Robin abakalwa

 
I am an experienced and pivotal Procurement and Logistics Professional, with 10+ years of exceptional planning and implementation capabilities. I have excellent reputation for solving problems, improving customer & stakeholder satisfaction, and driving overall operational improvements, saving costs while increasing profits.

I am available for a dynamic position in a fast paced environment where I can add value to the organisation’s prime goals as well as enhance my personal career growth and development.
 

E X P E R I E N C E 

A Category Manager May 2023 To Date Senior Sergeant Kenya Defense Force (Kenya Army)

 Strategic Alignment: Champion the development of the purchasing and pricing strategies in the organization and ensure alignment with the overall business strategy. Lead the development and implementation of proper purchasing policies, controls, SOPs and processes. Develop, implement and improve business planning capabilities by understanding and challenging market demand as well as leading internal activities to ensure these demands are met. 

Operational Excellence: Spearhead improvements to the current purchasing system that will improve vendor relationships, lower the cost of doing business and improve the turnaround time of orders. Collaborate with the Warehouse Manager to develop metrics for gauging inventory level needs and then maintain those levels throughout the year. Play a crucial role in creating profitable ways to manage obsolete and slow-moving stock to help offset losses. Review technical specifications for products received; ensure we always have multiple options to buy products at the lowest price; ensure we get priority treatment when stock levels are low. 

Supplier Management: Lead all negotiations in the purchase of supplies, equipment, materials and services for the business in accordance with company purchasing policies and budgetary restrictions. Tracks vendors for payment terms and partners with finance to ensure timely payment. Establish and maintain effective working relationships with suppliers to support the delivery of purchasing deliverables and manage the Company's overall working relationships with key supplier partners. 

Cost Management: Represent the company in negotiating contracts with our vendors to guarantee the best prices for products procured including trade and bulk discounts. Identify opportunities for cost saving for the department and organization at large. Evaluate and propose new purchasing programs and processes that will improve cost, quality and customer responsiveness.

 Product Pricing: Utilize key information such as market & economic trends, product acquisition price, transport, storage and delivery costs to advise the final product prices. Work closely with the finance and warehouse teams to inform and review product prices to warrant the best price in the market and attainment of the organization’s profitability plans. Research on and monitor competitor activities to advise management on product pricing and product sources to gain competitive advantage in the market. 

Budget management: Lead the development of the purchasing budget and monitor it’s spent throughout the financial year. Create proper forecasting reports for planning purposes in line with market demand and sales performance. Work closely with the Finance Department in the execution of the purchasing budget, monitor and manage credit line limits in line with the said budget. Requests credit line increases, and payments as appropriate.

 Risk Management & Compliance: Identifying and evaluating operational risks such as supply, quality, safety, environment, security and regulatory compliance. Continuously monitor this to ensure proper mitigate actions are in place to cushion the company from exposure and drive consistent adherence. Evaluate supplier contracts to ensure they are in compliance with government regulations and internal policies. Review and maintain a good record of purchasing files and records (purchase orders, contracts, etc.) to ensure its compliance with company policies and procedures and ensure the availability of documentation. Review and monitor capital purchases to ensure compliance with company policies and procedures.

 Performance Management: Manage the company's day-to-day purchasing activities and ensure that each team member is meeting their personal performance standards. Maintaining and developing operations performance by implementing KPIs & continuous improvement systems. Develops and promotes a customer-focused orientation towards purchasing and materials management while promoting a collaborative culture between purchasing and all business units.

 People Management and Development: Recruit and manage a motivated and aggressive team to deliver the purchasing mandate. Schedule frequent one on one sessions with the team members to evaluate performance, identify areas of development and address any challenges. Analyze, develop and monitor performance quality measures for the department.

 Monitoring and Evaluation, Strategic Sourcing, and Buyer Commodity August 2020 – May 2023 Kenya Defense Force Kenya Army 

Strategic Sourcing :Discover profitable suppliers and initiate business and organization partnerships. Negotiate with external vendors to secure advantageous terms. Establish potential suppliers by tendering, and prequalification, and maintain a cordial relationship with them to enhance the efficient running of the Defense Force Devise and use fruitful sourcing strategies. 

