KEMSA

The largest source of public procurement in Kenya, KEMSA uses 4 forms of procurement:

1.    Open International Tenders: Whereby the bidding is open to suppliers worldwide.

2.    Open National Tenders: Whereby the bidding is open to local Kenyan suppliers only.

3.    Restricted Tenders: Whereby bidding is only allowed for selected suppliers.

4.    Direct Procurement: From Government Agencies only.

KEMSA procures medical supplies for County Governments, Referral hospitals, and for programs funded by donors. Most tenders run for a 2 year period. KEMSA does not receive direct funding from the GOK, it relies on a revolving fund which is depending on the payment from the public purchases and has program support partnerships are with: UNICEF, Global Fund, DFID, USAID, KFW, UNFP, and JHPIEGO.

GOK Funded programs have a preference for local suppliers and range from 6-12%.

County Governments

The 47 counties procure goods from KEMSA and the private market under rules and guidelines of the Public Procurement Act.  Most of the purchases from the county are being done from KEMSA, however they can also procure by a tendering process. Most of the county tenders are posted on the county website or can be tracked by private companies offering tender alerts.

All the above tenders should be advertised on the treasury website and follow the Act.