The United States Accountability, Transparency and Effectiveness (State2State) Activity in Nigeria and the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) have charged purchasing officers in priority sectors across Ministries, Departments and Agencies in Ebonyi State to improve monitoring of government bidding, procurement and implementation processes for accountability and transparency.
USAID State2State Consultant on developing standard bidding document for priority MDAs in the state, Mr. Orlando Nweze alongside the Executive Secretary of BPP in Ebonyi, Mrs. Betty Uzoma gave the charge during a 3-day Workshop held at the State2State Ebonyi Field Office in Abakaliki.
Addressing the participants, Mrs. Uzoma urged civil servants in the state to shun compromising standards during procurement and bidding processes, emphasising also on the need for strict compliance while implementing contracts.
“How well Ebonyi State will develop depends on the civil servants. I want to urge all of you gathered here to shun compromising in the discharge of your duties. Compromising standards has led to many going to jail.
“We now have our procurement law and manual, I want you to digest it. Everything about procurement is contained in the law. My office will soon distribute the law to all the MDAs in the state to ensure its full implementation. I want to assure you that with the law, nobody will harass or intimidate you”, Uzoma said.
She maintained that the agency will be conducting periodic training to ensure that state officials adhere strictly to all the guidelines and ensure transparency.
The BPP executive secretary expressed regrets that projects are abandoned often due to lack of monitoring and urged procurement officers, members of the civil society groups, the media and other stakeholders to ensure regular monitoring of government projects.
“Let me inform you today that it is your duty, procurement officers, to ensure that no contractor embarks on shabby jobs in the state. Always monitor contracts to ensure compliance and ensure that contractors sit up when executing government projects,” she added.
She commended USAID State2State for the workshop, adding that the partnership between the organisation and the state government has brought some reforms that are promoting transparency, accountability and efficiency in government activities.
In his presentation, Mr. Nweze said that the training was aimed at exploring key areas such as procurement planning, bidding processes, pre-qualification criteria and the importance of monitoring and evaluation, (M&E).
He stressed that participants were expected to gain practical tools that will enable them make informed decisions and ensure that procurement not only meets regulatory requirements but also delivers value for money, benefiting the people of Ebonyi State.
He further stated that the training was intended to enrich the understanding of the participants in standard bidding document (SBDs) and encouraged them to take what they have learnt and apply it to work.
“I want to remind all of us that learning is a continuous process, this training is just the beginning of a journey towards mastering the procurement processes that will help drive forward, continually seeking to improve and innovates within our roles”.
USAID State2State’s Public Financial Management PFM specialist, Mr. Chibueze Nwonye stated that the MDAs currently do not have Standard Bidding Documents (SBDs).
“Therefore as part of its efforts at facilitating improved progress in the state’s procurement processes, State2State engaged the services of a seasoned consultant to support the state in developing the Standard Bidding Documents,” he noted.
Nwonye added that when fully implemented, the SBDs would help in improving public procurement processes in the state.
“The document will help whoever that is monitoring the processes to be able to know what to expect and what to look out for,” he said.
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