NAIROBI, KENYA: After training of over 4000 suppliers in the 47 counties. The National treasury is now focusing on youth, women and persons with disabilities.
The move is expected to help them take advantage of regulations that require all Government agencies to set aside 30 per cent of all contracts for businesses owned and run by youth, women and persons with disabilities.
The National Treasury on Thursday conducted training for people with hearing impairment aimed at equipping the special group with adequate skills to undertake tender processes using the IFMIS e-procurement platform.
The training initiative is expected to enables entrepreneurs in the special group tap into the vast opportunities availed by the preferential treatment rule requiring Government to set aside 30 per cent of all contracts for youth, women and persons with disabilities.
Jerome Ochieng Director IFMIS said the training seeks to enable enterprises owned by special groups take advantage of the 30 per cent procurement opportunities reserved for them by all National and County governments including Ministries, state corporations and government agencies.
“The IFMIS system is designed to enable the government increase and monitor government procurement opportunities to the minority, including women, youth and persons with disability” he said
“This is an affirmative action aimed at empowering enterprises owned by youth, women and persons with disability by giving them more opportunities to do business with Government.”
Other than the training, the IFMIS department also developed a custom communication mailer that will enable the special group to interact with IFMIS officials as well as request for support in using the system.
Training for youth, women and people with disabilities is expected to be conducted to more than 5000 persons this financial year.
In June 2013, Treasury Cabinet Secretary Henry Rotich gazetted the Public Procurement and Disposal (Preference and Reservations - Amendment) Regulations, 2013. The regulations require all Government agencies to give preferential treatment to business owned by youth, women and persons with disabilities.
During the training, Ochieng added that IFMIS in plans to use Huduma Centres to help businesses that have difficulties with completing the tender processes online.
“We are initiating discussions with the Ministry of Devolution and Planning to use the Huduma Centres to provide support to suppliers in responding online to government tenders,” he said.
