*Mamman Ahmadu, Director-General of Bureau of Public Procurement, emphasises the ultimate objective of the two-day stakeholders’ engagement forum is to ensure transparency, cost-effectiveness, professionalism, and promote competition in public procurement in Nigeria

Gbenga Kayode | ConsumerConnect

The Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) has restated the need to engage stakeholders on the development and revision of standard bidding documents in Nigeria.

ConsumerConnect reports Alhaji Mamman Ahmadu, Director-General of BPP, said this in welcome address at the two-day interactive stakeholders’ engagement in the South-West Zone, held from Tuesday, November 8 to Wednesday, November 9, 2022, in Ikeja, Lagos.

Similar stakeholders’ workshop in four batches have been held in other centres, including Kano and Port Harcourt, while that of Abuja, FCT, is slated for the last week of November this year.

Objectives of stakeholders’ engagement

Ahmadu, represented by Mr. Babatunde Kuye, Director of Energy Infrastructure at BPP, disclosed the ultimate objective of the exercise is to ensure transparency and promote competition in public procurement in the West African country.

He reminded the stakeholders of the urgent need to revise Nigeria’s procurement documents in order to address inadequacies observed by government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

The participants in the stakeholders’ engagement Tuesday included Non-Governmental Organisations (contractors, consultants and service providers, regulatory and professional bodies, civil society organisations and others).

Addressing inadequacies in existing procurement documents

In respect of the rationale for organising the forum across the six geo-political zones of the country, the regulatory agency had explained: “The Development and Revision of the Procurement Documents will address the inadequacies observed by Ministries, Departments and Agencies of Government in the use of the current documents, which were developed in 2009 and last updated in 2011.

“Experiences in using these documents have shown their inadequacies to cater for Large, Complex and Dynamic Procurement of Goods, Works, Services and Administration of contracts arising from their use.”

According to Ahmadu, the documents currently being used were developed 2009 and last updated 2011.

Benefits of standard bidding documents

He also stated: “The BPP, as the regulator of public procurement, decided to respond to the identified challenges.

“The goal is to bring them up to date with the current international best practices while ensuring domestic interests are well taken care of, for the purpose of national development.”

The BPP Chief as well noted other objectives to  include cost-effectiveness and professionalism in the public sector procurement system and disposal of public assets in line with global practices.

A lot has happened in the procurement space, both locally and internationally, since the development of the existing bidding documents, hence the urgent need for review, he stated.

Ahmadu further explained that the process of reviewing the existing procurement documents and development of new ones was activated with the engagement of a consultant with global experience to help drive the process.

He said: “The draft procurement documents have been produced and shared with relevant stakeholders.

“The aim is to create an opportunity to harvest valuable input from all public procurement stakeholders.

“We expect the stakeholders to discuss the key clauses of interests, synergise various perspectives and incorporate them in the documents being reviewed and developed.”

Earlier, Alhaji Ishaq Yahaya, Director of Monitoring and Compliance at BPP, in his opening remarks, had noted that reviewing the  procurement documents in Nigeria had become necessary in view of emerging challenges.

Call for stakeholders’ comments, contributions

Yahaya said that the workshop would show what had been developed with a view to stimulating discussions among the stakeholders.

He stated: “We shall expect stakeholders to point out areas we have not covered and areas we shouldn’t have inserted.”

Likewise, in his presentations during the sessions in Lagos, Barr. Chibuzo Ekwekwuo, Consultant at the workshop, urged the stakeholders to take advantage of the opportunity to contribute to the ongoing procurement reform towards ensuring national development driven by public procurement.

Following the interactive Breakout, Wrap-up and Special Information Sessions at the forum, the consultant and organisers reminded the participants to send in their comments and contributions to dedicated links on the Bureau’s online portal to further enrich the reviewed standard procurement documents in the country.