Nairobi County RFP: climate, environment, social risk…

What is being bought

A consultancy firm is sought to conduct a Climate, Environmental, Social Risk and Vulnerability Assessment (CESRVA) for Nairobi City County, supported by the Kenya Devolution Support Programme II (KDSP II). Selection is by quality and cost based selection (QCBS), and proposals are submitted as separate technical and financial parts. Reference NCC/KDSP II/RFP/078/2026-2027.

What could disqualify you

Public officers of the county, their spouses, children, parents, siblings, in-laws, business associates, and firms in which they have a substantial or controlling interest are not eligible to tender or be awarded a contract. Standard rule D1 p.5
Consultants proven to be involved in corrupt, coercive, obstructive, collusive or fraudulent practices are automatically disqualified. Standard rule D1 p.5
Submitting more than one proposal (including as a JV member) leads to all such proposals being disqualified and rejected. Standard rule D1 p.7
If a Key Expert named in the proposal was not available at submission, or was included without confirmation, the proposal is disqualified. Standard rule D1 p.7
Material deficiencies in providing the information requested may result in rejection of the proposal. Standard rule D1 p.6
Proposals that are misplaced or opened prematurely (envelope not sealed and marked as required) will not be accepted. Standard rule D1 p.10
Late proposals are rejected and returned unopened. D1 p.2
Preliminary examination: a submission that is not responsive (missing mandatory items) is eliminated from the entire evaluation. D1 p.20
Technical proposal must be complete with all forms and required documentary evidence, signed by the person with power of attorney, without material deviation or omission. Otherwise it fails the eligibility and mandatory criteria. Standard rule D1 p.11
A proposal is rejected at technical stage if it does not respond to important aspects of the RFP or fails to reach the minimum technical score (75 out of 100). D1 p.21

Key facts

Closing: Fri 13 Nov 2026, 10:00 am
Proposals must be received by 13 November 2026 at 10:00 am at City Hall 4th Floor Room 400, addressed to the County Secretary. No addenda were provided, so this is the closing time on the record. P
Bid / tender security: Not stated in the documents we reviewed Not stated D1
Tender fee: The invitation says tender documents may be viewed and downloaded free from the portals. No purchase fee for hard copies is stated in the reviewed pages. D1 p.2
Site visit: Not stated in the documents we reviewed Not stated D1
Pre-bid meeting: Not stated in the documents we reviewed Not stated D1
Reserved for: Portal lists no reserved groups. The Data Sheet says the business will be registered with the Director Supply Chain Management, but does not state which group (youth, women, persons with disability or AGPO) if any is reserved. Unverified D1 p.18
Contract value: Not stated in the documents we reviewed Not stated D1
Tender opening: Proposals are opened immediately after the deadline in the presence of tenderers' designated representatives who choose to attend, at the Supply Chain Management address in the invitation. Financial proposals are opened later in a separate public session. D1 p.2
Tender validity: Proposals must remain valid for 140 days after the proposal submission deadline. D1 p.18

Who can apply

Consultants (firms or individuals) from all countries and categories may offer services unless the Data Sheet says otherwise. D1 p.5
Data Sheet says Joint Venture (JV) is NOT APPLICABLE. This conflicts with the general JV rules in the ITC (see conflicts list). Conflicting D1 p.18
A JV, if allowed, must seek exemption from the Competition Authority of Kenya. Exemption is not needed to submit, but is a condition of contract award and signature. Standard rule D1 p.5
Each firm may submit only one proposal, either in its own name or as part of a JV. Members of a JV may not also bid individually, be a subcontractor in another proposal, or be in another JV for the same contract. Standard rule D1 p.7
Firms debarred from public procurement are ineligible. The debarment list is on the PPRA website www.ppra.go.ke. Standard rule D1 p.6
Government-owned enterprises are eligible only if they show they are legally and financially autonomous, operate under commercial law, and are not dependent agencies of the county. Standard rule D1 p.6
Government officials, civil servants and employees of public institutions shall not be hired for consulting contracts. Standard rule D1 p.6

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

Specific experience of the firm: at least three (3) similar assignments, 5 marks each, maximum 15 marks. D1 p.21
Methodology and work plan (maximum 5 marks for understanding of the assignment, plus scored sub-items). Technical approach and methodology 10 marks; attach detailed Gantt chart 10 marks; work plan and assignment management 5 marks. D1 p.21
Team Leader (Climate Risk and Resilience Specialist): Masters degree in Environmental Science and Management or related course (5 marks) and at least 10 years previous training experience (5 marks). D1 p.21
Member 2: Specialist in Climate Modelling and Adaptation OR Environmental Assessment Specialist (5 marks), with a Bachelors in Environment (5 marks). D1 p.21
Member 3: Specialist in Social Inclusion and Gender Safeguards with a Bachelors in Gender Studies (5 marks). D1 p.21
Member 4: Specialist in Disaster Risk Management OR GIS Specialist, with a Bachelors in Disaster Management (5 marks). D1 p.21
Member 5: Economist or Urban Planning Specialist with a Bachelors in Economics or Sociology (5 marks). D1 p.21
Pass mark: minimum technical score of 75 out of 100 to proceed to financial evaluation. D1 p.21
Two-envelope submission: technical proposal and financial proposal in separate sealed envelopes (scored 5 marks). D1 p.21

