DHA Low Earth Orbit Satellite Framework Agreement, Supply and Commissioning (DHA/ONT/08/2026-2027)

What is being bought

Digital Health Agency invites sealed tenders for a one-year framework agreement to supply, install, test and commission a Low Earth Orbit satellite solution, listed as one lot. Quantities and locations are said to be in the Terms of Reference, which were not in the pages reviewed. The tender is reserved for AGPO-registered youth, women and persons with disability firms.

Key facts

Closing

Mon 9 Nov 2026, 10:00 am
Closing date and time for tenders after all addenda. A1

Bid / tender security

No cash or bank Tender Security is required. A Tender-Securing Declaration is required instead, in the form in Section IV. Failure to sign and submit it is a preliminary requirement failure. D2 p.24

Tender fee

Tender documents may be downloaded free of charge from www.dha.go.ke or www.tenders.go.ke. D2 p.2

Site visit

Not stated in the documents we reviewed Not stated

Pre-bid meeting

Optional
Tender Data Sheet does not show a pre-tender conference as held; no date is given. Questions were due by 26 October 2026 at 5pm. Unverified D2 p.24

Reserved for

Reserved for Youth, Women and Persons with Disability (AGPO), who must be duly registered with National Treasury. Each tender may be reserved to only one group. D2 p.1

Contract value

Not stated in the documents we reviewed Not stated

Tender opening

Opening is stated as 2 November 2026 at 10:00am in the Tender Data Sheet; addenda moved closing to 9 November without restating the opening date. Opening place is the Main Boardroom, SHA Building, 10th Floor, Wing B. Conflicting D2 p.25

Tender validity

Tenders remain valid for 140 days from the submission deadline. Tender Security is not required, so no extension of security applies. D2 p.24

Who can apply

• Tendering is reserved for firms registered under AGPO (Youth, Women, Persons with Disability) with National Treasury. Other businesses are not eligible under the tender-specific rules. D2 p.2
• Joint ventures must provide a JV agreement, or a signed letter of intent with the tender. JVs must seek Competition Authority of Kenya exemption as a condition of award and contract signature, not to tender. Standard rule D2 p.9

Application checklist

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

Required from every bidder

• Certificate of Incorporation or Registration. D2 p.37
• CR 12 for incorporated firms, dated within the last 6 months. D2 p.37
• Valid tax compliance certificate issued by Kenya Revenue Authority. Kenyan tenderers must show a current tax clearance or tax exemption certificate. D2 p.37
• Valid business permit issued by a county government in Kenya. D2 p.37
• Duly filled and signed form of tender on company letterhead, and the confidential business questionnaire. D2 p.37
• Duly filled and signed Tender-Securing Declaration. D2 p.37
• Power of Attorney or written authorization for the person signing to participate in the tender. D2 p.37
• Certificate of independent tender determination, signed and filled in. D2 p.37
• Self-declaration that the tenderer is not debarred under PPADA 2015 (Form SD1). D2 p.37
• Self-declaration that the tenderer will not engage in corrupt or fraudulent practice (Form SD2). D2 p.37
• Valid AGPO registration (Youth, Women or Persons with Disability) issued by National Treasury. D2 p.37
• Valid ODPC registration as Data Controller and Data Processor. D2 p.38
• Duly filled and signed price schedule, tenderer information form, and declaration and commitment to the code of ethics. D2 p.37
• Tender submitted as an original and one copy, each marked as such. D2 p.37

Required only in some situations

• Joint venture agreement or letter of intent for joint ventures only. Standard rule D2 p.9

Experience, licences and financial capacity

Technical

• Manufacturer's authorization is required for the terminal, antenna and router, on the manufacturer's letterhead and signed by a person with authority to bind the manufacturer. Scored 4 marks per equipment item. D2 p.38
• Three reference letters on client letterhead addressed to the CEO DHA for specific assignments in last 5 years with ASAL or remote execution (scored 4 marks each). D2 p.38
• Datasheets, architecture diagrams and type approval for terminal, antenna and router (scored 16 marks in total). D2 p.38
• Technical approach, methodology and work plan, including ASAL logistics, Gantt chart, LEO engineering design (grounding 5 ohms or less, surge protection) and compliance approach (scored 30 marks). D2 p.38
• Key personnel with CVs and certificates: Project Team Lead, Network Engineer, Field Installation Engineers, NOC Engineer (scored 22 marks), including years of experience in remote or ASAL areas. D2 p.38
• Monitoring, management and SLA: NOC portal evidence, maintenance strategy, spares and escalation matrix (scored 8 marks). D2 p.39

