Procurement Specialist

Terms of Reference – ToR for Procurement Specialist

Name of the Project: Bulsho Program - Strengthening Community Institutions for

Social Cohesion, Inclusion and Resilience.

Project ID: P508408

Position Title: Procurement Specialist

Reporting to: Bulsho National Project Coordinator

Type of Appointment: Individual Consultant

Duration: 12 months with 3 months of probationary period) and renewable upon satisfactory performance.

Duty Station: Mogadishu, Somalia

Background

A Procurement specialist is required to support the Ministry of Interior, Federal Affairs and Reconciliation of the Federal Government of Somalia - FGS in the implementation of a World Bank-funded Program, the Bulsho Program – Strengthening Community Institutions for Social Cohesion, Inclusion and Resilience (P508408). The main objective of the BULSHO program is to strengthen community and local institutions for improved social cohesion, inclusion, and resilience. The project is targeting effectiveness by 1st July 2025. In support of activities under Bulsho Project the Federal Government’s Ministry of Interior, Federal Affairs and Reconciliation – MOIFAR is seeking to hire a Procurement Specialist as part of the National Programme Secretariat.

Project Overview

Under the lead of the Ministry of Interior, Federal Affairs and Reconciliation – MoIFAR of the Federal Government of Somalia has designed a national program called Bulsho, the Somali word for society. The Bulsho program puts citizens and communities at the center of the government’s action. The Bulsho Program is a Somali government-led initiative designed to strengthen community and local institutions, fostering social cohesion, inclusion, and resilience. As Somalia continues its recovery from two decades of civil war, the program places a strong emphasis on enhancing service delivery, rebuilding the social contract, and promoting community-centered governance. This uniquely Somali-owned and -driven initiative underscores government ownership and leadership at federal, member state, and district levels, ensuring institutional sustainability and the realization of key policy outcomes.

The Bulsho Program will be anchored in the government’s "triple-nexus" objectives, focusing on three interrelated policy priorities:

1. Supporting the realization of the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) and Federal Member States’ (FMS) Decentralization Policy and Local Government laws/Wadajir Framework, which aim to strengthen the roles of community institutions and local governments.

2. Advancing the National Stabilization Strategy (NSS) policy objectives by prioritizing stabilized districts, including those with interim or permanent district councils.

3. Contributing to the revised National Reconciliation Framework, focusing on social reconciliation, restoring the social contract, rebuilding trust between people and the government, promoting social recovery, and fostering environmental peacebuilding

The development objective of the Bulsho Program is to reinforce community and local institutions for improved social cohesion, inclusion, and resilience. The program will contribute to:

• Social cohesion: Enhancing the citizen-state social contract.

• Social inclusion: Empowering marginalized groups, including women and youth.

• Social resilience: Strengthening collective capacity to respond to local conflicts and climate-induced shocks.

The Bulsho Program operates within a “continuum” framework, spanning recovery, stabilization, reconciliation, and sustainable local governance. This phased approach ensures seamless transitions from immediate recovery efforts to long-term governance and institutional strengthening. The program prioritizes hard-to-reach and remote districts but remains inclusive of all regions to ensure comprehensive national coverage and impact.

Key Bulsho Project Support Areas

The Bulsho Project will provide support to achieve its objectives through:

1. Technical support and capacity building for community and local governments.

2. Matching grants for investments in basic services and livelihoods.

3. Innovations promoting empowerment, inclusion, accountability, and resilience, such as:

• Collective action allowances for women and youth.

• Financial transparency platforms.

• Digital planning tools for communities.

Scope of Services

The Procurement Specialist will develop and implement a cost-effective procurement management system for the Bulsho Project, including procurement plans in accordance with the World Bank Regulations:

Detailed responsibilities for the position are outlined below:

1. Procurement planning

2. Tender processesing

3. Contract management

4. Capacity building

Key responsibilities:

1. Procurement Planning

• Advise the senior management of the Ministry of Interior, Federal Affairs and Reconciliation – MOIFAR of the Federal Government of Somalia - FGS on all procurement aspects of the Bulsho Project.

• Responsible for coordination and implementation of all procurement activities of Bulsho project.

• Work with other specialist in the Bulsho Project teams to perform all necessary procurement under Bulsho for the period of the assignment

• Set up systems for procurement planning, implementation, monitoring and documentation for the projects as per required standards;

• Work closely with the relevant offices such as the ministry’s procurement section to ensure the effective implementation of program activities.

• In consultation and close collaboration with the Project Coordinator and the projects’ Technical Teams prepare realistic, consolidated, updated annual procurement plans which are in harmony with the work plans and available funds;

• Prepare procurement plans and reports and also Monitoring of procurement activities including expediting, delivery and inspection.

2. Tender Processing

• Provide advice to project technical teams and beneficiaries at all stages of procurement to ensure that the projects procurement activities are carried out in accordance with the World Bank Regulations;

• Prepare Specific Procurement Notices (SPN) for the international and national competitive bidding procedures for procurement of goods as well as selection of consultants in accordance with the World Bank Procurement Regulations and procedures for their posting in UNDB online and local newspapers, as necessary;

• Provide guidance and support in ensuring timely initiation of procurement processes, monitoring of the procurement processes and ensuring responses to procurement related queries are provided timely;

• Provide advice to the evaluation committees in the evaluation of bids and proposals in accordance with the World Bank Regulations and preparation of evaluation reports and recommendations for contract awards in accordance with the Standard Forms of Evaluation Reports, including obtaining the necessary clearances and finalization of contracts for signature;

3. Contract Management

• Provide support in contract management, especially in monitoring contract execution, ensuring timely delivery of goods and consultants reports and other deliverables, and ensure compliance to provisions in contracts by all contracting parties;

• Attend to procurement queries, disputes and complaints as they may arise during the procurement processing;

4. Compliance and Reporting

• Prepare procurement inputs to project quarterly progress reports, facilitating the Post Procurement Reviews (PPR) exercise, and follow up implementation of PPR recommendations.