Financial

Attach the latest audited report or bank statements for the last 6 months (financial capacity, 5 marks). D1 p.21
Attach a 6-month cash flow statement (financial capacity, 5 marks). D1 p.21
Duly filled, signed and stamped financial proposal submission form (5 marks). D1 p.21
Financial proposal must be stated in Kenya shillings only. D1 p.19
Local indirect taxes (such as VAT) are shown as separate items for evaluation and included in the contract amount at negotiation. Tax obligations: see the Kenya Revenue Authority website www.kra.go.ke. D1 p.19

How and where to submit

Submit as physical hard copy in plain sealed envelopes bearing only the tender number and title. Deposit in the tender box at the reception of the Supply Chain Management Department, City Hall, 4th Floor Room 400, addressed to the County Secretary, P.O. Box 30075-00100, Nairobi. D1 p.2
Electronic submission is not permitted. Proposals cannot be submitted electronically. D1 p.2
Address: County Secretary, Nairobi City County, P.O. Box 30075-00100, Nairobi, Kenya. Proposal submission address per Data Sheet: City Hall 4th Floor Room 400, Mama Ngina Street. D1 p.2
Deliver one (1) original proposal and one copy, with technical and financial documents in separate envelopes. D1 p.19
Proposal to be in two inner envelopes: 1st with the technical proposal forms (TECH-1 to TECH-7 and power of attorney); 2nd with the financial proposal forms (FIN-1 to FIN-4). D1 p.18
Financial Proposal to be submitted together with the Technical Proposal as separate documents. D1 p.18
The single outer envelope must bear the name and reference number of the assignment, be addressed to the county, and carry the warning DO NOT OPEN BEFORE 13 November 2026 at 10.00am. Standard rule D1 p.10
The signed proposal must be marked ORIGINAL and its copies marked COPY. The original prevails if there are discrepancies. Standard rule D1 p.10
Clarification requests must be in writing or by standard electronic means, sent to nairobiprocurement@gmail.com, no later than 7 days prior to the submission deadline. D1 p.18

Lots and categories

No lots: a single consultancy assignment. Not stated D1

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.

Joint venture eligibility: Data Sheet 6.2 says Joint Venture is NOT APPLICABLE, but the general instructions (ITC 6.2, 6.3, 11.2, 14.1) describe JV bidding and exemption from the Competition Authority. Ask the procuring entity whether JVs may bid. (D1 p.18 (Data Sheet 6.2) vs D1 p.5 and p.7 (ITC 6.2, 6.3, 11.2))
Financial proposal packaging: ITC 18.2 puts all technical and financial documents in one envelope marked ORIGINAL, but Data Sheet 10.1, 17.5 and ITC 22.1(b) require a separate sealed financial envelope. Ask the entity how the financial proposal must be packed. (D1 p.10 (ITC 18.2) vs D1 p.18-19 (Data Sheet 10.1, 17.5) and D1 p.11 (ITC 22.1b))

Not covered in the documents we reviewed

Addenda (A1, A2 and later) were not provided; any date or requirement changes must be checked before submission.
Data Sheet opening address (ITC 20.1) and the financial opening details were not in the pages reviewed.
Data Sheet reservation details (ITC 6.7): which group, if any, is reserved for the tender.
Bid security and tender fee amounts, if any, were not in the pages reviewed.
Estimated budget or contract value: Data Sheet 14(b) says Not applicable; no budget was seen.
Technical scoring sub-criteria totals and financial scoring weights (QCBS weighting) were not in the pages reviewed.
Terms of Reference appendices (Appendix A reports and Appendix B key expert requirements) were not provided.
Financial proposal forms FIN-1 to FIN-4 and TECH-1 to TECH-6 templates were not reviewed.
Site visit and pre-bid meeting: none found; confirm with the entity.
Expected commencement date and location (ITC 35.2) and contract duration were not in the pages reviewed.
Some pages of the 73-page bidding document were not provided; the selection covers 25 pages.

Terms explained

RFP (Request for Proposals): Tender method where firms submit a technical and financial proposal for consultancy work.
QCBS (Quality and Cost Based Selection): Selection where the technical score and the price are both weighted in the final ranking.
TDS / Data Sheet: Tender-specific rules that supplement the standard instructions to consultants.
Key Experts: Individual professionals whose CVs are scored; they must be available and not appear in other proposals.
Responsive / non-responsive: A proposal that meets all mandatory items is responsive; one missing them is eliminated before scoring.
Power of Attorney: Written authority letting a named person sign the proposal and contract for the firm.
CR12: Kenyan company return showing directors and shareholders, required as a certified copy.
TCC: Tax compliance certificate issued by the Kenya Revenue Authority.
SD1 and SD2: Self-declaration forms required by the county with the bid.
AGPO: Access to Government Procurement Opportunities for youth, women and persons with disability. Not reserved in this tender per the portal.
PPRA: Public Procurement Regulatory Authority; keeps the debarment list.
Standstill period: Time after award notice when unsuccessful bidders may appeal before contract signing.
Business Day: An official working day in Kenya, excluding public holidays.

Nairobi County RFP: climate, environment, social risk and vulnerability assessment consultancy