health Procurement Action Plans in SharePoint and solicits necessary clarifications from Country Office (CO) PMUs in order to ensure provision of cost-effective procurement services to clients.
• Supports the consolidation of demands and develops forecasts to be shared with suppliers and UNDP partners.
• Contributes to the harmonization of tools and systems to conduct forecasting and spend monitoring, including enterprise resource planning (ERP).

      2. Supports procurement service delivery to Country Offices (COs) for health products, more particularly pharmaceuticals, with the following key          responsibilities
 

• Liaises with UNDP Country Offices and Requisitioning Units to enable efficient and cost-effective procurement and logistics support.
• Conducts procurement processes in response to specific needs and transmits Cost Estimates to Requisitioning Units.
• Organizes procurement processes by supporting in preparing and conducting RFQs, ITBs or RFPs, receipt of quotations, bids or proposals, their evaluation, negotiation of certain conditions of contracts in full compliance with UNDP rules and regulations.
• Prepares Purchase orders and contracts, preparation of Recurring Purchase orders for contracting of services, vendors’ creation with Buyer profile in UNDP ERP (Quantum).
• Supports in preparation and submission of procurement outcomes to the Contract, Asset and Procurement Committee (CAP) and Advisory Committee on Procurement (ACP) and provision of timely clarifications.
• Ensures that Purchase orders are duly prepared and dispatched. Timely corrective actions on POs with budget check errors and other problems in consultation with the COs.
• Prepares cost-recovery for the procurement services provided by GPHC/OP to COs.
• Monitors volume discount for procurement of pharmaceutical procurement on an annual basis in liaise with financial unit and suppliers.
• Monitors ceilings of revolving facility of UNDP procurement partners, reviews of financial balance and reimbursement, verifies and reconciles a variety of data and reports ensuring accuracy and conformance with administrative rule and regulations.
  

3.   Supports the elaboration of innovative procurement strategies to respond to new demands/opportunities with the following key responsibilities

• Conducts market research to support the development of tailored procurement strategies for new procurement processes.
• Compiles and analyses historical data for forecasting of health products including pharmaceuticals.
• Identifies areas for analysis and opportunities to support health procurement projects and complete reporting requirements (with partners and clients).
• Support regular maintenance of the rosters of suppliers and vetting of PSM Experts.

4.  Knowledge Sharing on procurement services for health products to UNDP Country Offices with the following key responsibilities

• Collects, documents Quantum related lessons learnt and provides direct support to CO to process transactions in ERP.
• Assists in development, maintenance and dissemination of PSM reference library in SharePoint.
• Supports systematic knowledge sharing on health procurement with Country Offices by assisting in the organization of training, webinars and learning events.
• Supports the institutionalization of best practices and knowledge sharing among Country Offices, actively participate in UNDP and other relevant networks, communities of practices, briefing notes, knowledge-sharing events, and training.
• Supports identification and implementation of sustainability practices in health procurement and communication of results among internal and external stakeholders.
• Any other activity assigned by the Procurement Analyst (Copenhagen).

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization

• Achieve Results: Plans and monitors own work, pays attention to details, delivers quality work by deadline
• Think Innovatively: Open to creative ideas/known risks, is pragmatic problem solver, makes improvements
• Learn Continuously: Open minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback
  Adapt with Agility: Adapts to change, constructively handles ambiguity/uncertainty, is flexible
• Act with Determination : Shows drive and motivation, able to deliver calmly in face of adversity, confide
• Engage and Partner: Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships
• Enable Diversity and Inclusion: Appreciate/respect differences, aware of unconscious bias, confront discrimination

Functional:

Business Management

Customer Satisfaction / Client Management: 

Ability to respond timely and appropriately with a sense of urgency, provide consistent solutions, and deliver timely and quality results and/or solutions to fulfil and understand the real customers’ needs.

Provide inputs to the development of customer service strategy

Look for ways to add value beyond clients’ immediate requests

Ability to anticipate client’s upcoming needs and concerns

Business Management
Effective Decision Making
Ability to take decisions in a timely and efficient manner in line with one’s authority, area of expertise and resources
Ethics 
UN policy knowledge – ethics
Knowledge and understanding of the UN Staff Regulations and Rules and other policies relating to ethics and integrity
Procurement
Procuremement Management
The ability to acquire goods, services or works from an outside external source
Procurement
Sourcing
Ability to find, evaluate and engage suppliers of goods and services
Procurement
Supplier/Relationship Management
Knowledge of supplier management concepts, principles and methods, and ability to apply this to strategic and/or practical situations
Procurement
Contract Management
Knowledge of contract management concepts, principles and methods, and ability to apply this to strategic and/or practical situations