How Ifmis works and why it has claimed many suspects

NAIROBI, KENYA: The Integrated Financial Management System (Ifmis) is the public electronic procurement system that provides an end-to-end platform intended to enhance accountability among suppliers and expenditures.

This is it how it works, and it tends to explain, in part, why so many National Youth Service (NYS) employees, including junior officials and those in the Treasury, have been implicated in the NYS fraud.

1. User department kicks off procurement procedures by making requisition for specific supplies.

2. Accountant checks whether funds are available in the ledger to pay for the goods or services, and request is sent for approval from holder of Authority to Incur Expenses (AIE).

3. AIE vets requisition by checking its validity for approval and commits the funds in the system, but can reject, reassign or request additional information.

Quotation request

4. With approval granted, procurement officer creates quotation request from approved requisition by filling in selected procurement method, lines detail, controls and suppliers lists, and sends quotation to head of procurement for approval.

5. Head of supply chains receives notification, reviews quotation and approves.

6. Quotations are then published to supplier through supplier portal. Supplier also receives notifications from procuring unit through the Kenya Supplier Portal before closing day.

7. System automatically locks suppliers from submitting more responses once time set for submission expires.

8. Procurement tendering committee begins process of opening suppliers’ responses online.

9. Procurement tender committee decides on who to award tender based on technical and commercial evaluation, and sends to head of procurement who approves, and award is notified.

Purchase order

10. Order is made from approved award and purchase order is made. Chief finance officer verifies charge account and also approves order, and final approval is done by head of procurement.

11. Supplier receives online order through Kenya Supplier Portal for acknowledgement. Supplier can then deliver goods and or services.

12. Inspection committee receives and inspects goods and attaches inspection report. Invoice is prepared to match order amount.

13. First invoice approval is done by AIE holder and final one done by head of accounting.

14. Payments to supplier are then processed online through EFT, and funds are transferred to suppliers’ bank account. Notification of payment done through Kenya Supplier Portal.