The decision by Makueni County to implement a digital, open source tendering system where citizens and other interested parties can follow the process from the bid process to completion of the project could become an answer to fighting rampant tendering corruption in the counties.
The openness of the tendering process including knowing which company was awarded what tender, its directors, the cost and timeline given for delivery, among others will partly act as a self-policing mechanism by ensuring that officials do not favour certain individuals as is the case today.
The current county government tendering, just like at the national level is secret, with heads of procurement in the counties, County Executive Members (CEC) of Finance and Chief Officers in the County Treasuries abusing the process to award tenders to their friends, relatives and as directed by the governors and their deputies.
Unfair awarding of tenders has become the favoured model of paying back politically for governors and their deputies as well as a platform for fundraising and enriching themselves through kick-backs generated from those who have won the tenders. County leaders also set up proxy companies using close confidants as directors of those companies.
What Makueni system can be a game-changer
The Makueni digital contracting system is the first open contracting for counties which is about making data and documents from the entire contracting process available in accordance with the Open Contracting Data Standard: from the planning phase to the tender and award of the contract, to the monitoring and evaluation of implementation.
Essentially, any resident following the contracting process will be able to track what departments are tendering for, who was awarded what contract, amounts involved and the implementation status along with other key information about the procurement process, on a real-time basis.
The digital contracting system was developed in partnership with Hivos East Africa and Development GATEWAY.
According to Hivos, by opening the public contracting process and data, governments make better use of public resources, deliver better public goods and services, boost integrity and prevent fraud and corruption.
This also creates a level playing field for business through fair competition, stimulates innovation and improves the overall business and investment climate.
Citizens gain a clearer insight into how their taxes are being spent on goods and services they need and use, they can engage in the process, and they can access better quality goods and services that result from the transparent and competitive contracting process.