Blow to IEBC as Ballot Papers Tender Awarded to a Greek Company is Nullified

The Public Procurement Administrative Review Board (PPARB) has nullified a multi-billion-shilling ballot printing tender ahead of the 2022 general election.

The board ruled that the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) irregularly awarded the three-year contract to Greek company Inform Lykos SA.

This followed appeals by Africa Infrastructure Development Company, Uniprint, Tall Security Print Limited, and Al Ghurair Printing and Publishing.

IEBC was directed to start the procurement of ballot papers afresh from the financial evaluation stage. It is also required to reevaluate all bids that made it to the financial evaluation including Al Ghurair, which supplied ballot papers, register of voters, and election results declaration forms for the 2017 General Election.

The four appellants contested the award of the contract to the Greek company, arguing that IEBC bungled the procurement process by introducing a vague provision requiring the bidders to have a 40 percent local shareholding.

The board faulted the electoral commission for wrongfully disqualifying Dubai-based Al Ghurair and Tall Security.

“We accordingly find and hold that the applicants were disqualified from financial criteria unfairly and/or based on a criterion that was not set out in the IEBC’s tender document. As such IEBC is to include the two in its fresh evaluation” PPARB ruled.