Mr. Fatai Idowu Onafowote, Director-General of the Lagos State Public Procurement Agency, has emphasised that frequent stakeholder involvement will guarantee a better understanding and synergy in the procurement process and speed up project delivery to residents.
In order to settle differing opinions and policies among Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) engaged in the financial element of the procurement process flow, Onafowote addressed the gathering’s attendees as he welcomed them.
The Director-General emphasised that the program’s goal is to ensure that employees of impacted MDAs are familiar with the fiscal rules governing procurement in order to remove any potential bottlenecks.
Five discussants participated in the roundtable, and at its conclusion, the participants published a 21-point statement outlining the steps that must be taken to streamline the procurement process.
The participants came to the consensus that, in order to minimise project execution delays, the procurement procedure should be carried out by MDAs before Mr. Governor’s approval.
In order to achieve cost efficiency, the meeting also recommended for all MDAs with project inspection responsibilities to implement collaborative project inspection and report harmonisation.
Additionally, the Lagos State Public Procurement Agency was urged to step up its efforts to educate and inform all relevant participants in the procurement process, including political leaders, accounting officers, and other MDA officials who may be involved, as well as contractors and service providers, about the importance of adhering to the Procurement Law and other regulations governing public procurement.
The participants also urged that the Lagos State Public Procurement Agency provide the Guidelines for Small and Medium Enterprises to all MDAs in the state as well as the updated list of insurance firms that the State Government has authorised for the issuing of insurance bonds.
Accountants, internal auditors, budget and planning officers, budget and planning officers from the State Treasury Office (STO), the Office of Internal Audit, the Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget, and procurement officers from the Lagos State Public Procurement Agency were among the attendees at the event, which took place at the Amber Residence, G.R.A., Ikeja, Lagos.
Mr. Akintunde Omomofe, a governance reform consultant with deep expertise in important facets of public financial management, including budgeting, finance and accounting, revenue administration, public procurement, audit reforms, and human resource management, served as the roundtable’s moderator.