Ministry of Finance and Planning

Request for expressions of Interest

Individual Consultants

Public Financial Management Improvement Project (P162850)

The Palestinian Liberation Organization, for the benefit of the Palestinian Authority, has received financing from the World Bank, International Development Association in the amount of USD 3.5 million towards the cost of the Public Financial Management (PFM) Improvement Project (the Project).

The Project development objective (PDO) is to enhance the expenditure controls, financial accountability and procurement management of the Palestinian Authority. To achieve this PDO, the project will mainly cover four components: (i) Component 1- Improving Budget Expenditure Management, Financial Control and Cash Planning; (ii) Component 2- Improving Financial Accountability of the PFM System; (ii) Component 3- Modernizing Public Procurement; and (iv) Component 4- Project Management.

The Project will be implemented over 4 years by the Ministry of Finance and Planning (MOFP) in cooperation with the High Council for Public Procurement Policies (HCPPP) and State Audit & Administrative Control Bureau (SAACB). HCPPP will manage the implementation of Component 3. A Project Management Unit (PMU) will be established at the MOFP to manage the implementation of this project. It will be composed of a Project Manager, Procurement Specialist, Financial Management Specialist, Monitoring & Evaluation Specialist and a Resident PFM Advisor, as well as consultants in various technical fields, to manage the overall implementation and coordination of the Project.

MOFP is considering the appointment of qualified Project Manager, Procurement Specialist and Resident PFM Advisor for the PMU. The PMU team will be housed within MOFP in Ramallah. The duration of each assignment is one year on a full-time basis, extendable to the full length of the Project (4 years). The expected start date is September 1, 2018 for the Project Manager and Procurement Specialist and January 1, 2019 for the PFM Advisor.

An individual Consultant shall be selected for each of the above-mentioned posts in accordance with the World Bank’s procedures as specified in the World Bank’s Procurement Regulations for Borrowers under Investment Project Financing dated July 1, 2016 (“Procurement Regulations”).

Procurement Specialist

Scope of Work: The Procurement Specialist will be working and reporting directly to the Project Manager. The selected Specialist will be in charge of processing all aspects of project procurement in accordance with the World Bank Procurement Regulations for Investment Project Financing Borrowers (July 2016), the approved procurement plan and the Grant Agreement. He/she will be responsible for the following set of tasks:

Main Duties and Responsibilities:

• Updating the Project Procurement Plan in consultation with the relevant MOFPs entities/departments on a periodic basis throughout project implementation to reflect actual project implementation requirements;
• Assisting in the preparation of consultants’ terms of reference and administration of their contracts, including processing contract amendments;
• Drafting bid notices and bidding documents for inviting and obtaining bids for goods and services in accordance with World Bank Procurement Regulations;
• Drafting requests for expressions of interest and request for proposals (RFPs) for inviting and obtaining consultants’ services in accordance with World Bank Procurement Regulations;
• Assisting   in revising the established   procedures for receiving and   opening of bids/proposals, ensuring adherence to the evaluation criteria stipulated in the bidding documents/RFPs in a professional and timely manner;
• Maintaining complete procurement documentation for each contract, both in hard copy and in STEP (the World Bank’s new System for Tracking Exchanges in Procurement) including bidding documents, advertisements, bids received, bid evaluations, letters of acceptance, contract agreements, securities, related correspondence, etc., in an orderly manner, readily available for audit;
• Preparing procurement reports when needed showing the status of ongoing procurement, including a comparison of planned and actual dates of the procurement actions, including preparation of bidding documents, advertising, bidding, evaluation, contract award and completion time for each contract;
• Preparing correspondence required for requesting, through the Project Manager, the World Bank approval/‘no objection’ of the proposed procurement steps/decisions, through STEP or email, as required;
• Coordinate as needed procurement activities between MoFP, SAACB and other governmental stakeholders and the World Bank.
• Working with MOFP procurement staff to enhance their capacities through on-job training to ensure they are capable of taking over full responsibility of the needed procurement implementation as regarding the Word Bank programs by the end of the assignment; and
• Performing other duties as may be assigned by the Project Manager.

Essential Required Qualifications, Skills, knowledge and Competencies:

• At least a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university in Business Administration, Procurement, Purchasing Management, Supply Chain Management, Accounting, Finance, Engineering or any other related field;
• At least 5 years of relevant experience on projects financed by international agencies; experience implementing projects following World Bank Procurement Guidelines is a plus;
• Good knowledge of the local procurement procedures;
• Strong supervisory and staff support skills. Ability to motivate and lead employees and encourage decisions to be made within a team environment;
• Good knowledge of technical and operational aspects of procurement implementation;
• Excellent communication and facilitation skills;
• Excellent computer skills;
• Fluency in English and excellent report writing; and
• The ability to work under pressure. Within team work arrangements.

Interested candidates are requested to send their CVs and a cover letter to the Ministry of Finance and Planning – The International Relations and Projects Directorate, at this email address: pfm@pmof.ps

The closing date for applying is COB of Aug 7, 2018. Please clearly indicate the position to which you are applying in the subject line of your email.