The Lagos State Government has taken a bold step towards the complete digitalisation of its public procurement system.

Ten more Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) have been added to the e-procurement platform, and this brings the total number of MDAs on the platform to 169.

This announcement was made at the opening ceremony of a four-day training programme on e-procurement organised for Procurement Officers of the 10 newly integrated MDAs and newly employed officers.

Lagos State employs, trains procurement officers

Speaking at the event, the Director-General of the Lagos State Public Procurement Agency (PPA), Mr. Fatai Idowu Onafowote, noted that newly employed procurement officers would be equipped with the technical skills required for their roles.

He explained that adding more MDAs to the platform would gradually end manual procurements in Lagos State.

He described the training as an opportunity for procurement officers to build personal and professional skills, ensuring their relevance as the government invests in more digital infrastructure and automates its processes.

He thanked Governor Sanwo-Olu for encouraging the agency’s digital transformation agenda to improve the ease of doing business in Lagos State.

Manual procurements to end in Lagos state

The e-procurement platform is on track to be the single digital platform where the Lagos State government will execute all its procurements.

Upon the completion and integration of the remaining MDAs, the e-procurement platform will automate all processes, enhancing execution speed.

FG mandates the purchase of local goods in procurements

The federal government has also introduced some reforms into the procurements at the federal level.

In adherence to the "Nigeria-First" policy, federal ministries, departments, and agencies are mandated to prioritise local manufacturers and businesses in their procurements.

FG to sanction procurement officers for bloating contracts

One of the federal government's reforms is expected to put an end to the recurring issue of overinflating contracts.

The Bureau of Public Procurement has declared that officers found to be involved in over-inflated projects and contracts will be exposed and sanctioned.

The BPP Director explained that this would tackle the rising cost of governance and projects, which have been linked to contractors and procurement officers inflating contract costs.

He added that all forms of irregularities detected in contracts would be exposed and punished accordingly.

FG raises procurement thresholds to speed contracts

In related news, the federal government has raised procurement thresholds in response to the rising inflation that has shrunk the value of the naira.

This effectively increases the volume of contracts that will be brought before members of the Federal Executive Council.

The government also modified some requirements on the national and international bidding process in government contracts.