Financial

• Performance security, if required, is 1% of the awarded amount. D2 p.26
• Post-qualification is carried out under S.83 of PPADA 2015 before contract award. No turnover or liquidity thresholds are stated in the pages reviewed. D2 p.39

How and where to submit

• Written hard-copy tenders only. Electronic submission is not allowed for this tender. D2 p.25
• Deliver the tender to the Digital Health Agency, SHA Building, 10th Floor, Wing B, Ragati Road, Nairobi, addressed to the Chief Executive Officer, P.O Box 29409-00100. D2 p.3
• One original (marked ORIGINAL) plus one copy (marked COPY). D2 p.25
• Serialize all pages of the tender chronologically. D2 p.2

Lots and categories

• Lot 1: Single lot: supply, install, test and commission of Low Earth Orbit satellite solution, with delivery as indicated in the Terms of Reference. D2 p.74
• Lot framework: Framework award: to a minimum of seven bidders who meet preliminary requirements, score 80% technically and meet S.83 PPADA. DHA will issue call-off orders under the framework. D2 p.39

What the addenda changed

• Tender closing date moved from 2 November 2026 at 10:00am to 9 November 2026 at 10:00am. A1
• The CA Network Facilities Provider or Satellite Reseller Licence is deleted as a mandatory eligibility or evaluation requirement; tenderers need not submit it. D3 p.1
• Framework Agreement duration is ONE YEAR from the effective date of the Agreement. D3 p.1

Not covered in the documents we reviewed

• Contract value or budget for the framework agreement
• Whether a site visit or pre-tender conference is compulsory and its date and place
• Section V Schedule of Requirements and Terms of Reference (quantities, locations, delivery dates)
• Section VII Special Conditions of Contract (payment terms, performance security applicability)
• Section IV tendering forms, including the Tender-Securing Declaration and Manufacturer's Authorization forms
• Confirmation of the opening date and room after the closing moved to 9 November 2026
• Addenda D3 and D4 are dated 30 September 2026 and 30 October 2026 but refer to a 21 October 2026 notice; confirm which is correct
• Whether the NFP or Satellite Reseller Licence removal also removes it from the preliminary checklist item 18
• Pages not reviewed: D2 pages 4-6, 10-11, 13-23, 41-73 and general conditions

Terms explained

TDS

Tender Data Sheet: the section of tender documents with the specific rules for this tender, which overrides the general instructions.

AGPO

Access to Government Procurement Opportunities: a reservation scheme for youth, women and persons with disability businesses registered with National Treasury.

Tender-Securing Declaration

A signed declaration that the bidder will accept penalties, such as debarment, if it withdraws or fails to sign the contract, used instead of cash or bank security.

Framework Agreement

An agreement with several suppliers for a period, under which the buyer later places call-off orders for specific needs.

Call-off order

A specific order placed under a framework agreement for goods or services at agreed prices.

Responsive

A tender that meets all mandatory requirements and conditions in the tender documents; a non-responsive tender is rejected.

Preliminary requirements

Pass or fail checks on documents such as registration, tax compliance and signed forms, done before technical scoring.

PPADA 2015

Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act 2015, the main Kenyan procurement law.

JV

Joint venture: two or more firms tendering together under a joint agreement.

ASAL

Arid and Semi-Arid Lands: remote areas where the satellite equipment will be installed.

NOC

Network Operations Centre: the team that monitors and manages the network.

SLA

Service Level Agreement: agreed standards for service performance.

Manufacturer's authorization

A letter from the equipment maker confirming the bidder may supply its goods in Kenya.