Provision of Emergency Food Assistance Package to Targeted Vulnerable Households

SOMALI DISASTER MANAGEMENT AGENCY (SoDMA)

FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF SOMALIA

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST (EOI)

Framework and Lot-Based Shortlisting by State/Region.

Provision of Emergency Food Assistance Package to Targeted Vulnerable Households

EOI Reference No.	SoDMA/EOI/FOOD-ASS/04/2026
Date of Issue	14 May 2026
Submission Deadline	28 May 2026, 4:00 PM Mogadishu time
Procuring Entity	Somali Disaster Management Agency (SoDMA)
Submission Email	procurement.head@sodma.gov.so
Address	Airport Road, Wadajir, Mogadishu, Somalia

1. Invitation for Expression of Interest

The Somali Disaster Management Agency (SoDMA) invites eligible, experienced, and qualified vendors, suppliers, logistics operators, and food assistance service providers to submit Expressions of Interest (EOIs) for the provision of Emergency Food Assistance Packages to targeted vulnerable households in selected districts across Federal Member States and regions of Somalia.

The assignment is expected to support urgent life-saving assistance for vulnerable and disaster-affected households, including but not limited to internally displaced persons, drought-affected families, flood-affected families, female-headed households, households with persons with disabilities, elderly persons, pregnant and lactating women, child-headed households, and other vulnerable groups as defined through SoDMA targeting criteria and community-based verification mechanisms.

Interested applicants may express interest for one or more geographic lots. Applicants must clearly indicate the lot(s), region/state(s), and district(s) for which they wish to be considered and must demonstrate operational capacity, supply chain capability, delivery experience, financial soundness, and compliance systems relevant to each selected lot.

2. Institutional Background

The Somali Disaster Management Agency (SoDMA) is mandated to coordinate disaster risk management, emergency preparedness, humanitarian response, and disaster recovery efforts in the Federal Republic of Somalia. SoDMA works with federal and state-level authorities, humanitarian partners, local communities, and development stakeholders to strengthen preparedness, deliver timely assistance, and protect the lives and dignity of affected populations.

Somalia continues to experience recurrent humanitarian shocks, including drought, flooding, conflict-related displacement, food insecurity, disease outbreaks, and market disruptions. In response, SoDMA intends to establish a pool of qualified service providers capable of rapidly supplying and delivering standardized emergency food assistance packages to vulnerable households in targeted districts.

3. Purpose and Objectives of the EOI

The purpose of this EOI is to identify and shortlist qualified providers with the technical, financial, operational, and compliance capacity to deliver emergency food assistance packages under a lot-based procurement structure. Shortlisted firms may subsequently be invited to participate in an open bid tendering process, such as a Request for Bids, Request for Proposals, Framework Agreement, or other formal procurement procedure as determined by SoDMA..

Specific objectives include:

• Establish a transparent shortlist of capable suppliers and service providers for emergency food assistance operations.
• Assess supplier capacity to source, package, store, transport, and deliver food items safely and on time in targeted districts.
• Verify compliance with legal registration, taxation, quality assurance, food safety, anti-fraud, safeguarding, and humanitarian principles.
• Promote competition, value for money, timely response, accountability to affected populations, and equitable access across regions and districts.
• Enable lot-based procurement and contract management according to state/region and operational feasibility.

4. Procurement Structure and Geographic Lots

The procurement shall be organized by geographic lots. Applicants may apply for a single lot, multiple lots, or all lots, provided they demonstrate adequate capacity for each selected lot. SoDMA reserves the right to award one lot, multiple lots, split awards within a lot, or make no award depending on needs, available funding, evaluation outcomes, and operational considerations.

The targeted states/regions and districts are presented below for purposes of assessing geographic coverage and operational capacity. District names and lot boundaries may be refined during the solicitation or contracting stage. Estimated household targets, delivery quantities, food basket details, and pricing schedules are not disclosed at this EOI stage and will be shared only with shortlisted applicants during the subsequent tendering stage.

Lot No.	State / Region	No of Districts	Applicant applying? (Yes/No)
Lot 1	Puntland State	Four	[Yes/No]
Lot 2	Northeastern State	Three	[Yes/No]
Lot 3	Galmudug State	Four	[Yes/No]
Lot 4	South West State	Five	[Yes/No]
Lot 5	Hirshabelle State	Two	[Yes/No]
Lot 6	Jubaland State	Three	[Yes/No]

5. Scope of Work and Food Assistance Package Information

The selected provider(s) shall be responsible for the supply, packaging, quality control, storage, transportation, delivery, handover, distribution support, and reporting of emergency food assistance packages to targeted vulnerable households in the assigned lot(s), in close coordination with SoDMA and relevant state, regional, district, and community authorities.

