The Lagos State Public Procurement Agency has organised a roundtable discussion for business community on the modern procurement process to create a user-friendly system and a customer-friendly environment for public procurement in the state.

Welcoming participants to the event in Ikeja on Wednesday, the Director-General, Lagos State Public Procurement Agency, Fatai Onafowote, stated that the event was organised in recognition of the important roles played by service providers and stakeholders in ensuring the successful operation of the public procurement system in Lagos.

He said the forum aimed to interact, consult, enlighten and sensitise stakeholders to the law, policies, processes and procedures guiding public procurement in the state.

“The collaboration is aimed at eliminating any perceived bottlenecks and making service providers experience a seamless process from the procurement stage to the payment phase, thereby boosting the efficiency of the procurement process,” he said.

The DG acknowledged the cooperation and support the agency had been receiving from service providers and members of the business community over the years, adding that the modest achievements the agency had made as a regulator of public procurement could not be possible without cooperation and support from stakeholders.

He said as part of the efforts towards making the operating environment customer-friendly and seamless, the agency had engaged in regular consultations and collaborations with key stakeholders involved in the procurement process flow, including the Lagos Internal Revenue Service, State Treasury Office, Office of Internal Audit, Corporate Affairs Commission, Alpha Beta Consulting, Soft Alliance and others.

In a goodwill message delivered at the occasion, the Chairman, House Committee on Procurement, Lagos State House of Assembly, Samuel Akpata, said procurement law had been in place in the state while the Federal Government was just putting up theirs.

He said this showed that the Lagos State House of Assembly had been doing what had been expected of it.

Also speaking at the occasion, the Head of Service, Olabode Agoro, who was represented by the Director, Staff Housing Board, Rafiu Fashola, commended the Lagos State Procurement Agency for the laudable initiative.

In February, senior officials of the Public Procurement and Concessions Commission of the Republic of Liberia embarked on a study tour to the Lagos Procurement Agency to gather experience on the e-procurement system being operated by the state.