FG saves N110bn through due process procurement

October 17, 2012 by Everest Amaefule

 

Director-General, Bureau of Public Procurement, Mr. Emeka Eze
 

| credits: File copy

The Federal Government has saved about $700m (N110bn) through the implementation of due process in procurement and the award of contracts since the establishment of the Bureau of Public Procurement.

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Federal Character and Intergovernmental Affairs, Senator Awaisu Kuta, disclosed this while speaking at the conversion training for procurement officers of ministries, departments and agencies in Abuja on Monday.

Also speaking at the event, the Lead Procurement Expert, World Bank, Mr. Bayo Awuse, said delays in the implementation of the nation’s budgets should be blamed on the lack of a procurement plan.

Kuta said BPP had been able to check the high incidence of inflation of contracts, but advised the agency to evolve ways of reducing the time it took to make its verifications.

The senator added that both foreign and local contractors were inflating contract costs, defrauding the country and putting influential Nigerians, including retired military officers and public officials, on their payrolls.

“It is now a waste of time to inflate contracts because it will easily be dictated by BPP. We call on BPP to evolve a faster approach to vetting contracts so that the contracts can be executed,” he said.

Kuta said a situation where ministers and other high ranking public officials acted as contractors and commissioned agents would make the work of BPE difficult.

He also asked the government to pay procurement officials well in order to enable them to live a decent life.

Awuse, on the other hand, said Nigeria had made tremendous progress since the procurement reform began in 1999.

He attributed the delay in the implementation of budgets in the country to lack of procurement plan.

Awuse said, “One thing we have to think about is procurement planning. We must review why our budgets are not 100 per cent implemented. I have found that even before the procurement reforms, Nigeria’s budgets don’t get implemented 100 per cent.

“So, procurement cannot be the reason for the delay in budget implementation. I am not saying that it may not contribute to it. We don’t plan. We don’t have procurement plan for the budget.”

The Director-General, BPP, Mr. Emeka Eze, said the training programme was organised as part of the programme to build a pool of knowledge on procurement.

SOURCEThe Punch - Nigeria's Most Widely Read Newspaper: 17 October 2012.