Panelists
M. Teresa Kho
Ms. M. Teresa Kho is the deputy director general of ADB's East Asia Department covering operations in the People’s Republic of China and Mongolia. Prior to this, she was ADB’s country director in India, and in Bangladesh. Ms. Kho was director of South Asia Urban Development and Water and director of the Office of Cofinancing Operations. Ms. Kho joined ADB in 1997 and worked in various departments, including Budget, Personnel and Management Systems Department, Office of the Vice-President of Finance and Administration, South Asia Department, and Private Sector Operations Department. Before joining ADB, Ms. Kho spent 12 years in the US private sector, performing finance, treasury, and audit functions for Fortune 500 companies. A US national, Ms. Kho obtained an MBA from Stanford University and BA economics from the University of Notre Dame, both in the US.
Ashraf Mohammed
Ashraf Mohammed assists in the management of PPFD with particular emphasis on the implementation of the ADB's new procurement framework and the institution's use of alternative procurement arrangements. He joined PPFD in April 2018. He was previously an assistant general counsel in ADB’s legal department, where he was the procurement focal. Prior to joining ADB in 2004, he held a number of senior positions in-house and in private legal practice positions in London, United Kingdom. A national of the United Kingdom, Mr. Mohammed holds a bachelor’s degree in law from Kingston University, UK, and has held a licentiate, solicitor of Supreme Court, UK since 1986.
Jeff Taylor
Jeffrey Taylor is the director of Procurement Division 1 of ADB’s Procurement, Portfolio and Financial Management Department. His division covers ADB’s portfolio in Central, West, and South Asia. Mr. Taylor has been working on the public procurement of infrastructure projects for 32 years, the last 11 of which have been with ADB. He is a chartered member of the Institute of Purchasing and Supply, and holds a master of science degree in procurement.
Moderator
Pete Troilo
Pete Troilo is an emerging markets correspondent, advisor, and analyst with 15 years’ experience in international affairs, development finance and policy, risk management, project management, strategic planning, and communications. He has worked across sectors in Asia and the Pacific and Middle East regions in support of the US government, international organizations, and multinational companies. With a professional and academic background in international political economy and development, Mr. Troilo is an expert on the operations of international donors, including the strategies, policies and regulations of bilateral aid agencies and multilateral development banks.
Seminar Summary
The seminar provided participants with an overview of ADB’s new procurement framework and the status of its implementation and provided the essentials of exploring and identifying ADB-financed business opportunities.
Ashraf Mohammed described the drivers for change that led to ADB’s new procurement framework. The new features of the procurement framework were presented, specifically (i) risk-based procurement; (ii) alternative procurement arrangements; (iii) management and tracking of complaints; (iv) decentralization and delegation of authority and (v) a focus on more efficient and beneficial beginning to end procurement support.
Jeff Taylor explained ADB’s operational cycle from the identification of a pipeline project through to project completion identifying the types of opportunities to contractors and consultants throughout this cycle. The presentation included practical tips on how to find information using ADB’s Business Opportunities webpage on potential opportunities at each stage in the process.
Mr. Mohammed and Mr. Taylor were joined by Teresa Kho for a panel discussion moderated by Pete Troilo. Ms. Kho brought a deep knowledge and experience of the operational aspects of procurement and a broad range of issues were discussed including: strategic procurement planning; the benefits of placing procurement specialists closer to clients; ADB’s continued support in the development of national consulting industries and various outreach activities undertaken by ADB in support of the business community.