Edo has been proclaimed the leading state in e-procurement in Nigeria by the World Bank, with the state awarding over 38 contracts in four pilot Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) since the launch of its electronic portal in mid-2021.
The Managing Director of Edo State Public Procurement Agency, Mr. Henry Idogun, disclosed this, yesterday, to journalists in Benin.
Idogun spoke while addressing participants at a workshop organised by the Nigeria Governors’ Forum to understudy the e-procurement model of the Governor Godwin Obaseki administration.
Recall that the state government had, in July 2021, launched the electronic public procurement system to ensure a transparent and accountable process in its public procurements.
Idogun said: “As of today in Edo, we have awarded a total of 38 contracts through the electronic portal; these contractors bid through the portal and the award was made through the portal as well and if they win, they will also get notifications through their devices.
“The programme itself is World Bank-assisted; they have ranked Edo to be the leading state in terms of e-procurement. So, states that have not got to our level have decided to come and understudy us.”
The Managing Director disclosed that the state signed the e-procurement framework agreement on the December 1, 2020 and it went live on the 16th of July 2021.
“As of today, we have conducted 38 electronic procurements across the four pilot MDAs on the portal and that portal is live.
“I believe in the next few days, our team will be able to show you what we have done, as well as some decisions we took at the initial stage that helped us. I see this visit as an exchange visit.”
Reaffirming Idogun’s position, the representative of State Fiscal Transparency and Accountability for Sustainability (SFTAS) Technical Assistant Project Coordinator, Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Mr. Solomon Affun, said Edo has been identified as the leading state in e-procurement process.
He said: “Five states are currently in the second batch to study Edo. They are here to learn how Edo has made success in their e-procurement process.”
