Issue bid bonds from your own platform
Quote and issue Umba bid bonds in one call, with Umba Microfinance Bank, licensed by the Central Bank of Kenya, as the guarantor. Performance bonds (PBGs) and advance payment guarantees (APGs) follow.
For Trade Finance Agents and agent platforms that serve contractors bidding on county and parastatal tenders.
Every bond carries an Umba reference procuring entities can verify online.
Speed
Bid bonds issued in seconds when no Umba review is needed.
Control
Exposure, limits and pricing set once, applied on every bond.
Visibility
Live status on every bond and a monthly statement.
From tender to issued bond
The contractor works through your platform. You call Umba, Umba issues the bond as the guarantor, and you hear about every change by webhook.
- 1
Contractor
Bidding on a county or parastatal tender and needs a bid bond to submit with it.
- 2
Your platform
Where the contractor already works with their Trade Finance Agent.
- 3
Umba Trade Finance API
Quotes and issues the bond on the agent’s limits and agreed pricing.
- 4
Bond issued + webhooks
The guarantee PDF is ready to submit, and status, review and expiry arrive as webhooks.
Everything a bid bond needs, in one API
Umba is the guarantor and system of record. Your platform keeps the contractor experience.
Quote and issue in one call
Send the tender and contractor details and get a priced, issued bid bond back in a single request.
Guarantee PDF on issue
The guarantee document is available as soon as the bond is issued, ready to submit with the tender.
Status, review and expiry webhooks
Track every bond through Umba review, issue and expiry without polling.
Verifiable Umba reference
Every bond carries an Umba reference that procuring entities can verify online.
Agents stay at the centre
Each bond is issued by an Umba Trade Finance Agent on that agent’s limits and agreed pricing. Agents keep their relationships with their contractors.
Umba is the system of record
Pricing, limits, reviews, accounting and verification live in Umba’s system. For platforms with a revenue share, Umba produces the monthly statement.
For the people who get contractors bonded
Trade Finance Agents with their own systems
Issue Umba bid bonds for your contractors from the tools you already run, on your own limits and pricing.
Agent platforms and aggregators
Serve many agents and their contractors from one integration, with each bond issued by the right agent.
Procurement and tender platforms
Check that a bid bond submitted with a tender is genuine, using the Umba reference it carries.
One call to quote and issue. Webhooks for the rest.
Signed requests, amounts in minor units, and a sandbox that issues specimen bonds with an SBX/BBG/ reference, so you can build the whole flow before going live.
- Interactive API reference with “Try it”
- Code samples
- A request log of your calls
- Test webhooks on demand
- A sandbox with specimen bonds
- Signed requests
Quote and issue a bid bond in one call
POST /bid-bondsAuthorization: Bearer <access token>Idempotency-Key: <unique key>Signature: <request signature>
{ "agent_reference": "AGT-0001", "contractor": { "name": "Example Contractors Ltd", "kra_pin": "P000000000X" }, "tender": { "number": "EXAMPLE/T/001/2026", "procuring_entity": "Example County Government" }, "amount": 20000000, "currency": "KES", "validity_days": 120}Illustrative sandbox example. Amounts are in minor units: 20000000 is KES 200,000.00.
Built for regulated guarantees
Every bond is guaranteed by Umba Microfinance Bank, licensed by the Central Bank of Kenya, and runs on Umba’s controls.
Credentials only you see
Partner credentials are created by the partner and seen only by the partner.
Signed requests from known addresses
Every request is signed and accepted only from your registered IP addresses.
Every action logged
Every action on every bond is logged, so there is always a record of who did what.
Umba review above thresholds
Bonds above the agreed thresholds go to Umba review before they are issued.
From sandbox to production
Build and test against specimen bonds first. Production follows once your agreement and limits are in place.
- Step 1
Sandbox access
Request access and get sandbox credentials, the interactive API reference and test webhooks.
- Step 2
Integration testing with specimen bonds
Quote and issue specimen bonds end to end, including review, expiry and webhooks.
- Step 3
Production
Go live once your agreement and limits are in place.
Frequently Asked Questions
Your Trade Finance API questions, answered
Umba Trade Finance Agents who run their own systems, agent platforms and aggregators that serve contractors bidding on county and parastatal tenders, and procurement or tender platforms that need to verify bonds.
Umba Microfinance Bank, licensed by the Central Bank of Kenya. Umba is the guarantor and the system of record: pricing, limits, reviews, accounting and verification all live in Umba’s system.
Bid bonds today. Performance bonds (PBGs) and advance payment guarantees (APGs) follow on the same integration.
In seconds when no Umba review is needed. Bonds above the agreed thresholds go to Umba review before they are issued, and you follow that review through webhooks.
Yes. Each bond is issued by an Umba Trade Finance Agent on that agent’s limits and agreed pricing, and agents keep their relationships with their contractors.
Every bond carries an Umba reference that procuring entities can verify online.
Request sandbox access and build against specimen bonds. Production follows once your agreement and limits are in place.
Still have questions?
Contact SupportBring Umba bid bonds into your platform
Start in the sandbox with specimen bonds. We will work through your agreement and limits with you before production.
We're Licensed. Regulated. Trusted
Umba Microfinance Bank is fully licensed by the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) and our deposits are insured by the Kenya Deposit Insurance Corporation (KDIC).
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