How to Find Government Tenders in Kenya

Kenya's public procurement market is valued at approximately KES 1.2 trillion (roughly USD 9 billion) annually, representing around 12% of GDP and approximately 60% of the national government budget. This makes Kenya the largest procurement market in the East African Community and one of the top five in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The market is divided between the national government, 47 devolved county governments created under the 2010 Constitution, and hundreds of state corporations and semi-autonomous government agencies. There are over 1,000 procuring entities at the national level alone, with each county adding its own departments and agencies.

Kenya's Vision 2030 development blueprint drives significant procurement in infrastructure, energy, and ICT. Flagship projects include the Konza Technopolis ("Silicon Savannah"), geothermal energy expansion in the Rift Valley, and ongoing road and rail investments. The market is growing steadily as devolution matures and county governments increase their absorption of development budgets.

Kenyan public procurement is governed by the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act (PPDA), 2015 (Act No. 33 of 2015), which replaced the earlier Public Procurement and Disposal Act of 2005. The PPDA 2015 gives effect to Article 227 of the Constitution, which requires procurement to be fair, equitable, transparent, competitive, and cost-effective.

The Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) at ppra.go.ke is the oversight body responsible for policy guidance, compliance monitoring, and supplier debarment. PPRA publishes procurement manuals, threshold matrices, and standard tender documents that all procuring entities must use.

The Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Regulations, 2020 (amended 2023) provide detailed procedural rules covering tender evaluation, contract management, and dispute resolution. The National Treasury issues circulars that supplement the regulations.

The AGPO programme (Access to Government Procurement Opportunities), launched in 2013 under Executive Order, reserves 30% of all government procurement for enterprises owned by youth (18-35 years), women, and persons with disabilities (PWDs). Registration is managed through agpo.go.ke. Between 2016 and 2021, an estimated KES 85 billion in tenders were awarded to AGPO-certified groups.

Kenya also applies domestic preference margins of up to 15% for locally manufactured goods and citizen-owned contractors in works tenders.

PPIP (Public Procurement Information Portal) at tenders.go.ke is Kenya's mandatory national tender publication platform. All procuring entities — ministries, departments, agencies, state corporations, and county governments — must publish tender notices, addenda, and award information on PPIP. The portal lists open tenders, restricted tenders, request for quotations, and expression of interest notices.

The e-GP Kenya portal at egpkenya.go.ke, launched in April 2025, is the new electronic government procurement system integrated with IFMIS (Integrated Financial Management Information System), KRA iTax, and the Business Registration Service. It handles the full procurement lifecycle: supplier registration, tender publication, electronic bid submission, evaluation, and contract management.

County government portals supplement PPIP. Each of the 47 counties maintains its own website where local tenders are published, though compliance with PPIP posting requirements varies. Major counties like Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, and Nakuru publish regularly on both their own sites and PPIP.

Key parastatal and agency portals include Kenya Power (kplc.co.ke), KeNHA — Kenya National Highways Authority (kenha.co.ke), KURA — Kenya Urban Roads Authority (kura.go.ke), and Kenya Railways. The government advertising portal at mygov.go.ke also publishes tender notices from multiple agencies. For African government tenders from donor-funded projects, the World Bank and AfDB procurement portals list Kenya-specific opportunities.

Kenya's procurement methods and thresholds are defined in the PPDA 2015 and the threshold matrix published by PPRA. Procuring entities are classified into categories (A, B, and C) based on their annual procurement budgets, with different threshold limits for each.

• Open tender (the default method): Required for goods and non-consultancy services above KES 6 million and works above KES 20 million for Class A entities. Lower thresholds apply to Class B and C entities.
• Restricted tender: Permitted when few known suppliers exist or when examining many tenders would be disproportionate to contract value. Requires PPRA approval.
• Request for quotations (RFQ): For goods, works, or non-consultancy services below KES 1 million (Class C) to KES 4 million (Class A).
• Request for proposals (RFP): Used for consultancy services. Selection methods include Quality and Cost-Based Selection (QCBS), Quality-Based Selection (QBS), and Least-Cost Selection.
• Direct procurement: Permitted only in emergencies, sole-source situations, or standardisation requirements. Requires accounting officer justification and is subject to PPRA review.
• Low-value procurement: For purchases below KES 100,000, allowing simplified procedures.

All open tenders must be advertised on PPIP and in at least two newspapers of national circulation. International tenders (for goods/works not available locally) must additionally be advertised internationally.

Kenya's public procurement spans diverse sectors driven by Vision 2030 priorities and devolution spending:

• Infrastructure and transport: Road construction (KeNHA, KURA, KeRRA networks), the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) expansion, Nairobi Expressway operations, Konza Technopolis infrastructure, and airport modernisation projects.
• Energy: Kenya is a global leader in geothermal energy, targeting 5,530 MW by 2030. Lake Turkana Wind Power (310 MW) and ongoing solar projects generate procurement for turbines, transmission lines, and grid infrastructure. Kenya Power manages distribution contracts worth billions of KES annually.
• ICT and digital: Konza Technopolis, the National Fibre Optic Backbone (NOFBI), e-government systems, and county digitisation programmes. The Huduma Centre digital services network creates ongoing IT procurement.
• Healthcare: County health facility construction, medical equipment procurement, pharmaceutical supply chains, and universal health coverage (UHC) pilot programmes. Donor-funded health projects (Global Fund, PEPFAR, GAVI) add significant procurement volume.
• Water and sanitation: The Kenya Water Security and Climate Resilience Project (World Bank, $200M), dam construction (Thwake Multipurpose Dam), and county-level water supply projects.
• Agriculture: The National Agricultural Value Chain Development Project (NAVCDP), irrigation schemes, storage facilities, and agricultural extension services.
• Education: School construction, textbook procurement, ICT equipment for schools, and TVET institution development.
• Defence and security: Ministry of Defence procurement for equipment, vehicles, infrastructure, and security services.

English is the official language of Kenyan procurement — all tender documents, submissions, and correspondence are in English. Swahili terms appear in common usage: "zabuni" means tender and "manunuzi ya umma" means public procurement, but formal documentation is English-only.

Foreign suppliers must register on the e-GP Kenya portal at egpkenya.go.ke to participate in electronic procurement. A Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) Personal Identification Number (PIN) is required for tax compliance. Companies must also obtain a Tax Compliance Certificate from KRA.

Local content requirements apply: the PPDA 2015 provides domestic preference margins of up to 15% for locally manufactured goods. For construction, citizen-owned contractors receive preferential treatment. Foreign contractors above certain thresholds must demonstrate plans for technology transfer and local subcontracting.

Joint ventures with Kenyan firms are a proven entry strategy. The PPDA 2015 specifically encourages joint ventures that transfer skills and technology. For large infrastructure projects, international firms typically partner with local contractors who understand county-level approvals and community engagement.

EAC supplier advantages: Companies from East African Community partner states (Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, DRC, and Somalia) benefit from preferential tariff treatment under the EAC Customs Union Protocol.

Payment terms in Kenyan public contracts can be slow. While regulations prescribe 30-day payment, actual payment from national and county governments may take 60-120 days. Pending bills (unpaid government obligations) are a systemic issue. Budget confirmation before bid submission is advisable.

For donor-funded projects (World Bank, AfDB), separate procurement guidelines apply — typically the World Bank's Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers or AfDB's Procurement Policy Framework. These projects follow international competitive bidding with different thresholds and evaluation criteria.

Monitoring PPIP, 47 county portals, parastatal websites, and donor project databases manually is time-consuming and error-prone. Opportunities close quickly — typical bid windows are 14 to 21 days for RFQs and 30 days for open tenders.

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