Listing expires November 13, 2026
NATIONAL LOCAL GOVERNMENT FINANCE COMMITTEE
Integrated Social Protection for Resilience and Opportunity (INSPIRE-O)
Credit /Grant No: P512324
Date of Issue: 6th November 2026
EXPRESSION OF INTEREST FOR POSITIONS UNDER THE INTEGRATED SOCIAL PROTECTION FOR RESILIENCE AND OPPORTUNITY (INSPIRE-O)
The Government of Malawi (GoM) through the National Local Government Finance Committee (NGFC) has received financing from the World Bank Group and the Malawi Social Protection Multi-Donor Trust Fund supported by the European Union, Ireland, the United Kingdom through FCDO, Germany through KIW, Iceland, and Norway towards the cost of Integrated Social Protection for Resilience and Opportunity (INSPIRE-O). The NGFC intends to apply part of the proceeds of this financing to eligible payments under the contract to recruit various specialists and/officers on a three – year contract, renewable annually based on performance and availability of financial resources or as mutually agreed by both parties.
NGFC, therefore, invites applications from suitably qualified and interested candidates to fill various positions available at the NGFC Offices:
Procurement Specialist (1 position)
Position Overview
The Procurement Specialist is a senior and key member of the Project Implementation Unit (PIU) of the NLGFC. The Procurement Specialist will provide expert procurement advice and support to the INSPIRE-O Project. The Procurement Specialist will be responsible for establishing and managing a robust, transparent, and efficient procurement system for all project activities. This includes ensuring that all procurement of goods, works, non-consulting, and consulting services are carried out in full compliance with the World Bank Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers, the Government of Malawi’s Public Procurement and financial management regulatory framework, and the project’s Financing Agreements and Project Implementation Manual (PIM). The specialist will also be responsible for building the procurement capacity of participating Local Authorities (LAs).
Objective of the Assignment
The objective of the assignment is to strengthen the timely, efficient, transparent, and compliant implementation of procurement and contract-management activities under the INSPIRE-O Project while developing sustainable procurement capability within NLGFC and participating Local Authorities. The specific objectives are to:
- Support timely planning and implementation of procurement for works, goods, non-consulting services, and consulting services;
- Improve the quality and completeness of procurement documents, submissions, records, and reports;
- Strengthen procurement and contract monitoring, including timely identification and escalation of implementation constraints; and
- Transfer practical knowledge to designated NLGFC staff and Local Authority personnel through structured training, coaching, and hands-on participation in procurement activities.
Duties and Responsibilities
The Specialist shall perform the following services.
Procurement Planning and Monitoring
- Prepare and regularly update the INSPIRE-O procurement plan in consultation with the PIU, user departments, technical teams, and participating Local Authorities.
- Maintain an activity-level procurement tracker showing planned and actual milestones, review requirements, current status, responsible party, delays, and agreed corrective actions.
- Support accurate and timely updating of procurement information in the Systematic Tracking of Exchanges in Procurement (STEP) and other applicable electronic procurement systems.
- Identify procurement bottlenecks and implementation risks and propose practical actions for decision by the authorized Client representatives.
Procurement Processing and Quality Assurance
- Prepare procurement documents for works, goods, non-consulting services, and consulting services under the INSPIRE-O Project including bidding documents, requests for quotations, invitations for bids, technical specifications, bills of quantities, terms of reference, requests for expressions of interest, requests for proposals, evaluation reports, and contracts.
- Review procurement documents and reports received from participating Local Authorities for completeness, consistency, compliance, and readiness for the applicable approval or review process.
- Coordinate revisions arising from Client or World Bank comments and maintain a clear record of comments, responses, and final submissions.
- Provide procurement-related support at critical stages, including solicitation, receipt and opening, evaluation, selection, negotiation where applicable, contract award, and contract signature, without displacing the responsibilities of duly constituted committees or approving authorities.
- Prepare procurement inputs for implementation-support missions, annual post reviews, field visits, and supervision activities.
- Coordinate the timely submission of procurement documents to the World Bank/IDA for “No Objection” where required and follow up to ensure a swift response.
