Kenneth Chinemerem

Kenneth Chinemerem — IT Presales Engineer · Network Security

I turn enterprise requirements into compliant, buildable, correctly priced solutions.

I work the technical and commercial sides of a deal: scoping network and security deployments, evaluating RFPs and Go/No-Go decisions, sourcing hardware through OEMs and distributors, and producing the BoM and compliance documentation that gets a bid approved. Fortinet NSE 1–3 and Cisco Black Belt routing presales.

  • Fortinet NSE 1–3
  • Cisco Black Belt 1–3
  • RFP & tender evaluation
  • BoM validation
  • Compliance documentation
See how I work Download CV

Open to full-time presales engineer and network security roles — Lagos, remote, or hybrid.

Kenneth Chinemerem, IT Presales Engineer, photographed in Lagos.
Lagos, Nigeria Open to remote & hybrid

Selected work

Three workflows, documented end to end

Each workflow shows the inputs, the constraints, the decisions, and the document that results — not just the outcome.

  1. Requirement before design

    Briefs often arrive as a request for a product. I start with what is behind it: the sites, traffic paths, existing estate, support reality, and the gap that actually prompted the request. Then I write the specification the design has to meet.

    Output requirements register · technical specification · solution options · validated BoM

    See the workflow

  2. From Go/No-Go to a compliant bid

    I assess whether an opportunity is worth pursuing, then build the response: requirements register, compliance matrix, OEM sourcing, validated BoM, and proposal.

    Output Go/No-Go assessment · compliance matrix · proposal draft · validated BoM

    See the workflow

  3. Clarification without the stall

    I track quotes through technical clarification, keep the BoM and licence terms correct, and update the architecture when requirements move — so the deal reaches sign-off instead of the bottom of an inbox.

    Output clarification log · revised architecture · revised BoM

    See the workflow

Method

How the work gets done

These are workflows, not client stories. Specific engagements and documents are discussed in conversation.

Workflow 01 · Discovery and specification

Requirement before design

A request for a product is not a requirement. This workflow turns the stated request into a specification a design can be built against.

Output Technical specification, solution options, validated BoM

Discovery

I start with the sites, users, traffic paths, applications and dependencies, remote-access needs, support arrangements, and the symptoms that prompted the request. The result is a requirements register that separates mandatory items from preferences and records assumptions and open questions.

Constraints

Budget, downtime windows, the existing estate and licences, the skills available to operate the result, and any compliance or data-protection requirement. These decide which options are real before a vendor is shortlisted.

Options

Refresh or augment, OEM shortlist, topology alternatives, and support model. Each option is weighed on integration with the existing estate, licensing cost over the term, local support, and lead time.

Recommended design

A block-level design covering segmentation, firewall placement, remote access, redundancy, and the support model. The design answers the specification, not a preferred product.

BoM and commercials

Quantities are checked against site and user counts. Licence terms and support coverage are aligned to the required term. Distributor quotes are compared on price, availability, and lead time.

Risk and compliance

Migration risk and rollback, data-protection requirements, and support-coverage gaps are documented with mitigation before the proposal leaves the team.

Output

A technical specification the design can be built against, with the options and trade-offs written down.

Workflow 02 · RFP and bid

From Go/No-Go to a compliant bid

A tender is a decision problem before it is a writing task. This workflow decides whether to bid, then builds the response.

Output Go/No-Go assessment, compliance matrix, proposal, validated BoM

Discovery

I convert the RFP into a requirements register: mandatory versus scored items, site and user counts, integration points, support and SLA expectations, and the security and data-protection clauses that carry pass/fail weight. Ambiguities become clarification questions rather than assumptions.

Constraints

Fixed budget ceiling, required certifications or standards, delivery window, support requirements, and OEM lead times. These shape both the design and the vendor shortlist.

Options

First, Go/No-Go: the opportunity is scored on technical fit, delivery risk, compliance alignment, and win probability before effort is committed. At solution level, OEMs and architectures are compared on the same criteria.

Recommended design

The proposed solution is mapped to the requirement line by line, with the design and the response aligned so an evaluator can follow the same logic.

BoM and commercials

The bill of materials is validated line by line: quantities against site and user counts, licence terms and coverage duration, support entitlements, and distributor quotes for price validity, lead time, and availability.

Risk and compliance

A compliance matrix maps every requirement to the response and evidence. Exclusions are stated explicitly, and delivery and security risks are documented with mitigation.

Output

A submission that answers the requirement, states its exclusions, and can be priced and delivered.

Workflow 03 · Clarification and close

Clarification without the stall

Most quotes do not stall because the price is wrong. They stall because a technical question has no owner. This workflow gives every question an owner and a document.

Output Clarification log, revised architecture, revised BoM

Discovery

I review the pipeline and the clarification trail, then separate the surface question from the blocker underneath it — a quantity that contradicts the site count, a licence term that expires before delivery, or a substitution the client has not been told about.

Constraints

OEM lead time, price validity, approval thresholds, and the client's procurement rules. These determine which options are available and how quickly they can be offered.

Options

Re-scope, substitute the OEM or model, split delivery into phases, or escalate to the OEM for stock or pricing. Each option is weighed on total cost, delivery date, compliance with the original request, and margin.

Revised design

Only what the constraint requires is changed. The rest of the design stays fixed, and the change is documented so the client and the internal team are working from the same version.

BoM and commercials

The bill of materials is updated for the change, quantities and licence terms are revalidated, and the revised quote is checked against the validity window and budget.

Risk and compliance

Substitution risk, documentation updates, and delivery risk are recorded with the mitigation. The response stays compliant with the original requirement.

Output

A quote that is technically current, commercially valid, and documented well enough to sign.

Credentials

Certifications

Fortinet and Cisco credentials plus a Computer Science foundation. Verification links are available on request.

Contact

Let’s talk about the role.

If you are hiring for presales engineering, network security, or a technical role where bids and architecture meet, I would like to hear about it.

kennysilver02@gmail.com

Lagos, Nigeria · Open to remote and hybrid