REQUEST FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST (INDIVIDUAL CONSULTANTS SELECTION)

 (Appointment Type: Local Hire)

 

COUNTRY:  MALAWI

NAME OF PROJECT: REGIONAL CLIMATE RESILIENCE FOR EASTERN  AND SOUTHERN AFRICA 2 (RCRP)

PROJECT ID: P181308

DATE OF ISSUE: 31^st JANUARY, 2024

TIME COMMITMENT: 100%

ACCOUNTABLE: PROJECT COORDINATOR

DURATION OF ASSIGNMENT:  5 YEARS

 

The Government of Malawi (GoM) through the Ministry of Finance (MoF) has applied for financing towards the cost of the Regional Climate Resilience for Eastern and Southern Africa 2 (RCRP).  The EP&D intends to apply part of the proceeds of this financing to eligible payments under the contract for hiring various Project specialists and an intern.

 

The EP&D invites applications from suitably qualified and interested candidates to fill the various positions of Project specialists, recruited as individual consultants following World Bank Regulations dated September 2023.

 

1. Position Title             :  Assistant Financial Management Specialist (1 Position)

The Objectives of the Assignment 

The overall objective of the assignment is to manage accounting, internal control and other financial management under the project in adherence with the World Bank’s Regulations for IPF Borrowers dated September 2023.

 

Duties and Responsibilities ii. Assist the preparation of consolidated Financial Statements in accordance with the International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) that give true and fair view of the financial position of the RCRP at the end of the financial year;

• Ensure that RCRP resources are used in accordance with the conditions of the relevant financing agreement, with due attention to economy and efficiency, and only for the purposes for which the financing was provided;

1. Ensure goods, works and services financed have been procured in accordance with the relevant financing agreements including specific provisions of the World Bank Procurement Policies and

Procedures;

1. Verify the contractual and financial details of each invoice, payment requests and interim or final itemized statement of account before making any payment;
2. Assist in the preparation of disbursement requests and financial justifications for the project and submit to Treasury and IDA;

• Ensure that all necessary supporting documents, records, and accounts have been maintained in respect of all project activities, including expenditures reported using Statement of Expenditures (SEO) or Interim Financial Reports (IFRs) methods of reporting; viii.    Ensure all financial reports are in agreement with underlying books of account;

1. Ensure national laws and regulations have been complied with, and that the financial and accounting procedures approved for the RCRP (e.g. Operational Manual, financial procedures manual, etc.) are followed and used;
2. Periodically review the performance of control functions to ensure that internal controls are sufficient and functioning correctly;
3. Ensure that the Financial Performance of the RCRP is Satisfactory;

• Ensure that assets procured under the RCRP exist and there is verifiable ownership in line with the relevant financing agreements;
• Assist in establishing a central accounting filing system, and ensure all project documents are properly retained in accordance with GoM and Bank requirements;
• Ensure annual financial statements and all project accounts are audited timely once a year by a reputable auditing firm.

1. Assist in maintaining accurate and traceable schedules for VAT and timely remittance of tax deductions to the Malawi Revenue Authority, and; Undertake all other duties and responsibilities commensurate with the role and level of this position as may be requested by the Financial Management Specialist

 

Performance Criteria

The following performance criteria will be used to assess the performance of the Assistant Financial Management Specialist at annually and based upon these assessments the contract with the Project may be continued or terminated:

1. Fortnight reconciliation of reports indicating progress of work and plans for the next fortnight;
2. Quality monthly financial reporting including bank reconciliations;
3. Quarterly financial reports to the World Bank;
4. Quality annual financial reports; and
5. Completion reports following all key financial special assignments.

 

Reporting Requirements

The Assistant Financial Management Specialist will be directly reporting to the Financial Management Specialist.

 

Qualification and experience 

The Assistant Financial Management Specialist will need to have:

1. Professional accounting qualification, CPA (MW), ACCA, CIMA;
2. Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting, or Finance or Business Administration. A Master’s Degree will be an advantage;
3. At least 5 years of post-qualification experience in financial management in a reputable and highly performing public sector organization and at least 3 years’ experience of managing donor funded projects covering highly complex financial management issues, and those with Audit experience would have an added advantage;

• Demonstrate extensive practical experience and skills in all aspects of international financial management with due regard to World Bank projects and GoM financial regulations;
• Computer literate; good knowledge of MS Office application and Project Computerized Accounting; xiv. Outstanding numeracy, planning, organising and controlling skills; xv. Excellent organizational and interpersonal skills; and xvi.      Excellent communication and analytical skills.

 

 

2. Position Title             :  Project Procurement Specialist (1 Position)

The Objectives of the Assignment 

The overall objective of the assignment is to manage the procurement activities under the project in adherence with the World Bank’s Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers dated September 2023.

 

Duties and Responsibilities

The Project Procurement Specialist will be responsible for the overall management of project procurement activities as part of the project implementation arrangement, in accordance with World Bank procurement procedures, including the planning, implementation, and supervision of all procurement operations under the project.

 

Specifically, the Project Procurement Specialist will perform the following duties:

1. Coordinate the preparation and updating of Project’s Annual Procurement Plan, detailing contract packages for works, goods and services, the estimated cost for each package, the procurement or selection methods and processing times till completion of each procurement activity in consultation with all Technical Teams (TTs);
2. Ensure that the World Bank Procurement Tracking System for monitoring of the Project procurement activities (STEP) is updated and used in real time;
3. Timely procurement of goods, non-consulting services and works through preparation of all procurement documentation including Bidding Documents, Request for Quotations, Request for Bids, Procurement Notices, Bid Opening and Evaluation sessions and preparation of Bid Evaluation Reports;
4. Using the World Bank’s Standard Procurement Regulations prepare project’s customized Bidding and Proposal Documents (RFB/RFP) for Goods and Works and Request for Proposals (RFP) for Consulting Assignments. This should include standardized Forms to be used for Open and Limited market approached and for the Request for Quotations;
5. Coordinate and ensure timely responses to clarifications sought by bidders or shortlisted consultants as may be required;

 

1. Provide secretarial services to shortlisting, technical/financial evaluation and during contract negotiation meetings;
2. Coordinate responses to inquiries and communicate the results of the evaluation process to bidders or consultants, in keeping with appropriate guidelines.

