Procurement

What interviewers look for

• You choose the method by value, risk and market, and you can explain why: RFQ, tender or direct purchase, never simply the fastest one.
• You treat every supplier the same: one specification, one deadline, the same information to all, and bids opened together by a committee.
• You declare any conflict of interest early, in writing, and step out of the decision. Family, friends and business partners all count.
• Your file tells the whole story without you: need, method, bids, evaluation, award, contract, delivery and payment. An auditor should never need to phone you.
• You look for value for money, not only the lowest price: quality, delivery time, warranty and running costs count too.
• You stay polite and firm under pressure: from managers who want the goods tomorrow and from suppliers who want to win.

Questions they ask

1. 1“How do you decide which procurement method to use?”

   Why they ask: They check that you know the methods and thresholds, and that the method follows the value and the risk, not what is convenient for you.

   How to answer

   • Start with the estimated total value of the whole need, for the project or the year, not one order.
   • Check it against your organisation's manual: small values direct or one quotation, middle values an RFQ, high or complex values an ITB or RFP.
   • Say clearly that the numbers differ by organisation and donor, and that you follow the manual, not memory.
   • Explain the exceptions: a single supplier or a real emergency goes through a written waiver, approved above you.

   I start by estimating the total value of the need for the whole project, not one order, because splitting a need to stay under a threshold is not allowed. Then I open our procurement manual. At my last organisation, small purchases needed one quotation, middle values needed an RFQ to at least three suppliers, and large or complex purchases went to an open tender, advertised in the newspaper and online. When only one supplier could provide a spare part for our generator, I did not choose the method myself. I wrote a waiver with the reason and a short market check, and the country director approved it.

2. 2“Tell us how you ran a bid evaluation, or how you would run one.”

   Why they ask: They want to see a fair, documented process: criteria fixed before the bids arrive, a committee, clear stages and a signed report.

   How to answer

   • Criteria and weights are written in the tender document before any bid arrives, and they do not change after.
   • Bids are opened together by the committee, and an opening record lists every bidder and price.
   • Evaluate in stages: administrative compliance, then technical, then financial. Each member scores alone first.
   • Finish with an evaluation report and a recommendation with reasons, signed by every member.

   At an INGO in Garowe I was secretary of the evaluation committee for a tender to buy water tanks. The criteria and their weights were in the tender document before any bid arrived. We opened the bids together and signed an opening record with every bidder and price. First we checked the administrative documents, and two bidders were out because their business registration was missing. Each member then scored the technical offers alone, and only after that did we look at prices. I wrote the evaluation report with a reason for every score, and all three members signed it before it went for approval.

3. 3“What does value for money mean to you?”

   Why they ask: They check that you do not confuse cheap with good, and that you build quality into the criteria before the bids come, not after.

   How to answer

   • Define it simply: the best mix of price, quality and total cost over the life of the item.
   • Give a real example where the cheapest offer would have cost more later: fuel, repairs, spare parts, late delivery.
   • Show that value for money also means fair competition and a decision you can defend in an audit.

   For me, value for money is the best mix of price, quality and total cost over time, not the lowest quotation. When we bought generators for health centres, the cheapest offer had a short warranty and no spare parts in the country. Because we had already put warranty, fuel use and after-sales service in the evaluation criteria, the committee could choose a slightly more expensive model with a service agent in Hargeisa. The criteria were written before the bids arrived, so the decision was fair, and it was easy to explain when the auditors asked.

4. 4“A company owned by your relative sends a quotation. What do you do?”

   Why they ask: This is an integrity check. They want to hear that you declare the conflict in writing and step out, not that you hide it or quietly remove the bid.

   How to answer

   • Declare it in writing to your manager as soon as you know, before evaluation starts.
   • Step out of every decision on that procurement; another colleague takes your place on the committee.
   • Do not remove the bid yourself: the policy decides if the company can still compete, and the file records what happened.

5. 5“How do you check that a supplier is real and reliable?”

   Why they ask: They check your supplier due diligence: fake or linked companies, sanctions screening and whether the supplier can really deliver.

   How to answer

   • Check the business licence and registration documents, and ask for references from other clients.
   • Visit the shop or yard where possible, and ask about stock, staff and past contracts of similar size.
   • Screen the company and its owners against the sanctions lists your organisation and donor require.
   • Watch for red flags in quotations: the same phone number, handwriting or spelling mistakes on 'different' companies.

   Before a supplier joins our list, I check the business licence, ask for two client references and, where I can, visit the shop or yard. Our compliance officer screens the company and its owners against the sanctions lists the donor requires. During each RFQ I also look at the quotations themselves. Once, two companies with different names had the same phone number and the same spelling mistake on their letterheads. I reported it to my manager, the committee rejected both, and we added a check of contact details to our vetting form.

6. 6“When do you use a purchase order, and when do you need a contract?”

   Why they ask: They check that you understand what each document commits the organisation to, and that you manage contracts after signing.