- Establish and maintain a procurement complaints database and ensure that all complaints from bidders and consultants are addressed adequately and in a timely manner, in accordance with the project’s agreed procedures.
Contract-Management Support
- Maintain a consolidated contract register for INSPIRE-O contracts, including contract amount, amendments, payment status, key milestones, securities where applicable, completion status, and outstanding issues.
- Support the PIU and Local Authorities to monitor contract implementation and identify delays, variations, claims, performance issues, and required management actions.
- Provide support in contract administration, including ensuring that all contractual obligations (e.g., advance payment guarantees, performance bonds, insurance premiums) are in place before payments are made.
- Establish and maintain a performance monitoring database for all suppliers, contractors, and consultants and prepare evaluation reports on their performance for all contracts.
- Establish and maintain procedures for the receiving, inspecting, testing, and acceptance of goods to ensure they meet contract specifications.
- Provide procurement and contract data to the financial management team for periodic reporting, disbursement-related documentation, and reconciliation. Financial certification and approval will remain with the authorized financial management personnel.
- Support preparation of monthly and quarterly contract-implementation status information for management review and follow-up.
Capacity Building and Knowledge Transfer
- Conduct a procurement and contract-management capacity-needs assessment for designated PIU, Local Authority, Tender Board, user-department, and technical staff involved in INSPIRE-O implementation.
- Prepare and implement a time-bound capacity-building and on-the-job training plan covering relevant World Bank and Government of Malawi requirements, STEP, procurement processing, contract management, reporting, and records management.
- Prepare training materials and practical tools and deliver orientations, workshops, clinics, and hands-on coaching agreed with the Project Coordinator.
- Maintain evidence of knowledge-transfer activities, including topics, participants, materials, learning assessments, follow-up needs, and agreed actions.
- Coach designated counterpart staff during live procurement and contract-management activities to support gradual transfer of responsibility.
Reporting, Records, and Coordination
- Prepare the reports and outputs specified and provide concise analysis of progress, problems, risks, decisions required, and next steps.
- Establish and maintain an organized procurement record-keeping system, including electronic and physical records as applicable, with appropriate indexes and version control.
- Coordinate with the PIU, user departments, technical specialists, financial management staff, Local Authorities, committees, service providers, and the World Bank on procurement-related matters within the Specialist’s mandate.
- Prepare a complete assignment handover package containing current procurement and contract status, pending actions, key records, capacity-building outputs, and recommendations.
Qualifications and Experience
- A Master’s degree in Procurement and Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, Economics, Engineering, Law, Public Administration, Commerce, Accounting, Finance, or a related field from a recognized institution.
- Professional qualifications in procurement such as CIPS certification.
- Membership to professional bodies i.e. MIPS.
- A minimum of eight (8) years of relevant working experience in public procurement, with direct experience in managing procurement for large-scale projects financed by the World Bank or other multilateral development banks.
- Demonstrated in-depth knowledge and practical experience in applying the World Bank’s Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers.
- Experience working with the Government of Malawi’s procurement law and procedures is a must.
- Demonstrated practical experience in procurement planning, preparation and review of procurement documents, evaluation processes, contract monitoring, procurement reporting, and records management.
- Demonstrated experience in training, coaching, or on-the-job transfer of procurement and contract-management knowledge.
- Practical knowledge of STEP and other electronic procurement systems.
- Strong written and oral communication, analytical, coordination, and report-writing skills.
- Proficiency in office productivity applications used for procurement documents, reports, tracking, and records management.
- Eligibility and absence of conflict of interest in accordance with the applicable World Bank Procurement Regulations.
Essential Skills and Competencies
- Excellent command of the English language (both spoken and written) with proven report-writing skills.
- Strong computer skills in standard office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and experience with web-based procurement tracking systems like the World Bank’s STEP.
- Strong analytical, communication, and interpersonal skills.
- In-depth knowledge of World Bank procurement procedures and Government of Malawi procurement regulations.
- Proven ability to work effectively in a team and in a multi-cultural environment.
- Demonstrated capacity to manage multi-stakeholder coordination and Local Authority-level implementation oversight.
- Excellent written and spoken English, with demonstrated ability to produce clear, concise, and high-quality technical reports.
