Transparency: Ekiti govt to encourage competitiveness in awarding contracts

The Ekiti State government will continue to encourage competitiveness and fairness in the award of contracts in the State by empowering the Bureau of Public Procurement to perform optimally.

The State Head of Service, Dr. Olugbenga Faseluka gave the assurance while opening a one-day sensitization workshop for procurement stakeholder at Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti.

The Head of Service said the need for transparency and best practices necessitated the conduct of a Public Procurement need assessment in 2007 which report indicated the level and status of procurement activities in the State as major drain pipes of public resources.

Dr. Faseluka who stressed the need for transparency in procurement said the establishment of the State Bureau of Public Procurement has helped the state government to run its economy in line with the World Bank’s recommended transparency procedure and world best practices.

He expressed optimism that the one-day sensitization workshop would entrench procurement values in the participants.

“The Bureau of Public Procurement has since put in place procedures, systems and structures to pursue economy, efficiency and effectiveness in public procurement.

It is the application of the principles of openness or transparency, competency or qualification and competition or equal; opportunity to all, in the conduct and award of government contracts, thus ensuring that the winner, the cost and quality are right for every kobo of the State’s public treasury that is spent in the procurement of goods and services and works”, he said.

According to Faseluka, the workshop would focus topics ranging from devolution of authority, bid process mechanism and anti-corruption among others.

In his welcome address, the Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Samuel Oye Bandele said the workshop was in total accord with his vision of “transparent pursuits of a 21st century globally acclaimed university that will excel in academics, research culture and moral values”.

The Vice Chancellor noted that though the State Procurement law had been in existence since 2010, the University did not deem it fit to establish a Procurement department until his appointment as Vice Chancellor.

Bandele said the procurement unit was established in order to ensure transparency and probity in the varsity’s procurement dealings.