5.1 Food Basket, Quantities, and Estimated Households

The targeted estimated households, final food basket composition, quantities per household, delivery volumes, detailed specifications, delivery schedules, and related pricing schedules are intentionally not disclosed at the EOI stage.

These details will be provided only after completion of the EOI evaluation and shortlisting process, through a subsequent formal competitive tendering package issued to shortlisted applicants invited by SoDMA to submit sealed bids or proposals. Given the anticipated high value and operational complexity of the procurement, the subsequent stage should be conducted through an open bid tendering process, such as a Request for Bids (RFB) or Request for Proposals (RFP).

No food basket table, estimated household target, quantity schedule, pricing form, unit rate, or financial offer is included in this EOI. Applicants should demonstrate capacity, experience, compliance, logistics readiness, and geographic access only. Detailed technical and financial requirements will be issued later to shortlisted applicants under the formal competitive tendering package. 

5.2 Minimum Service Responsibilities

• Procure food commodities from reliable sources and provide evidence of origin, batch information, expiry dates, and quality certifications where applicable.
• Ensure proper packaging, labeling, storage, and handling to prevent contamination, spoilage, leakage, or loss.
• Maintain sufficient stock, vehicles, personnel, equipment, and contingency arrangements to meet delivery schedules.
• Coordinate distribution plans with SoDMA, state authorities, district administrations, and community focal points.
• Support beneficiary verification, crowd management, help desks, complaints and feedback channels, and documentation of handover or distribution.
• Submit delivery notes, waybills, distribution lists, photographs where authorized, stock reconciliation reports, incident reports, and final completion reports.
• Comply with humanitarian principles, do-no-harm standards, safeguarding requirements, anti-corruption commitments, and all applicable laws.

6. Implementation Approach and Delivery Requirements

6.1 Mobilization and Work Planning

Within the period specified in the subsequent solicitation or contract, the provider shall submit a mobilization plan covering staffing, procurement schedule, warehousing, transport routes, security arrangements, beneficiary interface, risk mitigation, and communication protocols. The plan must be practical for the assigned lot(s) and aligned with SoDMA instructions.

6.2 Delivery, Handover, and Distribution

• Deliveries shall be made to designated locations approved by SoDMA, which may include district warehouses, distribution sites, or direct delivery points.
• The provider shall not change delivery locations, dates, quantities, package composition, or beneficiary lists without written authorization from SoDMA.
• The provider shall maintain signed delivery notes and handover records verified by authorized SoDMA or designated representatives.
• All distribution activities shall respect the dignity, privacy, security, and cultural sensitivities of beneficiaries.

6.3 Quality Assurance and Inspection

SoDMA or its authorized representatives may inspect food commodities, warehouses, packaging, transport vehicles, and delivery records at any time. Any food item found to be damaged, expired, contaminated, underweight, improperly labeled, or otherwise non-compliant shall be replaced at the provider’s cost and without delay.

 

6.4 Security and Access

Applicants must demonstrate realistic access and delivery arrangements for the districts they select. The provider shall be responsible for the security of its personnel, goods, vehicles, and assets, while coordinating with competent authorities and SoDMA for operational planning. Security arrangements must not compromise humanitarian principles or beneficiary protection.

7. Eligibility and Minimum Qualification Requirements

Applicants should meet the following minimum requirements. Failure to submit evidence may result in non-shortlisting.

Category	Minimum Requirement	Evidence to Submit
Legal status	Valid business registration and authorization to operate in Somalia.	Certificate of registration, articles of association, trading license, tax identification, relevant permits.
Relevant experience	Demonstrated experience supplying or distributing food/non-food humanitarian assistance, preferably in Somalia and in selected regions.	Contracts, completion certificates, purchase orders, client references, photographs or reports.
Operational capacity	Warehousing, stock management, packaging, transport fleet or reliable transport agreements, field staff, and district access.	Asset list, warehouse details, fleet list, lease agreements, organogram, field presence evidence.
Financial capacity	Adequate financial resources and ability to pre-finance or manage supply timelines where required.	Audited accounts, bank statements, credit lines, turnover summary.
Quality and food safety	Capacity to meet food-grade handling, shelf-life, packaging, traceability, and inspection requirements.	Quality assurance plan, supplier certifications, sample labels/specifications.
Compliance	No record of fraud, corruption, sanctions, terrorism financing, child labor, forced labor, sexual exploitation, abuse, harassment, or serious contract default.	Signed declarations and disclosure forms.

