By Steve Agbota
The Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mohammed Bello-Koko, has said that the deployment of Procurement Management System (PMS) will enhance the performance and efficiency of the procurement department of the Authority.
Addressing participants at the NPA Procurement Strategic Retreat last weekend in Lagos, organised by Renner and Renner Consulting Limited, Bello-Koko charged the procurement department to be more proactive in terms of decisions on processes and procedures.
He added that the essence of the procurement retreat was for the department to sit and discuss the continuous changes with regards to the Procurement Act, understand and study the many ways they can initiate procurement.
“One thing they are looking at is the right way to do things, how quickly to do it and the best way within the Act. We brought in a consultant who will discuss with them and teach them,” he said.
However, the Country Director, Renner and Renner Consulting Limited, Ibby Iyama, urged NPA on the benefits of Procurement Management System (PMS) for International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) certification.
She noted that Renner and Renner is working with the NPA procurement department to enable them get their systems right for ISO certification, adding that the company is not in charge of certification.
According to her, presently the Onne, Calabar ports and National Agency for Food and Drug Administration (NAFDAC) are the only ISO-certified government agencies in the country.
“Part of the reasons why we have embarked on this retreat is to implement the PMS at the procurement department of NPA. The PMS is a system that will streamline, standardise and tighten up things, It will ensure job enrichment, rotation, nobody will be brought down or be high-handed due to rewards.
“Everybody’s performance will be seen through the PMS, with PMS, because there is transparency, accountability and it is going to be hard on crime as one cannot be promoted without due process,” she said. She added that they decided to change most of the Federal Government agencies procurement department starting with the NPA to change the narratives and ensure excellence.
She hinted that the move was also for the department to understand the Federal Government Procurement Act 2007 and recently 2022, which had new additions, changes to some fundamental part of 2007 Act.