MCA-Namibia Procurement Agent

In July 2008, the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) signed a five-year, $304.5 million Compact with the government of Namibia to reduce poverty and accelerate economic growth. The Compact aims to improve the quality of education and training for underserved populations, and attempts to capitalise on Namibia's comparative advantages (e.g., large areas of semi-arid communal land suitable for livestock, and diverse wildlife and unique landscapes ideal for ecotourism) to increase the incomes of poor Namibians in the northern areas of the country. Crown Agents USA (CA-USA) signed a contract in June 2009 to become the Procurement Services Agent to the Millennium Challenge Account - Namibia (MCA-Namibia).

As Procurement Agent, CA-USA acted on behalf of MCA-Namibia to manage the procurement of a broad range of goods, works and services that are requested by MCA-Namibia to implement the activities funded by the US Government in accordance with the MCC Compact with the Government of Namibia. CA-USA:

• Managed and effectively administered the purchase of a wide variety of goods, works and services as requested by MCA-Namibia to implement the Compact;
• Planned, scheduled, and prioritised the procurement functions, including planning for the efficient and effective procurement of goods and works;
• Ensured that the documents describing the objects of the procurements, including the scopes of work, statements of requirements, specifications, terms of reference, bills of quantities, engineering designs and drawings, were adequately prepared and finalised in a reasonable and balanced manner without being unduly restrictive;
• Conducted procurements in a manner that provides open competition to the maximum extent possible in order to assure advantageous prices for MCA-Namibia and equal and fair access for eligible suppliers and contractors; and
• Assured that all procurement activity was performed in a fully professional, transparent and ethical manner, and that all suppliers and contractors were treated on a fair and equal basis.

The CA-USA team ran procurements for a variety of contracts including the following:

• Social impact assessment on the construction of houses at the Etosha National Park;
• Consultancy Services to aid producer and processor organisations in the indigenous natural product industry;
• Giraffe trailers and game crates for the movement of large game animals in aid of promoting conservancy-based tourism;
• School textbooks to increase capacity in the education sector; and
• Road maintenance contracts.