Senior International Finance and Procurement Expert
Project description
Project Background
The “Fund for Regional Stabilisation and Development in fragile regions within ECOWAS Member States” (FRSD) addresses Regional Stabilisation through investments and capacity building. The Fund, set up by the Commission of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), has two windows: 1) A Financial Cooperation (FC) window for investments that is funded through KfW Development Bank. 2) A Technical Cooperation (TC) window for capacity development, funded through GIZ.
The main objective of the project is to contribute to the stability and sustainable development of selected ECOWAS member states through the improvement of living conditions, the strengthening of social cohesion and the promotion of good governance.
To achieve the above objective, the Project will focus on the following intervention contexts:
1. Early response/ prevention: In the context of incipient crises in ECOWAS member states the Project will finance preventive stabilization measures ('early response'). Such preventive measures shall be based on the ECOWAS Warning and Response Network (ECOWARN), which is already well-established as an early warning system but so far suffers from limited early response capacity.
2. Stabilization, recovery and reconstruction: In the aftermath of crises in ECOWAS member states the Project will finance measures for stabilization, recovery and reconstruction. Such crises may include both negative (political violence, large influx of refugees/ IDPs, natural disasters, pandemics, etc.) and positive change (democratic transition).
The Stabilization Fund will thus be both proactive (pre-crisis prevention) and reactive (post-crisis stabilization, recovery and reconstruction) in nature. It bears emphasis that all interventions will be development-oriented in nature, i.e. the underlying rationale will not be to provide humanitarian relief in acute crisis situations but rather to promote medium to long-term stabilization and sustainable development before or after crises.
To achieve pre- or post-crisis stabilization effects in ECOWAS member states the following Project activities shall be financed from the Financial Contribution:
Project Component 1: Private sector promotion and employment creation
Project Component 2: Basic service provision and strengthening of resilience
Project Component 3: Promotion of good governance and social cohesion
Project Component 4: Strengthening of implementation capacities .
Context of the assignment
After careful pre-studies and an assessment process and a formal application process with full project proposal, the Fund has concluded 6 contracts with international implementing partner (IPs) in Guinea-Bissau.
These projects are characterized by weak implementation capacities in financial management and reporting and in environmental and social safeguards, which compromises project progress. The IPs need substantial support and capacity building to safeguard standards in implementation and financial and technical reporting.
Procurement and general procedures are yet not completely set up and agreed upon between the Consultant and KfW, a well thought through Operations Manual needs to be finalized to improve implementation speed and streamline non objection processes with KfW. For this in December a workshop is planned that needs to be prepared carefully.
A financial accounting system was set up and needs to be put in action with data from the first financial reports of IPs.
The project selected 2 new IP for Benin and 2 for Togo and in the near future contracts will be concluded with them. So, in 2025 10 Projects with a volume of around 40 Mio Euro will need to be managed by the Consultant.
The project consists of a team of 5 Key Expert Positions and 2 administrative positions
- An international Project Manager and Team Leader
- An international Engineer
- A Senior International Finance and Procurement Expert (this position)
- An international Rural Development and Project Management Expert
- An Environmental and Social Safeguards Expert
- A pool of junior and senior short-term experts
- An accountant
- An accountant and procurement assistant is still to be hired .
Job description
The assignment/requested services
The International Finance and Procurement Expert shall together with the Team leader administer the Project’s funds (the “Funds”) on behalf of ECOWAS according to the provisions in the underlying agreement between KfW and ECOWAS (Separate Agreement, and particularly in Appendix 3 “Disbursement Procedure” (see Appendix 4 of the TOR), hereafter defined as the “Underlying Agreement”). The Finance and Procurement Expert will be responsible for timely replenishment and disbursements of Funds towards Implementing Partners and contractors.
In particular, the Finance and Procurement Expert shall ensure the following:
- carry out the Stabilization Fund’s accounting including the development of an FMU-specific accounting system.
- Work with a financial monitoring system.
- prepare financial statements for the Stabilization Fund.
- manage a Special Account and possibly Local Special Account, which shall bear interest.
- establish timely requests for replenishments of the Special Account in order to maintain an adequate liquidity position.
- establish the statements of expenditures to be sent to KfW as evidence of the use of funds together with supporting documents as per the Underlying Agreement.
