Last reviewed October 2026
Read the notification
In public procurement, unsuccessful bidders are notified of the outcome, usually with the reason their bid did not succeed and the name of the successful bidder. Read it carefully the day it arrives: the reason tells you what to fix, and any time limit for a complaint runs from around this point.
Ask for a debrief
If the reason is unclear, write to the procuring entity and ask, politely and specifically, where your bid fell short: which requirement, which criterion, which score. A debrief is the cheapest lesson available, and most losses come from the same few causes: missing documents, unsigned forms, a weak technical proposal, or price.
- Quote the tender number and the date of the notification
- Ask which stage your bid failed at and why
- Keep a copy of your letter and of any reply
Requests for review
If you believe the procuring entity broke the procurement law or the tender's own rules, Kenyan law provides for a request for review to the Public Procurement Administrative Review Board. The time limit is short, counted in days from notification or from when you learned of the breach, and the process has fees and formal requirements.
This is a legal process. Tendakazi does not give legal advice: if you are considering a review, speak to an advocate experienced in procurement straight away, and check the current rules on time limits and fees.
Make the next bid stronger
- Add the reason you lost to your own checklist for the next tender
- Renew any document that was near expiry
- Keep the bid as a template: forms, company profile and CVs can be reused
- Compare your price with the award, where the award value is published
Tendakazi keeps every bid, its outcome and the reasons in one place, so the next one starts from what you learned.
General information for suppliers, not legal, tax or financial advice. Procurement law, regulations, thresholds and government systems change: check the current rules with the procuring entity, the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA), the National Treasury or KRA, and speak to an advocate or tax adviser about your own case.