NPA trains procurement unit on processes, ISO certification

THE Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mohammed Bello-Koko has challenged the procurement department of NPA to be more proactive in terms of decisions on processes and procedures.

Addressing participants at the NPA Procurement Strategic Retreat held recently in collaboration with Renner & Renner Consulting, Bello-Koko said: “The essence of the procurement retreat is for the department to sit and discuss the continuous changes with regards to the Procurement Act, understand and study the many ways they can initiate procurement”.

The theme of the retreat organised by Renner and Renner Consulting Ltd was ‘Moving Procurement to Excellence: Changing the Narratives’.

Explaining further, Bello-Koko said “One thing we are looking at is the right way to do things, how quickly to do it and the best way within the Act. We brought in a consultant who will discuss with our procurement staff and teach them.”

The Country Director, Renner and Renner Consulting Ltd, Dr Ibby Iyama, while addressing the media during the programme, also used the opportunity to implore NPA on the benefits of Procurement Management System (PMS) for International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) certification.

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She explained that they were working with the NPA procurement department to enable them to get their systems right for ISO certification, adding that the company is not in charge of certification.

She noted that presently the Onne, Calabar ports and National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) were the only ISO-certified government agencies in the country.

“Part of the reasons why we have embarked on this retreat is to implement the PMS at the procurement department of NPA.

“The PMS is a system that will streamline, standardise and tighten up things, It will ensure job enrichment, rotation, nobody will be brought down or be high-handed due to rewards.

“Everybody’s performance will be seen through the PMS. With PMS, there is transparency and accountability and it is going to be hard on crime — one cannot be promoted when not due,” she said.

She said that the move was also for the department to understand the Federal Government Procurement Act 2007 and recently 2022, which had new additions, and changes to some fundamental parts of the 2007 Act.

Iyama said that the Procurement Act was the guide of all procurement departments in government agencies and that it was critical for all the staff to be up to date with it.

“So, NPA took the initiatives to move their procurement to excellence and we hope that other government agencies will follow suit because issues with procurement have put a lot of management in the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission spotlight.