The Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) has called on Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to expand their oversight of public procurement by monitoring projects from contract planning and award to implementation and final service delivery.
The Director-General of the BPP, Dr Adebowale Adedokun, made the call during the Bureau’s CSO Engagement 2.0 held recently in Abuja.
Adedokun said procurement accountability should go beyond determining whether public contracts were awarded in accordance with established procedures to establishing whether the projects delivered the promised benefits to Nigerians.
According to him, civil society groups should monitor public projects throughout the procurement process, particularly those that directly affect communities and the quality of public services.
“We should not monitor procurement only by asking, ‘Was the contract awarded correctly?’ We should also ask, ‘Did the contract deliver what Nigerians were promised?'” he said.
The BPP chief stressed that achieving value for money in public procurement required early scrutiny, effective monitoring and accountability throughout project implementation.
He noted that public procurement should ultimately promote development, explaining that procurement decisions have direct implications for hospitals, schools, roads, electricity supply, security, agriculture, employment and other essential public services.
BPP Proposes Partnership Framework With Civil Society
To strengthen transparency, accountability and citizen participation in public procurement, Adedokun proposed the establishment of a BPP-CSO Public Procurement Partnership Framework.
He said the proposed framework would focus on five key areas: capacity building, access to procurement information and data, procurement and project monitoring, reporting and early warning, and citizen engagement.
Under the arrangement, credible civil society organisations would receive the necessary support to understand procurement legislation, procurement procedures, Standard Bidding Documents, contract management, open contracting data and indicators of possible procurement irregularities.
Adedokun also advocated greater use of procurement information and open contracting data to ensure that civil society monitoring was evidence-based rather than driven by speculation.
He said CSOs could support the monitoring of selected projects from procurement planning and contract award through implementation and service delivery.
The organisations would also help communicate credible procurement concerns, identify potential red flags and report challenges affecting project execution.
However, the BPP Director-General emphasised that the partnership would not turn civil society organisations into government agents.
“We do not expect Civil Society Organisations to become an extension of government,” he said.
He urged CSOs to ensure that their criticisms were supported by evidence, while government institutions must remain willing to listen, respond to concerns and provide transparent explanations.
BPP Highlights Procurement Reform Priorities
Adedokun identified several areas receiving attention under the Bureau’s procurement reform efforts, including procurement reviews and due process, price intelligence, procurement surveillance and audit, monitoring and evaluation, and the classification and categorisation of contractors.
Other priorities include increasing the participation of small and medium-sized enterprises in public procurement and implementing the Nigeria First Policy.
He said the Bureau was also strengthening its digital procurement infrastructure through platforms such as the Nigeria Open Contracting Portal (NOCOPO), the Contractors, Consultants and Service Providers platform, the National Procurement Officers Management System and the Nigerian Public Procurement Certification Programme.
According to him, these initiatives are intended to improve access to procurement information, strengthen oversight and promote transparency in government contracting.
Public Procurement Act Provides for Civil Society Oversight
The BPP chief noted that civil society participation in public procurement oversight was recognised under the Public Procurement Act 2007.
He cited Section 19 of the Act, which provides for the involvement of credible observers, including representatives of non-governmental organisations working in transparency, accountability and anti-corruption.
Adedokun also disclosed that a proposed amendment to the Public Procurement Act formed part of the broader procurement reform agenda, stressing that any changes must follow the appropriate legislative process.
He maintained that efforts to improve procurement efficiency must not undermine accountability, adding that eliminating unnecessary delays should not mean removing essential safeguards.
According to him, the government cannot independently monitor every procurement transaction and project across the country, just as civil society organisations, the private sector and procurement regulators cannot reform the system in isolation.
He therefore called for stronger collaboration among all stakeholders to improve public procurement outcomes.
BPP Seeks Constructive Engagement With CSOs
Adedokun urged civil society organisations to work with the Bureau in developing the proposed partnership framework, supported by clear rules of engagement, capacity development, access to relevant procurement data, independent monitoring, feedback mechanisms and periodic dialogue on procurement reforms.
He said the Bureau expected CSOs to scrutinise public procurement processes, examine available evidence, identify weaknesses and raise concerns constructively where necessary.
“We expect Civil Society Organisations to ask questions. We expect you to examine the evidence. We expect you to identify weaknesses. And where necessary, we expect you to challenge us constructively,” he said.
The proposed partnership is expected to strengthen citizen participation in public procurement oversight and promote greater accountability in the implementation of government projects and the delivery of public services.
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