Ministry of Interior, Federal Affairs and Democratization
Expression of Interest – Terms of Reference (ToR)
Project: Strengthening MoiFAD Capacity for Sustainable Project Management and IDP Resilience
Activity Title: Expert in development and implementation of the Information Management System (IMS)
Duty Station: Garowe, Puntland state of Somalia
Reports to: Technical Person (Project Management and IDP Resilience)
Assignment Duration: 10 November 2025 – 10 December 2025
- Background
Puntland, and Garowe in particular, hosts a significant and growing population of internally displaced people (IDPs). Displacement is driven by recurring droughts, floods, clan conflicts, and insecurity in neighboring regions. Many IDPs live in informal settlements where access to basic services, such as shelter, water, sanitation, health care, and education, is limited and uneven.
The Government of Puntland State, through the Ministry of Interior, Federal Affairs, and Democratization (MoIFAD), in collaboration with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) under the SEIPP project, has established a financing mechanism to enhance MoIFAD’s capacity for sustainable data and information management for internally displaced persons (IDPs).
The Ministry of Interior, Federal Affairs and Democratization (MoIFAD) holds the mandate for coordination of humanitarian assistance, governance of IDP settlements, and facilitation of durable solutions. Garowe Municipality, as the capital’s local authority, is directly responsible for urban planning, service delivery, and settlement management. Until now, the absence of a unified digital system has made it difficult for MoiFAD and Garowe Municipality to:
- Maintain a real-time understanding of IDP settlement dynamics, service coverage, and humanitarian partner activities.
- Identify gaps, duplications, and critical funding needs across sectors and geographic areas.
- Align humanitarian interventions with national development and resilience plans and track progress against agreed humanitarian response indicators.
The proposed IDP Reporting and Monitoring Platform (IMS) directly addresses these challenges. It offers a single, government-owned source of truth for 3W/4W (Who-What-Where-When) humanitarian activity data, ensuring that MoiFAD, Garowe Municipality, and their partners can coordinate effectively, allocate resources efficiently, and plan durable solutions for IDPs.
- Objectives / Purpose of the Assignment
The main objective of this consultancy is to design, develop, and implement a robust, secure, and user-friendly web-based Information Management System (IMS), the IDP Reporting and Monitoring Platform, for MoIFAD to manage, monitor, and report on humanitarian activities and IDP settlement dynamics across Puntland.
More specifically, the expert will:
- Translate the conceptual design into a fully functional IMS (web portal, database, dashboards, mapping engine, data-export functions, APIs, user roles/permissions).
- Set up system architecture enabling 3W/4W data collection, validation, visualization, and reporting.
- Ensure system design meets requirements for geospatial data (settlements with GPS), indicator tracking, partner reporting, donor reporting, and performance monitoring.
- Provide documentation, training materials, and a plan for rollout, maintenance, and data governance.
- Scope of Work / Key Tasks
The Expert will perform, at a minimum, the following tasks:
- Requirements Analysis & System Design
- Review the conceptual design, data model, and user requirements with MoiFAD, Garowe Municipality, and key stakeholders (government staff, humanitarian partners, NGOs, donors).
- Propose detailed system architecture (backend, database, frontend, API, security, backup, deployment plan) and deployment plan (cloud or on-premises).
- Define user roles, permissions, access control, and audit logging.
- Development & Implementation
- Build the backend (e.g., using ASP.NET MVC or equivalent open-source stack) and database (SQL Server or PostgreSQL + PostGIS for spatial data).
- Develop the front end as a responsive single-page application (e.g., React + HTML5/JS) providing data entry forms, dashboards, charts/pivot-tables, and interactive maps.
- Implement data validation rules (completeness, consistency, formats) before data submission.
- Implement RESTful API endpoints to allow secure integration with external registries, mobile apps, or analytic tools.
- Enable data export in common formats (CSV, Excel, JSON).
- Testing, Deployment & Quality Assurance
- Conduct testing (functional, security, performance) including spatial/geospatial operations.
- Set up automated daily backups, recovery procedures, and audit trails.
