The managing director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mohammed Bello-Koko, over the weekend, challenged the authority’s procurement department to be more proactive in terms of decisions on processes and procedures.
Speaking to newsmen on the sidelines of the NPA Procurement Strategic Retreat in Lagos, Bello-Koko said: “the essence of the procurement retreat is for the department to sit and discuss the continuous changes with regards to the Procurement Act, understand and study the many ways they can initiate procurement.”
The theme of the retreat organised by Renner and Renner Consulting Ltd was, ‘Moving Procurement to Excellence: Changing the Narratives.’
Explaining further, Bello-Koko said: “one thing they are looking at is the right way to do things, how quickly to do it and the best way within the Act. We brought in a consultant who will discuss with them and teach them.”
The country director, Renner and Renner Consulting Ltd, Ibby Iyama also used the opportunity to implore NPA on the benefits of Procurement Management System (PMS) for International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) certification.
She explained that they were working with NPA procurement department to enable them get their systems right for ISO certification, adding that, the company is not in charge of certification.
She noted that, presently the Onne, Calabar ports and National Agency for Food and Drug Administration (NAFDAC), were the only ISO-certified government agencies in the country.
“Part of the reasons why we have embarked on this retreat is to implement the PMS at the procurement department of NPA. The PMS is a system that will streamline, standardise and tighten up things, It will ensure job enrichment, rotation, nobody will be brought down or be high-handed due to rewards.
“Everybody’s performance will be seen through the PMS, with PMS, there is transparency, accountability and it is going to be hard on crime, one cannot be promoted when not due,” she said.
Iyama said, they decided to change the narratives and ensure excellence of most of the federal government agencies procurement department starting with NPA.
The move, she stressed, was also for the department to understand the federal government Procurement Act 2007 and recently 2022, which had new additions, changes to some fundamental part of 2007 Act.
Iyama said, the Procurement Act was the Bible of all procurement departments in government agencies, adding that, it was critical for all the staff to be up to date with the Procurement Act.
“So, NPA took the initiatives to move their procurement to excellence and we hope that other government agencies will follow suit because issues with procurement has put a lot of management in the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission net.
“Renner and Renner Consulting Ltd is taking the lead to train and move the procurement department of the NPA to excellence in line with global best practice,” she stressed.
