The House of Representatives Committee on Public Procurement has called for increased budgetary allocation to the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) in the 2026 fiscal year to fast-track Nigeria’s transition to a full electronic procurement system.
The Chairman of the committee, Mr Unyime Idem, made the call during the presentation of the Bureau’s 2026 budget estimates before the National Assembly.
He said that the Bureau occupies a strategic position under the Public Procurement Act 2007 to ensure transparency, accountability, value for money, and due process in the management of public resources.
“Given the urgent need to transition to an e-procurement system in Nigeria, I call on the leadership of the National Assembly and members of this committee to increase budgetary provision for the Bureau in 2026 to facilitate the process,” Mr Idem said.
The chairman, however, reminded the Bureau that the committee had approved funds in previous budgets to support electronic transmission and digital procurement processes.
He charged the management of the Bureau to ensure that provisions for e-transmission would not reappear as recurring items in subsequent budgets.
“We have approved budgetary provisions in the past for electronic transmission. We expect that with this allocation, e-transmission should not continue to reappear in future budgets,” he said.
The lawmaker also urged the Bureau to urgently forward a comprehensive proposal for the amendment of the Public Procurement Act 2007, noting that nearly two decades after its enactment, evolving realities in digital procurement and global best practices make amendment imperative.
The committee assured the Bureau of constructive oversight and thorough consideration of its proposals in the interest of good governance.
While presenting the 2026 budget, the Director-General of the Bureau, Dr Adebowale Adedokun, said that the proposed N32.18 billion budget for the 2026 fiscal year would focus on digitalising Nigeria’s procurement system and strengthening transparency across Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
He said the proposal comprises N17.87 billion for capital expenditure, N8.47 billion for overhead costs and N5.84 billion for personnel.
Mr Adedokun said the 2026 proposal prioritises digitalisation of public procurement, including the deployment of an e-procurement platform that will eliminate manual submissions from MDAs effective March 1, 2026.
According to him, the implementation will be phased, with about 20 agencies to be onboarded by September 2026.
He added that the budget also covers proposed amendments to the procurement law, development of sector-based procurement practices, contractor categorisation, procurement audits and monitoring, as well as affirmative procurement policies to promote inclusiveness for women-owned businesses, SMEs, youths and persons with disabilities.
The committee assured the Bureau of constructive oversight and thorough consideration of its proposals in the interest of good governance.