Description of Services

Local consultancy to support the project activities of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), in partnership with UNITAC Hamburg, in Hargeisa, Somaliland.

Framework of the service

The United Nations Innovation Technology Accelerator for Cities is an innovation lab in Hamburg, established in March 2021 by UN-Habitat in collaboration with the UN Office of Information and Communications Technology (UN-OICT) and HafenCity University Hamburg. In this project, UNITAC in collaboration with the City Science Lab at HafenCity University explores the potential of digital technologies, data, and innovations for sustainable urban development. The project works with a variety of applied, innovative and prototyping research methods and develops innovative solutions primarily for cities located in the Global South. These methods aim to accelerate the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related to cities and urbanization.

This project with Hargeisa Water Agency introduces a digital water platform in Hargeisa, connecting users in disadvantaged settlements who do not have a piped water connection with certified water vendors. By eliminating middlemen, the platform ensures affordability and enhances transparency and quality in the water supply chain. This innovative solution will be valuable for disadvantaged communities, especially for women, significantly improving access to safe drinking water.

Details of services

The local consultant is responsible for the overall project implementation, as well as community and stakeholder engagement at the local level. The scope of work planned to be carried out independently, in line with the project objectives, includes:

•       Act as the focal point between the Hargeisa Water Agency and the UNITAC Hamburg team

•       Coordinate project activities in Hargeisa with a special focus on coordinating all interactions with the potential users of the app / platform, i.e. water vendors, IDP communities and informal settlement residents. This includes gathering insights and feedback from the future users along

the full application development cycle, e.g. identifying potential users, collecting user requirements, app functionalities, app design, usability testing, awareness raising

•       Support the design and planning of stakeholder and community engagement (including stakeholder mapping, the definition of target groups and the selection of engagement methods)

•       Organize and conduct stakeholder engagement activities, such as participatory workshops, focus group discussions, interviews, and surveys, including with special target groups such as women

•       Plan and conduct other events in close coordination with local project partners, stakeholders, and network partners

•       Research on project related topics, e.g. water access in Hargeisa, informal settlements in Hargeisa, use of technology in Hargeisa

•       Regular reporting on project progress and activities to UNITAC team Hamburg

•       Contributions to communication materials about the project and documentation of events

•       Experience with interdisciplinary development projects in the African context

•       Experience in organizing and conducting participatory processes with local communities

•       Existing network partners and excellent knowledge of local stakeholders in Hargeisa, especially public sector institutions, civil society organisations and water-related stakeholders

•       Experience in working with IDP Communities and in informal settlements

•       Experience in event management

•       Basic understanding of mobile app development process

•       Basic knowledge in the field of urban development, basic service delivery, urban innovation, data and technology, sustainable development

•       High flexibility and self-organisation, good communication and teamwork skills

•       A completed academic degree (Bachelor or higher) in Urban Planning, Geography, Social or Cultural Science, Geoinformatics, or topic-related subjects.

•       The Consultant is expected to be based in Hargeisa, Somaliland

Contract term & service period & terms of payment

The service period begins on 15.09.2024 and runs until 14.09.2025, with possibilities for extension. We assume a total of 115 person-days of 8 hours each, which will be incurred over the specified service period as required.

Bid proposal management

•       CV with description of work experience in the field of Community and Stakeholder engagement in informal settlements

•       2 Reference projects, including project description, partners, role in the project and relevance to the requested service, demonstrating the above-mentioned experience

•       Exercise: Please write a concept note (300-500 words) in your own words, describing how you would involve IDP and informal settlement communities in a mobile application development

process to make sure the application is tailored to the needs of the communities. This could involve key elements and methodologies of such an engagement process as well as key aspects to consider when engaging with disadvantaged communities.

For the first review, please send the documents by August 20, 2024, to

Dr. Sophie Naue: [email protected]

Lisa Reudenbach: [email protected]