- ensure a periodical audit of the Special and Country Accounts by an independent auditor on the basis of TOR provided in the Underlying Agreement.
- inform KfW and ECOWAS immediately if relevant problems occur.
- ensure that:
- each disbursement request corresponds to the form provided in the Underlying Agreement.
- the amount of the disbursement request only includes expenditures/costs to be financed by KfW, e.g. with regard to eligibility of financing taxes.
- hand over all relevant documentation to ECOWAS at the end of the Finance and Procure emtn Expert’s contract term. However, as long as documents remain with the Finance and Procurement Expert/ Implementing Partners, KfW reserves the right to obtain originals and copies of such documents.
- examine whether the invoice(s) and additional documents for the disbursement request are complete and whether contractual requirements to receive payments have been fulfilled.
- determine whether the supplies and services invoiced have been performed according to the respective contract.
- ensure, that payments from the Special Accounts to contractors are being effected according to the relevant supply and service contracts and establish an adequate internal control system e.g. for the release of payments.
- check disbursement requests from Implementing Partners, initiate disbursement of requested funds and establish an adequate internal control system. By approving the disbursement request, the Finance and Procurement Expert confirms that the disbursement is in line with the progress of the interventions.
- keep records of all disbursements effected out of the Special Accounts according to the supply and service contracts and cooperation agreements financed out of the Funds and the cost categories agreed upon.
- (in case of supply contracts) examine, based on random sampling, whether amounts and budget lines as stated in the invoice correspond to those as stipulated in the contract;
- In case the contractor has submitted a statement of expenditure or bill of quantities, the Finance and Procurement Expert will examine whether cumulative expenditures do not exceed budget lines and whether cumulative expenditures are in coherence with the statement of expenditure or bill of quantities previously submitted.
- (in case of construction contracts) examine, whether main budget lines as presented in the invoice correspond to those as stipulated in the contract, whether cumulative expenditures do not exceed budget lines and whether cumulative expenditures are in coherence with previously submitted statements of expenditure based on the bill of quantities.
- if the statement of expenditure or bill of quantities submitted by the contractor does not fulfil the requirements as mentioned in 6) and 7), the Finance and Procurement Expert will request a No-Objection to the disbursement of the responsible project manager at KfW, and will attach related documentation to the invoice.
- examine whether price adjustments are applicable and are calculated in line with the contract.
- examine whether further documentation, such as transport and/or delivery certificates, is required, whether such documentation meets the formal requirements as stipulated in the contract(s) and whether the items and amounts presented on the respective documents are correct.
- examine whether guarantees have been presented by the contractor in accordance with contractual requirements. If applicable, the Finance and Procurement Expert will:
- ensure that the form and amount of all guarantees meet the requirements of the construction or supply contract(s).
- monitor the validity of all guarantees and ensure, if required, that the guarantee period is being extended in due time.
- review the transactions at the level of the Implementing Partners:
- conduct a detailed review of the financial reports, check the plausibility of the reports.
- conduct random checks on the financial management and procurement systems (correct accounting, completeness and systematic filing of relevant receipts).
- examine whether the disbursement request meets the requirements as stated in the Underlying Agreement, including adequacy and plausibility.
- ensure that the Implementing Partners abide by the following principles:
- examine whether the invoice(s) and additional documents for the disbursement request are complete and whether contractual requirements to receive payments have been fulfilled.
- determine whether the supplies and services invoiced have been performed according to the respective contract.
- ensure, that payments from the Country Accounts to contractors are being affected according to the relevant supply and service contracts and establish an adequate internal control system e.g. for the release of payments.
- keep records of all disbursements effected out of the Country Accounts according to the supply and service contracts financed out of the Funds and the cost categories agreed upon.
- (in case of supply contracts) examine, based on random sampling, whether amounts and budget lines as stated in the invoice correspond to those as stipulated in the contract.
- in case the contractor has submitted a statement of expenditure or bill of quantities, the Implementing Partner will examine whether cumulative expenditures do not exceed budget lines and whether cumulative expenditures are in coherence with the statement of expenditure or bill of quantities previously submitted.
- (in case of construction contracts) examine, whether main budget lines as presented in the invoice correspond to those as stipulated in the contract, whether cumulative expenditures do not exceed budget lines and whether cumulative expenditures are in coherence with previously submitted statements of expenditure based on the bill of quantities.
