Advancing Transparency in the Nigerian Infrastructure Management Framework
The following is an excerpt from a paper presented by our partner at the Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors Biennial Conference 2023 held in November 2023
Public contracting is the world’s largest marketplace , Yet many governments don’t seem to know what they are buying and selling, for how much, and with whom they are dealing.
Contracting is government’s number one corruption risk ,
•A 2017 World Bank study covering 34,000 firms in 88 countries found that greater transparency in the contracting process (as well as effective complaint mechanisms and external auditing systems) leads to greater competition–particularly from smaller firms–and fewer kickbacks to officials
•At its core, open contracting consists of:
•1) the affirmative disclosure of information; and
•2) participation, monitoring, and oversight.
The OGP Nigeria National Action plan 2023-2025 has some commitments, particularly
•Commitment 1- To ensure more effective citizens' participation across the entire budget cycle.
•Commitment 2 -To ensure an effective and participatory audit that completes the budget cycle and enhances transparency and accountability.
•Commitment 3 -Full Operationalization of Open Contracting and Effective Deployment and Use of Open Contracting Data Standards (OCDS)
The perfect plan for infrastructure is simply:
“The right infrastructure in the right place, at the right time, for the right reasons, all at the right price”
It has become imperative to move from just an open contracting narrative to a clean contracting process, this is particularly needed for the infrastructure sector.
