News Investigators/ Adebowale Adedokun, Director-General, Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), says the revised Standard Bidding Document (SBD) has improved transparency, accountability and compliance in Nigeria’s public procurement system.
Mr Adedokun stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Sunday.
He said the reform had also enhanced bidders’ confidence, introduced standard operating procedures and made monitoring of procurement activities easier across government institutions.
“One of the key successes of the revised Standard Bidding Document is that everyone now understands that failure to use the approved document renders the contract invalid.
“It has improved transparency, enhanced visibility, strengthened bidders’ confidence and introduced standard operating procedures into procurement activities,” he said.
The BPP boss recalled that before the reforms, many government agencies conducted procurement processes without following uniform procedures.
He said some contractors even prepared their own bidding documents, making it difficult to assess compliance, specifications and performance.
The D-G said the current reforms had made it easier to track procurement activities and ensure compliance with extant laws and guidelines.
“Today, it is easy to ask any government agency which procurement document it used and whether it complied with the laid down procedures.”
He added that the bureau had intensified enforcement and sensitisation to ensure all procurement entities comply with the approved standards.
Mr Adedokun added that the revised SBD had become an important tool for capacity building among procurement officers.
According to him, many procurement officers previously lacked adequate knowledge of the document and its application because enforcement was weak.
He said the bureau has intensified training and sensitisation to ensure procurement officers understand and apply the document.
“We are now educating procurement officers on the proper use and issuance of the SBD. Both the end users and the operators, let us all be on the same page.
“Our goal is to ensure law and order in procurement processes through standardisation and strict compliance.”
The D-G stressed that only the BPP was authorised to issue the official SBD, warning that any other version in circulation was illegal.
“There is only one Standard Bidding Document originating from BPP. Any other one being circulated is illegal.”
Mr Adedokun explained that the SBD is the official legal document issued by government agencies to contractors seeking to bid for projects.
According to him, the document contains all requirements bidders must comply with, including technical specifications, standards and evaluation conditions used in determining successful bids.
Mr Adedokun added that the SBD is one of several instruments guiding procurement processes in Nigeria, alongside the Public Procurement Act 2007, which is the principal document used to manage procurement.
Other instruments, he said, include procurement regulations and manuals, executive orders and government circulars.
NAN