   How to answer

   • A PO fits simple, one-off goods with standard terms: item, quantity, price, delivery date and place.
   • A contract fits services, works, payments in stages, long deliveries or repeated purchases under a framework agreement.
   • Name the key clauses: scope, price, payment terms, delivery, penalties for delay, termination and anti-fraud clauses.
   • Add that you keep a contract register and follow deliveries and end dates.

7. 7“How do you keep procurement files ready for an audit?”

   Why they ask: Auditors test procurement first. The panel wants to see that your files are complete, organised and honest about every deviation.

   How to answer

   • One file per procurement, numbered, with a checklist on the front of every document that should be inside.
   • Every document signed and dated, on paper and scanned, and kept as long as the donor requires.
   • A signed note to file for anything unusual: a late bid accepted, a change of quantity, a waiver.

   I keep one file per procurement, named by its reference number. A checklist on the front lists every document: request, method, RFQ or tender notice, all bids, the opening record, evaluation report, approval, PO or contract, GRN, invoice and payment proof. When something unusual happens, such as a supplier asking to change the delivery date, I write a short note to file, and my manager signs it. Everything is scanned into a shared folder with the same number. Before our last donor audit I checked every file against the checklist, and the auditors did not have to ask me for anything missing.

8. 8“Which donor procurement rules have you worked with?”

   Why they ask: They check honesty and awareness. Many panels would rather hear what you really know than a list of donor names.

   How to answer

   • Name only the donors whose rules you actually applied, and say what you did with them.
   • Show you know the common ideas: competition, transparency, eligible suppliers, prior approval for large purchases, record keeping.
   • Say that on a new grant you read the procurement clause of the agreement first, and apply the stricter rule when donor and internal rules differ.

Example answers are in English, the language most panels use. Say it in your own words.

Topics to revise

• Procurement cycleThe steps from need to closing the file: need and budget, procurement plan, method, solicitation (RFQ or tender), evaluation, award, PO or contract, delivery and receipt, payment, filing. They may ask you to list them in order or say where the risk is highest.
• Procurement planA list of what will be bought during a project or year, with estimated values, methods and dates. It lets you group similar needs, avoid splitting and start long tenders early.
• Procurement thresholdsValue bands that decide the method, set in each organisation's manual and sometimes by the donor. The estimate covers the whole need. Know how thresholds work in general, and do not quote one organisation's numbers as a rule for all.
• RFQ (request for quotations)A written request to several suppliers for standard goods with a clear specification. Same specification, same deadline, and prices compared on a bid analysis sheet. Usually used for middle values.
• ITB / open tenderAn invitation to bid, advertised publicly, for high-value or complex goods and works. Sealed bids, a fixed closing time, opening by a committee, and evaluation against the published criteria.
• RFP (request for proposals)Used for services and consultancies where quality matters as much as price. Technical and financial proposals come separately; the technical part is scored first, then the prices are opened.
• Direct procurement / single sourceBuying from one supplier without competition. Allowed only in the cases the manual lists, such as very small values, a real emergency or only one supplier on the market, and always with a written justification and approval.
• Bid analysis (CBA)A comparative bid analysis puts all offers side by side: compliance, unit prices, totals, delivery time and warranty. Check every total yourself; tests often hide a multiplication error or a bid that does not meet the specification.
• Evaluation committeeUsually three or more people from different departments, each signing a conflict of interest declaration. Members score independently, the secretary writes the minutes and the report, and the person who approves the award is usually not a member.
• Conflict of interestAny link that could affect, or look like it affects, your judgement: family, friends, business partners, a former employer. Declare it in writing and step out. Hiding it is worse than having it.
• Supplier due diligenceChecks before and during work with a supplier: registration and licence, owners, references, capacity, sanctions screening, and red flags of fraud or collusion between bidders.
• Framework agreementA long-term agreement with one or more suppliers at fixed prices or terms. Staff then place call-off orders without a new tender each time. Useful for fuel, stationery, printing or vehicle repairs.

Practical tasks you may get

1. 1Excel bid analysis (45–60 minutes): three or four quotations to compare, often with a wrong total, a missing delivery date or a bidder who does not meet the specification. Practise building a comparison table, checking unit price × quantity, and writing a two-line recommendation.
2. 2Write an RFQ or a specification in 30 minutes, for example for office furniture or hygiene kits. Include item details, quantity, delivery place and date, deadline, how to submit and how offers will be evaluated.
3. 3Find what is missing in a procurement file: the panel hands you a file with gaps, such as no opening record, an unsigned evaluation or a PO dated before its approval. Prepare by learning the full document list in order.
4. 4A role play: a bidder phones you during an open tender to ask a question or to 'explain' his offer. Practise the answer: questions come in writing, and the answer goes to all bidders at the same time.

Mistakes to avoid

• Saying 'I always choose the cheapest' without mentioning compliance, quality or value for money.
• Quoting one organisation's thresholds as if they apply everywhere, instead of saying you follow the manual.
• Claiming deep knowledge of a donor's rules you have never applied; one follow-up question exposes it.
• Treating a conflict of interest as a private matter to handle quietly, instead of declaring it in writing.
• Stopping the story at the PO: panels also want delivery checks, contract follow-up, payment and filing.

Quick check

5 questions. Answer each one to see the explanation.