•The firm has awarded tenders worth Sh609 million to special interest groups in eight months to February.
•Youth owned businesses accounted for the largest value of tenders taking up Sh472.9m, while women and PWDs took Sh135.5m and Sh646,700, respectively.
Image: FILE
Kenya Power has awarded tenders worth Sh609 million to youth, women and persons with disabilities in the current financial year to February, as uptake of procurement opportunities by this group increased.
The tenders are part of a Sh1.8 billion procurement budget set aside for the group, under the Access to Government Procurement Opportunities (AGPO).
During a similar period in the last financial year, the company awarded a total of Sh244 million worth of tenders to businesses owned by youth, women and PWDs.
“The increased uptake of AGPO tenders is a result of the deliberate effort by the company to sensitise the target groups on the procurement opportunities that are available within the company," Kenya Power’s general manager, supply chain and logistics, John Ngeno said.
Businesses owned by youth accounted for the largest value of tenders that were awarded during the period, taking up a total of Sh472.9 million.
Women and PWDs accounted for Sh135.5million and Sh646,700, respectively.
Ngeno said the company has sustained sensitisation workshops across the country to educate special interest groups on how to participate in procurement processes, to ensure 100 per cent uptake of the set aside budget.
The most recent workshops took place in Mombasa and Kisumu this week, targeting the special interest groups to further drive the uptake of AGPO tenders.
Apart from the sensitisation forums, the company is also working in collaboration with financial institutions to create linkages for financial support, to facilitate participation in the AGPO tenders.
“We are keen to maintain liaison with leading financial institutions to offer financial support to bidders under the AGPO category. Most of these institutions also participate in our sensitisation forums where they get to meet the bidders and offer tailor-made financial solutions to boost their capacity to bid,” said Ngeno.
Additionally, the company carries out pre-bid conferences during a tendering period to enhance knowledge and awareness among bidders.