DPSS Consultants, UK and OMNL (Office Machines Nigeria Ltd) have kicked off curriculum development and qualifications structure for institutions in Nigeria under the World Bank economic reform and governance programme to produce a world class curriculum infused with global best practices.
This is coming on the heels of recent findings that some government procurement officers need to strengthen their skills and acquire competencies to be able to execute their job professionally thereby achieving transparency, value for money and compliance with the Public Procurement Act 2007.
Similarly, most institutions and local training organization offer courses in procurement or supply chain management without learning about modern tools, concepts, models and best practices as a result leaving them half baked and without requisite skills to integrate into international procurement standards.
But Mr. Okey Ikpe, managing director/chief executive officer, OMNL said his firm is tackling the skill and manpower shortage in the procurement sector with a tailor-made public procurement qualifications structure, curriculum assessment methods for use by local institutions and training practitioners.
His firm along with DPSS Consultants, UK is already working on the curriculum with the support of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (the World Bank) programme towards the Economic Reform and Governance Project (ERGP) through the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP).
The BPP had on behalf of the federal government of Nigeria applied for a portion of the funds to engage DPSS Consultants UK and OMNL to develop professional procurement qualifications structure and training curriculum for use by training institutions in Nigeria.
Ikpe said alongside Paul Kelvin Jackson of l DPSS Consultants and his firm (OMNL), stakeholders meetings and consultations with other relevant professional bodies and associations have commenced.
Various professional associations represented at the meeting include the Procurement Professional Association, Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply Management Nigeria, Nigerian Bar Association, Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), Nigerian Society of Builders amongst others.
Also consultation was held with the World Bank and the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply UK.
Ikpe praised BPP for being forth right in adopting practical and best practice approach to increase procurement knowledge, competence and skills development opportunities for all procurement officers in the federal ministries, departments and agencies.
“We believe that this will help create rich pedagogical content that is useful, relevant and comprehensive for teaching and learning in institutions. Similarly it will ensure that curriculum developed is in line with international standards”
According to him, the acquisition of goods, works and services in public sector at local, state or national level accounts for significant percentage of government spending thus globally procurement management is given the status of a strategic function and deemed as a profession.
He said that “The curriculum will clearly design a clear structure in relation to job roles, levels / cadre and activities. This will be accompanied by a competency framework setting out the requirements for each level. This is part of what this engagement will achieve”
“We anticipated that at the end of the exercise DPSS consultants and OMNL will design and develop Nigerian public procurement qualifications structure, curriculum assessment methods for use by local institutions and training practitioners” Ikpe also said.
He also spare kind words for the Bureau of Public Procurement for strongly committing to the fact that people are Nigeria’s greatest assets and that a sustained investment in their training and development for the benefit of government procuring entities and individual officers is critical to national development and successful implementation of the Public Procurement Act 2007.
“Hence the Bureau considered the need to build and develop the required capacity within the Federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies to execute the procurement processes in accordance with the law and in line with International standards and best practices a critical success factor” he stated.