Contract Management Build and maintain strong relationships with internal and external key stakeholders. Managing contracts from managing agreements from the creation through to execution and to the eventual termination of the contract. 

Process Management  Corporate responsibility to oversee departmental procurement procedures at the Kenya Defense Force. Oversee daily reconciliation of cash customer accounts through the daily sales reconciliation, bank a/c statements reconciliation and debtor’s status report .

Category Management This is a strategic approach that I use to segment our spending areas, especially into areas that contain similar or related products. This enables us to focus on opportunities for consolidation and efficiency.

 Inventory Management Using a systematic approach to sourcing, storing, and distributing goods to different departments. Provide historical records by maintaining records and contributing to team efforts. Approve the ordering of necessary goods and services. Follow up on stock availability. 

Payments and Utility Management Finalize purchase details of orders and deliveries; ensuring all payments are made on time. 

Design and Quality Management E-procurement. Quality checks on goods when receiving and dispatching within the Kenya Defense Force.  Partner with data processors to manage the logistics database with accountability through regular data updates, and data integrity, increasing accuracy.

  Facilitate project success by developing and reinforcing monitoring, inspection, and evaluation procedures, assessing impact indicators, maintaining expenditures and progress tabs, and offering improvement recommendations. 

 Uphold transparency and accountability by generating and submitting monthly, biannual, and annual logistics progress reports. 

 Streamlined office operations by designing and implementing effective data collection, entry, and analysis tools and a monitoring and evaluation system that tracks input, outputs, and effects.  Collaborate with Clearing & Forwarding, and Warehousing and Logistics officers in assessing and offering feedback on project sustainability, ensuring successful delivery. 

 Enhance operational efficiencies by identifying suitable suppliers through tendering and pre - qualification processes, and other strategic sourcing methods. 

 Identifying and developing indicators to be measured 

 Designing Monitoring and Evaluation plan 

Developing Training plans and Schedules 

Tracking project inputs and outputs 

Ensuring that there is compliance on SOPs  

Data quality assurance 

 Verification of processes and documents 

 Developing monitoring and evaluation tools & plans for new projects 

 Supervising field officers and staff 

 Training new and old staff 

Participating in the budgeting process 

 Data Management (Entry, Cleaning and Analysis) 

 Reviewing project field reports and SOPs 

  Maximized staff productivity by ensuring effective communication with vendors and customers to guarantee increased operational efficiency among employees. 

 Collaborated with suppliers and inventory planners in ensuring the accurate movement of international goods while ensuring the arrival of goods within the required timeframe. 

Created and implemented customs and border protection for various security programs, and guaranteed compliance with all customs procedures for KDF. 

Leveraged research and analytics expertise in investigating import and export laws and procedures while maintaining knowledge of all tariffs and licenses. 

 Designed and implemented departmental SOPs to ensure compliance with ISO guidelines, and generated reports for submission to government agencies. 

 Partnered with ISO team leaders in conducting audits on various processes while upholding expert knowledge of all custom regulations, increasing performance efficiency. 

Coordinated safe and cost-effective means of transportation for customer goods by collaborating with managers in analyzing the best means of transport for products per customer requirements  Guaranteed maximized compliance with trade regulations and changes by offering training and mentorship to employees on import processes.

 SERGEANT - SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGER

 August 2017 – December 2017 Kenya Defense Force (Kenya Army) 

 Develop material costs forecasts or standard cost lists.  Appraise vendor manufacturing ability through on-site visits and measurements. 

 Negotiate prices and terms with vendors, or freight forwarders.

  Monitor supplier performance/assets to assess ability to meet quality and delivery requirements.  Implement new or improved supply chain processes. 

 Collaborate with other departments, such as procurement, production engineering, and quality assurance to improve the operational efficiency.

  Document physical supply chain processes, such as workflows, cycle times, position responsibilities, or system flows.

