Proposed desilting and expansion of Vinyunduni (Kalama) water pan, Mackinnon Road, Kinango, Kwale County - open tender

What is being bought

Kwale County Government invites sealed tenders for the proposed desilting and expansion of the Vinyunduni (Kalama) water pan in Mackinnon Road, Kinango Constituency, Kwale County (works, bills of quantities in Section V). Tenders are submitted as hard copy sealed envelopes to the County Treasury Procurement Office, Kwale.

Key facts

Closing

Tue 10 Nov 2026, 10:00 am
Tenders must be delivered to the address on or before this date and time; no addenda were provided to change it. D1 p.2

Bid / tender security

Bid security must be a bank guarantee in the PPRA prescribed format, original, in a sealed envelope. The amount is stated as KES 130,800.00 in the invitation but as KES 130,800,000 in the TDS and appendix. Confirm with the procuring entity before bidding. Validity: 30 days beyond tender validity (standard clause). Conflicting D1 p.29

Tender fee

Tender documents downloaded electronically are free. No fee is stated for a hard copy obtained from the office. D1 p.2

Site visit

Optional
No pre-arranged site visit is held (TDS: N/A). Tenderers may visit the site at their own cost and risk. D1 p.28

Pre-bid meeting

Not stated in the documents we reviewed Not stated D1 p.28

Reserved for

No group reservation: the tender is open to all qualified and interested tenderers. Portal lists no reserved group. D1 p.2

Contract value

Not stated in the documents we reviewed Not stated D2 p.1

Tender opening

Tenders are opened publicly immediately after the deadline at the Procurement Office, County Treasury, Kwale. Tenderers' representatives may attend. Time is taken from the deadline. D1 p.2

Tender validity

Tenders remain valid for 126 days. The invitation says from the date of opening; the standard clause says from the submission deadline. Conflicting D1 p.2

Who can apply

• Tendering is open to all qualified and interested tenderers under National Open competitive tendering. D1 p.2
• A Kenyan tenderer is eligible only if it provides evidence of tax compliance by producing a valid tax compliance certificate issued by Kenya Revenue Authority (TDS ITT 3.14). D1 p.28
• NCA registration is not required to tender, but a selected tenderer must be registered with the National Construction Authority before contract award and signature. The evaluation appendix instead requires an NCA8 certificate for water works with the tender (see conflicts). Conflicting D1 p.10

Application checklist

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

Required from every bidder

• Valid tax compliance certificate issued by KRA. D1 p.34
• Copy of valid certificate of incorporation or business registration with CR12 dated not earlier than one month from tender submission, plus clear copies of both sides of national ID cards or passports of directors. D1 p.34
• Valid NCA8 certificate for water works (minimum) and valid NCA8 practicing licence for water works (minimum). Conflicting D1 p.34
• Valid Single Business Permit from County Government of Kwale, as a clear PDF copy. D1 p.34
• Bank guarantee tender security in original form (see bid security section for amount conflict). Conflicting D1 p.29
• Colored bank reference letter on bank letterhead, signed and dated within the tender period. D1 p.34
• Sworn affidavits on not engaging in corrupt and fraudulent practices and on litigation history; declarations must be witnessed by an active magistrate or Commissioner for Oaths. D1 p.34
• Power of attorney drawn by a Commissioner for Oaths authorising the signatory; all declaration forms must be commissioned. D1 p.29
• Completed form of tender and all qualification forms; bidders must conform to all instructions in the standard tender document. D1 p.34
• List of ongoing contracts with the procuring entity, declared or submitted on letterhead. D1 p.28
• Audited financial reports for the last two years (2023/2024 and 2024/2025), certified by a registered practising auditor and signed by a company director. Conflicting D1 p.36
• Bank statements for the last two years certified by the bank; the Financial section gives different periods (see conflicts). Conflicting D1 p.37
• CVs of key personnel with academic and professional certificates. D1 p.35
• Proof of ownership or lease agreement for key equipment, with logbooks or receipts for leases. D1 p.36
• Award letters, Local Service Orders or contract agreements plus completion certificates for similar construction experience. D1 p.35
• Methodology statement and signed and stamped work schedule. D1 p.36
• Tender must be scanned into one PDF with attachments sequentially serialized, as in the invitation. This conflicts with hard-copy submission (see conflicts). Conflicting D1 p.34

