BPP strategises for transparency in procurement process

THE Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) has commenced the registration and classification of contractors, consultants, and service providers doing Federal Government contracts as well as intending contractors.This move, according to the bureau, is aimed at achieving transparency in public procurement process, enhance efficiency, save cost, and improve budget implementationThe Director-General, BPP, Emeka Ezeh, at the presentation of the National Database for Registration, Categorisation and Classification of Federal Contractors, Consultants and Service Providers Module at the State House Auditorium, Abuja stated that the exercise is anticipated to enhance efficiency, save cost in public procurement, improve budget implementation, and increase professionalism.This responsibility, enshrined in section 5(h) of the Public Procurement Act 2007, according to him, expects the bureau to maintain a national database of the particulars of Federal contractors and service providers for ease of information sourcing, and analysis and in conformity with the needs of the new information age.Ezeh highlighted that the centralised database and categorisation of contractors, consultants and service providers doing business with the federal government, is tailored to work in tandem with the transformation agenda of the present administration.Similarly, the Chief Economic Adviser to the President, Dr. Nwaze Okidegbe added that the centralised database and the categorisation will help build local capacity, as it will motivate businesses to aspire to grow in order to fit into the frame of work and encourage high level competition among bidders.'With this in place, the craze to look for any top government functionary before getting government contract will be done away with. This will minimize corruption, will save government a lot of money and will equally encourage Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)', he said.Also, Dr. Alain Nkoyock of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) stated that Nigeria, being a signatory to the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC), UNODC, is supporting BPP within the framework of UNCAC to help prevent corruption and the exercise of the Bureau is germane to achieving this purpose.He added that UNODC is working with the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) which is in charge of helping member states in adopting the Model Law on procurement of goods, construction and services, stating that the public procurement Act 2007 is based on the model law of UNCITRAL. As such, the categorisation exercise of BPP is in consonance with the international best practices.
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