Developer Needed to Build an Investment Readiness Portal MVP for Somali SMEs

JOB TITLE Developer Needed to Build an Investment Readiness Portal MVP for Somali SMEs ABOUT THE PROJECT The Somali Norwegian Chamber of Commerce (SNCC) is looking for an experienced and cost-effective web developer or small development team to build a pilot version of an Investment Readiness Portal for companies and projects in Somalia. The purpose of the portal is to: 1. Register Somali companies and investment projects. 2. Assess whether companies are ready, partially ready, or not yet ready for investment. 3. Help companies understand what information and documents they need to become investment-ready. 4. Allow selected companies to complete their profiles and submit the required documentation. 5. Give SNCC administrators an efficient way to review, manage, score, and follow up with applicants. This is an MVP/pilot project with a limited initial budget. However, we are looking for a reliable development partner who may continue working with SNCC as the platform grows. TARGET USERS The main users will be: * Somali SMEs and entrepreneurs * Companies seeking investment or business development support * SNCC administrators and reviewers * In later phases: mentors, partners and approved investors MVP SCOPE 1. Company Registration and Login Companies should be able to: * Create a secure account * Log in and reset their password * Save their application and continue later * Receive a unique application or reference number * View their application status * Update their company profile 2. Company and Project Profile The registration form should collect information such as: * Company name * Registration number * Year established * Location and region * Sector and industry * Founder and management information * Number of employees * Products or services * Target customers and market * Current revenue range * Funding already received * Amount of investment required * Intended use of investment * Expected job creation * Social and economic impact * Short company or project description The administrator should be able to edit the questions and add new fields without rebuilding the entire platform. 3. Investment Readiness Assessment The portal should include a simple assessment or questionnaire covering: * Company registration and legal compliance * Governance and management * Financial records and accounting * Business model * Customers and market validation * Growth potential * Investment needs * Risk management * ESG and social impact * Pitch deck and investment presentation Based on the answers, the system should provide an initial readiness result, such as: * Not Yet Investment-Ready * Partially Investment-Ready * Investment-Ready with Minor Improvements * Ready for Review The pilot can use a simple points-based scoring system. SNCC administrators must be able to adjust the scoring criteria later. 4. Document and Template Centre Companies should be able to download templates, guidance documents and checklists needed to become investment-ready. Examples include: * Business plan template * Company profile template * Pitch deck template * Financial projection template * Cash-flow template * Investment request template * Due-diligence checklist * Governance checklist * ESG checklist * Document preparation guide SNCC administrators should be able to upload, replace, categorise and remove templates through the administrator panel. 5. Document Upload Companies should be able to securely upload completed documents, including: * Company registration certificate * Tax documentation * Business licence * Ownership information * Business plan * Pitch deck * Financial statements * Bank statements * Financial projections * Contracts or customer evidence * Management CVs * Other supporting documents The system should support common formats such as PDF, Word and Excel. 6. Company Dashboard Each company should have a simple dashboard showing: * Profile completion percentage * Investment readiness score or category * Missing information * Missing documents * Documents available for download * Documents already uploaded * Administrator feedback * Application status * Recommended next actions 7. Administrator Panel SNCC administrators should be able to: * View all registered companies * Search and filter companies * View complete applications * Review uploaded documents * Add internal notes * Send comments or requests to companies * Change application status * Assign a readiness category or score * Download company information * Export company data to Excel or CSV * Upload templates and guidance documents * Manage users and application questions * View basic statistics Suggested statuses: * Draft * Submitted * Under Review * Additional Information Required * Partially Investment-Ready * Investment-Ready * Not Selected * Approved for Investor Introduction 8. Basic Notifications The system should send email notifications when: * A company creates an account * An application is submitted * SNCC requests additional information * The application status changes * A document is missing or rejected 9. Languages and Design The MVP should