By Polycarp Auta
Jos – Mr Peter Dogo, the Dircetor-General, Plateau State Bureau for Public Procurement, says introduction of Electronic procurement will curb corruption in the procurement process in the state by 90 per cent.
Dogo, who stated this at a news conference on Wednesday in Jos, added that electronic procurement would ensure transparency and accountability in the procurement process.
He said the bureau had put in place modalities to commence procurement process in Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) using electronic methods.
He also said that electronic procurement would reduce constant interface between persons, and that it would also put the public in the know of the process.
“The bureau has recorded some modest achievements in 2019, particularly in the areas of trainings and manpower development.
“In 2020, one of the focus is on the need to introduce the E-procurement in the procurement process among MDAs of the state.
“We are going to start with ministries of Works, Health and Education, as pilot scheme and we shall pursue it vigorously. Subsequently, we shall profile other MDAs .
“We want to ensure this comes to reality because E-procurement will promote accountability and transparency, as well reduce corruption in the procurement process by 90 per cent
“It will also enable the populace to be aware of the process and reduce person to person interface because contractors and consultants will be expected to register electronically as well, ” he said.
Dogo said E-procurement would enable members of the public to access information on all contracts awarded by MDAs with ease.
The director-general, however, decried poor funding and paucity of personnel as part of the challenges facing the organisation.
He said poor funding had hampered the agency from providing the needed training for its small number of staff to enable them to perform optimally.
He further said that the paucity of personnel had also reduced the number of staff posted to MDAs to monitor procurement processes.
“Funding is one of our major challenges. We need adequate funding to train our personnel on modern way of doing things.
“We also have shortage of technical staff and this is why instead of posting many staff to MDAs to monitor procurement processes, we result to attaching one staff to many MDAs.
“However, we are doing our best in the discharge of our functions to ensure transparency and accountability in MDAs,” he said.
Dogo thanked Gov. Simon Lalong for supporting the bureau since it’s inception in 2018, and called on heads of MDAs to do same. (NAN)
