Why IEBC has been forced to amend 2027 election technology tender

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has been forced to review its election technology procurement after the Public Procurement Administrative Review Board found that parts of the tender document were not sufficiently clear, certain or objective.

The decision affects tender IEBC/OIT/01/2026-2027, which covers the supply, delivery, installation, testing and commissioning of the Integrated Elections Management System (IEMS), together with support, maintenance, hardware equipment and accessories for the 2027 General Election.

The procurement dispute was brought before the Board by Galadirel Investment Limited, which challenged aspects of the tendering process.

Rather than cancel the procurement altogether, the Board has ordered IEBC to correct, clarify and amend the disputed sections before publishing a new tender document.

The decision comes as IEBC prepares for the 2027 General Election and has been undertaking major procurements covering both election technology and physical election materials.

The disputed tender is centred on the Integrated Elections Management System, which forms part of the technology infrastructure IEBC intends to use for the next General Election.

The tender covers the supply and delivery of the required equipment, installation, testing, commissioning and subsequent technical support and maintenance.

The procurement also includes hardware equipment and accessories, meaning the tender is not limited to software but encompasses the wider technology infrastructure required for the system.

The Board's concern was not that IEBC was prohibited from procuring the system, but that some of the conditions contained in the tender document did not provide prospective bidders with sufficiently clear and objective information on what would be required or how their bids would be assessed.

The Board observed that the tender document is the instrument through which prospective bidders are informed of the requirements and the criteria against which their bids will be evaluated.

It found that shortcomings in the document could affect the constitutional principles governing public procurement, including transparency, fairness, equality and competitiveness under Article 227 of the Constitution.

Among the areas identified by the Board were provisions dealing with hardware and technology ownership, as well as requirements and evaluation criteria whose wording lacked sufficient clarity and certainty.

The Board has consequently directed IEBC to undertake a review of the affected provisions and make the necessary corrections and amendments.

The order means the existing tender cannot simply proceed unchanged.

Once the document has been amended, IEBC must publish a new compliant tender document and provide prospective bidders with adequate time to study the revised requirements and prepare their bids.

The Board specifically directed that bidders should be given not less than seven days after publication of the amended tender, in line with the applicable procurement law.

The procurement review therefore changes the immediate timetable for the technology tender, although the Board did not order its cancellation.

The Review Board concluded that the problems it had identified could be addressed through clarification, correction and amendment.

This allowed it to partially uphold the request filed by Galadirel Investment Limited on August 14, 2026, while leaving the procurement itself open for IEBC to continue after correcting the disputed provisions.

The Board has also allowed IEBC to obtain technical advice and support from the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) while reviewing the affected sections.

However, the Board drew a distinction between procurement oversight and the electoral commission's technical responsibilities.

It directed that PPRA should not determine the technical specifications of the Integrated Elections Management System. That responsibility remains with IEBC as the procuring entity.

The Board's Secretary has also been directed to forward the decision to the Director-General of PPRA for information, monitoring and any further action considered necessary under the law.

The technology tender is one of two major international procurements IEBC has initiated for the 2027 General Election.

The second tender, IEBC/OIT/02/2026-2027, covers the supply and delivery of ballot papers, tactile folders, the Register of Voters and statutory election-result declaration forms.

Unlike the technology tender, the ballot and election-materials procurement had already reached the bidding deadline, with submissions closing on September 1, 2026, and moving into evaluation.