By Dwelleth Morountodun
The Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), has stated that arrangement has been concluded to commence 100% implementation of a uniform standard bidding documents across Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of Federal Government beginning with the implementation of 2023 budget.
The Director General (DG), BPP, Mr. Mamman Ahmadu, made the disclosure while speaking to cross sections of Procurement Directors, Legal Officers across MDAs, private sector actors, stakeholders and the Media in a 3Day Workshop on the Review of Draft Standard Bidding and Contract Documents used for the Procurement of Goods, Works and Services in Abuja.
The DG who was represented by the Director, Energy Infrastructure, Engr. Babatunde Kuye, acknowledged that the documents which are about fourteen will be reflective in the 2023 budget, adding:
So, without these documents, BPP will not process any contract approval for MDAs, adding that up and till now, procurement officers in MDAS have been using different versions of bidding documents.
Ahmadu, said: “Some adopt the standard bidding documents, most don’t and this therefore create lack of uniformity of documents in the country’s bidding template.
“By the time we approve these ones, hopefully within the next few weeks, all MDAs of government who are doing their procurement will have no choice than to adopt the new standard bidding documents as their tender documents implying that tender document that will be issued to contractors will be uniform based on this bidding documents.
“There are about 13 or 14 of them depending on the type of procurement and so what they need to do is to adopt and tailor it edit to suit the particular procurement but they have to use the standard bidding document and this is by law.”
According to him, beginning from 2023, any agency that does not use and adopt the newly approved standard bidding documents will not have its procurement process approved.
The BPP boss, said: “It becomes illegal for any MDAs not to use the standard bidding document and that is why we are taking this pain not only to sensitize and train them but to also get their inputs so that by the time we adopt them it becomes a set of document or standard document that everybody agrees not only to its usage as tendered documents for the procurement of goods works and services with federal government procurement landscape.
He explained that what BPP is doing now do is to harvest those inputs, scrutinize it in the coming weeks and aggregate them into a uniform standard document which will be rolled before the implementation of the 2023 budget.
On the benefits of the new documents, he said: “These are documents that we have learnt from since 2009, when we did the first document and so it has allowed us to see the challenges involved in the implementation of our procurement processes which is now international in image, meaning that our procurement processes will be brought up to date to international acceptability.
“Secondly, it will take care of processes that hitherto that were not covered in the documents like small projects, large projects, complex projects and every new that BPP has learnt which hopefully will take Nigeria to the next level.”
He added that in the new documents, ICT and emerging technology will be covered, adding that it also captures cases like the COVID-19 experiences, explaining that BPP will be having more details of emergency procurement stressing that this will bring Nigeria at par with other procurement process anywhere in the world.
“It also a device to block leakages and that is why it is will be in tandem with international best practice which is all about transparency, competition, value for money, prevention of corruption.
“But most importantly, it will also domesticate this new introduction in Nigeria so that there will be a lot more local content and Nigerians who want to partake of federal government contract will find it very easy going forward.” He said.
On money that will be saved the country, he added: “Well that will run into trillion of naira but we are not even bordered about saving the money, what we are saying essentially is that we will get more accountable and more competitive, savings will come automatically.”
This according to him, is because people will put in their best to get the best value for money, saving he added comes because of what people have added that itself is not a very good.”
In a remark, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. William Nwankwo, commended the DG for his drive and tenacity in repositioning BPP for efficient service delivery for national development.
He said: “I believe that with what he has been doing, so far, a lot of resources and monies have been saved through the efficient processes that he has anchored and birthed.
“I pray that his efforts shall be rewarded with inputs that will further transform the public procurement process (PPP) in Nigeria and I strongly believe that with the calibre of people and directors in BPP and after this brainstorming session, the story can never be the same as I believe strongly that you are all going to make reasonable inputs that will produce masterpiece bidding documents.”