COG tender COG/PROC/T/001/2026-2027: digital knowledge management platform and Maarifa website revamp

What is being bought

The Council of Governors (COG) requests sealed bids from eligible ICT firms and developers to develop a digital knowledge management platform and revamp the Maarifa website. The service is for one year, with an intended start date of 14 December 2026 as stated in the Tender Data Sheet. Submissions go to the COG Secretariat, 2nd floor, Delta Corner, off Waiyaki Way, Nairobi.

Key facts

Closing

Tue 3 Nov 2026, 11:00 am
Tenders must be received at the COG Secretariat by this date and time (the same date and time as the portal closing and the Tender Data Sheet). D1 p.42

Bid / tender security

Bid security of KES 100,000.00 is required in the form of a bank guarantee in its original format. The Tender-Securing Declaration is not required. The guarantee template gives expiry as 30 days after validity in one option and 28 days in another; confirm the expiry date with COG. D1 p.42

Tender fee

Tender documents cost KES 1,000.00, non-refundable, paid in cash or by banker's cheque payable to Council of Governors. Proof of payment is mandatory (MR 8). D1 p.4

Site visit

Optional
No pre-arranged site visit will take place according to the Tender Data Sheet, so attendance is not required. D1 p.26

Pre-bid meeting

Optional
No pre-tender meeting will take place according to the Tender Data Sheet. D1 p.26

Reserved for

No reservation for youth, women, persons with disabilities or AGPO groups is stated. The portal lists none and the invitation opens the tender to eligible ICT firms and developers. P

Contract value

Not stated in the documents we reviewed Not stated D1

Tender opening

Tenders are opened publicly in the presence of tenderers' representatives at the 11th floor boardroom, Delta Corner, off Waiyaki Way, Nairobi. D1 p.43

Tender validity

Tenders remain valid for 180 days from the closing date. Prices must remain valid for 180 days from the closing date of the tender. D1 p.42

Who can apply

• Open to eligible ICT firms and developers, as stated in the invitation. D1 p.4
• The Tender Data Sheet sets the maximum number of Joint Venture members at ONE, so a joint venture with more than one member is not allowed. D1 p.26
• A state-owned enterprise or institution in Kenya may compete only if it can show it is registered as a Microsoft provider. Standard rule D1 p.8
• A Kenyan tenderer must give evidence of meeting its tax obligations with a current tax compliance certificate or tax exemption certificate from KRA. Standard rule D1 p.8

Application checklist

Tick items off as you prepare. Your ticks stay on this device only.

Required from every bidder

• Copy of Certificate of Registration or Incorporation. D1 p.27
• Copy of a valid tax compliance certificate. D1 p.27
• At least two valid compliance certificates from ICTA level 2 or above, covering systems and applications, data centre, and information security. D1 p.27
• Valid Data Protection Act certification as Data Processor and Data Controller. D1 p.27
• Copy of a valid business permit. D1 p.27
• Form CR12 showing shareholders, or a list of directors, or a sworn affidavit of the directors, or a Power of Attorney for sole proprietors. D1 p.27
• Certificate of dealership, authorization or accreditation from an internationally recognized solution provider. D1 p.27
• Proof of payment of the bid document fee of Kes.1,000 (miscellaneous receipt) or a cheque of similar amount addressed to Council Of Governors. D1 p.27
• Duly filled, signed and stamped Form of Tender. D1 p.27
• Duly filled, signed and stamped Confidential Business Questionnaire. D1 p.27
• Certificate of independent tender determination must be completed. D1 p.27
• Financial statements for the last 3 years (2023, 2024 and 2025), audited by an ICPAK-listed auditor, plus bank statements for the last six months (1 April to 30 September 2026). D1 p.27
• Bid security of KES 100,000.00 in the form of a bank guarantee (also listed as MR 13 in the table). D1 p.27
• Tender must be signed by the person authorized to do so, with a Power of Attorney or sworn affidavit (second item numbered MR 13). D1 p.27

