The Public Procurement Administrative Review Board (PPARB) has given the green light for a Sh7 billion upgrade of Moi International Airport.
The decision came as a boost for efforts by the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) to modernise the country’s second largest airport and increase air traffic flow.
The upgrade will involve rehabilitation of the airport’s air-side pavements, including ground lighting systems and upgrading of power and water supply.
The review board, chaired by lawyer Paul Gicheru, ruled that the KAA followed the right procedure and procurement rules when it awarded the contract to French company Sogea Satom and Razel-Bec JV.
“We have examined the issues raised by the complainant and find that they are not enough to warrant declaring that the procurement process was flawed. The KAA is at liberty to proceed with the process and sign the contract with the winning bidder,” ruled the board.
Challenged award
Bam International Ltd, one of the companies that lost the contract, challenged the tender award, claiming they were unfairly disqualified and that KAA failed to tell them who the winning company was as required by law.
The company asked the procurement review board to cancel the procurement and stop KAA from signing the contract with Sogea Satom and Razel-Bec JV.
But PPARB ruled that although procurement rules required KAA to disclose and notify both successful and unsuccessful companies, the omission could not affect the evaluation and decision to award the contract.
The company had also claimed its bid was thrown out without proper evaluation.
The upgrade is aimed at improving the airport's capacity and efficiency, and is being funded by the World Bank and French Development Agency (AFD) under the Kenya Transport Sector Support Project.
The tender was awarded on October 2.
