The Bureau of Public Procurement (BoPP) has saved N420 billion for the Federal Government in the last 15 months through the vetting of contracts of Federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

The Director-General of the BPP, Mr Emeka Ezeh, disclosed this yesterday at the closing ceremony of a three-day retreat for Chief Executive Officers of Federal Government-owned departments and agencies.

The three-day retreat, held at the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON), Topo, Badagry, Lagos, 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 that the Bureau would continue to ensure that there was transparency in the bidding process for contracts in the country.

“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.

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

“This is covered in the Public Procurement Act, 2007 which expects the Bureau to maintain a national data base 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,” he said.

The BPP boss added that “public officials are now beginning to see public funds as monies to be spent with care, and with a high sense of responsibility.

“Added to these gains are a resultant improved budget implementation and performance in terms of project delivery.

Ezeh also said that there were plans to consolidate ongoing collaboration with the World Bank, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Washington-based International Law Institute (ILI).

“This is by establishing public procurement research centres at the Federal University of Technology (FUTO), Owerri, and in two other universities across the country.

“One each is to be established in a university in the northern part and another one in the south-western part of the country,” he said.

Also, speaking, the chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Public Petitions, Uzo Azubuike, explained that efficient public procurement is vital to national development, saying that, “it regulates the developmental capital component of the annual budget”.

He noted that the level of compliance with procurement processes in a fiscal year determined the level of budget performance and the consequent development that could be achieved within that fiscal year.

“Where there is arbitrary political interference with the procurement process, it will manifest in inevitable budget failure,” he said.

Azubuike, therefore, advised the Chief Executives of Ministries, Departments and Agencies to ensure that contracts were not awarded at inflated prices.

“The BPP should not stop at procurement, but should go ahead to monitor contracts awarded to ensure that Nigerians get value for money,” he said.

Azubuike recalled that the 2012 budget implementation was below 30 per cent, because of the late presentation and signing of the budget.