Tender Notice for Feasibility Study on An integrated Climate Adaptation, Food Security and WASH project in Beledweyne District, Hiraan Region, Hirshabelle State in Somalia.

Terms of Reference

Tender Subject: Feasibility Study on “An integrated Climate Adaptation, Food Security and WASH project in Beledweyne District, Hiraan Region, Hirshabelle State in Somalia. 

TenderReference:WARDI/Caritas/Feasibilitystudy/Beledweyn/ process-001/2026 

                                                              Project Information  

Contracting Organization WARDI Relief and Development Initiatives 

Project title Strengthening Community-Based Climate Adaptation and ClimateResilient Livelihoods in Food Security and WASH, Beledweyne District, Somalia.

Project Period 01.07.2027 – 30.06.2029 (24 months) 

Project location: 8 villages in Beledweyne District, Hiran Region, Somalia (final village selection subject to feasibility study) 

Project Donor BMZ through Caritas Germany   Implement Partner   WARDI Relief and Development Initiative.

Introduction,

a.About CARITAS and WARDI.

CARITAS  Germany is the international aid agency of the German Caritas Association, one of the largest social welfare organizations in Europe. It funds humanitarian assistance, disaster preparedness and long-term development cooperation worldwide, working through local Caritas member organizations and civil society partners. Its main sectors are food security and livelihoods, water, sanitation and hygiene, disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation. Caritas Germany is a recognized implementing partner of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and places strong emphasis on local partner capacity and community ownership. 

WARDI is one of the leading national non-governmental organizations in Somalia with operational presence across six regions in South Central. Founded in 1993 and duly registered with the Federal Government of Somalia, WARDI’s mission is to provide dignified support to people affected by crises to enable them to lead a dignified and prosperous life. WARDI has offices in Mogadishu, Beletweyne,Jowhar and Buloburte  and matan in South Central, Guriceel in Galgadud region Galmudug State,Wanlaweyn  and Afgoye districts in Lower Shebelle as well a liaison office in Nairobi. WARDI specializes in responding to humanitarian emergencies, bridging the gap between crisis and resilience as well as long-term developmental projects with track record in implementing high quality health and nutrition, food security and livelihood, education, protection, and WASH interventions. Our programming has the distinct attributes of applying bottom-up approach that puts the communities, local authorities, and governments (National and Federal states) we work with at the centre of our programmes. 

        Background, Preparatory Work, Project Description

2.2 Background

Beledweyne District, situated in the Hiraan region along the Wabi Shebelle River, is a recognized hotspot for compound climate risks. Geographic information system (GIS) analyses confirm that the district faces recurrent and increasingly severe riverine flooding, which frequently intersects with prolonged drought cycles (Osman, 2023). The World Bank (2020) documented that flooding from the Shebelle River has repeatedly inundated Beledweyne, displacing hundreds of thousands of residents and destroying critical infrastructure. These alternating extremes contaminate existing water points, degrade farmland, and accelerate riverbank erosion, forcing households to rely on unsafe, distant water sources during dry periods (Adaptation Fund, 2024). 

The local economy, heavily reliant on rain-fed, traditional smallholder farming and agro-pastoralism, is highly susceptible to these shocks, resulting in chronic crop failure, livestock loss, and persistent food insecurity (Adaptation Fund, 2024). The burden of these climate impacts is not distributed equally. Humanitarian assessments identify women, children, the elderly, persons with disabilities, and minority/marginalized clans as the most acutely affected populations (International Organization for Migration [IOM], 2023). Research further highlights that minority clans and women face heightened vulnerability due to pre-existing socio-economic marginalization and contested community-level governance over land and water resources (Wilkinson, 2023). 

Without deliberate, localized adaptation measures, climate models project an intensification of both drought and flood extremes along the Shebelle River basin (Adaptation Fund, 2024). Current community-level governance of land and water is often weak or contested, which undermines sustainable communal land use and exacerbates resource-based tensions (Osman, 2023). However, recent interventions demonstrate that community consultations can successfully transform water-related tensions into collective action, establishing mediation processes and improving local resource governance (United Nations Climate Security Mechanism, 2023). 

Community-based climate adaptation is a stated priority within Somalia’s national policy frameworks. 

Somalia’s Ninth National Development Plan (NDP-9, 2020–2024) and the ongoing NDP-10 (2025– 2030) explicitly integrate environmental sustainability, climate adaptation, and durable solutions for displaced populations as core objectives (Federal Republic of Somalia, 2020; Global Water Partnership, 

2024). Furthermore, Somalia’s Updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) and the National Climate Change Action Plan (2025–2030) commit to building long-term adaptive capacity through coordinated, cross-sectoral approaches (Federal Republic of Somalia, 2021; NAP Global Network, 2025). 

To operationalize these commitments in Beledweyne, literature and project proposals prioritize a multifaceted adaptation approach. This includes promoting climate-resilient and climate-smart agriculture, rehabilitating rangelands, and deploying decentralized, solar-powered WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) infrastructure—such as solar water pumping systems and V-shaped weirs—to ensure reliable water access during dry seasons (Adaptation Fund, 2024; NIS Foundation, 2022).

Application Process

Applications must be submitted electronically in signed, non-editable PDF format to  no later than 25 November 2026 at 2:30 PM East Africa Time (EAT). Address submissions to the Procurement 

Manager, WARDI Relief and Development Initiatives, and clearly indicate the tender reference WARDI/Caritas/Feasibility study/Beledweyn /Process-001/2026 in the email subject line. Technical and financial proposals must be attached as separate clearly named PDF files. Bids received after the deadline may be rejected. WARDI may request clarifications in writing but shall not permit material changes to a bid after closing.