Procurement Specialist at CAMRIS International

Overview

• CAMRIS seeks to engage a highly qualified and motivated team to implement the anticipated USAID Office of Transition Initiatives (USAID/OTI) Nigeria and Lake Chad Basin (NLCB) program. 
• The 43-month program will support locally driven efforts to strengthen stability in Lake Chad Basin countries.  All positions require a willingness to travel throughout Nigeria, including the northeast.  Women are strongly encouraged to apply.
• The Procurement Specialists (PS) is a member of the Activities Management Team (AMT) comprised of a Program Development Officer (PDO), Grants Specialist (GS), and Monitoring, and Evaluation, & Reporting Specialist (MERS).  PSes will be based in all NLCB offices, initially Abuja, Maiduguri, and Damaturu, and activities will be carried out in targeted areas and communities across northeastern Nigeria as well as in communities along Nigeria’s borders and may extend into neighboring LCB countries. 
• Extensive and frequent travel throughout the northeast is expected and required.  The PS is responsible for supporting the PDO and AMT to acquire goods and services for program activities implemented through grants under contract, largely awarded in-kind, and short-term technical assistance and direct delivery of goods and services activities. 
• Once procured, the PS is charged with delivering goods and services in a timely manner to ensure the successful implementation of the AMT’s program activities. 
• The PS is responsible for ensuring transparency throughout the procurement process, maintaining the complete documentation and filing system for all procurements including quotations/proposals, evaluations of quotations/proposals, negotiation memorandums, award documents, correspondence with vendors, and activity inventory as required by USAID regulations and CAMRIS policies and procedures. 
• The PS is required to comply with CAMRIS’ policies and procedures and USAID’s Automated Directives System (ADS), and Acquisition Regulation (AIDAR), the US government’s Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), and the regulations which apply to NLCB activities and awards.

