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by Zainab Adewale
On March 22, 2023, ROUNDCHECK conducted a search on the Ondo State Bureau of Public Procurement (ODBPP) where we found that the web address/website was inactive and inaccessible (at the time of filing this report).
Although there are no social media accounts traced to the Ondo State Bureau of Public Procurement, a keyword search on Google provided the web link (bpp.on.gov.ng) which was observed to be inaccessible and inactive.
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What Ondo State Public Procurement Law Says
According to the Ondo State Procurement Law, section 5 (s) which stipulates the functions of the Bureau, there should be an internet portal to serve as a source of information for all public procurement.
Section 5 (s) reads: “establish a single internet portal that shall, subject to Section 16 (10) of this Law serve as a primary and definitive source of all information on Government procurement containing and displaying all public sector procurement information at all times;”
An inactive web portal to access all procurement information in Ondo State is technically a contravention of its procurement law.
The State Bureau of Public Procurement is the regulatory body responsible for monitoring and providing oversight of public procurement of goods, services, or construction (within the state).
They are responsible for harmonizing the existing government policies and practices by regulating, setting standards, and developing the legal framework and professional capacity for public procurement in Nigeria.
With this framework, states now have a procurement law that guides their contracting activities.
Ondo State is one the states that have localized the State procurement law, hence, its website is expected to be active to ensure accountability in the public expenditure process and adherence to its law.
ROUNDCHECK Findings
The goal of the state BPP is to award timely and cost-effective contracts to qualified contractors, suppliers, and service providers for the provision of goods, works, and services to support government and public service operations in accordance with the principles and procedures established in the public procurement laws.
The site of a regulatory body like Ondo State BPP headed by the Ondo State Governor, (currently Governor Rotimi Akeredolu) as the chairman and Tolu Fadahunsi, the Director General Ondo State Bureau of Public Procurement amongst other officers holding different positions, should not be inactive being a public procurement site that citizens can visit to check for information about state procurement.
Section 2 (a-h) provides for the establishment of the State Board on procurement in Ondo State.
According to the law guiding the state BPP, the state procurement site is supposed to be active and accessible at all times. Checking other Southwestern states like Ogun and Oyo states procurement sites, they are active and functioning
Every website that has a domain ending in “.gov.ng” indicates that it is government-owned or related. The question remains if Ondo State Government and the ODBPP executives are aware of its inactive website.
Verdict
The state procurement website needs to be reactivated to provide access to information regarding oversight of public procurement of goods, services, or construction in Ondo State.
If other state websites are functioning, the Ondo State BPP website should also be active as an act of transparency to the citizens as well as adherence to section 5 (s) of the procurement law that set up the Bureau.
