From Desmond Mgboh, Kano
The Bureau for Public Procurement(BPP) has stepped up arrangements to revise the existing procurement documents as well as develop new sets of procurement documents for use in Nigeria.
This was disclosed, Thursday, in Kano by the Director – General of the Bureau for Public Procurement (BPP), Mamma Ammadu at a stakeholder’s workshop on the Review of Draft Standard Bidding and Contract Documents being used for the Procurement in Nigeria.
Represented by the Director, Compliance, Certification and Monitoring, Engineer Ishak Yahaya, he explained that revision was in line with the function of the bureau as stipulated in Section 5(m) of the Public Procurement Act, 2007 which mandated her to prepare and update standard bidding and contract documents with the aim of achieving its objectives of transparency, competition, cost effectiveness and professionalism in the public sector procurement system and in the disposal of public assets in line with international standards.
Ammadu explained that the revision was aimed at bringing these documents to date with the current international best practices adding that it would also address the inadequacies observed by the Ministries, Departments and Agencies of Government using 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, services and administration of contracts arising from their use” he emphasized..
According to him, a lot had happened in the procurement space, locally and internationally, since the development of these documents in 2009, among which he said , were the global economic meltdown, the COVID-19 pandemic rapid technology advancement as well as advancement in procurement practice globally.
“In addition, the use of these documents over the years has thrown up lessons borne out of the challenges encountered by both the public sector and the private sector actors in the conduct of public procurement in the country” he added.
He added that the draft documents had been produced and shared with relevant procurement stakeholders ahead of this workshop adding that this was done to create an opportunity to harvest valuable inputs from all public procurement stakeholders, to discuss the key clauses of interests and to synergise various perspectives and Incorporate them in the reviewed document.
He said the engagement process would take place in four locations nationwide in order and would receive inputs and reactions from a wide range of public procurement stakeholders.