8. EOI Submission Requirements

The EOI submission shall be concise, complete, and organized in the order below. Applicants should not submit financial prices at the EOI stage unless specifically requested by SoDMA. All documents must be in English or accompanied by an English translation where required.

1. EOI submission letter signed by an authorized representative.
2. Company profile including legal name, ownership, address, contact person, email, telephone, and years in operation.
3. Selected lot(s), region/state(s), and district(s) using Annex A.
4. Evidence of legal registration, taxation, and operating permits.
5. Relevant experience matrix using Annex B.
6. Operational capacity statement, including warehouses, transport capacity, staffing, district access, and contingency arrangements.
7. Quality assurance and food safety approach.
8. Safeguarding, anti-fraud, anti-corruption, and conflict-of-interest declarations.
9. Financial capacity evidence.
10. Any joint venture, consortium, subcontracting, or partnership arrangements, with roles clearly identified.

8.1 Submission Format

• Submit one PDF file clearly titled: EOI_FOOD_ASS_[Applicant Name]_[Selected Lot(s)].pdf.
• Email subject line: EOI – Food Assistance Package – [Applicant Name] – [Lot(s)].
• Send submissions to: head@sodma.gov.so .
• Submissions must be received no later than the stated deadline. Late submissions may be rejected.
• All pages should be numbered and scanned documents must be legible.

9. Evaluation and Shortlisting Methodology

EOIs will be reviewed for administrative compliance and evaluated against technical, operational, financial, and compliance criteria. Only shortlisted applicants may be invited to the next procurement stage. Shortlisting does not create any entitlement to award or contract.

Important: The EOI process does not constitute a request for prices and does not create an obligation to award a contract. Shortlisting confirms eligibility to participate in the next procurement stage only.

Evaluation Criterion	Indicative Weight	Key Considerations	Minimum Evidence
Administrative responsiveness	Pass/Fail	Completeness, signature, deadline compliance, required forms.	Submission letter and required documents.
Legal and compliance status	Pass/Fail	Registration, tax status, sanctions/debarment, conflict of interest.	Certificates and declarations.
Relevant experience	25%	Similar food supply/distribution assignments, Somalia experience, emergency response experience.	Contracts and references.
Operational and logistics capacity	30%	Warehousing, vehicles, staffing, access, multi-district delivery capability.	Capacity statement and supporting evidence.
Quality assurance and food safety	15%	Commodity specifications, handling, packaging, traceability, inspection readiness.	QA plan and certificates.
Financial capacity	15%	Financial soundness and ability to meet implementation timelines.	Accounts, statements, turnover.
Safeguarding, AAP, and risk management	15%	Protection, complaints mechanism, code of conduct, data protection, incident reporting.	Policies and declarations.

SoDMA may conduct due diligence checks, request clarifications, verify references, inspect facilities, or require additional documents before shortlisting or award. Misrepresentation or submission of false documents may lead to rejection, termination, and referral to competent authorities.

10. Instructions to Interested Vendors

10.1 Clarifications

Requests for clarification must be sent in writing to the submission email no later than 25 May 2026, 4:00 PM Mogadishu Time. SoDMA may issue consolidated responses to all interested applicants where appropriate. Oral communications shall not be binding.

10.2 Costs of Submission

Applicants shall bear all costs associated with preparing and submitting their EOIs. SoDMA shall not reimburse any costs incurred, regardless of the outcome of the process.

10.3 Confidentiality

Information submitted by applicants will be used for evaluation and procurement purposes. Applicants shall treat any non-public information received from SoDMA as confidential and shall not disclose it without written authorization.

10.4 Conflict of Interest

Applicants must disclose any actual, potential, or perceived conflict of interest. This includes relationships with SoDMA personnel, government officials, evaluators, beneficiaries, or other parties that may affect impartiality or create unfair advantage.

10.5 Right to Reject or Cancel

SoDMA reserves the right to reject any or all EOIs, waive minor informalities, modify the scope, split lots, cancel the process, or proceed with alternative procurement arrangements in accordance with applicable procedures and operational needs.