- Exceptional interpersonal and diplomatic skills for engaging with high-level government officials and development partners.
- High level of integrity, accountability, and commitment to transparency and anti-corruption ethics.
- Highly motivated, self-starter, result-oriented and capable of working under pressure to meet tight deadlines.
- Must demonstrate the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and a commitment to anti-corruption and anti-bribery ethics.
Deliverables and Performance Management
The Procurement Specialist’s performance will be assessed against the timeliness, quality, and completeness of the following deliverables, as detailed in the approved project documents (e.g., PIM):
- Project implementation Performance Reports (Monthly, Quarterly and Annual) – Progress summary; activities completed; issues; next steps; implementation status of procurement activities; bottlenecks; corrective actions; compliance status.
- Annual Work Plans and Budgets (AWPBs) – Annual procurement plans with contract packages for works, goods, and services; estimated costs; procurement methods; processing timelines; responsibilities; updated quarterly and approved; procurement budget aligned with project AWPB.
- Procurement Planning and Performance Reports – Procurement tracking system and contract register; STEP system updated in real-time; centralized procurement filing system; contract register with complete and auditable paper trail from planning to contract completion; procurement performance against approved timelines.
- Fiduciary, Environmental, and Social Compliance Reports – Compliance assurance reports confirming all procurement activities are carried out in strict accordance with the Financing Agreement, World Bank Procurement Regulations, and Government of Malawi Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets Act; zero compliance breaches or audit findings.
- Financial Reports (Interim Financial Reports (IFRs), Monthly, Quarterly and Annual; Audited Financial Statements) – Procurement and contract data provided to the financial management team for periodic reporting, disbursement-related documentation, and reconciliation; contract register data aligned with financial reports.
- Updated Results Framework – Procurement inputs to the Results Framework; procurement performance indicators updated; linkage between procurement deliverables and PDO indicators.
- Governance Meeting Reports (Minutes, Agendas, Action Trackers) – Procurement inputs to governance meetings; progress reports presented to Project Steering Committee (PSC) and Project Technical Coordination Group (PTCG); action trackers for procurement-related decisions.
- Reports and Action Plans from World Bank Implementation Support Missions – Procurement inputs for implementation-support missions; annual post reviews; field visits; supervision activities; follow-up on all mission recommendations related to procurement.
- Annual Project Performance Reports and Project Implementation Completion Report (ICR) – Annual procurement performance summary; achievements; challenges; recommendations; procurement inputs for ICR; final procurement and contract status.
- Implementation Dashboards, District Performance Reviews, Mission Follow-up Matrices, and Bottleneck Tracking Reports – Procurement dashboards; procurement tracking matrix; bottleneck tracking reports; district-level procurement performance reviews; mission follow-up matrices for procurement actions.
- Inception Report and Work Plan – Understanding of the assignment; initial procurement portfolio review; detailed work plan; reporting templates; coordination arrangements; risk register; approach to knowledge transfer.
- Procurement Documentation and Tendering Reports – Bidding Documents, RFQs, IFBs, Technical Specifications, BOQs, TORs, REOIs, RFPs; evaluation reports; contract award recommendations; all adhering to World Bank Standard Procurement Documents and national regulations.
- No Objection and Complaints Management Reports – Timely submission of procurement documents to World Bank/IDA for No Objection; procurement complaints database established and maintained; resolution status of all complaints.
- Contract Management and Supplier Performance Reports – Contract administration support; performance monitoring database; evaluation reports for all contracts; inspection and acceptance procedures.
- Capacity Building Reports and Training Materials – Training manuals; tools; guidelines; templates; attendance records; learning assessments; evidence of knowledge-transfer activities.
- Final Handover Package – Current procurement and contract status; pending actions; key records; capacity-building outputs; recommendations.
Key Performance Indicators
KPIs will include:
- Timeliness, completeness and quality of all plans and reports – Annual Procurement Plans updated quarterly and approved; all procurement documents prepared on time and compliant with World Bank SPDs; 100% on-time reporting.
- Implementation performance against approved annual work plan and budget – Procurement performance against approved timelines; at least 90% on time with no more than 10% requiring major rework; STEP system updated in real-time with 100% accuracy.
