Monitor Projects From Contract to Delivery, BPP Urges CSOs

The Bureau of Public Procurement has urged Civil Society Organisations to monitor public projects from procurement planning and contract award through implementation and final service delivery.

The Director-General of the BPP, Adebowale Adedokun, made the call on Wednesday at the BPP-CSO Engagement in Abuja, stressing that civil society groups have an important role in strengthening transparency and accountability in public procurement.

Adedokun said CSOs should move beyond checking whether contracts were properly awarded and determine whether projects ultimately deliver the benefits promised to Nigerians.

He urged them to ask practical questions about public projects, including whether hospitals were completed, equipment delivered, roads made functional, classrooms put to use and communities provided with promised infrastructure.

According to him, procurement accountability should not end with compliance at the contract award stage but should translate into improved public services and development outcomes.

The BPP boss disclosed that the bureau was proposing a structured BPP-CSO Public Procurement Partnership Framework to deepen cooperation with civil society organisations.

He said the proposed framework would cover capacity building, access to procurement information and data, procurement and project monitoring, reporting and early warning mechanisms, as well as citizen engagement.

Adedokun encouraged CSOs to focus particularly on projects that directly affect communities and use procurement information and open contracting data to conduct evidence-based monitoring.

He stressed that partnership with government must not compromise the independence of civil society organisations.

According to him, CSOs should continue to ask questions, examine evidence, identify weaknesses and constructively challenge government institutions where necessary.

He, however, urged civil society groups to ensure that their criticisms were supported by evidence, while assuring them that the government remained open to scrutiny and recommendations.

Adedokun said public procurement was ultimately about development because government purchasing decisions directly affect hospitals, schools, roads, electricity, security, agriculture, employment and other public services.

He said the success of the proposed partnership should be measured by the projects improved, waste prevented, transparency created, communities empowered and public value delivered.

The BPP has increasingly emphasised contract monitoring as part of ongoing procurement reforms, including efforts to ensure that projects are completed on time, meet required standards and provide value to citizens.