Consultants (Procurement Technical Needs and Capacity Assessment) at the Accountability Lab Nigeria (3 Openings)

The Accountability Lab Nigeria makes governance work for the Nigerian people through supporting active citizens, responsible leaders and accountable institutions. Our vision is a country in which resources are used wisely, decisions benefit everyone fairly, and people lead secure lives. We have three mutually-reinforcing objectives: to support a positive movement to build accountability and democracy; ensure the voices of communities are heard on accountability issues; and support collaboration around accountability and open governance through unlikely networks.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Consultant (Procurement Technical Needs and Capacity Assessment)

Locations: Edo, Ekiti, Plateau
Employment Type: Contract

Background
The COVID-19 pandemic has put an unprecedented strain on government procurement systems and anti-corruption regulatory bodies around the world, sending governments scrambling amid alarming cases of corruption, misappropriation of public funds, improper contracting procedures for emergency procurement (lacking accountability, and transparency). Before the pandemic, public procurement was already the government's number one corruption risk. Now, the challenges of addressing the supply and demand shocks from the pandemic with outdated and paper-based procurement systems have amplified the case for open contracting across the world.

Nigeria has been in the spotlight prior and more during the pandemic at both national and sub-national levels with deep-rooted corruption and unethical practices plaguing government businesses through procurement. As identified by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), around 60% of corruption cases are procurement-related. Progress has been made by state governments embarking on procurement reform through the World Bank-funded State Fiscal Transparency, Accountability, and Sustainability (SFTAS) program coordinated by the Nigeria Governors’ Forum. Based on learnings from various countries. Implementing open contracting along with citizen engagement presents Nigerian federating states with an opportunity to address the challenges within their procurement processes, attain transparency, internal efficiency, improve service delivery and achieve value for money.

About the Project

• UNDP Nigeria in collaboration with Open Contracting Partnership (OCP), and Accountability Lab Nigeria, Edo, Ekiti, and Plateau state Bureau of Public Procurement, will through the Anti-corruption Innovation Project, build on existing progress to adopt the use of procurement data and innovative technologies to improve access to good quality procurement data that would be used for analysis and monitoring of risks or corruption red flags, support informed decision making, and civic engagement around improved service delivery. 
• The publication of procurement data means that citizens, as well as, civil society can directly track the government’s performance on service delivery it has committed to providing via contracts. Further, clear evidence shows that open contracting can directly contribute to increased economic empowerment, including through bolstering the number and diversity of companies doing business with the government. This, in turn, should lead to improved integrity and trust in the procurement system.

The joint project objectives:

• Improve access to government procurement data across the 3 states;
• Improved monitoring and oversight by anti-corruption agencies;
• Strengthened institutional capacity for technology uptake;
• Catalysed data use for advocacy, monitoring and feedback mechanisms by non-state actors;
• Strengthened ecosystem working to advance open contracting in Nigeria.

Scope of Consultancy

• The consortium is seeking consultants with related knowledge and experience to carry out a technical needs assessment to review existing procurement systems and processes in the state and teams to identify data, technology and process gaps, challenges, needs and recommendations. 
• This will involve working directly with the state’s procurement authority and coordinating closely with the Open Contracting Partnership and the consortium partners to achieve the following objectives, services, and deliverables.

The consultant will seek to achieve the following:

• To understand current state policies, processes and approaches that create an enabling environment for procurement monitoring;
• To develop detailed recommendations that are ambitious yet feasible changes that states can implement to ensure transparency in procurement processes;
• To conduct capacity assessment to identify critical skills and knowledge gaps of the state procurement agency and propose strategic capacity development responses;
• To identify development (including CSOs) partners supporting the procurement agency so as to help identify synergies and reduce duplication of efforts;

Expected Activities and Deliverables
Core activities of the consultant will include:

• Preliminary systems scoping, technical and capacity assessment:
  • With the OCDS Helpdesk, Project coordinator and procurement agency representatives, conduct technical evaluation of the existing systems and solutions proposed, and suggest implementation approaches, using OCP’s Technical Assessment template, UNDP Capacity Assessment Framework, and other resources to develop an initial assessment report;
  • Identify and advise additional or non-functional technical requirements;
  • Develop a technical support work plan and maintain an up-to-date delivery plan all through the project period;
  • The consultant will lead the research, workshops, drafting of the report, and presentation of findings to the team.
• Presentation and validation of findings: After the report has been finalized, we expect a presentation to the consortium partners and state agencies and the consulted stakeholders to report back on the findings and the recommended procurement reform approaches that will be implemented.
• Regular check-ins: Throughout our engagement, we anticipate regular check-in meetings between the consultant and consortium to ensure alignment.

Expected Deliverables:

• State readiness assessment report;
• Technical support work plan;
• Stakeholder feedback reportInception report showing the approach and methodology followed in preparing the capacity assessment;
• A draft institutional/ capacity assessment and gap analysis report;
• Final Report.

Qualifications and Experience

• The consultant should have a blend of relevant educational, professional and technical experience and background in the following:
• Master's Degree Economics, Finance, Law, Public Administration, Organizational Management, or other relevant field;
• Experience and a track record of success in working in public procurement and increasing vendor participation, ideally in the Nigerian state government context.
• Strong knowledge of public procurement regulations, challenges, and policies in Nigeria state governance.
• Deep familiarity with global good practices in terms of lowering barriers to entry for SMEs to participate in government procurement.
• Experience with user-research and engagement
• Proven ability to deliver clear and compelling written landscaping reports
• Able to travel, conduct interviews and the presentation at least twice, and ideally more frequently
• Experience in carrying out relevant user research to inform technical design/development
• Not required but preferred
• Clear understanding of open data issues and experience in working with partners on implementing data projects that are centered around user needs and the use of data.
• Ability to generate and deliver clear, persuasive oral and written communications especially related to documenting IT processes.
• Knowledge of the Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) is a big plus.
• Knowledge of public procurement in Nigeria is a big plus.
• Knowledge of the local language would be an asset.

Condition of Service and Terms of Payment

• You will report operationally and administratively to the Head of Africa at OCP who will coordinate with consortium partners.
• Weekly check-ins and reviews against project timelines will be conducted with OCP and and AL
• Payment will be against deliverable schedule (with tax deducted at source), including satisfactory progress report of deliverables performed during the month and their corresponding dates and times.

Assignment Duration and Duty Station

• The duty stations are Ekiti, Edo and Plateau. The Consultants will be requested to report at least once a week at the consortium.
• The duration of the consultancy will be a maximum of 25 working days, Start date - April 11, 2022.
• The engagement is for 25 working days. The target start and completion dates shall depend on the actual date of hiring and may change depending on what has been finalized and sealed by OCP/ consortium and other logistical considerations.

Application Closing Date
7th April, 2022.

Method of Application
Interested and qualified candidates should submit their expression of Interest and other documents to: [email protected] using the Job Title as the subject of the email.

Application Documents
A submission must consist of:

• A Curriculum Vitae (CV)
• A proposal of at most five (5) pages outlining the intended plan
• Itemized budget with daily rates
• 2-3 examples of similar projects

Note: Successful consultants will be required to provide proof of medical insurance coverage before commencement of contract for the duration of the assignment.