Senior Specialist, Contracts

Role purpose

This position is responsible for steering the end-to-end contracting lifecycle for planned acquisitions mainly related to general services and manpower services across all disciplines for the coming year. The role covers early market engagement, tender preparation, bidder management, evaluations, award recommendations, contract finalization, and post-award support through close-out.

The incumbent will help ADNOC Group companies and ADNOC HQ end users shape acquisition requests into tender-ready documents, coordinate expression of interest and prequalification exercises, manage clarifications and bid communications, carry out commercial assessments, support negotiation planning, and prepare award and contract documents for approval and signature. The role also includes advising end users on evaluation criteria, contractual and commercial structures, claims, and variation requests.

Key responsibilities

• Participate in review sessions with Contracts Department colleagues and end users to examine draft procurement plans and guide them on what must be considered before submitting acquisition requests.
• Issue checklists of required information and documents for service or work acquisition requests, and confirm whether an expression of interest or prequalification step is needed to test market interest.
• Identify any potential group procurement or category management matters arising from planned requirements and escalate them as needed.
• Obtain potential bidder lists from ADNOC Supplier Management and verify that end-user suggested bidders are registered and aligned to the relevant work activity.
• Prepare justifications for proposed longlists and draft invitation correspondence for expression of interest or prequalification exercises within SAP Ariba.
• Review bidder queries during EOI/prequalification, coordinate responses with the end user, and decide whether replies should go to one bidder or all invited companies.
• Compile received EOI/prequalification responses and forward them to the end user for review and evaluation.
• Validate end-user EOI/prequalification outcomes against submitted information and check scoring calculations for accuracy.
• Receive acquisition requests in SAP Ariba, assess them against the required checklist, and confirm whether they are complete for tender purposes or should be rejected as incomplete.
• Document missing items for rejected acquisition requests and coordinate updated submissions until the request is acceptable.
• Prepare the contract development plan, bidder list recommendation, and tender strategy for approval in line with delegated authority.
• Select the appropriate standard RFT template from the GPI suite and compile the tender pack from acquisition request documents for review and refinement.
• After approvals are in place, issue bid invitations in SAP Ariba, ensure bidder acknowledgement, and send the RFT to the end user for reference during the bid period.
• Coordinate site visits, bid clarification meetings, letters of assistance, security pass arrangements, and all related records needed for audit transparency.
• Manage bidder questions through SAP Ariba, route them to the correct internal function, and issue responses either individually or to all bidders through bid bulletins where required.
• Receive and open technical, unpriced commercial, and commercial bids in SAP Ariba.
• Notify the end user that technical bids are ready for evaluation and outline the matters the technical team must assess.
• Complete the unpriced commercial evaluation, including the ICV component, and prepare the commercial summary sheet.
• Define the likely negotiation approach and sequence of negotiations for review by Contracts Senior/Chief Helper and Contracts Manager.
• Organize commercial bid meetings, attend negotiations, and update evaluation summaries after bidder responses.
• Prepare award recommendations for management or tender board approval.
• Draft letters of award, register contracts in SAP to generate contract numbers, arrange signed award letters, and track receipt confirmations.
• Check returned award letters and circulate them to the end user through the proper internal process.
• Compile the final contract document by combining tender bulletins, technical submissions, and clarification responses into the original RFT.
• Forward the final contract for end-user review, incorporate technically and contractually acceptable comments, and print two original copies for signature processing.
• Verify returned signed contracts, manage internal signature circulation, and issue the fully executed contract to the contractor.
• Send regret letters to unsuccessful bidders after award finalization.
• Prepare the checklist of issues to be discussed with the end user’s contracts administrator and the appointed contractor before the kick-off meeting.
• Support the handling and close-out of contract variations, claims, and other contractual matters until the file is fully completed.

Requirements

• Solid experience in contracts, tendering, commercial evaluation, and award administration.
• Hands-on understanding of service and works procurement processes, especially for general services and manpower services.
• Ability to draft, review, and manage complex tender and contract documentation accurately.
• Strong familiarity with bid clarifications, bidder communications, evaluation summaries, and award paperwork.
• Working knowledge of SAP Ariba and SAP-based contract registration or tender workflows.
• Capability to coordinate with end users, legal, finance, procurement, supplier management, and technical stakeholders.
• Attention to detail for due-diligence checks, scoring validation, and document completeness reviews.
• Comfort with negotiation preparation and commercial assessment, including ICV-related evaluation components.
• Ability to maintain audit-ready records and manage process transparency throughout the tender cycle.

Additional information

The role is based in Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi Emirate, United Arab Emirates and follows a full-time, onsite working arrangement.

The job scope includes tender strategy preparation, bidder communications, contract award, contract execution, and post-award follow-up through close-out.

It also involves supporting the end user on contractual and commercial arrangements, evaluation methodology, and the handling of claims and contract variations.