Joseph Tembo

Joseph C. Tembo serves as a Senior Acquisition Specialist at USAID/Zambia, where he leads the planning, solicitation, and award of complex technical assistance contracts aligned with the agency’s mission to strengthen public health systems, agricultural resilience, and digital governance. He manages the full lifecycle of procurements—from needs analysis and market research to contract execution and performance monitoring—ensuring compliance with federal acquisition regulations and USAID’s development objectives. His portfolio primarily supports capacity-building initiatives through professional services, with a strong emphasis on data-driven decision-making and supply chain transparency. Tembo collaborates with a diverse array of service providers, including international consulting firms, local Zambian technical partners, and specialized training organizations. While no single contractor dominates his portfolio, he consistently engages firms with demonstrated expertise in health systems strengthening, logistics optimization, and institutional capacity development. His contracting approach prioritizes performance-based outcomes, rigorous evaluation criteria, and local partner engagement to ensure sustainable, context-appropriate solutions. His set-aside preferences reflect a strong alignment with broad market access, with 95% of acquisitions conducted without socioeconomic set-asides, and only 5% reserved for Women-Owned Small Businesses. This pattern indicates a focus on competitive, open procurement while maintaining targeted support for gender-inclusive economic participation. He does not routinely utilize 8(a), HUBZone, or SDVOSB set-asides, suggesting a procurement strategy centered on technical merit and value over socioeconomic categorization. Tembo’s primary procurement focus lies in NAICS 541990 (All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services), reflecting his leadership in securing advisory and implementation services for health information systems and governance reforms. He also frequently procures professional training (611430), engineering services (541330), and logistics consulting (541614), demonstrating deep expertise in technical assistance, institutional development, and operational support for public sector innovation.