OVERVIEW OF THE FUNCTIONS OF THE POST

The Administrative Assistant (Procurement & Contract Management) reports directly to the Senior Operations Officer and carries out tasks under the overall authority of the officer-in-Charge of the UNESCO Kabul Office. The position is tasked with delivering a range of contract and procurement management-related activities in support of the administrative unit and project/programme delivery.

Within delegated authority, the Administrative Assistant (Procurement & Contract Management) will be responsible for the following duties:

Contract Management

• Peer-review of technical and financial evaluation contract procurement documents.
• Assist in ensuring adherence to contractual agreements, recommended amendments, and extensions of contracts to ensure compliance with administrative policies.
• Assist in vendor registration in the system.
• Track all active procurement contracts to ensure delivery according to payment structure schedules.
• Follow-up with project managers on the contract timelines.
• Review of payment requests in compliance with the procurement agreements.
• Prepare monthly reports for all active procurement contracts.

Procurement-support

• Assist the programme teams with preparing and reviewing Terms of Reference and Specifications for the procurement and purchase procedures according to the established administrative procedures and rules.
• Draft and launch bidding documents, including Requests for Quotations (RFQ), Invitations to Bid (ITB), Requests for Proposal (RFP) and Call for Partnership.
• Maintain and update the procurement trackers and folders on a regular basis.
• Ensure that all procurement documents are appropriately filed.
• Facilitate and arrange bid opening and evaluation of procurement tenders.
• Provide responses to queries from clients, bidders, etc. regarding procurement-related matters.
• Ensure timely and accurate completion of procurement processes.
• Review draft contracts prepared by the programme teams, ensuring compliance with the established administrative procedures and rules.

• Review procurement evaluation documents for completeness and compliance with relevant administrative rules prior to submission for final approval and signature.
• Review, record, and prioritize procurement requests and obtain additional information required in the procurement evaluation process.
• Check the quality of deliverables in coordination with the programme teams, and ensure that procured items are correctly delivered per specification.
• Follow up with suppliers to ensure timely delivery of goods and services.
• Prepare the draft of offers and compile data contained in quotations, proposals, and bids to determine the best-for-value vendor.
• Prepare submission to the Contracts Committee for review and approval.
• Maintain all relevant files, and track any contractual agreements.
• Assist in compiling and presenting procurement data, including relevant supporting documents, and recommend approval of the contract.
• Attend inter-agencies procurement working group and maintain the current list of LTAs.

Admin-Support

• Monitor the status of programme and project proposals and receipt of relevant documentation for review and approval.
• Assist in the field spot checks and progress compliance assessment of contracts issued under the Implementing Partners Agreements.
• Assist in maintaining and monitoring the database for ongoing and planned contracts and compile consolidated annual procurement & contracting plans.
• Assist in pre-qualifying vendors, identifying product sources, and evaluating vendors’ quality, prices, and delivery performance.
• Assist in the solicitation and evaluation processes (bids/proposals/quotations) to ensure overall competitiveness, quality, and conformity to specified requirements.
• Assist in suppliers and market research.
• Assist in identifying knowledge and capacity gaps of the programme staff related to overall procurement processes and address them through training, coaching, and other capacity development interventions.
• Additional tasks that may be required to ensure the success of the work team.

COMPETENCIES (Core / Managerial)

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REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

• A first-level university degree (Bachelor or equivalent) in Supply Chain Management, Public Procurement, Business Administration, Economics, Finance, Contract/Commercial Law, or related fields.

Work Experience

• Minimum of 5 years of relevant progressively responsible professional experience in procurement and contracting with UN agencies or international NGOs.

Languages

• Very good knowledge of English.
• Excellent knowledge of local languages, Pashto/Dari.