Experience, licences and financial capacity

Technical

• Stage 1 technical evaluation: bidders must give detailed sentence responses to each requirement, indicating compliance level (FS fully supported, PS partially supported, CR customization required, NS not supported). Bidders must meet all technical minimum requirements to qualify. D1 p.27
• Platform must support all 47 County Governments, at least 100,000 registered users and 10,000 concurrent users without degradation in performance. D1 p.28
• Minimum platform uptime of 99.9% annually, excluding scheduled maintenance. D1 p.28
• Maximum page load time of three seconds under normal operating conditions. D1 p.29
• Deploy on AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform or an equivalent enterprise cloud infrastructure. D1 p.29
• Comply with WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility standards. D1 p.30
• Support Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish and Kiswahili. D1 p.30

Financial

• Financial capability is scored: three years of audited financial statements (2023, 2024, 2025) score 3 marks, and liquidity ratios score up to 4 marks per year (LR of 2:1 or more), within a 12-mark financial capability section. D1 p.42
• Performance security of 10% of the contract price must be furnished within 21 days of award. D1 p.43

How and where to submit

• Tender must be delivered as a physical sealed envelope (hard copy). Tenders are placed in the tender box at the COG Secretariat, 2nd floor, Delta Corner, off Waiyaki Way, during normal working hours, or posted to The Chief Executive Officer, Council of Governors, P.O. Box 40401, 00100 Nairobi. D1 p.4
• Postal address for submission: The Chief Executive Officer, Council of Governors, P.O. Box 40401, 00100, Nairobi. D1 p.4
• Electronic submission is not permitted. D1 p.42
• Tenders go in a single sealed envelope containing separate sealed envelopes marked ORIGINAL and COPIES; inner envelopes show the tenderer name and address and the tender identification, and outer envelopes show the tender identification and a warning not to open before the opening time. Standard rule D1 p.16
• Submit one original plus one copy of the tender, marked as Original and Copies respectively. The original prevails if they differ. D1 p.42
• Clarification questions must be submitted in writing to reach COG not later than 30 October 2026, to Head of Procurement at the address or info@cog.go.ke. D1 p.26

Not covered in the documents we reviewed

• Any addenda (A1, A2 etc.) and their changes to dates or requirements
• Full Section III Evaluation and Qualification Criteria, including the technical scoring methodology and pages 44-45
• Section V Schedule of Requirements and the Activity Schedule / price schedule
• Contract value or budget estimate
• Section IV tendering forms (Form of Tender, Confidential Business Questionnaire, Tender-Securing forms) in full
• Section VI and VII General and Special Conditions of Contract, including payment terms
• Pages 1-3 and 5-7 of the tender document and any pre-tender clarifications
• Whether the bank guarantee expiry is 28 or 30 days after validity (template forms differ)
• Lots, if any, and whether the tender is split into lots
• Procurement-related complaint and administrative review details beyond the PPRA contact

Terms explained

TDS

Tender Data Sheet: the tender-specific rules that change the standard instructions to tenderers.

ITT

Instructions to Tenderers: the standard rules for preparing and submitting a bid.

Tender security (bid security)

Money or guarantee submitted with a bid to ensure the bidder stays committed; forfeited if the bidder withdraws or fails to sign the contract.

Performance security

Guarantee of about 10% of the contract price that the winning bidder must provide before contract signature.

Mandatory requirements (MR)

Documents or conditions that every bid must include; missing one can lead to rejection.

Responsive / non-responsive

A bid that meets all essential requirements is responsive; a bid that does not is rejected as non-responsive.

JV (joint venture)

Two or more firms bidding together as one tender; here the TDS limits membership to ONE.

Addendum

A written change to the tender documents issued before the deadline; it overrides the original wording.

ICTA

Kenya ICT Authority, which issues the compliance certificates required under MR 3.

ICPAK

Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya; MR 12 requires an ICPAK-listed auditor.

CR12

Company Registry return listing the shareholders and directors of a company.