Procurement Officer at Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture (CNFA)

Position Description

• The Procurement Officer will work closely with and report to the Finance and Operations Director, and is responsible for managing a fast-paced procurement environment supporting the USAID Feed the Future Agribusiness Investment Activity in Nigeria.
• The Procurement Officer plays a pivotal role in ensuring integrity, fairness, and openness in procurement processes as well as adherence to policies, procedures, and controls. 
• The main responsibility for this position is to conduct procurement of goods and services. The position requires substantial work experience in the field of procurement and contracting across a variety of industry sectors, contract management, dispute resolution, managing interpersonal relationships and communication, and investigating/following up on vendor issues. 
• The position requires knowledge of the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR), USAID Acquisition Regulations (AIDAR), Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circulars. 
• The Procurement Officer will be responsible for gathering complete procurement related backup documentation and auditing prior to submission to Finance Team.  S/he will develop and release solicitations, and conduct price/cost/reasonability analyses. 
• The position will require close coordination with partners, recipients and /or beneficiaries to accomplish project objectives. 

Program Description

• The five-year USAID Feed the Future Nigeria Agribusiness Investment Activity, implemented by CNFA as part of the United States Government’s Feed the Future Initiative, strengthens the business enabling environment to promote private sector investment in agriculture. To achieve this goal, the activity focuses on three interrelated components: improving the ease of doing business in the agricultural sector; broadening access to finance by mitigating the credit risks of agribusinesses; and promoting investment opportunities for agribusinesses to expand and scale up operations. In line with the U.S. and Nigerian Government’s commitment to growing the non-oil based economy, these efforts will increase the quality, quantity, market access, and diversification of Nigeria’s agribusiness sector.
• Beginning in December 2018 and closing in 2023, this $15.6 million project aims to integrate thousands of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and producer organizations as high-performing commercial actors in the value chains for rice, maize, soy, aquaculture, and cowpeas. As a result of streamlined regulations, more effective policies, improved production and processing practices, and significantly increased finance and investment flows, the project will increase the competitiveness and returns of both large and small sale agricultural enterprises. Employing a value chain approach, the Agribusiness Investment Activity aims to facilitate $100 million in new lending and $100 million in new investment across the 5 crops in the following 7 designated States: Kaduna, Niger, Kebbi, Benue, Delta, Ebonyi, and Cross River.  The USAID/Nigeria Agribusiness Investment Activity is a 5-year year, $15 million-dollar project implemented by CNFA as part of the United States Government’s Feed the Future Initiative. 
• The project’s goal is to strengthen the business enabling environment to promote private sector investment in agriculture. Activities will encompass three broad but interrelated components. First, the Agribusiness Investment Activity will improve the ease of doing business in the agricultural sector; second, the Activity will expand access to finance by mitigating the credit risks of agribusinesses; and third, the Activity will promote investment opportunities for agribusinesses to strengthen their readiness to expand and scale up their operations. Taken together, these efforts will increase the volume, added value, and diversification of agribusiness investments.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Prepare Requests for Proposals (RFP) /Request for Quotations (RFQ) independently without supervision and manage the RFP/RFQ process, contract preparation and execution of contracts.
• Review bids for completeness, accuracy and responsiveness.
• Prepare Purchase Orders/Subcontracts and Modifications and ensure proper documentation is collected throughout the procurement process.
• Prepare complete backup documentation for procurement purchases & submit to the Project’s Finance Team
• Conduct daily reviews of procurement related backup documentation to ensure completeness, accuracy, and compliance.
• Confer with vendors and suppliers (local, regional and international sources) to obtain product or service information such as price, availability and delivery schedule.  Also, obtain estimate value of goods and services through multiple quotations from reliable and competitive suppliers.
• Conduct price/cost/reasonability analyses.
• Verify detailed tender specifications and performance standards with the Project and the operations teams to facilitate procurement of equipment, goods and services in strict compliance with the approved policy.
• Perform regular spot audits of procurement files using audit tools.
• Ensure that appropriate measures are in place to prevent and/or detect incidence of fraud, collusion, or corruption in procurement practices.
• Draft Source Selection Memos/Request to Subcontract Memos Ensure integrity, compliance, fairness, accuracy, and openness in procurement processes.
• Organize procurement selection meetings to consider tender applications against approved technical specifications and with due regard to market price, cost, quality and speed of delivery as well as economy of operations.
• Ensure adequate competition is achieved, as per USAID and CNFA policies and procedures.
• Ensure CNFA, USAID and FAR/AIDAR/CFR/OMB policies, and procedures are followed and enforced.
• Help other project staff become more familiar, and understand, Project policies and procedures as related to procurement.
• Maintain electronic procurement records & files in various CNFA system platforms as requested.
• Solicit bids and quotes from vendors in adherence with policies & approved requisitions and quarterly procurement plans.
• Monitor, track and expedite all project procurement activities and delivery status of goods/services.
• Gather current pricing information independently.
• Determine source selection methods for complex procurement to ensure compliance.
• Prepare cost evaluation data, and source selection documentation.
• Ensure procurements are approved by the required CNFA/Project authorities, and/or client approvals are received, before awards are made.
• Through market research efforts, identify and qualify potential suppliers (and products/services). Ensure that beneficial, ethical and open supplier relationships are created and maintained according to procurement policies.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration or related field.
• 6+ years of relevant experience and progressive responsibility in procurement at the mid-level of an organization.
• Experience leading and managing the procurement & acquisition aspects of USAID funded projects, including a demonstrated understanding of applicable procurement-related USG & Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) regulations. Experience with procurement for USAID-funded programs is required.
• Demonstrated experience in vendor/subcontractor negotiations.
• Detail-oriented.
• Ability to prioritize multiple requests.
• Customer-service oriented.
• Proficiency in Microsoft excel, including the use of formulas.
• Proficiency using Microsoft office suite, and other relevant software.
• Ability to manage and prioritize multiple concurrent bids.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English are required, knowledge of local languages is an advantage.