- Deploy the system (cloud-based or on local servers) using containerized deployment (Docker/Kubernetes) or equivalent.
- Provide documentation (technical manuals, API documentation), user guides, and administrator guides.
- Training & Handover
- Deliver a training session for MoiFAD staff, municipal officers, partner organizations, NGOs, and donors on how to use the system (data entry, reporting, dashboards, exports).
- Provide e-learning modules (if applicable), user support guidelines, and maintenance SOPs (backups, updates, patching, data validation).
- Submit a handover report including system design documentation, deployment configuration, data governance recommendations, and a plan for phased rollout (starting with high-priority IDP-hosting districts).
- Expected Deliverables & Timeline
| Deliverable | Due date/deadline* |
| Inception report with detailed work plan, architecture design, and data model | 3 days |
| Functional prototype (backend + database + basic frontend + API) | 5 days |
| Fully developed IMS (web portal, dashboards, mapping, data validation) | 7 days |
| Deployment in the staging/production environment with backup and security configurations | 4 days |
| User documentation, admin manuals, API docs, data governance guidelines | 3 days |
| Training session(s) delivered | 5 days |
| Final handover report & recommendations for phased rollout. 3 |
Dates to be adjusted as needed depending on the consultant’s proposal and agreement.
- Required Qualifications & Competencies
- Bachelor’s degree (or higher) in Software Engineering, Computer Science, Information Systems, or related field.
- At least 5 years of hands-on experience in full-stack web application development, database design, and deployment. (Similar requirement as in other humanitarian IT/MIS ToRs.)
- Proven experience in building information management systems for humanitarian, development, or governance projects — ideally with 3W/4W reporting, geospatial data, dashboards, and multi-stakeholder access.
- Strong skills with backend frameworks (e.g., ASP.NET MVC / C# or equivalent open-source stacks), relational databases (SQL Server, PostgreSQL + PostGIS), REST API design, frontend web technologies (HTML5, JavaScript, React or similar).
- Knowledge of secure software development practices, TLS/SSL, authentication & authorization (e.g., OAuth2/SSO), audit logging, backups, data protection, and system maintenance.
- Experience with containerized deployments (Docker, Kubernetes), CI/CD pipelines, version control (Git), and DevOps practices.
- Strong documentation skills — ability to produce technical manuals, user guides, and training materials.
- Good communication and coordination skills, ability to consult with government actors, humanitarian partners, NGOs, and donors.
- Submission of Expression of Interest
Interested individual consultants or firms should submit the following to MoIFAD:
- A cover letter/expression of interest, briefly describing their suitability and understanding of the assignment.
- Curriculum Vitae (or firm profile) showing relevant experience.
- At least two (2) previous examples of similar work (with references or links if available).
- An outline methodology and approach (how you plan to carry out the assignment), including any assumptions.
- A Detailed technical Proposal
- Technical and financial proposal (all-inclusive lump sum or daily rate specified).
- The sealed envelopes should be dropped at Hard Copy Ministry of Interior Office of procument at the opposite of WFP Office in Garowe.
- Reporting and Governance
- The expert will report to the Technical Person (Project Management and IDP Resilience) at MoIFAD.
- All outputs (code, documentation, manuals, training) will become the property of MoIFAD.
- The system should be delivered as fully managed by MoiFAD, with handover of credentials, documentation, and deployment configuration.
- Any subcontracting or third-party software/service licensing must be declared in advance and approved by MoiFAD.
- Evaluation & Selection Criteria
- Applications will be evaluated following the “Quality and Cost” approach (technical proposal weighted higher than financial proposal). Similar to other humanitarian consultancy ToRs: emphasis will be placed on relevant technical expertise, prior experience with MIS/humanitarian data systems, ability to meet tight timelines, and clarity of proposed methodology
- Submission and Deadline
How to apply: Interested candidates are encouraged to submit their CV and application. Sealed envelopes should be dropped at the Hard Copy Ministry of Interior Office of procurement: Attention: Muna Ahmed, Head of Procurement of MoIFAD at opposite of WFP Office in Garowe.
The deadline for Submission Should be on 05 November 2025.