By David Agba
Abuja
Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Mr Mohammed Adoke, yesterday threatened to exclude and jail any contracting firm that fail to submit itself for registration in the database.
This is even as the effort by the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) to sanitise the process of bidding for Federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs’) contracts received the endorsement of the Federal Government.
Adoke made the disclosure at a forum for contractors, consultants and other service providers to the federal government and its institutions organised by the Bureau in Abuja.
BPP is currently registering contractors, consultants and service providers doing, or intending to do business with federal agencies with a view to classifying them according to their sizes and competencies.
In an address read on his behalf by a Director in the Office of the Solicitor-General of the Federation, Mrs. Olusola Moore, the minister said that companies that fail to submit themselves to registration on the database would be dealt with.
He explained: “The essence of the provisions of the law highlighted above is to stress the need for relevant stakeholders to get registered under the e-platform in order to guarantee he continued participation of their companies in federal procurement.”
Also speaking at the occasion, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Ayim Pius Ayim, said the forum with contractors “further provides an opportunity to stress our commitment to transparency and accountability. It is this commitment that has led us to give full backing to BPP in forging ahead with the reform of the Public Procurement system, as provided for by the Public Procurement Act, 2007.”
Ayim stressed that government would not hesitate to invoke all the sanctions under the provisions of the Public Procurement Act 2007 against any public officer or contractor or consultant who contravenes any provisions of the Law.
