Companies
Absa Life loses Sh65m MPs cover review plea
Thursday November 02 2023
Absa Life Assurance Kenya managing director Githanji Waiguru. FILE PHOTO | NMG
The public procurement watchdog has dismissed an application for review of a Sh65 million tender for the provision of group life insurance cover for Members of Parliament that was awarded to APA Life Assurance Ltd.
The Public Procurement Administrative Review Board (PPARB) dismissed the application by Absa Life Assurance Kenya Ltd stating that the tender was properly evaluated in all the stages as required by the Procurement Act, the regulations and the tender document.
Absa Life Assurance had argued that the winning bidder failed to include in its workings the stamp duty and policyholders’ compensation fund levy and thus ought to have been disqualified.
But the board chaired by Mr George Murugu dismissed the application saying that the tender document did not call for tenderers to specifically outline the levies and taxes that would become payable, but that each tender sum would be deemed to be inclusive of the applicable taxes and levies.
“The Interested Party (APA Life) filled the schedule of price form as part of its tender document and thus complied with the mandatory requirement No. 5 of the Tender Document,” the board said.
Parliament had invited bids for the provision of the cover for MPs for 2023-2024 and 13 companies among the two submitted their bids.
