Nairobi, July 26 -- A spreadsheet error has cost Finnish manufacturer Kalmar Finland Oy a Sh947 million Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) contract for supply of 14 container-handling machines.

The Court of Appeal upheld the rejection of Kalmar's bid after it changed the tender quantity section from 14 reachstackers to one in its pricing schedule.

The judges ruled that the mistake, which Kalmar described as typographical, was a material deviation that could not be corrected after bids were opened.

The three-judge bench dismissed Kalmar's appeal and affirmed earlier decisions by the Public Procurement Administrative Review Board and the High Court, leaving intact the award of the tender to Amberton Holdings FZC, the authorised representative o...