SOMALILAND SKILLS TRAINING ASSOCIATION (SOSTA)
TERMS OF REFERENCE: CONSULTANCY TO DEVELOP SOSTA’S FIVE-YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN
(2027–2031)
Duty Station: Borama, Awdal Region, Somaliland Assignment Duration: Approximately 6 weeks
Type of Assignment: Individual Consultant or
Consulting Firm
Application Deadline: 16-November-2026
1. Background
The Somaliland Skills Training Association (SOSTA) is a local non-governmental organization based
in Borama, Awdal Region, Somaliland. For over 15 years, SOSTA has partnered with communities,
local authorities, and development partners across Awdal Region's four districts to address the needs
of vulnerable populations.
SOSTA’s core programme sectors include Food Security and Livelihoods; Environment and Climate
Change; Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH); Health and Nutrition; Protection; and Youth and
Women’s Skills Development through Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET). The
organization focuses on strengthening community resilience, economic empowerment, and access to
essential services.
With its previous strategic plan concluding in 2026, SOSTA seeks a qualified consultant to facilitate a
participatory, evidence-based strategic planning process to define its strategic direction, institutional
priorities, results framework, and resource mobilization strategy for 2027–2031.
2. Overall Objective
To facilitate the development of a practical, inclusive, measurable, and results-oriented five-year
strategic plan for SOSTA (2027–2031) that establishes clear strategic priorities, organizational
development goals, programme outcomes, implementation arrangements, and resource-mobilization
approaches.
3. Specific Objectives
 Review SOSTA’s previous strategic plan, institutional policies, programme assessments,
evaluations, audits, and operational context.
 Assess institutional capacity, governance structures, financial sustainability, operational systems,
strengths, weaknesses, and growth opportunities.
 Analyze the external operating environment, including humanitarian/development needs, climate
risks, donor trends, and government priorities.
 Facilitate inclusive consultations with the Board, management, staff, TVET representatives,
target communities, and key external partners.
 Prioritize strategic objectives, outcomes, target populations, and geographic scope based on
SOSTA’s mandate and core competencies.
 Develop a results framework featuring measurable indicators, targets, risks, and means of
verification.

 Formulate a strategic implementation framework, indicative budget, resource mobilization
strategy, and partnership framework.
 Establish a Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) framework to support
annual operational planning and strategic reviews.
4. Scope of the Assignment
4.1 Programme Sectors
 Food Security and Livelihoods: Climate-smart agriculture, livestock resilience, household
income generation, and market access.
 Environment and Climate Change: Natural resource management, drought resilience, climate
adaptation, and disaster risk reduction.
 TVET, Youth and Women’s Skills Development: Market-driven vocational training, digital
literacy, entrepreneurship, and disability-inclusive employment pathways.
 Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH): Safe water access, community hygiene promotion,
and climate-resilient WASH infrastructure.
 Health and Nutrition: Community health awareness, preventive nutrition interventions, and
health service referral networks.
 Protection and Social Inclusion: Safeguarding, child protection, gender-based violence
prevention, and inclusion of marginalized groups.
4.2 Institutional Development and Sustainability
The consultant will evaluate and provide strategic recommendations across institutional functions,
including: Governance & Leadership; Human Resource & Organizational Culture; Financial
Management & Internal Controls; Procurement & Operations; MEAL & Accountability; Fundraising &
Donor Engagement; Partnership & Localization; Organizational Branding; and Risk Management,
Safeguarding & GESI.
5. Methodology and Approach
The consultancy will follow a 5-stage participatory approach:
 Stage 1: Inception & Document Review – Kick-off meeting, desk review, and submission of
inception report, tools, and workplan.
 Stage 2: Context & Capacity Assessment – SWOT analysis, institutional evaluation,
community needs assessment, and external context analysis.
 Stage 3: Inclusive Stakeholder Consultation – Interviews, focus group discussions, and
workshops with Board, staff, beneficiaries, authorities, and donors.
 Stage 4: Strategic Planning & Framework Development – Formulation of vision, mission,
strategic outcomes, results framework, costing, and MEAL plan.
 Stage 5: Validation & Finalization – Stakeholder validation workshop, incorporation of
feedback, and submission of final approved deliverables.

Qualifications and Requirements
 Education: Advanced university degree (Master's or equivalent) in Strategic Planning,
Development Studies, Public Administration, Organizational Development, or related fields.
 Experience: Minimum 7 years of professional experience in strategic planning, organizational
assessment, and strategy formulation for NGOs/CSOs.
 Technical Expertise: Strong track record in developing results frameworks, MEAL systems,
theory of change, risk matrices, and indicative budgets.

 Contextual Knowledge: In-depth understanding of Somaliland’s socio-economic, humanitarian,
TVET, and development landscape.
 Skills: Exceptional facilitation, analytical writing, stakeholder management, and communication
skills. Fluency in English is required; Somali fluency is advantageous.

Submission Guidelines
Interested consultants/firms must submit: (1) Technical Proposal detailing methodology and workplan;
(2) Financial Proposal in USD (itemized fees and operational costs); (3) Updated CV(s); (4) Two
samples of similar strategic planning work; and (5) Contact details of two professional references to
[email protected] by 12-November-2026.