BPP saves N420bn from contract vetting

The Bureau of Public Procurement has saved N420bn for the Federal Government in the last 15 months through the vetting of contracts of ministries, departments and agencies.

The Director-General, BPP, Mr.  Emeka Ezeh, disclosed this on Sunday at the closing ceremony of a three-day  retreat for chief executive officers of Federal Government-owned agencies.

The retreat, held at the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria, Topo,  Badagry, Lagos State and had the managing directors and chief executive officers  of the MDAs in attendance.

Ezeh said the vetting of various contract sums by the BPP had further emphasised the core value of the bureau, which he said, was to ensure prudence in public expenditure.

He said the bureau would continue to ensure that there was transparency in the bidding process for contracts in the country.

Ezeh said, 'The  BPP will continue to work hard to ensure that the cost of doing business in Nigeria is reduced through the elimination of multiple registration of contractors,  pre-qualification and the tendering process, to give chance for equal competence and capabilities.

'All competent contractors will be given a level playing field to demonstrate their capacity to deliver.'

He said the bureau had gone far in the registration, classification and categorisation of contractors and consultants working or intending to work on Federal Government projects.

The BPP boss said, 'This is covered in the Public Procurement Act, 2007, which expects the bureau to maintain a national database of the particulars of federal contractors and service providers for ease of information sourcing,

'They have to do their analyses in conformity with the needs of the new information age.'