  Analyze inventories to determine how to increase inventory turns, reduce waste, or optimize customer service. 

 Coordinate with procurement to manage activities related to strategic or tactical purchasing, material requirements, planning, and inventory control, warehousing, or receiving. 

 Design or implement supply chains that support business strategies adapted to changing market conditions, new business opportunities, or cost reduction strategies.

  Design, implement, or oversee product take back or reverse logistics programs to ensure products are recycled, reused, or responsibly disposed.

  Evaluate and select information or other technology solutions to improve tracking and reporting of materials or products distribution, storage, or inventory.

  Develop procedures for coordination of supply chain management with other functional departments  Maximized overall productivity, efficiency, and effectiveness by utilizing Performance Management tools to monitor and evaluate employees.

  Increased customer satisfaction by ensuring timely complaints resolution through extensive investigation, solution development, report generation, and offering recommendations to top management.

  Built and established rapport with vendors and suppliers by identifying and initiating business relationships and partnerships while managing and negotiating contracts.   

 Cultivated solid relationships with key internal and external stakeholders, resulting in streamlined procurement and supply processes.

  Utilized systematic approaches to sourcing, storing, and distributing goods to various departments while undertaking quality checks on goods when receiving and dispatching 

CORPORAL - SUPPLY CHAIN ASSISTANT April 2013 – August 2017 Kenya Defense Forces Kenya Army 

 Procurement and contract management 

 Inventory and warehouse coordination and management.

 Category and asset management

  Procurement and contract management 

 Strategic sourcing and order fulfillment

  Performance and operations management

  Quality control and materials management. 

 Logistics and Distribution management

  Emergency Response and preparedness 

 Security associate and security management.

  Coordinating with both internal and external customers to ensure appropriate product selection.

  Demonstrating excellent analytical, problem solving, research, and communication abilities, along with proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, Access, and Outlook. 

 Prepare Review or update supply chain practices in accordance with new or changing  environmental policies, standards, regulations, or laws. 

 Select transportation routes to maximize economy by combining shipments or consolidating warehousing and distribution 

 Bolstered inventory accuracy by reconciling stocks, verifying inventory computations through available stock comparison, investigating, reporting discrepancies, and rectifying errors.

  Collaborated with production supervisors in conducting cycle counts, and inspecting stock items for damages and short expiries, increasing accuracy.

  Utilized the SAP inventory control system in filling and transacting work orders, purchase orders, and sales orders to maintain an updated access/excel database. 

 Streamlined daily operations by organizing and arranging stock items and finished goods to maximize adherence to the FIFO (First In First Out) rule for all transactions and executed distribution plans.

 STOREMAN 2009 – April 2013 Kenya Defense Forces (Kenya Army)

  Ensured adequate availability of provisions by handling procurement and provisioning processes per the set guidelines, boosting operational efficiencies

.  Controlled warehouse maintenance activities, including materials handling and stock management, minimizing loss of items.

  Increased overall staff productivity by handling overall logistics for peace and war operations per laid down procedures, maximizing efficiency. 

 Heightened transparency and accountability by developing, upholding, and submitting periodic records on stock, dispatches, and stock adjustment, enabling seamless referencing retrieval, and decisionmaking.

  Oversaw accurate weighing, storage, packaging, pallet height, and cleanliness of materials in compliance with KDF procurement and stock management guidelines. 

 Guaranteed compliance with BOMs by assessing minimum stock levels to facilitate timely production, re-order, and delivery of proposed quantities, maximizing overall staff productivity. 

   Maximized operational efficiencies by supervising stock audit and inventory management to guarantee the availability of essential supplies, while establishing and rectifying stock variances.

Education and qualifications: 
2017 - 2019 | Diploma in Business Management: Procurement & Contract Management.
 St. Paul’s University

2009 - 2013 | Certificate in Stores Management, logistics & Materials Management  
Kenya Army School of Ordinance.

2007 - 2009 | Certificate in Purchasing & Supplies Management (KNEC)    National Youth Service, Kenya Institute of Business Studies.