DG says effective vetting, price intelligence will curb waste
…warns against executing projects without approved procurement plans
The Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) says it saved Nigeria N400 billion and more than $333 million in the first half of 2026 through effective project management, price intelligence and procurement cost vetting.
The Director-General of the Bureau, Dr Adebowale Adedokun, disclosed this on Thursday at the 2026 International Project Management Day and Induction Ceremony of the Chartered Institute of Project Managers of Nigeria (CIPMN), held in Abuja.
Adedokun said the savings represented funds that could otherwise have been lost through waste and unaccountable spending.
“Only in the first half of this year, we were able to realise, through effective project management and cost vetting activities, savings of N400 billion which ordinarily could have been filtered and made in the system without accountability.
“In dollars, we have saved over $333 million in six months,” he said.
He said the bureau was strengthening its price intelligence, cost-vetting mechanisms and budgetary processes to improve transparency and ensure value for money in government projects.
The BPP boss warned that no project should commence without an approved procurement plan, identifying poor planning as one of the major reasons for the failure of public projects.
“No project can be executed without an approved procurement plan. It is a criminal offence to execute a project that has no approved procurement plan in accordance with the ICPC Act as amended,” he said.
Adedokun also pledged closer collaboration with CIPMN to retrain procurement officers and government contract handlers in project management.
He disclosed that the bureau had already incorporated project management into its training curriculum, urging state governments to ensure that procurement officers undergo mandatory annual refresher courses.
“We are therefore committed to working closely with the Institute to retrain every procurement officer and government contract handler in the act of project management,” he said.
The BPP director-general said the bureau’s interventions for micro, small and medium-scale enterprises (MSMEs), alongside the launch of an MSME public procurement training and digital learning portal supported by the World Bank, were aimed at strengthening local suppliers and improving public sector project delivery.
He said Nigeria’s industrial transformation required more than training and certification, stressing the need to equip local businesses to compete effectively, execute contracts successfully and strengthen domestic value chains.
“Our focus is to translate participation into practical competence, helping SMEs understand requirements, prepare responsive bids and fulfil contractual commitments,” he said.
Adedokun urged newly inducted CIPMN members to uphold professionalism, integrity and accountability in the discharge of their duties.
“Your admission into the Institute is both an honour and a call to responsibility. Let your membership be reflected in the quality of your work, the integrity of your decisions and the value your projects create,” he said.
He noted that procurement and project management must operate together to drive Nigeria’s development, explaining that procurement identifies needs, selects capable contractors and establishes contractual obligations, while project management coordinates resources, schedules and risks to deliver results.
According to him, the success of public procurement should not be measured merely by the number of contracts awarded, but by whether completed projects and assets function effectively and deliver tangible benefits to Nigerians.