11. Contracting, Compliance, and Safeguarding Provisions

• The selected provider(s) shall comply with all applicable Somali laws, procurement rules, donor requirements, tax obligations, and contract terms.
• The provider shall not engage in fraud, corruption, collusion, coercion, obstruction, terrorism financing, money laundering, child labor, forced labor, trafficking, sexual exploitation, abuse, harassment, or discrimination.
• The provider shall maintain accurate records and permit audits, spot checks, and monitoring by SoDMA or authorized third parties.
• The provider shall immediately report incidents affecting delivery, quality, safeguarding, security, loss, diversion, or beneficiary protection.
• Personal data of beneficiaries shall be protected, used only for authorized purposes, and stored securely.
• Any subcontracting shall require prior written approval and shall not relieve the provider of responsibility for performance and compliance.

12. Annexes and Forms

Annex A: Lot Selection and Geographic Coverage Form

Select	Lot No.	State / Region	No of Districts	Applicant Local Presence / Office	Remarks
☐	Lot 1	Puntland State	Four	[Yes/No; location]
☐	Lot 2	Northeastern State	Three	[Yes/No; location]
☐	Lot 3	Galmudug State	Four	[Yes/No; location]
☐	Lot 4	South West State	Five	[Yes/No; location]
☐	Lot 5	Hirshabelle State	Two	[Yes/No; location]
☐	Lot 6	Jubaland State	Three	[Yes/No; location]

Annex B: Relevant Experience Matrix

Client / Organization	Contract Title	Location	Period	Value	Description of Services	Reference Contact

 

Annex C: Operational Capacity Statement

Applicants should provide the following information for each lot selected:

• Warehouses and storage facilities, including location, capacity, ownership/lease status, security, ventilation, pest control, and food safety measures.
• Transport capacity, including owned vehicles, leased vehicles, third-party transport agreements, and route planning arrangements.
• Field staffing structure, including lot manager, logistics officers, warehouse staff, distribution supervisors, enumerators, complaints/help desk staff, and security focal points.
• Emergency response lead time, stock availability, supplier network, contingency plans, and ability to operate during access constraints.
• Previous operations in the selected districts and evidence of coordination with local authorities or community structures.

Annex D: Declaration of Eligibility, Integrity, and Conflict of Interest

The undersigned hereby declares that:

• The applicant is legally registered and authorized to conduct business.
• The information submitted in this EOI is true, complete, and accurate.
• The applicant is not bankrupt, insolvent, under receivership, or subject to proceedings that may affect performance.
• The applicant is not debarred, suspended, sanctioned, or otherwise ineligible by any government, donor, United Nations agency, international financial institution, or competent authority.
• The applicant has not engaged in fraud, corruption, collusion, coercion, obstruction, terrorism financing, money laundering, child labor, forced labor, trafficking, sexual exploitation, abuse, harassment, or other prohibited practices.
• The applicant has disclosed all actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest.
• The applicant agrees to comply with SoDMA requirements, humanitarian principles, safeguarding standards, and applicable laws.

Legal Name of Applicant
Authorized Representative
Title / Position
Signature and Stamp
Date
Contact Details

Annex E: Submission Checklist

No.	Document / Requirement	Included?
1	Signed EOI submission letter	☐ Yes / ☐ No
2	Company profile	☐ Yes / ☐ No
3	Lot selection form	☐ Yes / ☐ No
4	Business registration certificate	☐ Yes / ☐ No
5	Tax identification / tax clearance where applicable	☐ Yes / ☐ No
6	Trading license / operating permits	☐ Yes / ☐ No
7	Relevant experience evidence	☐ Yes / ☐ No
8	Operational capacity statement	☐ Yes / ☐ No
9	Quality assurance / food safety documents	☐ Yes / ☐ No
10	Financial capacity evidence	☐ Yes / ☐ No
11	Safeguarding, anti-fraud, and conflict-of-interest declarations	☐ Yes / ☐ No
12	Joint venture/subcontracting information, if applicable	☐ Yes / ☐ No

 

Annex F: District Listing by Lot for Planning and Reporting

The table below is provided only to identify the geographic lots and districts covered by this EOI. Planning figures, estimated households, delivery volumes, and final distribution targets are withheld at this stage and will be provided during the subsequent tendering process for shortlisted applicants.

#	Lot	State / Region	Total No. of Districts	Remarks
1	Lot 1	Puntland State	4	Totals to be provided at tender stage.
2	Lot 2	Northeastern State	3	Totals to be provided at tender stage.
3	Lot 3	Galmudug State	4	Totals to be provided at tender stage.
4	Lot 4	South West State	5	Totals to be provided at tender stage.
5	Lot 5	Hirshabelle State	2	Totals to be provided at tender stage.
6	Lot 6	Jubaland State	3	Totals to be provided at tender stage.

EOI FOOD-ASS SoDMA

 

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