Experience, licences and financial capacity

Technical

• Similar works experience: construction of dams, water pans or earthworks; a similar work of KES 8M and above scores 9 marks each; works under KES 2M are not counted. D1 p.35
• Construction experience as contractor or JV member for the last four years (2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025) is scored, with full documents required for marks. D1 p.35
• Site Engineer: minimum degree in Civil or Water Engineering, scored by years of experience. D1 p.35
• Site Foreman: minimum diploma in Civil or Water Engineering. D1 p.35
• Mason: Grade 3 trade test certificate for masonry. D1 p.35
• Key equipment scored: tipper with payload at least 10 tonnes (1 No.), pick-up (1 No.), concrete mixer (1 No.), poker vibrator (1 No.). D1 p.36
• Technical proposal with statement of work methods, equipment, personnel and schedule (ITT 16, technical forms in Section IV). Alternative technical solutions are not permitted. Standard rule D1 p.16

Financial

• Access to or availability of cash flow of KES 9,000,000 (Section III, applies if no post-qualification); the appendix states KES 5,000,000 (see conflicts). Conflicting D1 p.32
• Minimum average annual construction turnover of KES 35,000,000 over last 3 years (Section III); appendix states KES 25,000,000 (see conflicts). Conflicting D1 p.32
• At least 3 similar contracts of minimum KES 11,000,000 each (Section III); appendix states KES 6,000,000 each (see conflicts). Conflicting D1 p.33
• Financial scoring: average current ratio, acid test, quick ratio, gearing and debt/equity are scored; ratios above 2 score best. D1 p.36
• Bank reference letter must be on bank letterhead and dated within tender period (also scored 2 marks). D1 p.37

How and where to submit

• Hard copy: tender in a plain sealed envelope marked with tender name and number, addressed to Accounting Officer, Executive Services Finance and Economic Planning, dropped in the tender box at the front of the Procurement Office, County Treasury, Kwale. D1 p.29
• Address: County Department of Finance and Economic Planning, Kwale County Treasury Building, P.O Box 4-80403, Kwale, Chief Officer, Opposite Kwale Police post. D1 p.3
• Original marked ORIGINAL plus copies marked COPY; number of copies is to be specified in the TDS but the TDS does not state a number. Not stated D1 p.17
• Tender must be sealed in one envelope with inner envelopes marked ORIGINAL and COPIES, each bearing the Procuring Entity's and Tenderer's names and the Reference number. Standard rule D1 p.19
• Portal record lists written (physical/hard copy) submission only. P

Lots and categories

• Template allows multiple contracts by lot, but no lot numbers or lot descriptions are stated in the material reviewed. Unverified D1 p.31

Not covered in the documents we reviewed

• Any addenda (A1, A2 etc.) and their changes to dates, bid security or requirements
• Whether a pre-tender meeting or pre-arranged site visit exists (TDS says site visit N/A)
• Number of copies required (TDS ITT 20.1 does not state it)
• Full Bill of Quantities amounts and contract value, Section VI specifications and Section VII drawings
• Performance security amount and contract period/completion time
• Clarification of the bid security amount and reference number
• Whether lots exist and which lot numbers apply
• PPRA prescribed bank guarantee template and tender-securing declaration form
• Forms in Section IV (Form of Tender, CON-2, FIN-3.1, EXP-4.2) and Appendix to Tender
• Pages 18 and 30-31 full text, and ITT 25.9 and 40-47 award and signing rules
• Exact time for opening separately from submission deadline

Terms explained

TDS

Tender Data Sheet: the tender-specific figures and rules that override the standard Instructions to Tenderers.

Tender security (bid bond)

Guarantee submitted with the tender, usually a bank guarantee, to secure the bid; forfeited if a bidder withdraws or fails to sign.

Tender-securing declaration

A signed declaration on a prescribed form used instead of a tender security where the TDS allows it.

Responsive / non-responsive

A tender that meets all mandatory requirements is responsive; one that does not is rejected before evaluation.

Preliminary examination

First check of tenders for eligibility and completeness; tenders failing it are not evaluated further.

CR12

Kenyan company register extract listing company directors and shareholders, which must be recent.

NCA8 / NCA registration

National Construction Authority registration certificate and practising licence for construction contractors.

Single Business Permit

County business licence required to operate within the county.

Commissioner for Oaths

Authorised person who witnesses sworn declarations and power of attorney.

Power of attorney

Written authority allowing a named person to sign the tender for the company.

Frontloading

Inflating early BoQ item prices to get early payments; can lead to bid rejection.

Lowest Evaluated Tender

The responsive tender with the lowest evaluated price that meets qualification criteria.

Levy (PPRA)

0.03% of the signed contract value (excluding taxes) payable under the Levy Order 2023.

Pass mark

Minimum technical score (50 of 70) needed to pass the technical evaluation.

Addendum

Written amendment to tender documents that overrides earlier terms.