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By Sufuyan Ojeifo

In the heart of Nigeria’s quest for national renewal lies a potent but often overlooked instrument: public procurement. It is where policy meets pavement, where promises become bricks and mortar. The Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), through its transformative circular of 27 May 2025, endorsed by Senator George Akume, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, is rewriting how Nigeria plans, approves and delivers public projects.

These reforms are not mere technocratic tweaks. They are a quiet revolution. Anchored in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, and following the earlier directive of 17 February 2025 on early procurement planning, this new framework sets the stage for a Nigeria where every naira is made to count, whether in classrooms that foster learning, hospitals that truly heal, or roads that endure long after the rains have fallen.

● New framework for empowerment

Imagine a country where contracts are no longer held hostage by needless delays and, where rules serve the people, not the elite. The BPP’s revised monetary thresholds bring that imagination closer to reality.

Contracts exceeding ₦5 billion for goods and services or ₦10 billion for infrastructure works now require both a BPP Certificate of No Objection and approval by the Federal Executive Council. Those below that threshold fall within the purview of Ministerial Tenders Board, with mandatory post-review by the BPP.

Even smaller contracts, as low as ₦25 million, are handled by parastatals and Accounting Officers, freeing up the system to move with pace without compromising rigour.

This tiered structure is not about cutting corners. It is about eliminating waste, empowering MDAs, and embedding accountability in every stage.

As Dr Adebowale Adedokun, Director-General of the BPP, observed, “Procurement is where policy meets reality. If we get it right, Nigerians will see better roads, schools, and hospitals.” This is decentralisation with a purpose, streamlining approvals while reinforcing the Nigeria First policy that places competent local firms at the centre of national development.

● Transparency as a national value

A system that hides in the shadows cannot deliver light. These reforms place transparency where it belongs, at the heart of public procurement. Competitive bidding is the default mode. Restricted or direct procurement is permitted only in well-justified and legally sanctioned cases. Virtual bid openings now require bidders to countersign submissions in real time, reducing room for manipulation and restoring confidence in the process.

Monthly disclosures on the Nigeria Open Contracting Portal (NOCOPO) and on MDA websites are mandatory. These include contract descriptions, budget figures, and even photographic evidence of progress. Procurement is no longer an elite affair. It is a national conversation.

Oversight is no less robust. Quarterly performance reports, audited by the BPP in collaboration with the Central Delivery Coordination Unit, ensure that project delivery remains on track. Bi-annual updates to the National Assembly provide further scrutiny.

Where fraud or abandonment occurs, partnerships with the ICPC and EFCC are triggered, ensuring that accountability is more than a slogan.

● Timelines that make dreams possible

Nation-building cannot afford to operate on a go-slow. The BPP now enforces clear procurement timelines: 91 days for national competitive bidding, 107 days for international tenders, and 98 days for consultancy services.

These aligned with the early planning deadline of 14 March for the 2025 Budget, ensuring that procurement evaluations were completed by May.

Revised Standard Bidding Documents, publicly accessible via www.bpp.gov.ng, provide clarity and fairness for all vendors. No project payment is processed without verified evidence of work completed.

This is not bureaucracy for its own sake; it is discipline with national purpose. With these reforms in place, the 2025 budget is no longer just a spreadsheet. It is a living map of national priorities from infrastructure to social services.

● From participation to regulation

Crucially, the BPP is repositioning itself. No longer a participant in procurement processes, it is now fully focused on its core mandate as a regulator. All stakeholders, whether ministries, departments, agencies, contractors, or vendors, are expected to operate strictly within the rules. The BPP is enforcing those rules with new firmness and fairness.

As part of this redefinition, the Bureau is working closely with the National Assembly and Judiciary to monitor, evaluate, and audit procurement outcomes. Surveillance systems are being expanded. Procurement audits are being institutionalised.

The BPP is also developing ethical guidelines that procurement professionals, both individuals and firms, must follow. These are being shaped in close collaboration with recognised professional bodies to uphold integrity and good governance.

● Building capacity, strengthening trust

The reforms are also laying the foundation for a better-trained, more accountable procurement workforce. Over 7,000 officers have already been trained through the Nigeria Procurement Certification Programme (NPCP), delivered in partnership with six federal universities under the World Bank-supported Sustainable Procurement, Environmental and Social Standards Enhancement [SPESSE] project.

Beyond training as certified professional procurement officers, performance is now tracked via the Procurement Officer Management System. Procurement officers are no longer anonymous technocrats. Their decisions carry traceable consequences.

In a forward-looking move, the BPP is also regulating how procurement training is delivered across the public sector to prevent misinformation and ensure consistent standards.

Recent additional funding from the World Bank and support of other development partners is a clear endorsement. This support signals growing confidence in Nigeria’s reform path and a shared recognition that the country’s procurement system is being modernised with sincerity and precision.

● Citizens as co-builders

In this new era, citizens are no longer passive observers. They are empowered participants. By logging onto the NOCOPO portal, monitoring project progress, flagging irregularities, or simply asking the right questions, Nigerians become co-owners of development. Civil society organisations are already auditing key infrastructure projects, and their role is growing.

This civic participation is vital. This is because procurement is not just about documents and deadlines. It is about delivering results. It is about a borehole that works. A health centre that saves lives. A school where children can dream bigger dreams.

● Continental example in the making

Nigeria’s reforms are not only nationally significant. They are a model for the continent. By aligning with global best practice, integrating AI and blockchain, professionalising the sector, and promoting inclusive access, Nigeria is showing what is possible when political will meets technical capability.

Under the SPESSE programme, the Federal Government, through the BPP, is also expected to share its reform experiences with other African countries. Nigeria is not only learning from others. It is also leading.

The vision is far from small. By 2027, Nigeria plans to launch sector-specific e-procurement portals for oil and gas, healthcare, and infrastructure. Each portal will be tailored, transparent, and integrated with national systems.

● A nation under construction

Let it be said plainly. This is not just about contracts. It is about people. When public funds are misused, it is Nigerians who suffer, whether students in overcrowded classrooms, patients in under-resourced clinics, or farmers stranded on dilapidated roads.

But when procurement is done right, it becomes an engine of dignity. A source of hope. A tool for transformation.

As Dr. Adedokun was once quoted to have said, “For every inflated contract, a Nigerian suffers. That is the pain we are ending.”

This is the moment for all of us, public servants, contractors, civil society, and citizens alike, to take these reforms seriously. The road to a better Nigeria runs through fairer contracts, faster timelines, stricter standards, and smarter systems.

We are not merely spending public money. We are laying the foundations for the Nigeria we all deserve.

●Sufuyan Ojeifo, MNGE, ANIPR, is publisher/editor-in-chief of THE CONCLAVE online newspaper.