Construction of Muranga South Water Borehole Solarizat…

What is being bought

Muranga South Water and Sanitation Company Limited (MUSWASCO) invites sealed bids for the construction of the Muranga South Water Borehole Solarization Project under open national competitive tendering, funded through the Kenya Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (K-WASH) programme. The work is to follow the Bill of Quantities and specification, with delivery within the Murang'a South Water and Sanitation Company jurisdiction. Quantities and site locations are not stated in the reviewed pages.

What could disqualify you

Public Officers of the Procuring Entity and their relatives, their business associates or agents, and firms in which they have a substantial or controlling interest are not eligible to tender or be awarded a contract. Standard rule D2 p.11
Any tender not accompanied by a substantially responsive Tender Security is rejected as non-responsive. Standard rule D2 p.21
Late tenders are declared late, rejected and returned unopened. Standard rule D2 p.22
Tenders that do not meet all mandatory requirements (MR1 to MR21) are non-responsive and are eliminated from the entire evaluation regardless of technical and financial offer. D2 p.37
Any false information or documentary evidence provided at preliminary or technical evaluation leads to disqualification. D2 p.35
Bidders scoring below 70% in technical evaluation are eliminated and not considered further. D2 p.39

Key facts

Closing: Wed 18 Nov 2026, 10:30 am
Bids must be delivered to the address on or before this date and time; late bids rejected. Electronic bids not permitted. Portal closing time matches. Unverified D2 p.32
Bid / tender security: Tender security of Kshs. 80,000 required (Tender-Securing Declaration not required). Form: demand guarantee in cash, bank guarantee, insurance company guarantee or Central Bank-licensed institution guarantee, per ITT 22.3; the advert says Bank Guarantee. Validity 210 days. Conflicting D2 p.32
Tender fee: Tender documents may be viewed and downloaded free of charge from the website. No tender fee is stated for submission. D2 p.7
Site visit: Υποχρεωτικό
Mandatory pre-tender site visit at the headquarters address. Missing it is a non-responsive ground under MR9. Advert says it applies to Lot 1 and Lot 2. D2 p.36
Pre-bid meeting: Optional
Pre-tender conference at MUSWASCO headquarters on 10 November 2026 at 10:30. The TDS does not state it is compulsory, so attendance is treated as recommended. Unverified D2 p.30
Reserved for: No reservation stated. The tender is open to all qualified tenderers and the portal lists no reserved group. P
Contract value: Not stated in the documents we reviewed Not stated P
Tender opening: Public opening of tenders at the MUSWASCO headquarters, P.O Box 84-01034 Kandara, in the presence of tenderers' representatives. D2 p.32
Tender validity: Tenders remain valid for 210 days from the submission deadline. D2 p.32

Who can apply

Tendering is open to all qualified and interested tenderers under open National competitive method. D2 p.7
A tenderer may be a private firm, a state-owned enterprise, or a joint venture (JV). The JV maximum number of members is Not Applicable in the TDS. Standard rule D2 p.11

Application checklist

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

Required from every bidder

Experience, licences and financial capacity

Technical

Registration with NCA, NCA-7 (Electrical Works) and above. D2 p.30
Evidence of at least 5 works of similar nature for at least 10 years, with client list and certified award/contract and practical completion certificates. Scored 20 marks. D2 p.38
Evidence of at least 5 equipment and accessories owned or leased to be assigned to the project, with ownership or lease evidence. Scored 20 marks. D2 p.38
Key personnel: Site Engineer with bachelor's degree in electrical works and 5 years experience; Foreman with diploma and 4 years; Supervisor with certificate and 3 years. Scored 15 marks. D2 p.38
Physical address and contacts with certified evidence (title, lease or latest utility bill). Scored 5 marks. D2 p.39
Organisational structure with responsibilities (5 marks) and detailed work methodology, workplan and delivery schedule (20 marks). D2 p.39

