From Africa to Asia:
how a career in procurement can change the world
Meet Bakhtiyor Khamraev, Team Lead at UNDP Global Procurement Hub in Malaysia, who shares with us some highlights of his international and extended career in procurement with UNDP.
Imagine having the opportunity to work on the type of project that will help better protect vulnerable islands from the risks of cyclone and wave damage while also creating short- and medium-term job opportunities for the local labour force, reducing the loss of assets such as property and houses, increasing economic productivity and improving both environmental and social wellbeing.
I don’t have to imagine. As the Team Lead for the UNDP Global Procurement Hub, I have the privilege to contribute towards many diverse projects that have a positive impact on vulnerable communities.
“Being involved in this area of the business has been an invaluable experience that’s taken me all over the world and kept me in a constant state of self-development.“
Building a global career experience
At the beginning of my career with UNDP Uzbekistan, I was included by HQ in an initiative called ‘Roving Procurement Officers’, which aimed to identify procurement expertise within the organization and deploy these experts to other countries to support the delivery of critical projects.
This led to me being deployed to the DR Congo — a post-crisis recovering country, which needed a lot of support in its health sector. The country was a recipient of a Global Fund (GFATM) proceed worth $200 million, with $80 million for procurement input, where UNDP was supporting the government with the implementation of the project. As a procurement expert with years of experience behind me, this was my opportunity to add value and ensure access to quality medicines in a cost-effective and efficient way. I am proud to say my mission was successful and this became a breakthrough moment in my career as it opened up more opportunities to grow professionally.
Shortly after that, 14 Asian countries were hit by the devastating tsunami of 2004, and it was all hands on deck to support UNDP Indonesia with post-crisis recovery. This led to me spending four months working in a high pressure environment, 14 hours a day, to procure goods, services and construction works that could help the country to rebuild its damaged infrastructure. It was an incredibly challenging task but also an invaluable learning opportunity.
From there, I have managed the procurement teams in UNDP Timor-Leste while the country was in the middle of a military crisis, UNDP Indonesia for a second time and the newly established Central Procurement Unit in New York City Headquarters, helping to set up corporate strategic agreements for goods and services not only for UNDP but for other UN agencies too.
Pioneering new opportunities within the organization
I spent four years working at Headquarters in New York, but I missed working closer to the field and was ready for a new challenge. So, in response to that desire, a colleague and I made a business case to HQ senior managers to establish another procurement hub in Asia which could support the country offices globally. I now lead a self-financed Global Procurement Hub based in Malaysia that manages a diverse procurement portfolio and provides direct procurement services to all country offices globally on high volume, high-risk and complex projects. This role keeps me challenged and on my toes as each project we support is unique, catered to a specific purpose based on a country’s needs. Being involved in this area of business has been an invaluable experience that’s taken me all over the world and kept me in a constant state of self-development. Working at UNDP gave me the opportunity to undertake missions and international assignments in Armenia, Pakistan, Kenya, Togo, Fiji, Iraq, DR Congo, Indonesia, Timor-Leste, Somalia, Philippines, Denmark, Thailand, Slovakia, HQ NY and Malaysia.
Whether it’s delivering ambulances to Madagascar or construction equipment to tsunami-ravaged Indonesia, procurement of these goods and services plays a vital role in ensuring UNDP is making a tangible impact on developing economies around the globe.
