A group of techies in Nairobi has developed an AI-powered tool that simplifies the tedious and bureaucratic tender application process.
Dubbed TU AI, the AI-driven tool by online tender advertisement platform Tenders Unlimited, promises to remodel the space by providing an interactive platform where users can search, query, edit, and apply for tenders—all from a single interface.
According to the project’s team lead, Ali Omar, the tool has been designed to demystify the complex documentation and analysis required in procurement bids, as well as dispel the technical complexities associated with the process.
Historically, applying for tenders—particularly government opportunities—is notoriously time-consuming and technical.
Between compliance requirements, document serialisation, formatting standards, and interpretation of legal or technical jargon, many applicants have been found to fall at the first hurdle.
Procurement officers in the public and private sectors have reported that up to 60 percent of disqualified bids are due to basic, preventable errors, such as missing documents or incorrect formatting.
According to Omar, although the digitisation of procurement has made tender information more accessible, many businesses, especially small and medium enterprises, continue to struggle with navigating, understanding, and applying for tenders.
“We’ve been sending email alerts for new tender openings for nearly a decade now. But we needed to take it further by giving users an interface where they can do something with the data,” he says.
“That interface is designed to be more than just a portal for tenders. It offers users the ability to ask specific questions about tender requirements, such as technical specifications or budget limits, and get answers without needing external help.”
The project’s technical lead, Emmanuel Ambayo, explains that at its core, the tool aggregates tenders from verified sources, including newspapers, government portals, as well as NGO and corporate websites, and indexes them. Once a user selects a relevant tender, the AI capability provides an instant breakdown of requirements, generates clarifications, and even suggests possible approaches based on context.
“You can ask the AI to translate notices to Swahili, help draft proposals, or explain technical jargon,” says Ambayo, adding that the tool is useful for young entrepreneurs or first-time applicants unfamiliar with procurement language.
“We’re now building the final layer, an agent that lets users fill and download application documents in structured, regulator-compliant formats. The system will help users avoid disqualification from trivial mistakes, significantly improving their chances in competitive bidding.”
The techies say they have developed easy-to-understand guides and video tutorials to onboard users, and that they are in top gear to build an AI support agent to assist applicants with real-time navigation queries.
Although the developers acknowledge that data security concerns are a primary barrier to adoption, particularly since users often upload sensitive business information, they emphasise that most data handling occurs within the browser. By design, no user certificates or financial information is unnecessarily sent to third-party models.
“We’ve gone out of our way to comply with the Data Protection Act. No sensitive data is stored without consent. If any data must be used to interact with an external AI model, we anonymise it—names, registration numbers, financials —are all replaced with random strings and restored locally after processing,” explains Ambayo.
On aligning with the recent move by the government to adopt the e-procurement model, Omar says the tool is perfectly-positioned for integration, only noting that such a move would require a regulatory buy-in.
“Technically, yes, integration is doable. But it depends on whether the State is open to partnerships with private innovators. For now, we focus on preparing suppliers to comply with emerging tendering requirements,” he says.
The duo sees the platform as playing a key role in democratising the country’s procurement landscape in the coming days, in the sense that lowering barriers, reducing errors, and empowering a wider range of Kenyans to compete will give rise to enhanced transparency and efficiency in public and private sector tenders.
“For many Kenyan businesses, especially startups and marginalised groups, this AI innovation could be the key to unlocking new opportunities and driving growth in a competitive market,” concludes Omar.
