TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR INTERNATIONAL FIRM:
NEC PROCEDURAL REVIEW, UPDATES, AND
DEVELOPMENTS
Background
The National Electoral Commission (NEC) of Somaliland plays a critical role in consolidating democratic governance, evidenced by its successful management of the 2024 presidential and political party elections. The NEC's achievements— including the registration of voters, the training of over 12,500 staff, and extensive stakeholder engagement—culminated in a peaceful election process significantly enhanced by the implementation of biometric voter verification. This successful deployment demonstrated the NEC's clear commitment to modernizing its operations and promoting inclusivity within the electoral process. However, a closer examination reveals that this success masks underlying challenges requiring urgent attention.
While the 2024 elections showcased progress, persistent operational weaknesses highlight the need for substantial improvements to ensure the long-term sustainability and effectiveness of Somaliland's electoral system. Logistical complexities, technical delays, and gaps in the existing legal framework all presented significant hurdles, impacting the efficiency and transparency of the electoral process. These challenges, if left unaddressed, risk undermining public confidence in the integrity of future elections and hindering the consolidation of democratic institutions. Therefore, a proactive and comprehensive review of the NEC's institutional procedures is crucial. To this end, the Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy (NIMD) and the NEC seek a qualified international firm to conduct a thorough assessment and identify areas requiring modernization. This review will focus on critical operational areas, including human resource management, financial management, communication strategies, security protocols, and election operations, aiming to develop robust, effective, and sustainable procedures to support free, fair, and credible elections in Somaliland. Identifying and rectifying these systemic weaknesses are vital for strengthening Somaliland's democracy and ensuring its long-term stability.
OBJECTIVE OF THE CONSULTANCY
The primary goal of this consultancy is to conduct a thorough review of NEC’s existing procedures and manuals, upgrade them where needed, and develop new procedures within two months.
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES
The consultancy will entail an in-depth and multifaceted review of the NEC's operational procedures, going beyond a standard examination of existing manuals to establish a comprehensive and actionable plan for improvement. This process will include three distinct phases.
- Comprehensive Procedural Review
This phase will involve conducting a detailed analysis of NEC's manuals related to human resources, finance, operations, communication, and security. The review will assess the structure, content, and practical effectiveness of each manual in guiding daily operations. It will focus on identifying and addressing any ambiguities, inconsistencies, or outdated information present in the documents. Additionally, the manuals will be evaluated to ensure they reflect best practices and align with international standards for governance and electoral administration.
- Gap Identification and Actionable Recommendations
This phase will center on identifying and analyzing specific gaps and weaknesses in NEC’s operational procedures. A root cause analysis will be conducted to understand the underlying problems, and practical, feasible, and measurable recommendations for improvement will be proposed. Each recommendation will include a clear rationale, outlining the proposed change, anticipated benefits, and an implementation plan to guide the process. These recommendations will be designed to align with NEC’s capacity and resources.
- Development of Missing Procedures
The final phase will focus on creating detailed, context-specific procedures to address the gaps identified in the previous phase. These new procedures will be clearly articulated, consistent with existing frameworks, and readily understandable by NEC staff. Best practices will be incorporated to enhance the efficiency, transparency, and security of NEC operations. Stakeholder engagement will be prioritized to ensure that the procedures are relevant, practical, and accepted by all involved. The final procedures will be thoroughly documented to ensure they are accessible to all relevant personnel.
SCOPE OF WORK:
This consultancy will conduct a comprehensive review of the NEC's procedures using a four-pronged approach. First, a rigorous comparative analysis of international best practices will be undertaken to benchmark NEC’s operations against similar electoral bodies. Second, extensive stakeholder engagement will be carried out to identify existing challenges and build consensus around necessary reforms. Third, participatory methodologies will be applied to ensure that recommendations are locally relevant and practical. Lastly, the consultancy will produce a detailed final report with actionable, evidence-based recommendations for both improving current procedures and developing any missing ones. The overarching goal is to create a sustainable plan to enhance NEC's operational effectiveness and strengthen Somaliland's electoral system.
