Emeka Eze, Director general of Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), said at the weekend that the agency has saved government over N420 billion in contract sums in the last 15 months.
This is just as he chided chief executive officers of parastatals of preference for ‘selective tendering’ against advertisement in public media’.
Eze said the reduction in contract came about during contract and budget vetting since the Bureau has ensured transparency and openness in contract bidding and award by parastatals.
He said the sum saved further emphasises ‘the core value of the bureau as the drive of public procurement is to ensure prudence in public expenditure.
Speaking at the opening of a retreat for chief executive officers in Federal Government ministries, departments and agencies at the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON), in Badagry, Lagos, Eze said the bureau will continue to ensure that there is transparency in the bidding process for contracts in Nigeria, even as all competent contractors will be given a level playing field to demonstrate their capacity to deliver.
“ Public officials should see public funds as monies to be spent with care, and with high sense of responsibility.
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“Procurement is a way of ensuring that public money is not misappropriated, if th act is strictly abided by, th presence of officials of anti-corruption agency will be reduced in parastatals, we must be careful of the fact that public money must not be siphoned.
“The resultant effect of tranparncy is improved budget implementation and performance in terms of project delivery.
“So far more than N420 billion have been reduced in contract sum in the last fifteen months alone, in what further emphasises the core role of the bureau as the drive of public procurement, and as an organisation whose role encourages prudence.
“It is our hope that as the programme develops, the cost of doing business in Nigeria would be reducing through the elimination of multiple registration and pre – qualification and the tendering process should increase at the end of the day, coupled with the better grouping of contractors, consultants and service providers of equal competence and capacities.
Furthermore, with the classification of contractors and consultants, there should be increased discipline in the Federal procurement process, added with the fact that only capable and competent contractors and service providers would become identifiable and considered for deserving jobs.”
