The U.S. Embassy Kigali will again be selling its surplus property through its online auction tool: https://online-auction.state.gov/en-US. The website is designed and managed by the U.S. Department of State. It can be viewed anywhere on any device, as long as you have an internet connection. If you are interested, please take a moment to familiarize yourself with the website and the information contained within. If you are interested in bidding on lots when the Kigali auction goes live, you will need to be a registered user of the website. In order to register, please follow the steps by clicking on the button at the top of the home page. To register you will need to provide your name, an email address, a phone number and create a password. Please make sure your information is accurate as we will use that information for future communications.
As you navigate to the Kigali auction page, you will need to pay close attention to the ‘user agreement’ and the ‘how it works’ page. These two pages can be found at the bottom of the Kigali page and contain a lot of information about the rules of the auction and information and expectations if you end up winning an item.
In order to place a bid you will need to ‘subscribe’ to the Kigali auction. To subscribe, once you have navigated to the Kigali auction page at the bottom there will be a button that says ‘subscribe to place bids’. Not only will subscribing allow you to place bids once the auction is open, the system will also automatically send you notifications reminding you that the auction is opening and closing.
Please note that there will be ongoing updates to the status of the Kigali online auction, and the instructions and content of the Kigali auction page. Even if you subscribe to the Kigali auction page, you may not receive a notification about all changes. Please continue to monitor and check the website for updates.
The next US Embassy Kigali online auction will be available to place bids from October 12 – 23. You will not be able to place bids outside of those dates.
Please contact KigaliAuction@state.gov if you have any questions.
How it works
The U.S. Embassy Kigali will be selling some surplus property via a Web Based (online) Auction. Each auction will be activated for a period of time clearly stating the start and end date. This information is available on the information panel of the web-based auction application. While the web site will always be accessible, usually the auctions will be active for two weeks. During this period you can take part and submit your bid for the surplus property.
All auctions will be conducted in Rwandan Francs. During the auction you should monitor the most up to date highest bid on any lot that you are interested in so you can react to all bidding developments.
At the end of the specified auction time, winners will be sent an email which will contain a link to winning bidders information page on online auction application where you will find a unique Auction Identification Number (AIN) – you will need to use the Auction Identification Number as a reference when paying for your items (see below). In addition to the AIN, the winning bidders page will contain information about which lots you have won, what the winning bid was and instructions on how and when to pay, and how and where to collect the items.
All sales may be cancelled at anytime and are at the final discretion of the US Embassy Kigali General Services Officer.
Bidding Rules and Penalties for Unfair Bidding Practices
Embassy Kigali requires transparent and equitable bidding practices during its auctions, and may disqualify bids or bar participants who violate the following bidding rules:
- One user ID per bidder. Interested bidders must only create one user ID to participate in Embassy Dushanbe online auctions. At their discretion, auction administrators may permanently bar users they determine to be using multiple accounts and/or fake accounts. If barred, individuals are not permitted to create a new user ID to bid in future auctions.
- Maximum bid increases. Each lot has a maximum increase which no bidder may surpass when raising the price over the current, highest bid. Bidders are not permitted to make multiple, consecutive maximum bid increases as it unfairly limits other bidders’ participation. Auction administrators monitor bids daily and will disqualify and remove multiple bid increases from a single user. Violators of this bidding rule may be banned from further participation in Embassy Dushanbe online auctions for a period of six months or longer.
- Payment for winning bids. Bidders are expected to pay for and pick up any lots they win. Bidders should not increase the lot price above an amount they are willing to pay. If a bidder fails to proceed with the lot purchase, auction administrators will bar the user from participation in future Dushanbe online auctions:
- First offense: Six month ban
- Second offense: One year ban
- Third offense: Permanent ban.
Payment
Payment must be made within 3 working days after the auction closes. All payments must be made in Rwanda Francs. Payment for your items is possible only by electronic funds transfer or in person deposit at any I & M branch to the Embassy I & M bank account listed below.
Cash Deposit and Electronic Funds Transfer Procedures:
Buyers MUST ensure that in the payment reference line for either cash deposits of electronic funds transfers, they include the following: “US Embassy Auction”; the applicable “Lot Number”; and the applicable “Auction Identification Number” (which you will find in the winners info section if you win a lot).
For cash deposits you will need to retain the original banking slip and present it at the embassy when you collect your items.
For electronic funds transfers you will need to retain a copy of the confirmation of the funds transfer to present when you collect your items. For outside bank electronic funds transfers to the I&M Bank account below, buyers must request their bank provide them with a copy of the RIPS proof of funds transfer. For electronic funds transfers, the embassy finance team will need to verify receipt of the funds prior to collection of the items.
In the case you have bid and won more than one item you can pay the total amount due of all items in one payment but all lot items must be identified as described in item 1 above. Items can be retrieved only when successful payment has been received. Receipt of payment is considered complete when money reaches the U.S. Embassy bank account.
Note: It could take more than one day to transfer money from your bank to the U.S. Embassy bank. It will not be possible to pick up your items if your payment is not indicated on the U.S. Embassy bank account.
The U.S. Embassy’s bank account information is as follows:
Bank: I&M Bank (Rwanda) PLC
Account name: US Disbursing Officer Symbol 8769 C D
IBAN Account number: 20029604001 (RWF)
SWIFT Code/BIC: IMRWRWRW
Pickup
All items must be collected from the US Embassy compound in Kacyiru. The buyer is responsible for all costs associated with removing the items. There will be no refunds. Items will be available for collection from the first Monday after the close of the auction. Items must be picked up within 15 working days of the close of the auction. Items not collected after 15 working days will not be available for collection. Any paid items that are not picked up during the scheduled time frame will be disposed of, and there will be no possibility for their retrieval. In special cases or circumstances, you may arrange a different pick-up date and time by contacting the auction manager.
To collect your items the buyer must present 1) print out of the winners info page from this website, including the Auction Identification Number; 2) Original bank deposit slip, or proof of electronic funds transfer; and 3) proof of payment of taxes to Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA), for non local purchases (see below).
For items which the US Embassy purchased locally, i.e. in Rwanda, they will be labeled on the website as local purchase, and the buyer will not be required to pay tax to RRA on the sale. However, for items which the embassy purchased from outside of Rwanda, the lots will be labeled as non-local purchase, and the buyer will be required to pay tax on the sale to RRA. Tax rates are dependent on the type of item and are set by RRA. If you wish to find out more information about the tax rates established, please contact RRA
