Sh16b rail tender revised to expedite bid process

By James Anyanzwa

The Kenya Railways Corporation (KRC) has re-structured the tender for the construction of a new station on Mombasa Road, Nairobi.

This the firm said will ensure it cuts costs and time for evaluating bid documents.

Mr Nduva Muli, the corporation’s Managing Director said the revision of the tender document was also informed by the need to comply with the guidelines of the Public Procurement and Oversight Authority (PPOA) Act.

He said the modification in the tender involved consolidation of separate contracts into a single entity. "It was to bring the tendering process in line with the PPOA Act," Muli told The Standard yesterday.

"It was decided the best way to approach the tender is to consolidate the contracts into one so as to reduce the cost of the tender and the time it will be take to scrutinise and awarding the contract," he said.

In a paid-up advertisement yesterday, the parastatal cancelled the previous tender notice to reflect the new changes.

The tender No KRC/PLM/61/2010 involves Building and Associated Civil Engineering, Plumbing and Electrical works.

KR intends to modernise and expand commuter rail services in Nairobi and its environs.

Decongesting traffic

The development of the railway station marks a key step in decongesting traffic along the busy Mombasa Road.

KR is gearing up towards building a Sh16 billion commuter-train network in the capital, Nairobi.

The construction of the rail line is also aimed at decongesting roads in the country’s largest city with the aim of reducing time and fuel wastages and man-hour lost on traffic jams.

The first stretch of track for the commuter-train project will link Nairobi’s main train depot with Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.

The Kenya Railways Act, CAP 397 mandates the corporation to promote, facilitate and participate in the National and Metropolitan Railway Development.

Consequently, the corporation is involved in the initiatives aimed at developing commuter rail services in major towns across the country.

These include proposed commuter rail services projects also targets Mombasa and its environs and Kisumu and its environs.

Under Vision 2030, the Government is seeking to raise the economic-growth rate to 10 per cent by 2015 and sustain that through 2030 by investing in infrastructure, including roads, rail, airports and ports.