Public Procurement Reform and Good Governance in Nigeria

Abstract

This paper dwelled on public procurement process and how the reform of procurement regime fosters good governance in Nigeria. This research intends to address the mechanics of the process of acquisition by government and public entities of goods, works and services that are necessary to fulfill their mandate in the provision of services and facilities to the general public as well as dysfunctions that hamstrung the procurement process such as inefficiency, corruption and disregard of fundamental "value for money" considerations, which informed the imperative of reforming the procurement regime in a bid to ensure efficiency and good governance. In the light of the above objectives, this paper is divided into five sections for orderly discussion of issues central to public procurement reform. The sequence of the paper include: First section which introduced the paper, while section two conceptualized public procurement and highlight practices inherent in its processes including procurement framework that comprise procurement organization, procurement legislation, human resource for procurement and procurement process and procedure; third section will examine content and application of public procurement reform in Nigeria; section four discusses the relationship between procurement reform and good governance particularly in enhancing transparency and accountability as well as effective control of public funds in acquisition of goods and service; and the concluding section support the thesis of this treatise  that public procurement reform is one of the prerequisites for good governance in Nigeria.

Keywords: Procurement reform, Good governance and Nigeria