The Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) Director-General, Mamman Ahmadu has charged
Permanent Secretaries and other stakeholders in the procurement process to ensure transparency and accountability in carrying out their responsibilities.
Speaking at the 9th Annual Public Procurement Retreat for Federal Permanent Secretaries, held in Lagos at the weekend, the BPP boss said the timing of the exercise is apt, adding that the consistency of the forum has improved Public Procurement process, and led to better public funds expenditure pattern and budget implementation in the country.
He said the programme was an opportunity to bring all participants on the same page in the implementation of the procurement reform programme , adding that subsequent retreats will be for the Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of parastatals and the directorate cadre in the Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
“To ensure the success of the procurement reform, the BPP is, in line with global best practices, embarking on new sustainable public procurement initiatives. For instance, the National Open Contracting Portal (NOCOPO), the global award winning initiative which further emphasise the need for transparency, competition and level playing field among contractors, consultants and service providers, has placed Nigeria among the best public procurement regulators in the world,” he said. The BPP boss added that while the national upgrade, a version 2 of the Contractors, Consultants and Service Providers (CCSP) is ongoing, the Price-Checker platform which harmonises prices of items is also in progress.
He disclosed that BPP currently runs Research Centres at the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO), Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria, and the University of Lagos, among others to boost capacity for key stakeholders in the public procurement practice.
He urged the Federal Government to institutionalize the National Conference on Public Procurement (NACOPP) so as to provide a regular forum for advancing the course of procurement reform nationwide.