By Sharon Kiburi
One of Kenya’s commercial banks has started an initiative to train its customers on how to bid for tenders. The bank saw a need in tendering where people lack knowledge on how to go about when applying for tenders which are usually very competitive.
This training which takes one week goes for a pocket friendly fee of 600 ksh per day. They are proving a state of the art serene space dubbed ‘tender Hub’.
The Tender Hub is a service by Jamii Bora Bank. It is a resource space for entrepreneurs and business people to access services and resources that will help their businesses or start-ups. It focuses on the tendering business and the related trade cycles, giving our customers a place to view all published tenders, allow and assist to make the applications, and walk with them throughout the trade cycle when successful.
Jamii Bora Bank identified that there are entrepreneurs who lack knowledge on tendering processes. This locks out many potential enterprises from participating in bids, which are perceived as already preserved for established entities. The Tender Hub’s offering for these customers is a training class that will cover topics in business registration process and types, tax registration process, bidding types, methods and process, and supply processes.
For enterprises in supplies and contracting business, the Tender Hub provides a daily updated list of tenders available for bidding, while giving advisory support in compiling tender documents, submission of tax returns and business registration. The Bank then provides bid bonds for their applications and subsequent performance guarantees for the customers to execute the awarded jobs. The Tender Hub’s shared work space is the physical resource where the entrepreneurs will access meeting rooms, desks and private offices to manage their business.
The great state of the art facility is also used as a rent out space for individuals who require office facilities for a hours, days, months or even for client meetings at very pocket friendly prices.
According to Francis Liyai, from the marketing department Jamii Bora Bank,“The training has assisted ten people to successfully apply for tenders and win. We are targeting to train more and achieve more successful feedback. Notably Jamii Bora is the only bank in Kenya offering interest on their current account of up to seven percent.”
Liyai further confirms that they have taken matters a notch higher by partnering with an international organization called ‘Go Africa’. Jamii Bora links its clients with Go Africa to ensure they conduct business successfully and effectively.
“Go Africa ensures that exports and imports trading is done with legitimate companies and goods that are of internationally accepted standards of trade. They ensure that financial transactions happen only when an individual importing products has received the goods safely inspected them and is satisfied. This minimizes the loss due to inferior goods or custom duties inconsistency.”
