By Cross Udo, Abuja
The Federal Government, through the Bureau of Public Procurement, BPP, has threatened to expose any procurement officer involved in inflating contract costs.
BPP also said that it would soon release a policy debarring contractors who consistently default, warning that the era of procurement officers behaving like politicians and collaborating with contractors to circumvent the process was over.
The Director-General of BPP, Dr Adebowale Adedokun, read the Riot Act this weekend while making his presentation at the Bureau Enlightenment Workshop for the Directorate of Procurement in Ministries, Departments, Agencies, and MDAs in Abuja.
Adedokun said procurement officers were expected to lead procurement reforms, which he said were changing rapidly, and government projects should be delivered promptly and according to specification.
He threatened to hold procurement officers accountable if any procurement process failed, just as he assured those who carry out their duties diligently would be protected by the agency.
He said, “Public procurement is the use of public funds by public entities to deliver public goods, works, and services, usually through a third party (contractors).
“Procurement is an enabler for economic growth, sustainable development, fraud prevention and risk management. Procurement is not to award contracts alone but is used for planning.2
The BPP DG said any procurement process that was not tendered to the BPP for approval is illegal. It noted with dismay the discovery from its audit of the abuse of contract splitting that involves procurement officers.
He further said that some people award contracts without a ‘Certificate of No Objection’ and that some even adopt a method that is not open and transparent and doesn’t pass through the Tenders Board.
He said, “You will be held accountable for an award not delivered per the specification. We will hold them accountable.
“So the change has come that we will hold you accountable for any mis-procurement, that you cannot provide evidence that you guided them correctly.”
The DG further said, “I need to reiterate: If the procurement fails, I will hold you accountable in your organization. If procurement plans are done incorrectly, I will hold you accountable. That should be very clear.
“If a project is inflated, I will hold you accountable. If the specifications and needs are to be drafted by a user department, and you accept, we will hold you accountable. It’s time that the narrative about procurement officers being unskilled or unqualified is over.
“You just need to take full responsibility for your department right now. Because of COVID-19, many things were done, and we got away with it; there’s no more COVID-19. You have to do procurement the way it is.
“We have moved from how they say, procurement delays. Procurement no longer delays because we are a pragmatic solution provider. We will solve problems within the ambient of the law.
“BPP will defend procurement officers. If they do the right thing, we will defend and protect them, but we’ll be the first to expose them if they fail. That is a decision we have reached with the Head of Service, and BPP will provide skills, capacity, building, education, and enlightenment; the Head of Service will defend you. Globally, procurement is an instrument used to give its citizens development.
“We are professionals, including the engineers, everybody. We make this happen. And so we need to begin to ask ourselves questions. If I, as a procurement officer, approve a contract or recommend or carry out an evaluation and that contractor does not merit it, shouldn’t our conscience judge us? We need to start thinking that the future of Nigerians relies on the effectiveness of our procurement process.
“Let me say this: political heads are eager to deliver, but they also must be told the consequences of doing procurement, that when they leave, they will account. So, it’s for you and me to guide them appropriately so that even when they exit the government or after retirement, they are sure that what they did will not be questioned. It’s your duty.”
