Stakeholders to tackle procurement problems

One of the main issues of discourse for the November conference is Engineering Procurement. This is the first time such a conference is coming since the promulgation of the Public Procurement Act in 2007. The act established the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) as regulatory authority for the monitoring and oversight of public procurement as […]

One of the main issues of discourse for the November conference is Engineering Procurement. This is the first time such a conference is coming since the promulgation of the Public Procurement Act in 2007.
The act established the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) as regulatory authority for the monitoring and oversight of public procurement as way of eliminating corruption and waste in public projects execution.
However, seven years after, many Nigerians say they are yet to clearly see the difference in public procurement. Contracts especially for engineering projects are mired in corrupt acts, it is alleged. The President of the Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (NQIS), Alhaji Murtala Aliyu reiterated this last month in a press chat while reacting to the high cost quoted for the Abuja Airport and Abuja-Lokojo Roads.
He said, “I know it’s a horrendous amount. One of the biggest areas of corruption is in civil works because if you say you’ve moved so many tons of soil from one location to another, people will just say okay, it’s possible.”
Another big concern is what is happening in some states of the federation. Though the federal and state governments have come together to form the National Public Procurement Forum (NPPF) as a way of improving the procurement system, some states have not domesticated the BPP Act. It is said that 24 states have done it so far.  In some states, governors award contracts to companies owned by their spouses or children.
This conference is therefore expected to make the procurement process kick start in all the states.
The chairlady of the conference planning committee, Ms Arinola Giwa-Amu who is Special Assistant to the Delta State Governor on Due Process told newsmen in Abuja last Thursday that the conference is the beginning of a new partnership between the federal and state governments on the establishment of synergy in the development and implementation of public procurement global best practices in Nigeria.
She said President Goodluck Jonathan will declare the conference open and inaugurate the NPPF steering committee which is chaired by the Director General of BPP, Engr. Emeka Eze. The forum will oversee members’ activities from its secretariat in Abuja.
While the federal government will be represented at the conference by BPP, states will be represented by their BPP directors general. Professional bodies like NIA, NQIS, NSE, COREN are expected to have strong presence.
The Director General of Taraba State Bureau of Public Procurement Engr. Andrew Nenshi acknowledged shortcomings in the due process law implementation. “Every beginning of a thing suffers one problem or the other,” he noted. He however said procurement of engineering projects in Taraba State has been without problem.
He said, “We’ve been practising it. We try our best to make the process transparent by planning our procurements, advertising them, corporating them in the yearly budgets, evaluating and then selecting the winner. We have recorded a measure of success.
“The records are there. Government has carried out some major road construction. Jalingo-Garba Chede road is a major road that was not passable.
“But through the BPP, it was advertised, it was awarded. There’re ongoing construction works. From Bali to Gembu, it’s a federal road but it’s under construction. It went through the due process.
“There are other roads the ministry of works has advertised. Companies bided, there has been evaluation and the process is ongoing. Bid opening was carried out. We’re in the process of issuing the certificate for the contractors to be awarded the contracts. Contractors are working and they’re happy because the process is transparent.
“The acting governor, Alhaji Garba Umar is very passionate about the due process. He has furnished the office very well, vehicles are provided for operations of the office. He has even won awards. Two awards were given him for transparency in procurement of engineering projects.”
The conference is meant to bring the states together to synergise with the federal government so that more states will key in so that the process of doing business in Nigeria will be transparent.