From Uche Usim, Abuja
The Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) is adopting a digital procurement process for goods and services called the Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) platform.
NEITI’s Executive Secretary, Waziri Adio, who disclosed this yesterday, said the online platform would provide comprehensive public information and disclosure on all procurement opportunities and contracting information to the general public.
“This decision by NEITI is consistent with President Muhammadu Buhari’s commitment to agreements reached at the Anti-Corruption Summit held in London in 2016. At the summit, President Buhari had declared; ‘We will work towards full implementation of the principles of the OCDS, focusing on major projects as an early priority.’
“To cement the partnership between NEITI and the Public Private Development Centre (PPDC) on the implementation of the OCDS, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been signed,” he said.
Adio endorsed the MoU on behalf of NEITI while Seember Nyager, the CEO of PPDC, signed on behalf of her organisation.
Adio expressed delight that NEITI has become the first Federal Government agency to fully embrace the OCDS, in line with the Public Procurement Act and bidding regulations of the Bureau of Public Procurement.
The OCDS would be hosted as a portal on the NEITI website and would have a feedback component aimed at promoting transparency, accountability and value for money in public transactions.