How to apply for an AGPO Certificate

How to apply for an AGPO Certificate; The  Gateway To Business Opportunities In Kenya 

“Although I had a growing business, I had never bid for a tender before,” says Jane Wangechi owner of an ICT Firm. 

When the new rule to set aside tenders for special groups, including women, AGPO Certificate, was announced, she saw a new opportunity to spread her wings. The prospects of winning her first tender filled her with anxiety as she wondered whether her application would make the cut. 

“I feared that I may be unfairly boxed out to pave way for renowned applicants. If they asked for a bribe to register my business at the National Treasury or to produce my tax certificate, I’d be done.” Nevertheless, she applied.  

“I did not want to one day look back and wonder what I would have achieved if I had applied for an AGPO Certificate,” she recalls. 

She won her first tender worth Sh200,000 to supply computer accessories to a government ministry. 

“It was a small tender but I knew that it had opened the door for me to start doing business with the government.” 

And a few months later, she bagged a Sh3 million tender to supply more computer accessories to another government ministry. 

If you are a Kenyan youth, woman or person with disability and do not know about the AGPO Certificate, then you are missing out on potential opportunities for business. 

What is an AGPO Certificate, you ask? AGPO stands for Access to Government Procurement Opportunities. It is an initiative set by the Government of Kenya, aimed at facilitating the youth, women, and persons with disability-owned enterprises to be able to participate in government procurement. This was a result of the Presidential Directive that 30% of government procurement opportunities be set aside specifically for these enterprises. 

AGPO target groups include the following: 

The target groups for these procurement opportunities are: 

• Disadvantaged Groups (Youth, Women, and Persons with Disability) 
• Micro and Small Enterprises 
• Citizen or Local Contractors 
• Citizen Contractors in joint-venture or sub-contracting arrangements with foreign suppliers 

 Steps for applying for an AGPO Certificate are as follows; 

1. Go to www.agpo.go.ke and click on register. 
2. Create an account by filling in your personal details, email address and finally, set a password. An activation link is sent to your email account. Follow the link and verify your account. 
3. Log back to the AGPO system using the email address and the password you had set. 
4. Register your business by providing information in the required fields and attach the required scanned documents mentioned above  

Documents Required to Apply for an AGPO Certificate include;

• National Identity Card or Passport 
• Business Registration Certificate/ Certificate of Incorporation. 
• KRA PIN and/or VAT Certificate. 
• Tax Compliance Certificate. 
• Partnership Deed for Partnership Business. 
• Memorandum and Articles of Association and CR12 are mandatory for registered limited companies. 

Please note that there are some industries that need letters and certificates from relevant bodies, e.g construction, tourism, medicine, energy, communication or other technical and professional bodies.  

We are happy to offer you Company Registration services and slate you at an advantaged position to bid for and win government tenders. Remember, your certificate or qualification does not mean you will automatically win a tender. You have to follow guidelines, thoroughly read through tender documents and most of all be able to provide supplies or services in a timely manner. Your proposal should be crisp and on point.  

Click here to contact us today and we shall get you started.