Somalia Cultural Advisors

The United States Special Operations Command is seeking a contractor to provide three Cultural/Political Advisors to support the Joint Special Operations Task Force - Somalia (JSOTF-SOM) in Mogadishu. The advisors will furnish cultural expertise, facilitate high-level key leader engagements with the Federal Government of Somalia, provide Somali-English and English-Somali interpretation services, and serve as liaisons between U.S. military forces and local leadership. Prospective contractors must ensure that personnel possess a minimum of three years of work experience as a cultural advisor in Somalia, maintain an active Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) security clearance, and demonstrate conversational proficiency in both English and Somali at Interagency Language Roundtable level 3. The evaluation criteria will assess the contractor's ability to meet the requirements outlined in Section 4 of the Performance Work Statement, with particular emphasis on demonstrated experience in cultural advisory roles within the Somalia operating environment. The Pre-solicitation Notice was posted on April 7, 2026, with an initial questions deadline of April 16, 2026; the official solicitation is expected to follow with potential adjustments to the Performance Work Statement.

This procurement carries no set-aside designation and does not identify any incumbent contractors. The contract structure consists of a six-month base period with four optional six-month extension periods exercisable at the government's discretion, creating a potential total performance period of approximately 2.5 years. Personnel will work 56 hours per week in Mogadishu with limited travel to Somalia, Djibouti, and Kenya (approximately 10 trips per six-month contract period). The contractor must provide personal protective equipment including combat helmets and soft armor plate carrier vests for each advisor, while the government furnishes housing, meals, workspace, computers, and mission-related travel expenses. No specific contract award value or budget range is disclosed in this Pre-solicitation Notice, though interested parties should contact SOCAFRICA.HQ.J42.EACONTRACTING.mbx@socom.mil for additional information.