ABUJA, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)-The Bureau of Public Procurement has unveiled plans to blacklist contractors who breach procurement regulations as part of efforts to strengthen accountability and tackle abuses in public contracting across the country.
Director-General of the BPP, Adebowale Adedokun, made this known in Abuja on Thursday during the inaugural Procurement Evolution Day organised to commemorate 19 years of procurement reforms in Nigeria.
Adedokun said the bureau had introduced a debarment policy designed to sanction and blacklist erring contractors both within and outside the country.
He said, “The government has indeed provided a policy of debarment to strictly sanction any contractors nationally and globally.”
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According to him, the initiative is part of a broader procurement reform programme aimed at enhancing transparency, ensuring compliance and safeguarding public resources from misuse.
He disclosed that the bureau had recently been empowered to handle cases involving contract violations and fraudulent claims, while also deepening collaboration with anti-corruption agencies, civil society organisations and professional associations.
“Only recently, we have received, for the first time, direct approval to BPP to carry out all issues of contract violation and fraudulent claims,” he said.
Adedokun further revealed that a 14-working-day standstill period had been introduced to allow contractual disputes to be resolved before project implementation begins.
“We’ve now provided a standstill period of 14 working days, wherein all issues in contractual disputes must be resolved,” he stated.
As part of measures to boost transparency, he said all Ministries, Departments and Agencies would now be required to publish monthly contract awards and submit quarterly performance reports.
“In order to ensure projects are implemented in accordance with the terms of contracts, we have agreed that all MDAs must publish all contracts on their websites and on the website of BPP every month and must forward quarterly reports,” he said.
The BPP boss also disclosed that work was ongoing on a national procurement transformation strategy that would guide reforms at the federal, state and local government levels.
He noted that digital platforms had been deployed to automate procurement processes and reduce human interference, adding that hard-copy submissions had largely been eliminated.
“In the last one year, we no longer receive hard copies of requests. Now, it is direct transmission digitally to the Bureau of Public Procurement,” he said.
Adedokun stated that more than 4,000 procurement officers had been registered in a central database, enabling better monitoring of professionals and strengthening oversight.
He added that the Federal Government’s Nigeria First policy was being expanded to prioritise indigenous businesses in sectors such as automobiles, textiles, information technology, renewable energy and agriculture.
According to him, the policy is already producing results in the automobile industry, with public institutions encouraged to purchase locally assembled vehicles.
The director-general further revealed that policies had been developed to reserve portions of government procurement for women-owned businesses, startups, vulnerable groups and host communities.
He added that specialised procurement frameworks were being designed for sectors including infrastructure, pharmaceuticals, education and information technology to improve efficiency and project execution.
Adedokun said procurement officers were now subject to stricter accountability standards following the restoration of career management responsibilities to the bureau, warning that sanctions would be imposed on officers who violate provisions of the Public Procurement Act.
He also disclosed that six universities currently offer undergraduate programmes in sustainable procurement, environmental and social standards to strengthen professional capacity within the sector.
Speaking at the event, former BPP Director-General and guest speaker, Dr Emeka Ezeh, called for stronger contract management systems, stricter enforcement of sanctions and improved project monitoring.
Reviewing the evolution of procurement reforms from the Budget Monitoring and Price Intelligence Unit to the establishment of the BPP in 2007, Ezeh said challenges such as contract manipulation, poor project supervision and budget distortions still required sustained attention.
He warned that delays in contract payments often drive up project costs, as contractors factor inflation and payment risks into their pricing.
Ezeh also advocated stronger collaboration among procurement agencies, anti-corruption institutions and civil society organisations to ensure reforms continue to promote transparency, value for money and national development.
He maintained that public procurement remains a vital instrument for reducing corruption, improving service delivery and ensuring efficient management of public resources.
The Centre for Public Accountability had earlier stated that reforms introduced by the Bureau of Public Procurement, particularly measures targeting inflated contract costs and procurement leakages, have saved the Federal Government an estimated N1.1 trillion.