 

1. Prepare the General Procurement Notices (GPN), and Specific Procurement Notices (SPN), and Solicitations of Expression of Interests (SEOI), when required;
2. In cases of procurement actions requiring IDA “No Objection”, coordinate the submission of procurement documents to IDA, monitor IDA response time on issuing “No Objections” at different levels of the procurement process and follow-up accordingly.
3. Preparation of evaluation reports, contracts, award notices and other procurement and contractual documents as required;
4. Establish and maintain procedures for the receiving, inspecting, testing and acceptance of goods.

 

1. Ensure compliance with procurement methods and prior review thresholds applicable to the project;

 

1. Ensure all procurement activities are carried out in accordance with the agreed procedures, including the Financing Agreement; the World Bank Procurement Regulations; and Government of Malawi Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets Act 2017, where applicable;

 

1. Assist in timely payments to suppliers, contractors and consultants and also ensuring their contractual obligations such as payment guarantees, Insurance premiums and performance Bonds; o) Establish and maintain a central procurement filing system, and ensure all related documents are included in the respective files;
   1. Assist with the maintenance and updating of procurement databases and contract register with complete “paper trail” of the procurement process;
   2. Establish a performance monitoring database for all suppliers and consultants, and ensure timely updates of the system;
   3. Preparation of Procurement Post Review registers, attending Procurement Post Review meetings and response to comments on issues raised;
   4. Undertake procurement processes using Shopping procedures and any other procurement methods as assigned from time to time;
   5. Preparation of Quarterly procurement progress reports; and
   6. Carry out any other relevant periodic duties that may be assigned by the Project Coordinator from time to time.

 

Performance Criteria

The following performance criteria will be used to assess the performance of the Procurement Consultant at annually and based upon these assessments the contract with the Project may be continued or terminated:

 

• Quality and timeliness of procurement plans
• Quality of documentation submitted for prior review
• Quality of procurement filing
• Quality of documentation submitted during post reviews
• Quality and timeliness of required reports
• Quality and timeliness of STEP uploads

 

Reporting Requirements

The Project Procurement Specialist will be directly reporting to the Project Coordinator and will also be responsible for supervision of the other procurement officers in the PIU. The following are some of the required reports the Project Procurement Specialist will be expected to be preparing:

• Project Annual Procurement Plan and periodic updates of the same.
• Minutes of meetings held throughout the procurement process, including short-listing, evaluation, interview and negotiation and bid openings all duly signed by panel members/participating parties.
• Procurement Documents and Reports (Bidding documents, Request for Proposals, Evaluation Reports, Draft Contracts, etc)
• Monthly, Quarterly, Semi-Annual and Annual procurement reports as inputs into the Project Management Reports (within 2 weeks from the end of the review period) and, in addition, will prepare procurement plan implementation status reports during support missions.
• Monthly timesheets to identify time spent.

 

Qualification and experience 

The candidate should meet the following minimum qualifications:

1. BSc in Procurement or any other relevant discipline (e.g., Business Administration, Law, Economics, Project Management, and Engineering) and those with master’s degree in Procurement or related fields will have added advantage;
2. A professional qualification in procurement from recognized institutions (such as the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS);

1. A minimum of Eight (8) years of post-qualification experience in procurement and contract management in the public sector and at least five (5) years’ work experience in a donor funded project such as those funded by the World Bank or African Development Bank or other international donors;
2. Working knowledge of the Government of Malawi’s Public Procurement law and procedures;
3. Minimum 3 years work experience on World Bank funded projects a must;
4. Good computer skills and proficient in the use of Microsoft Office (Excel, Word and PowerPoint, etc.);
5. Highly motivated with excellent planning, analytical, communications and interpersonal skills as well as a high level of diplomacy;
6. Upholding of anti-corruption and anti-bribery ethics.

 

 

Duration of the assignment

The Project Financial Management Specialist will be recruited for a period of five (5) years, with the contract renewable annually subject to satisfactory performance, need and availability of funding.

 

Facilities to be provided by the Client 

The following shall be provided by the Client: office space, furniture, office equipment, communication, and internet facilities. For all field related assignments, the Project shall provide transport and costs and other expenses (per diems etc.) related to the fieldwork.

 

Location of Employment

All the Project Specialists will be based at the Project Coordination Unit in Lilongwe but would be required to travel regularly to other relevant field offices where the RCRP is implementing its activities.

 

Mode of Application

Interested Individuals meeting the stated requirements should submit their Expressions of interest including updated detailed curriculum vitae (CVs) and copies of professional certificates must be delivered in a written form to the address below (in person, or by mail, or by fax, or by e-mail) by Tuesday, 13^th February, 2024 on or before 10:00 hours, local time.

 

The Project Coordinator,

Regional Climate Resilience Program for Eastern and Southern Africa 2 Project,

Department of Economic Planning and Development,

P.O. Box 30136, Lilongwe Malawi.

(Attention: The Procurement Officer)

Alternatively, applications may be emailed to: epd_procurement@finance.gov.mw  : /copy epd_hr@finance.gov.mw