Firm Cautions BPP On Training, Issuing Practice Licenses

The Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply Management of Nigeria (CIPSMN) has cautioned the director general of the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), Dr. Adebowale Adedokun, over the plan to begin training and issuing certificates of practice for procurement practitioners.

CIPSMN president Alh. Sikiru Oladepo Balogun, who spoke in Abuja on Wednesday, commented on ongoing efforts to reform and sanitise the public procurement space but warned that the Institute must express its strong reservations and firm objection to BPP’s proposal to train and issue certificates of practice in procurement.

He said the Institute considered the proposal ultra vires, legally unsound, and directly violating extant laws governing procurement practice in Nigeria.

He noted, ”It is important to state, for public awareness and institutional clarity, that training and certification of procurement professionals in Nigeria is not within the statutory mandate of the BPP.

According to him, the Bureau’s enabling law, the Public Procurement Act (PPA) 2007, particularly Part 2 Section 5(k), empowers the BPP to organise training and development programs for procurement professionals only. He noted that this is limited to promoting training policies and programs for procurement personnel of ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs)—not to train or license practitioners as a professional body.

According to him, the law’s intention is clearly limited to building institutional capacity within government agencies, not regulating or licensing professional practice.

The statement further said, “Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply Management of Nigeria Act, 2007, enacted by the National Assembly, confers the exclusive statutory authority on it to regulate and control the practice of the procurement and supply chain management profession in Nigeria.

The CIPSMN Act 2007 mandates the Institute to determine and review, from time to time, the academic standards, knowledge and skills that shall be attained by persons seeking to qualify as registered members of the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply Management (in this Act referred to as “the Professional”), he said.

This is to ensure that members maintain a reputable and high standard of behaviour expected of any professional in procurement practice in Nigeria and other parts of the world, to provide for the training, education and examination of persons desiring to become Professional Procurers.

Therefore, any attempt by another agency or body—regardless of their relevance in public procurement administration—to assume this exclusive professional mandate amounts to an illegal encroachment, undermines the rule of law, and sets a dangerous precedent of institutional overreach.

In addition, he said, the Bureau’s plan to issue practice licenses for procurement trainers is not only legally flawed, but also misleading to the public and stakeholders, especially those unfamiliar with the legal delineation of roles in the Nigerian procurement ecosystem.

“We are compelled to caution the Bureau that any such issuance of licenses to train or certify procurement practitioners is null and void, and any entity operating under such unauthorised permit may be subject to legal sanctions under the CIPSMN Act and other applicable laws.