The COVID-19 pandemic has put an unprecedented strain on government procurement systems and anti-corruption regulatory bodies around the world, sending governments scrambling amid alarming cases of corruption, misappropriation of public funds, improper contracting procedures for emergency procurement (lacking accountability, and transparency). Before the pandemic, public procurement was already the government's number one corruption risk. Now, the challenges of addressing the supply and demand shocks from the pandemic with outdated and paper-based procurement systems have amplified the case for open contracting across the world.
Nigeria has been in the spotlight prior and more during the pandemic at both national and sub-national levels with deep-rooted corruption and unethical practices plaguing government businesses through procurement. As identified by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), around 60% of corruption cases are procurement-related. Progress has been made by state governments embarking on procurement reform through the World Bank-funded State Fiscal Transparency, Accountability, and Sustainability (SFTAS) program coordinated by the Nigeria Governors’ Forum. Based on learnings from various countries. Implementing open contracting along with citizen engagement presents Nigerian federating states with an opportunity to address the challenges within their procurement processes, attain transparency, internal efficiency, improve service delivery and achieve value for money.
UNDP Nigeria in collaboration with Open Contracting Partnership (OCP), and Accountability Lab Nigeria, Edo, Ekiti, and Plateau state Bureau of Public Procurement, will through the Anti-corruption Innovation Project, build on existing progress to adopt the use of procurement data and innovative technologies to improve access to good quality procurement data that would be used for analysis and monitoring of risks or corruption red flags, support informed decision making, and civic engagement around improved service delivery. The publication of procurement data means that citizens, as well as, civil society can directly track the government’s performance on service delivery it has committed to providing via contracts. Further, clear evidence shows that open contracting can directly contribute to increased economic empowerment, including through bolstering the number and diversity of companies doing business with the government. This, in turn, should lead to improved integrity and trust in the procurement system.
The joint project objectives
Summary of Consultancy
The consultant will work with the procurement reform team in each State’s procurement agency seeking to increase transparency and accountability and prevent corrupt practices in the state’s procurement process to review existing policy and regulatory landscape, including engaging non-state actors within each state to identify policy gaps and understand barriers and co-create better systems for anti-corruption. Ideally, the consultant should be based in Nigeria. International consultants will also be considered, but applications from Nigerian consultants/team of consultants are strongly preferred.
The goals of this consultancy are
Objective and Scope of Services
The primary objective of this consultancy is to conduct a policy landscape analysis of each State’s current procurement practices, identify opportunities for improvement, and develop actionable recommendations for how the state governments might change these policies and draft new policies where necessary. The consultant will lead the research, workshops, drafting of the report, and presentation of findings to the team.
Activities and deliverables will include:
Assignment Duration and Duty Station
The duty stations are Ekiti, Edo and Plateau states. The duration of the consultancy will be a maximum of 30 working days. The start date is July 2022.
The target start and completion dates shall depend on the actual date of hiring and may change depending on what has been finalized and sealed by OCP/ consortium and other logistical considerations.
Note: Successful consultants will be required to provide proof of medical insurance coverage before commencement of contract for the duration of the assignment.
Application
We are looking for consultants with experience leading or supporting procurement reform, digital transformation and/or open data projects; experience legislative drafting & regulatory harmonization; incentivizing behavioral change; and coming up with collaborative and creative solutions that respond to stakeholder needs and incentives.
Applications should include:
The deadline to submit your application is 13 July, 2022. Should you have any questions please contact - Andidiong Okon.