Competitive Procurement Lead

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Organization : USAID Southeast Asia’s Smart Power Program (“SE Asia Smart Power”)

USAID Southeast Asia’s Smart Power Program (“SE Asia Smart Power”)

Competitive Procurement Lead – Job Description

Organization Overview

Abt Associates’ International Development Division (IDD) manages projects that are pioneering new approaches in governance, energy, health, agriculture, food security, climate change, and economic growth—as well as monitoring and evaluating projects within these sectors. We work throughout Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East for chiefly governmental clients, including the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the Millennium Challenge Corporation, the Inter-American Development Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Project Description

The anticipated five-year, USAID Southeast Asia’s Smart Power Program (“SE Asia Smart Power”) will be a task order under the Energy II IDIQ designed to support and assist USAID and SE Asian partner countries achieve sustainable economic growth through targeted energy sector reforms. These reforms will promote energy security in the SE Asia region by improving reliability, increasing access, and providing affordable electricity as well as supporting countries and their utilities achieve financial stability and avoid adverse health impacts from the energy sector by accelerating clean energy solutions. Toward these ends, the project will be structured to include the following six tasks:

Task 1: Southeast Asia Power Utility Modernization
Task 2: Southeast Asia Cooling Efficiency
Task 3: Southeast Asia Energy Innovation and Emerging Trends
Task 4: Southeast Asia Center for Competitive Procurement
Task 5: Southeast Asia Power Trade and Grid Integration
Task 6: Support to the Asia Gas Partnership

Job Summary

Abt Associates seeks a qualified Competitive Procurement Lead to execute USAID’s SE Asia Smart Power program technical activities under Task 4: Southeast Asia Center for Competitive Procurement. The Competitive Procurement Lead will manage a team providing a central clearinghouse for best-practices and technical assistance aimed at increasing the use of transparent, competitive practices for the procurement of advanced energy technologies in Southeast Asia. S/he manages program activities developing least cost and best value competitive procurements; and providing access to implementing partners, government partners, the private sector, and auction experts to offer insight and capitalize on experience of procurement practices in the region and across the world. The position will be based in Abt’s Bangkok office and is contingent upon program award and USAID approval.

Key Roles and Responsibilities

Reports to the Technical Deputy Chief of Party.
Provides technical leadership on competitive procurement activities, ensuring alignment with the program’s overall vision and cross-cutting deliverables and reporting.
Provides leadership, management and supports strategic direction, including managing a diverse team of technical specialists covering topics including power sector reform and restructuring, power project development, renewable energy, grid integration technical standards, private sector engagement, auction design, power generation and transmission, gas sector financing, auction platform development, and transparent, best-value energy procurement.
Manages the development of technical standards recommendations, and least cost and best value competitive procurements in partnership with private and public sector stakeholders and auction experts.
Leads program activities supporting regulators or utilities in the design of the auction process, information technology platform, documents, and review criteria.
Provides expert advice on financing and guarantee options for auction design, tailoring power purchase agreements, and other key contracts to specific auction design.
Supports the organizing of workshops and trainings to build the capacity of interested parties in designing and implementing auction processes.
Liaises with Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) manager on task-relevant data collection, monitoring and evaluation activities.
Supports knowledge management and communications on energy innovation and emerging trends.
Coordinates cross-cutting activities with other task leads, Director of Partnerships and Communication, Gender Equity and Social Inclusion Lead, Communications Manager, Technical Deputy Chief of Party, Operations Deputy Chief of Party and the Chief of Party.

Qualifications

A Master’s degree in energy/environmental policy, international development, or a related field.
10+ years of experience leading, managing, or implementing competitive procurement projects, preferably in SE Asian countries, USAID or donor-funded initiatives desirable.
Advanced knowledge and experience training stakeholders in developing countries on competitive procurement, preferably in SE Asia countries.
Advanced knowledge and experience supporting technical standards recommendations and preparing documents for a renewable energy reverse auction process from prequalification to award.
Experience working with governments, regulators, and utilities to develop an enabling environment for transparent renewable energy competitive procurements, including regulatory and legal frameworks.
Experience providing expert advice on financing and guarantee options for auction design, power purchase agreements, and other key contracts to support specific auction designs.
Previous experience supporting competitive procurement projects for USAID is preferred.
Knowledge of Southeast Asian countries’ renewable energy, energy efficiency, and climate change policies, laws, and capacity constraints.
Demonstrated capacity in facilitating in-depth and effective dialogues with internal team as well as with external stakeholders.
Experience managing teams, consultants and sub-contractors to ensure high-quality and timeline submission of technical work and deliverables.
Highly self-motivated and adaptable to learning and understanding new concepts.
Ability to work both independently and in a team-oriented, collaborative environment.
Strong oral, written, and interpersonal skills are required.
Fluency in English is required; knowledge of a regionally relevant second language is an asset (Thai, Lao, Khmer, Vietnamese, Tagalog/Filipino, Bahasa Indonesia, etc.).