Kenya Power has recorded a 150 per cent jump in the value of tenders awarded to youth, women, and persons with disabilities from July 2023 to March 2024 compared to a similar period last year.
The company awarded tenders worth Sh609 million to the special interest groups under the Access to Government Procurement Opportunities (AGPO) compared to Sh244 million awarded during the same period last year.
The tenders are part of the Sh1.8 billion procurement budget that the company set aside for the current financial year to be utilized under AGPO.
The company noted that businesses owned by the youth accounted for the largest value of the tenders taking up Sh472.9 million. Women and PWDs accounted for Sh135.5 million and Sh646,700 respectively.
Kenya Power said 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 firm.
“We have sustained sensitization workshops across the country to educate special interest groups on how to participate in our procurement processes so that we can attain 100 per cent absorption of the procurement budget that we have set aside for them,” said John Ngeno, Kenya Power’s General Manager, Supply Chain and Logistics.
On Friday, the company held two sensitization workshops in Mombasa and Kisumu targeting special interest groups to further drive the uptake of AGPO tenders.
Apart from the sensitization forums, the company noted that it is also working in collaboration with financial institutions to create linkages for financial support to the interest groups to facilitate their 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 sensitization forums where they get to meet the bidders and offer tailor-made financial solutions to boost their capacity to bid,” said Dr Ngeno.
Additionally, the company further noted that it carries out pre-bid conferences during a tendering period to enhance knowledge and awareness among bidders.
