(SINL NIGERIA) The chairman of Senate committee on public procurement, Senator Olajide Ipinsagba (APC, Ondo North) has said the committee will discourage the era of portfolio contractors.
This comes as he described the committee as the heartbeat of the Nigerian economy.
Senator Ipinsagba spoke on Tuesday in Abuja while reviewing activities of the committee.
He said “We also want to discourage portfolio contractors. That you just wake up one day, you register your company and you want to do government job…no.
“We want to investigate whether you have the capacity, whether the resources are there. Whether you have the right manpower to do government job.
“It is all about having name to do it. Do you have the capacity? Do you have the right equipment? The committee will evaluate your commercial tender. And also look at your technical document before they give out any government contract to you.
“I think that is the summary of what this committee stands to achieve. And we will follow strictly the procurement act of 2007. That is our goal.
“That is our guide in carrying out our assignment as a committee. So at the end of the day, Nigerians will be happy with us. And the constituted authority will also be happy with the committee” he said.
The lawmaker noted that the committee will put a stop to any procurement activities that is not properly done. “It is like a regulatory body to watch at the procurement activities in the entire country”.
He explained that the committee is saddled with the responsibility to oversight all the ministries, parastatals, departments and agencies where procurement takes place in Nigeria.
Additionally, Senator Ipinsagba said the committee want to put on ground transparency, acceptability and the best practice to procurement. “We don’t just sit down and wake up and say go and buy a set of items. The committee must work jointly with all these agencies to ensure, like I said, best practice, transparency and acceptability in procurement process”.
He continued “Now is to give Nigerians equal opportunity to participate in effective bidding and tendering exercise. And it’s also to allow Nigerian people or Nigerians to save money. Competitive bidding provides opportunity for money saving” Senator Ipinsagba said.
He added “Now I can assure you with time we are graduating into a different procurement system. Where people can see what is happening after the tendering. It’s no longer to be the analog type of procurement.
“It’s going to be through digital means. We are seriously working with the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) in order to achieve this. We are also advisory body to BPP.
“So we want to ensure that Nigerian procurement system will rank equal with the global procurement system. So that is what we are looking at. And shortly we’ll get there”.
