Lodwar, March 3, 2026 (Public Communication and Media Relations)
As the County Government prepares to receive bids for nine advertised road infrastructure tenders for the 2025–2026 financial year, the Directorate of Roads has conducted a pre-bid conference to clarify eligibility requirements for contractors.
According to the Chief Officer for Roads, Engineer Mark Achilla, the conference forms part of the department’s efforts to curb potential delays in the procurement process that often arise when contractors submit non-compliant bids, as experienced in the past.
“We do not want to delay delivery of key road infrastructure projects because of procurement bottlenecks,” the Chief Officer told participating contractors as he guided them through the documentation submission procedures and technical requirements.
He expressed optimism that the exercise would reduce non-responsive bids and enhance competitiveness in the process.
“The department has previously experienced challenges arising from misinterpretation of technical specifications and submission of incomplete documentation, leading to procurement breakdowns due to non-compliance. This time round, we are beginning with a pre-bid conference so that bidders fully understand the requirements before submitting their proposals,” he said.
Noting that the exercise is anchored in the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act, which allows procuring entities to hold pre-bid meetings, Chief Officer Achilla assured contractors that minutes of the meeting and all clarification information would be shared with participating bidders.
During the day-long session attended by over 20 prospective bidders, Director for Roads Simon Nakucho cautioned against canvassing and failure to declare conflicts of interest, warning that non-compliance with statutory requirements could lead to disqualification in accordance with procurement law.
“The department will be keen on full compliance with conflict-of-interest provisions, local content requirements, and other legal obligations that govern the bidding process and eventual execution of the projects,” Director Nakucho said.
Contractors who attended the session welcomed the initiative, noting that it would help reduce avoidable errors at the submission stage.
“This approach gives us clarity on what is required and improves our chances of submitting fully compliant bids,” said one participating contractor.
