Job Description

GOVERNMENT OF SIERRA LEONE

Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (MAFS)

Name of Project: Project Coordination Unit (PCU) of the Smallholder Commercialization and Agribusiness Development Project (SCADeP) Ministry of Agriculture and rood Security (MAFS)

Title of Position: Procurement Management Specialist 

Date: January 19th 2024

VACANCY NNOUNCEMENT

The Project Coordination unit of the Smallholder Commercialization and Agribusiness Development Project (SCADeP). acting on behalf of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (MAFS). hereby announces the vacant position of Procurement Management Specialists

BACKGROUND:

The Government of Sierra Leone, through the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (MAFS) and other sector ministries, departments, and agencies are implementing the Smallholder Commercialization and Agribusiness Development Project (SCADeP) with an estimated USS40 million credit from the International Development Association (IDA) of the World Bank Group and an IDA additional financing in the form of a grant ofUSS30 million.

The Project Development Objective is “To promote smallholder commercialization by fostering productive business linkages between smallholder fanners and selected agribusiness firms and other commodity off-takers in Sierra Leone”.

The five components of the project are as follows:

Component A: Support for Agri-business-farmer Linkages and Small and Medium Scale Enterprises along selected agricultural value chains.

This component aims at strengthening the linkages between producers and agribusinesses. and making agricultural financing available to all actors along the value chains of the commodities supported under the project.

Component B: Market access improvement

The objective of this component is to support the implementation of productive agribusiness-farmer linkages by addressing market access and coordination issues that constraint smallholder productivity and market efficiency. This will include the rehabilitation and maintenance of feeder roads and the support to agricultural rural infrastructure and ICT to facilitate market coordination.

Component C: Capacity building support for state and non-state institutions and producer organizations.

The objective of this component is to strengthen the capacity of state and nonstate institutions responsible for the provision of services relevant for smallholder commercialization and agribusiness development. Such support will be provided to the following institutions: MAFFS, MOTI, SLARI, MWHI, SLRA, SLeCAD, NaFFSL, SLIEPA, PMB, MLG&RD, and LCS. It will also support value chain development services.

Component D: Project coordination, monitoring and evaluation.

This component focuses on effective coordination of the entire project, the development of an M&E system and the implementation of crossing cutting issues, such as environmental and social safeguards, gender mainstreaming, social accountability,

Component E E: Contingency Emergency Response.

The original financing of the SCADep was approved by the World Bank Board

February 2016 and declared effective in November 2016. with an initial closing of November 30, 2021. However, an additional financing (AF) approved b:. the Bank on July 15. 2020 and declared effective on September 14. 2020 extends the project closing date to June 28, 2024. The project was officially launched in January 2017, during which period effective implementation commenced.

Under Component A, the project is wrapping up support to 14 active grantees under the Sierra Leone Agribusiness Development Fund CSI-ADF) and SS grantees under Round I and 34 grantees under Round 2 of the Agribusiness Services Matching Grants (ASMG). The supports under both funding windows has been in the form of matching grants and technical assistance to help agribusinesses. producer organizations. and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) implement various demand-driven initiatives  aimed at commercializing respective agricultural initiatives. The Project is currently providing productivity support. in the form of mechanized land preparation services and inputs, to these grantees to enable them impros. productivity and put storage and

machinery facilities earlier financed by the Project into effective use.

Under Component B. the project has 4 active project sites for Design and Build of four (4) Rural Bridges across Manual Ferry Crossing Points and -S active project sites for Spot Improvement (small bridges and culverts) sub-project. The designs for the 4 major rural bridges are mostly complete, with construction activities set to commence in  early November 2023. This leaves major contract management responsibilities for the Project, to be spearheaded by the Procurement Management Specialist to be recruited for the Project Coordination Unit.

Under Component D. the project is working on the management and coordination of the remaining activities of the Project to ensure coherence towards the achievement of the expected project outcomes as captured in the Project Development Objectives. Priority is being put on ensuring that all commissioned activities. including ongoing contracts for consultancy services, non-consulting services, and works are successful concluded and results from the project’s interventions are properly documented. and the appropriate assessments and project closure reports done.

OBJECTIVES AND SCOPE OF THE ASSIGNMENT

Under the direct supervision of the Project Coordinator, the Procurement Management Specialist will take overall charge of the project’s procurement and contract management. and ensure that the Project’s procurement and contract management systems adhere to project activities implementation procedures based on World Bank Guidelines and applicable rules of the Government of Sierra Leone. The Specialist shall work in close consultation with the Project Coordinator and other technical specialists ofthe PCU. S/He will discuss issues that would affect efficient procurement management with the Project Coordinator and agree on the ways to resolve them.

SPECIFIC TASKS

The specialist shall conduct the tasks identified below by applying sound technical practices and methods, and collecting and making use of available and necessary data in carrying out the assignment.

The Specialist, shall inter alia, undertake the following:

*Review all available project documents to facilitate the establishment or review of procurement procedures for the management and implementation of the project;

*Establish a procurement management system for the PCU; based on the guidelines and procedures for the conduct of procurement under World Bank funded projects. and the government regulations for the procurement Of goods works and services under the Public Procurement Act 2016 (PPA) of Sierra Leone;

This component provides for the reallocation of resources from the other components to finance the response to eligible emergencies/crises. This component has been activated to partly finance government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

CURRENT STATUS OF SCADeP

*Set up a simple procurement management tracking system for the PCIJ that would monitor the implementation of procurement activities;

*Using the World Bank’s Standard bidding documents, prepare customized Bidding Documents and Request for Proposals (RFP).

QUALIFICATION & EXPERIENCES

Education:

*Advanced Degree (minimum Masters degree). preferably in Procurement- and/ or Supply Chain Management,

Business Administration, Public Administration, Economics or related field.

Experience:

minimum often (10) years’ professional experience in procurement,

*should have at. least 7 years’ experience  in procurement, Project/Contract

management of internationally funded project and experience in providing trainings.

At least five (5) years’ experience in procurement at the management level.

The Project Coordinator

Project Coordinating Unit

Smallholder Commercialization and Agribusiness

Development Project (SCADep)

1F Scan Drive, Off Spur Road, Wilberforce

Freetown, .Sierra Leone

By E-mail application as attachment (including all Supporting. documents) to: (<esscubes11@gmail.com/esscubesl@yahoo.co.uk)

Please indicate clearly on the envelope (in the case of hard copy application) or in the email subject heading and attachment (in the case of electronic applications), the post for which application is made.

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

Signed

Project Coordinator, SCADep