• Review and approve all the procurement relating issues after the consultation with the National Project Coordination

• Provide Technical Support in preparation of monthly, quarterly and annual procurement progress reports, as shall be required, and ensure issues identified during the reporting period and actions taken to resolve them are clearly narrated;

• Provide guidance and coordination in the preparation of inputs (Terms of Reference, Schedules of Requirements and Specifications) to Prequalification Documents (PQD), Bidding Documents (BDs), and Requests for Proposals (RFPs) and other procurement documents;

5. Capacity Building

• Design and deliver appropriate procurement training to the Procurement Officers in the MOIFAR, beneficiary Ministries and FMS and also provide on-the-job procurement/contract management support as needed.

• Provide expert technical advice and support to the procurement team of the ministry as well as FMS Bulsho Project teams of procurement specialists, enhancing their capacity through knowledge transfer and ensuring adherence to best practices in procurement processes.

• Prepare of the procurement arrangements for district governments and community committees, including inputs to the Project Operations Manual (POM), the Matching Grants, and other related manuals, guidelines and sub-manuals.

• Prepare, deliver and oversee capacity building activities to FMS, districts and community committees on community procurement arrangements as required.

6. Other

• Take responsibility of managing the Systematic Tracking of Exchanges in Procurement (STEP) portals of the project.

• Provide guidance in the preparation of detailed procurement plans in which key milestones are indicated and ensure the relevant columns are filled in as and when each stage is accomplished, and establish a simplified tracking system for monitoring procurement activities;

• Provide professional advice in the procurement processes including: invitation and receiving of proposals and bids; procedures for opening of EOIs, proposals and bids; conducting the evaluation of EOIs, Proposals, Bids, etc. and preparation of the associated evaluation reports; contract negotiations and preparation of contracts; and ensuring that the signed contracts are published and distributed to relevant parties;

• Identify all possible inherent risks related to procurement, especially those related to fraud and corruption and propose appropriate measures to mitigate them; and

• Advise Bulsho Project Teams and institutions benefiting from the project on all matters relating to procurement.

• Execute procurements of all goods and services under the project.

• Provide advice and training if needed, to the evaluation committees in the evaluation of bids, Quotations and proposals in accordance with the World Bank Regulations and preparation of evaluation reports and recommendations for contract awards in accordance with the Standard Forms of Evaluation Reports, including obtaining the necessary clearances and finalization of contracts for signature.

Carry out any other procurement related function as shall be assigned by the National Project Coordinator.

The ideal candidate will have:

1. Educational Background

• A University Degree from an accredited University in relevant discipline (e.g. Procurement Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, Accounting, Finance or equivalent).

2. Professional Experience

• A minimum of at least 7 years of direct relevant experience including broad expertise in the management of procurement in the public sector or private sector.

• Minimum of 5 years’ experience in implementing procurement actions according to international organizations guidelines such as the World Bank, African Development Bank, the United Nations, etc. for procurement of goods and services.

3. Skills

• Demonstrated interpersonal skills and ability to work in a team environment.

• The candidate should have knowledge and understanding of project planning and implementation.

• High level of reliability and integrity

• Proven record of ethical good conduct with high integrity and moral values as well as strong communication and representation skills.

• Demonstrated ability to work in multi-cultural environments and under challenging conditions.

• Excellent computer skills for Microsoft Office tools (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) and Internet use.

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4. Knowledge

• Knowledge of Somalia's public financial management laws and regulations

• Knowledge of WB and/or development partner procurement related standards and requirements

5. Language skills/requirement.

• Excellent command of Somali language, e.g., reading, writing and presenting is essential

• Excellent command of English language, e.g., reading, writing and presenting is essential.

Reporting arrangement and Deliverables:

The specialist will report to the Bulsho project Coordinator. He/She will be required to provide the following:

• Quarterly Reports to the National Project Coordinator. The quarterly reports should cover interventions and activities conducted in the reporting period.

• Updating Procurement plan of the project and its execution report based on the approved plan.

• Updating of the Annual Procurement Plan;

• Timely preparation of bidding documents; Request for Proposals with adequate quality and related Evaluation Reports;

• Quarterly procurement status; and

• Annual procurement progress and status report.

• Updated procurement plans and contract registers.

• Training and capacity-building plans for procurement stakeholders.

Input/facility provided by the Client:

The client will provide office space with necessary furniture and other facilities such as printing facility etc. to enable the consultant to perform day-to-day work. The Client shall also provide soft and hard copies of any existing procurement manuals if any on signing of the contract.

Language Requirements

Excellent command of Somali and English language (oral and written)

Interested candidates should submit their applications, including a detailed updated CV and cover letter, outlining their experience and qualifications in relation to the role marked with the subject title of the position (Bulsho- Procurement Specialist) by the following email address: [email protected] latest by 25th May 2025 at 11:59 PM Mogadishu time.

Attention:

Bulsho Project

Ministry of Interior, Federal Affairs and Reconciliation

Federal Government of Somalia

Mogadishu, Somalia