Responsibilities

• Participate in regular team meetings to report on the progress of activity implementation and any issues related to procurement of goods and services.
• Become familiar and comply with all approved CAMRIS procedures and manuals (e.g., Activity Management Guide; Activity Cycle Flowchart; Field Procurement Guide).
• Cultivate and maintain strong working relationships with vendors and stakeholders in areas targeted by the program.
• Provide information on costs, sources and availability of goods and services to support development of activity budgets, procurement plans, and disbursement timelines.
• Become familiar with activity development process and procedures and share information about activities with PDO and GS.
• Contribute to the feedback loop, which uses information gathered about ongoing activity implementation to inform development of new approaches to activity implementation.
• Determine the most reasonable and expeditious process for procurement in compliance with CAMRIS policies and procedures and USAID regulations.
• Document procurement process from solicitation through award following CAMRIS policies and procedures and USAID regulations.
• Assist the AMT with preparation of Terms of Reference and/or technical specifications for materials, goods, and services.
• Prepare requests for quotations/proposals (RFQ/RFP), negotiate with vendors, analyze offers, and recommend vendors for award.
• Disseminate RFQ/RFP for goods or services directly to potential vendors and/or via announcements on local radio stations, public notice boards, and the NLCB website to ensure transparency in the procurement process.
• Obtain quotations/proposals for activity-related goods and services, prepare and analyze offers and as required per procurement value threshold convene procurement committee meetings, as nonvoting member, to evaluate and select successful vendor, and complete the procurement process in accordance with CAMRIS policies and procedures and USAID regulations.
• Compare the actual costs received from vendors with approved purchase requisitions and activity budgets.
• Immediately report to the AMT when variances in the cost of quotations/proposals received and the amounts included in approved purchase requisitions or activity budgets could result in the expenditure on the activity exceeding the approved total activity budget by 10% or $10,000.
• In conjunction with PSCM or SOM/DCOP review that per CAMRIS’ policies and procedures and USAID regulations, all goods and services to be procured are allowable, allocable and reasonable.
• Conduct vendor pre-qualification and vetting process.
• Request and review tax registration for all suppliers of goods and services.
• Draft all required procurement forms, including Purchase Orders, Short Term Technical Assistance Agreements, Subcontracts for the procurement of materials, goods and services and approval following CAMRIS’ delegation of authority thresholds.
• Ensure adequate competition to allow best-value or lowest cost determination in vendor selection documents.
• Ensure procurements meet both quality and delivery requirements for activity and are handled in a transparent manner.
• Conduct analysis of the availability and costs of goods and services available in local markets across Nigeria.
• Work with vendors of goods and services to ensure quality meets expectations and requirements.
• Receive goods from vendors or ensure that goods are delivered directly to grantee and/or beneficiaries, as appropriate.
• Coordinate the logistics for the delivery of goods and services with AMT and ensure to obtain confirmation of goods and services delivery from the grantee and/or another member of the AMT.
• Coordinate transportation, permits, authorizations, insurance, loading and unloading of goods/materials, and financial allocation of related expenses under grants.
• Establish hard copy and electronic files of on-going procurements for tracking purposes and send completed procurement files to Abuja monthly.
• Ensure procurement files comply with CAMRIS’ policies and procedures and document checklist according to the value of the procurement, required documents may include: quotation/proposal, evaluation, award documents (purchase order, subcontract, consulting agreement) and correspondence with vendor for all procurements.
• Ensure that the procurement processes strictly follow CAMRIS policies and procedures and USAID regulations.
• Maintain confidentiality throughout the procurement and vendor selection process.
• Assist the PSCM and SOM/DCOP in producing a monthly procurement report.
• Communicate all delivery schedules for activity-related procurements to GS.
• Support the GS to provide projection of activity-related expenses.
• Work with the GS to schedule transportation of items for activities to the field and follow up with transporters to ensure appropriate delivery of items to destinations and that all deliveries are documented. Coordinate field testing and user training of goods procured when required.
• Verify that deliveries are complete and made in a timely manner.
• Responsible, with GS, for reviewing budget expenditures on activities and the financial and administrative close out.
• Collaborate with the finance department to ensure that payments have been made for all completed procurements, in accordance with the procurement plan and disbursement timeline.
• Coordinate with AMT to secure approval to hand over property and equipment to grantees and/or beneficiaries.
• Draft and get transfer of title letters signed by recipients for GS to include in activity files.
• Provide information to PSCM and/or SOM/DCOP on property and goods which have been handed over to awardees. All disposal of property (defined as individual items valued at ≥$5,000), must be coordinated with the SOM/DCOP so approval from the USAID contracting officer can be secured as required.
• Ensure that property and goods removed from the activity inventory have met all transfer and disposition requirements.
• Any other duties and tasks as needed and assigned.
• Track deliverables for all firm fixed-price subcontracts.
• Inform AMT when differences of actual costs for goods and services exceed the approved activity budget and provide inputs if budget modification or reallocation of funds within the activity budget is required.
• Prepare and secure GS or PDO technical approval for all payment requests for activity procurements.
• Submit payment requests to finance staff for processing.
• Verify that requests for payment for goods and services procured do not exceed approved budget and/or amount of funding available for activity.
• Provide information and documentation on procurement to GS for CAMRIS activity files and as required upload documents to the USAID/OTI Database and OTI Anywhere.
• Provide information to the PSCM to update the property inventory for activities.

Qualifications
Required Skills & Experience:

• Four-year University degree in business, procurement & supply chain management, or arelated field.
• Minimum of three (3) years of work experience.
• Two (2) years’ specific experience supporting procurement of goods and services, preferably with USAID- or donor- funded programs.
• Willingness and ability to develop in-depth understanding of USAID’s ADS, AIDAR, and the FAR, and the regulations which apply to NLCB activities and awards.
• Strong knowledge of donor procurement rules and regulations.
• Demonstrated ability to solve challenging and complicated logistical issues.
• Experience with budgeting and cost analysis.
• Strong ability to use and develop management and tracking systems.
• Willingness and ability to travel throughout northeastern Nigeria.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Demonstrated experience in community participation/engagement-type projects and violence prevention.
• In-depth knowledge of northeastern Nigeria and the NLCB program’s target states and communities.
• Ability to identify local vendors.
• Ability to work under pressure, efficiently handle multiple tasks, quickly find creative solutions to problems and challenges that arise, and manage stress and time in a fast-paced work and fluid operating environment.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office software: MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, etc.
• Excellent record keeping and documentation skills.
• Prior experience working in northeastern Nigeria and/or a conflict environment.
• Written and spoken fluency in English.
• Fluency in one or more of the local languages used in northeastern Nigeria (Hausa, Kanuri, and Fulfulde, etc.).
• Ability to work both independently and as a part of a team.

Preferred Skills & Experience:

• Prior experience with USAID- or US Government-funded projects.
• Prior experience using cloud-based procurement applications.