CAREER PLAN

TO HOLD CONTRACTUAL, COMMERCIAL AND PROGRAMMATIC RESPONSIBILITIES IN THE DEFINITION AND REALISATION OF HIGH TECHNOLOGY PROJECTS

MAIN SKILLS

Procurement

Preparation of procurement plans and tender documents – Identification and pre-qualification of bidders - Contractual and financial evaluation of bids - Drafting and negotiation of contracts and other legal instruments

Contracts Administration

Negotiation of contract modifications - Definition and implementation of cost and schedule control procedures - Coordination of programme reviews - Reporting

Risk Management

Identification of programme risks and of corrective and protective actions, including purchasing of insurance where appropriate

EXPERIENCE

• 09/2005 – 07/2013 ESO (European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere)

Senior Contracts Officer

• Responsible for Contracts and Procurement matters for all ALMA ^(*) and E-ELT ^(*) related contracts placed in Europe, as well as for major contracts placed in Chile, from the definition of the procurement strategies including the identification and qualification of the bidders through the preparation of the call for tenders, the evaluation of the tenders, the negotiation of the contracts and their follow-up during contract execution. This includes:
  • Engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contracts placed with European industries, for instance for the development and construction of 25 state of the art 12 meter diameter antennas (EUR 150 million) by Thales Alenia Space;
  • EPC contracts placed with Chilean industries, in particular in the field of civil engineering works related to the development of a new Observatory in Northern Chile (construction of buildings, roads, power generation and power distribution system).
  • Collaborative agreements and best effort type contracts placed with European institutes for the development, manufacturing and testing of instruments.
• Preparation and presentation of contract award recommendations to the ESO governing bodies.
• Responsible for the definition, placement and follow-up of specialized insurance policies.

^(*) ALMA is an international astronomy facility developed under a partnership agreement between North America, Japan and Europe, represented by ESO. E-ELT is a 40-meter class optical/infrared telescope presently in its design phase, scheduled to become operational in 2020+. The projects have a global cost to completion of ~ 500 MEUR and 1,100 MEU, respectively.

(Acting) Head of the Procurement Department (2009-2011)

• Manage a team of 15 staff, including 7 contract officers and 8 purchasers.
• Keep the ESO Procurement Rules and Procedures current.
• Represent the Organization in key meetings with suppliers and conduct negotiations.
• Create effective working relationship with representatives from the ESO Member States.

• 06/2003 – 08/2005 HE Space Operations, seconded to ESA, Programme Policy Division of the Human Spaceflight, Microgravity and Exploration Directorate.

Senior Programme Coordinator

Responsible for the development and negotiation of cooperative agreements with the International Space Station (ISS) partners (NASA, CSA, RSA, NASDA), European space agencies and other bodies in relation with the development, operation and commercial and institutional utilization of the ISS.

• 09/2000 – 12/2001 Global Radio (Satellite based digital radio for vehicles in Europe- Start-up)

Senior Manager, Administrations and Regulatory Matters

• Coordination of procurement, legal and regulatory matters.
• Participation in the definition of the business plan and in the search of, and negotiations with, potential investors.
• Establishment and execution of all management company policies and procedures.
• In charge of the day-to-day financial management of the company in the absence of a full time Chief Financial Officer.

• 04/1996 – 08/2000 ICO (Satellite based mobile communications - hand-held telephony)

Space Segment Contracts Manager and Risk Manager

• Negotiation (single source) of a USD 1.2 billion EPC contract for the construction of 12 telecommunication satellites and a USD 950 million contract for the associated space transportation services, including in-orbit commissioning.

• Management of the contractual and programmatic aspects of the satellite, launch vehicle, ground segment and ancillary contracts, including cost, schedule, configuration and documentation.
• Definition and implementation of the risk management policy for the ICO space segment, including placement of innovative insurance policies worth USD 250 million in premium.

• 04/1985 - 03/1996 Inmarsat (Satellite based mobile telecommunications for maritime, aeronautical and land users)

Procurement and Contracts officer

Responsible for the contractual and financial aspects of all major procurements, including the construction, deployment in orbit and operations of Inmarsat 2^nd and 3^rd generation satellites.

• 04/1981 – 03/1985 Matra Espace, now Astrium

Project Controller

Responsible for cost and schedule control and reporting for Astrium and its subcontractors in relation to the execution of two scientific payloads for ESA projects (FOC and Hipparcos).

• 09/1978 – 03/1981 Thales

System Engineer

Development of guidance laws for missiles.

EDUCATION

• Diplôme Universitaire de Gestion, Institut d’Administration des Entreprises (IAE), Toulouse, France

1977 MS, Aeronautical engineering, Ecole Nationale Supérieure d’Ingénieurs en Constructions Aéronautiques (ENSICA), Toulouse, France