- Procurement performance against approved timelines – Procurement packages within the Specialist’s control processed within agreed timelines; evaluation reports and award recommendations submitted without delay.
- Compliance with fiduciary, environmental, and social requirements (e.g., no significant red flags) – Zero compliance breaches or audit findings; all contractual obligations verified before payments; zero incidents of non-compliant goods accepted.
- Timely organization of governance meetings and supervision missions – Procurement inputs for governance meetings and supervision missions prepared and submitted on time; follow-up on all mission recommendations related to procurement.
- Effective management and supervision of the PIU – Contract Register and implementation-status information are current, accurate, and identify material delays, risks, and agreed actions; performance evaluation reports prepared for 100% of contracts.
- Achievement of project results and PDO indicators – Procurement inputs to Results Framework; procurement deliverables linked to PDO indicators.
- Quality of implementation and delivery system strengthening – Centralized procurement filing system and contract register established with complete auditable trail; procurement capacity strengthened across NLGFC and Local Authorities.
- Effectiveness of risk management, including district-level risk mitigation – Procurement bottlenecks and implementation risks identified and practical actions proposed; procurement complaints database established and maintained; resolution status of all complaints.
Performance shall be assessed quarterly based on achievement of the deliverables specified above, procurement records, contract registers, training records, and approved reports. Matters outside the Consultant’s reasonable control shall be considered separately during performance assessment.
Reporting and Supervision
The Specialist shall report to the Project Coordinator. The Project Coordinator will act as the principal contract-management focal point and will coordinate access to the PIU, participating Local Authorities, user departments, technical specialists, committees, and other stakeholders required for the assignment. The Specialist shall promptly disclose any matter that may materially affect procurement integrity, compliance, schedule, cost, contract performance, or achievement of the assignment objective and shall recommend practical corrective action for consideration by the authorized Client representatives.
Facilities and Client Inputs
NLGFC will provide reasonable facilities necessary for performance of the services, including:
- Office space, furniture, and office equipment;
- Communication and internet facilities;
- Access to relevant project documents, reports, systems, and designated counterpart staff, subject to applicable access controls. Official travel outside the duty station shall require prior written authorization. NLGFC will provide or pay for authorized transport and applicable subsistence allowances (per diems, etc.) in accordance with the contract and applicable Government rates. The contract shall clarify whether each eligible cost is paid directly by NLGFC or reimbursed against supporting documentation.
Ownership, Confidentiality and Records
All reports, registers, tools, training materials, databases, records, and other products prepared specifically under the assignment will be the property of NLGFC, subject to the terms of the contract. The Specialist shall maintain confidentiality of non-public information received or generated during the assignment and shall use it only for performance of the services. At completion or termination of the assignment, the Specialist shall return or hand over all Client records, access devices, working files, and final outputs in an organized and usable form and shall not retain confidential copies except where required by law or expressly authorized in writing by the Client.
Location of Employment
The Deputy Project Coordinator will be based at the NLGFC offices in Lilongwe. The position will require regular and extensive travel to all project implementation areas for INSPIRE-O.
Duration of Assignment
The assignment is for a period of three (3) years, with annual performance reviews and contract extension subject to satisfactory performance and availability of project resources.
Selection and Remuneration
- Selection Method: The applicant will be selected on the basis of the method of Individual Consultant in accordance with the World Bank’s “Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers,” Seventh Edition, September 2025.
- Remuneration: The remuneration package will be competitive and commensurate with qualifications and experience.
SUBMISSION OF APPLICATIONS
Interested applicants who meet the specified requirements are encouraged to submit their application letters together with a concise Curriculum Vitae (CV), National ID, and copies of relevant original certificates to the address below not later than 17.00 hours on 13th November, 2026.
The National Local Government Finance Committee (NLGFC) is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversifying Gender equality in its operations and strongly encourages women to apply for the above vacant positions.
The Executive Director
National Local Government Finance Committee
Area 14, Red Cross Building
Presidential Way
P.O Box 31162
LILONGWE 3
Or through the following email address: [email protected]
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for further assessments.