Financial

Ability to show access to liquid assets, unencumbered real assets, lines of credit or other finance independent of advance payment sufficient for construction cash flow of KES 10 million (post-qualification condition where applicable). D2 p.44
Minimum average annual construction turnover of KES 10 million, calculated from certified payments over the last 5 years. D2 p.44
At least 10 contracts of similar nature executed, as prime contractor or JV member or subcontractor. The number is left as a template placeholder in the text, so the figure is unclear. Unverified D2 p.44
Scored financial ratios: average current ratio 2:1 (10 marks) and acid test ratio 1:1 (10 marks), prorated otherwise. D2 p.39

How and where to submit

Bids must be delivered by hand or courier to the Managing Director, MUSWASCO, P.O Box 84-01034 Kandara, next to DC's Office, Kandara. Electronic bids are not permitted. D2 p.32
Submit one (1) original and one (1) copy of the original. D2 p.32
Tenderers shall not have the option of submitting tenders electronically. D2 p.32
Written power of attorney duly notarised by a commissioner of oaths to sign for the tenderer. D2 p.32
Pre-tender questions in writing must reach the Procuring Entity not later than 1700 hrs on 9 November 2026. D2 p.30

Lots and categories

Lot 2: Advert lists this tender as Lot 2 of four tenders, but the TDS says the number of lots is Not Applicable. See conflicts. Conflicting D1 p.1

What the addenda changed

No addenda were supplied in the reviewed material. Not stated P

Points to confirm with the procuring entity

The documents do not agree with each other on these points. Ask the procuring entity for a written clarification before you submit.

Lots: The advert lists this tender as Lot 2 of four tenders and says the site visit covers Lots 1 and 2. The TDS says the number of lots is Not Applicable. Ask MUSWASCO whether this is a single-contract tender. (D1 p.1; D2 p.30)
Bid security form: The advert requires a Bank Guarantee. ITT 22.3 allows cash, bank guarantee, insurance guarantee or Central Bank-licensed institution guarantee. MR12 lists bankers' cheque or unconditional bank guarantee. Ask which forms are accepted. (D1 p.1; D2 p.21; D2 p.36)
Postal box number: The employer block on the cover page gives P.O. Box 87-01034 Kandara, while the ITT and submission address give P.O. Box 84-01034 Kandara. Confirm the correct box before delivery. (D2 p.1; D2 p.32)
Office hours for inspecting documents: The advert says 0900 to 1600 hours. The invitation says 0800 to 1700 hours. (D1 p.1; D2 p.7)

Not covered in the documents we reviewed

Bill of Quantities, specification and drawings (Section VII) for quantities and site locations
Section III sub-factor details on NCA class and litigation dates
Contract value or engineer's estimate
Any addenda or clarifications issued after the tender documents
Tender packaging and marking rules beyond withdrawal envelopes
Tender forms in Section IV and the Form of Tender pages
General Conditions of Contract and Special Conditions, including payment and performance security
Pages not reviewed: 32 of 182 pages of the tender document were supplied

Terms explained

TDS: Tender Data Sheet, the tender-specific values that override the general Instructions to Tenderers.
Tender security: Money or guarantee lodged with the bid to protect the employer if the bidder withdraws or fails to sign the contract.
Responsive: A bid that meets all mandatory requirements; non-responsive bids are removed from evaluation.
MR: Mandatory Requirement, a pass or fail item at preliminary evaluation.
NCA: National Construction Authority, which registers contractors by class.
CR12: Company Registry return of directors and shareholders for a company.
JV: Joint Venture, where two or more firms bid together and are jointly liable.
AGPO: Affirmative action procurement for youth, women and persons with disabilities. This tender has no reservation.
Tender-Securing Declaration: A signed declaration accepted in place of a security; not required here.
ICPAK: Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya, whose practising licence number must appear on audited accounts.

Construction of Muranga South Water Borehole Solarization Project (MUSWASCO/KWASH/26-27/02)