METHODOLOGY
The assignment methodology will employ a robust, mixed-methods approach to ensure a comprehensive and nuanced understanding of the NEC's procedures. This will involve a thorough review of existing NEC procedures and relevant international documentation from comparable electoral bodies. These findings will be complemented by in-depth interviews with key NEC stakeholders, including both national and international partners, to gather diverse perspectives and insights into the practical application and effectiveness of current procedures. Crucially, the research will not simply rely on data collection; it will incorporate a participatory element through validation workshops. These workshops will bring together NEC staff and other relevant stakeholders to collectively review and validate the research findings. This process will ensure that the recommendations are grounded in a shared understanding of the challenges and are practical and locally relevant. By adopting this iterative, participatory approach, the consultancy will maximize the quality and impact of the recommendations, fostering ownership and increasing the likelihood of successful implementation.
DELIVERABLES
The consultancy’s deliverables are structured to ensure a transparent and iterative
process with continuous stakeholder engagement and timely communication. The key deliverables include:
Inception Report: This foundational document will outline the methodology, work plan, and timeline, providing a detailed rationale for the chosen approach. It should specify tasks, responsibilities, milestones, and dependencies while incorporating buffer time for potential delays.
Progress Reports: These reports will go beyond status updates by providing qualitative and quantitative assessments of progress against the work plan. They will include early findings, deviations from the schedule, and mitigation strategies to ensure continuous transparency and stakeholder engagement.
Draft Report: The draft report will present key findings, detailed analyses, and updated procedural documents. It will offer multiple design options for procedural improvements, outlining the rationale, advantages, and challenges of each option. This allows for stakeholder feedback before finalization.
Final Presentation: A structured presentation designed to engage diverse stakeholders, summarizing the consultancy’s findings and recommendations using clear language and visuals. It will facilitate a discussion to gather final feedback.
Final Report: A comprehensive document that includes the final analysis, updated and newly developed policy and procedures (HR, Finance, Supply Chain, Voter Education, Training, Communication/Call Center and media) and clear, actionable recommendations ideal for hectic operations. It should provide a phased implementation plan to minimize disruption and maximize operational effectiveness.
EVALUATION CRITERIA
The evaluation process uses a weighted scoring system to assess proposals' strengths and suitability, identifying firms capable of delivering high-quality, contextually relevant solutions tailored to NEC's needs.
Technical Expertise and Experience (50%)
This criterion evaluates the firm’s ability to manage the assignment’s scope and complexity, focusing on experience in process governance, electoral operations, and capacity building, especially in fragile or transitioning democracies. Specialized knowledge in human resources, financial management, communication, security, and election operations is required. Firms must submit project portfolios and
references to demonstrate measurable improvements in comparable institutions. A multidisciplinary team with at least ten years of relevant experience, along with detailed CVs and roles, is essential. Experience in reviewing and developing key procedural documents is also crucial.
Methodology and Approach (30%)
This criterion assesses the proposal’s clarity, relevance, and innovation, requiring a detailed work plan with clear steps, milestones, and deliverables supported by robust data collection. A participatory approach involving stakeholder engagement through workshops and consultations is essential to ensure recommendations are actionable and context-sensitive. The methodology must adapt to Somaliland’s socio-political context and include best practices and innovative tools tailored to NEC’s resources and capacities. Additionally, the proposal should provide a plan for reviewing and developing key operational documents.
Financial Proposal (20%)
This criterion evaluates the cost-effectiveness and transparency of the proposal. A complete budget itemizing staff costs, travel, workshops, and other expenditures with clear justifications is required. Realistic cost estimation is crucial, reflecting a practical approach to completing the assignment within the timeframe and resources. The proposal should demonstrate value for money, balancing cost with quality, and will be assessed for competitiveness by comparing it with other proposals to ensure it reflects market rates.
The most suitable international firm must possess the following attributes:
• A master’s degree or equivalent in process governance, organizational development, or a related field focusing on democratic systems, including elections management and institutional development.
• Demonstrated expertise in communication, human resources, voter education, election operations management, and financial management.
• Proven experience in capacity building and institutional procedures development for electoral bodies, with a minimum of ten years of relevant experience.
• Exceptional attention to detail.
• Strong communication skills and fluency in English.
The assignment is 25 days , including traveling to Hargeisa to deliver the assignment.
International consulting firms interested in this opportunity are invited to submit technical proposals that outline their approach, methodology, relevant experience, team composition, reference contacts, and financial proposal. Proposals should be sent to hargeisa@nimd.org with the subject line "NEC Procedural Review and Development" by February 27th 2025, at 18:00 EAT.