- if the statement of expenditure or bill of quantities submitted by the contractor does not fulfil the requirements as mentioned in e) and f), the Implementing Partner will request a No-Objection to the disbursement of the Finance and Procure emtn Expert, and will attach related documentation to the invoice.
- examine whether price adjustments are applicable and are calculated in line with the contract.
- examine whether further documentation, such as transport and/or delivery certificates, is required, whether such documentation meets the formal requirements as stipulated in the contract(s) and whether the items and amounts presented on the respective documents are correct.
- examine whether guarantees have been presented by the contractor in accordance with contractual requirements. If applicable, the Finance and Procurement Expert will ensure that the form and amount of all guarantees meet the requirements of the construction or supply contract(s).
- monitor the validity of all guarantees and ensure, if required, that the guarantee period is being extended in due time.
Contracting and Procurements
- Contracting of Implementing Partners: The Finance and Procurement Expert will together with the Team leader sign the cooperation agreements with the Implementing Partners on behalf of ECOWAS. To this end the Finance and Procurement Expert will need to:
- negotiate the cooperation agreements with the Implementing Partners, which shall be based on the contract templates included in the Operations Manual.
- sign the cooperation agreements.
- monitor – from distance and through regular site visits – that Implementing Partners execute the interventions in compliance with the contracts, including the application of participatory approaches.
- Provide No-Objections to Implementing Partners: The FMU needs to approve key activities of the Implementing Partners. The Finance and Procurement Expert will formally provide a No-Objection to the Implementing Partners in its capacity as party to the cooperation agreement. By providing the No-Objection the Finance and Procurement Expert confirms that the activities of the Implementing Partners are compliant with the Stabilization Fund procedures and fulfil the quality requirements.
- seek prior No-Objections from KfW as required by the Operations Manual.
- Procurements by the FMU: The Finance and Procurement Expert will be responsible for the procurements realized by the FMU (e.g. audit, remote monitoring).
- The Finance and Procurement Expert will:
- prepare all tender documents and publish the tender according to the rules of the Operations Manual.
- evaluate the bids and select the best bidder.
- negotiate and sign the contract with the successful bidder on behalf of ECOWAS.
The FMU needs to approve key activities of the Implementing Partners. The Finance and Procurement Expert will:
- formally provide a No-Objection to the Implementing Partners in its capacity as party to the cooperation agreement. By providing the No-Objection the Finance and Procurement Expert confirms that the activities of the Implementing Partners are compliant with the Stabilization Fund procedures and fulfil the quality requirements.
- seek prior No-Objections from KfW as required by the Operations Manual.
Procurements by the FMU
The Finance and Procurement Expert will be responsible for the procurements realized by the FMU (e.g. audit, remote monitoring). The Finance and Procurement Expert will:
- prepare all tender documents and publish the tender according to the rules of the Operations Manual.
- evaluate the bids and select the best bidder.
- negotiate and sign the contract with the successful bidder on behalf of ECOWAS.
Qualifications
Qualifications and skills:
- University degree in economics, finance or related subjects
- Proven negotiation and moderation skills with senior decision makers
- Computer skills (MS Office software)
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
- Fluent in English and French (knowledge of Portuguese as an asset).
General professional experience:
- A minimum of 10 years working experience as financial expert
Specific professional experience:
- Demonstrated expertise as a financial expert in similar projects
- Management experience
- Proven procurement expertise, working experience with KfW Procurement Guidelines
- Capacity building
- Demonstrated experience with the management and monitoring of large project funds, proven working experience with KfW disbursement procedures (disposition fund or Disbursement in Tranches Procedure)
- Experience with the management cycle of investment projects in the context of financial cooperation, preferably small infrastructure projects
- Working experience in developing countries
- Regional experience will be an advantage.
- Working experience with adaptive programming approach and agile methods will be an advantage.
- Good people skills and a diplomatic attitude in a complex multi-stakeholder environment are essential
- Develop quality standard documents and templates
- Experience with Financial Accounting Software, ideally Sun Systems
- Elaboration and refinement of operational manuals in close cooperation with donor and other involved parties as basis for smooth work processes and lean but powerful management processes
Contact person
Karen Reschenberg karen.reschenberg@gfa-group.de
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