The registration and classification of contractors, consultants, and service providers doing federal government contracts and the intending ones are key to the Transformation Agenda of Goodluck Ebele Jonathan Administration.
This responsibility enshrined in section 5(h) of the Public Procurement Act 2007, expects the Bureau to maintain a national database of the particulars of Federal contractors and service providers for ease of information sourcing, and analysis and in conformity with the needs of the new information age.
The DG BPP, Engr. Emeka Ezeh, FNSE stated at the Presentation of the National Database for Registration, Categorization and Classification of Federal Contractors, Consultants and Service Providers Module at the State House Auditorium that the centralized database and categorization of contractors, consultants and service providers doing business with the federal government, is tailored to work in tandem with the Transformation Agenda of the Administration.
Emeka Ezeh highlighted the fact that exercise is anticipated to enhance efficiency, save cost in public procurement, improve budget implementation, and increase professionalism, besides initiating transparency in public procurement process. With the avowal believe that the exercise by implication will help reduce corruption to the barest level in the process.
The Chief Economic Adviser to the President, Dr. Nwaze Okidegbe at the presentation stated that the exercise is completely in line with the Transformation Agenda of Mr. President. He emphasized that the centralized database and the categorization will help build local capacity, as it will motivate businesses to aspire to grow in order to fit into the frame of work and encourage high level competition among bidders.
He pointed out the fact that with this in place, the craze to look for any top government functionary before getting government contract will be done away with. This he said will minimize corruption, will save government a lot of money and will equally encourage Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).
Dr. Alain Nkoyock of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) stated that Nigeria being a signatory to the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC), UNODC is supporting BPP within the framework of UNCAC to help prevent corruption and the exercise of the Bureau is germane to achieving this purpose. He further stated that UNODC is working with the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) which is in charge of helping member states in adopting the Model Law on procurement of goods, construction and services, stating that the public procurement Act 2007 is based on the model law of UNCITRAL. As such, the categorization exercise of BPP is in consonance with the international best practices.
At the national presentation of the module were different professional bodies, the Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), Development Partners and Government Agencies.