initially support English. However, the system must be designed so that Somali and other languages can be added later. The portal should: * Be mobile-friendly * Work well on slower internet connections * Have a clean and professional design * Use SNCC’s logo, colours and branding * Be simple for users with limited digital experience 10. Security and Ownership The solution must include: * Secure login and password protection * Role-based access * Secure document storage * Basic audit logging * Data backup * Privacy consent * Protection against unauthorised access * GDPR-conscious data handling SNCC must own: * The source code * The database * The design files * The platform data * All administrator credentials * The domain and hosting account The selected developer must provide the complete source code and deployment documentation at the end of the project. TECHNICAL APPROACH We are open to: * Custom web development * Low-code or no-code solutions * Open-source platforms * A practical combination of existing technologies The solution should be affordable, modular and easy to expand. Possible technologies include Laravel, Django, Node.js, Next.js, React, WordPress with custom development, Bubble or another suitable platform. Please explain why your recommended technology is appropriate. We do not want unnecessary technical complexity. NOT INCLUDED IN THE MVP The first version does not need: * Online investment transactions * Payment processing * Equity crowdfunding * Direct money transfers * Complex AI functionality * A public investor marketplace * A mobile application These may be considered in later phases. EXPECTED DELIVERABLES * Functional MVP portal * Company registration and login * Company and project application form * Investment readiness questionnaire * Readiness scoring or categorisation * Company dashboard * Administrator dashboard * Template download centre * Secure document upload * Application status management * Email notifications * Responsive design * Basic security and privacy controls * Deployment to SNCC’s hosting environment * Source code and database handover * Administrator user guide * Basic training session for the SNCC team * Bug-fixing period after launch TIMELINE Our preferred timeline is approximately 4–8 weeks. Please provide your own realistic timeline and divide the work into clear milestones. BUDGET We are seeking a cost-effective fixed-price proposal for the pilot. Indicative budget: USD 1,500–3,000, depending on the proposed technology, quality, relevant experience and included services. We understand that the full vision may require a larger budget. Therefore, applicants should clearly explain: * What can be delivered within the proposed budget * What should be postponed to Phase 2 * Any recurring hosting, licence or maintenance costs * Estimated costs for future development FUTURE COLLABORATION If the pilot is successful, later phases may include: * Somali-language support * Mentor and adviser accounts * Secure investor access * Private company data rooms * Investor and company matching * Advanced due-diligence workflows * Automated investment readiness recommendations * Regional and sector-based reporting * Integration with partner organisations * Mobile application * Investor pipeline and portfolio monitoring The selected developer may be invited to continue as SNCC’s long-term technology partner. WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR The ideal candidate should have experience with: * Member or applicant portals * Grant or application management systems * CRM or workflow platforms * Document management * Administrator dashboards * Secure user authentication * Responsive web development * Startup, SME, investment or accelerator platforms Experience working with African markets, Somalia, development organisations, chambers of commerce, incubators or investment programmes is an advantage. HOW TO APPLY Please include: 1. A short introduction about yourself or your company. 2. Links to 2–3 similar platforms you have built. 3. Your recommended technology and why. 4. A clear description of what you can deliver within our budget. 5. Your fixed-price quotation. 6. Your proposed timeline and milestones. 7. Any recurring hosting, licence or maintenance costs. 8. Your availability for future cooperation. 9. Confirmation that SNCC will own the source code, database and data. 10. Information about your post-launch support. Please begin your proposal with the words “SNCC Investment Portal” so we know you have read the complete job description. SCREENING QUESTIONS 1. Have you built an application, membership, grant, accelerator or investment portal before? Please share a link or screenshots. 2. What technology would you use for this MVP, and why? 3. Can you deliver the company dashboard, administrator panel, document centre and readiness assessment within the stated budget? 4. How will you protect confidential company documents? 5. Will SNCC receive full ownership of the source code, database and administrator credentials? 6. What functions do you recommend postponing until Phase 2? 7. What support will you provide after the platform is launched?