In a decisive move towards ending the era of specific companies enjoying the monopoly of particular tenders in public institutions, all public procurement processes will henceforth exclusively be conducted through the electronic Government Procurement (e-GP) Kenya system.

The sweeping directive was issued by the National Treasury through a circular dated July 23 Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi in a move he says is aimed at enhancing transparency, accountability, and efficiency.

The landmark policy signals a full transition to digital procurement across all tiers of government including ministries, state departments, county governments, state corporations, and public training institutions.

Flawless payments

According to the directive, no procurement undertaken outside the e-GP Kenya system will be sanctioned or paid for, effectively sealing off any avenues for parallel or offline procurement processes.

In unambiguous terms, the National Treasury emphasized that no exemptions will be granted.

Mbadi stated that any government entity encountering implementation challenges must seek guidance from the Treasury adding that all procurement plans must be approved within 60 days of the financial year start, aligning public financial planning with e-GP functionalities.

Procurement portal

The e-GP system integrates with the Public Procurement Information Portal, ensuring public access to procurement information in real-time, reinforcing citizen oversight and compliance with PPRA regulations.

“All government suppliers must now self-register on the e-GP platform, where a central supplier database will be maintained.

Though procuring entities are still required to maintain internal lists per Section 57 of the PPADA, suppliers will need to include their e-GP registration numbers for eligibility,” the directive indicated in sections.

However, the system currently does not accommodate Government-to-Government (G2G) procurement, a limitation recognized by the Treasury. Public entities are, for now, excluded from supplier registration on the platform until future system updates are rolled out.

To support the digitization, Mbadi stated that his ministry is committed to integrate e-GP Kenya with the Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS) and other ERP platforms used by various procuring entities.

“This ensures seamless data flow across procurement, budgeting, requisition, purchase order generation, and payments,” he noted. Entities without ERP or IFMIS systems must print and attach e-GP-generated documents during payment processing. The Treasury will assign budget codes and support internal structural alignment to onboard these institutions effectively.