The Federal Government has directed Ministries, Departments and Agencies to enforce a mandatory 14-calendar-day standstill period before executing public procurement contracts, warning that failure to comply could attract administrative sanctions.
The directive requires government institutions to give unsuccessful bidders an opportunity to challenge or seek clarification on procurement decisions before contracts are formally concluded, in a move aimed at strengthening transparency, accountability and fairness in the award of public contracts.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, disclosed this in a circular addressed to ministers, permanent secretaries, heads of government agencies, accounting officers and other officials involved in public procurement across the Federal Government.
The circular, which takes immediate effect, directs all procuring entities to comply with the standstill requirement for ongoing and future procurement activities.
Under the directive, government institutions must notify all participating bidders of an intended contract award after the relevant authority approves the award recommendation. They are then required to wait for 14 calendar days before executing the contract agreement or allowing the Letter of Award to become effective.
The government explained that the waiting period was designed to provide unsuccessful bidders with an opportunity to raise objections before the procurement process is concluded, rather than allowing contracts to proceed immediately after the announcement of an intended winner.
The circular described the standstill period as a “mandatory interval between the communication of the Notice of Intended Award and the formal execution of the contract.”
It added that the purpose was “to provide unsuccessful bidders with an opportunity to seek clarification or file complaints regarding the procurement process before a contract is concluded.”
“No contract agreement shall be executed, and no Letter of Award shall become effective until the expiration of the prescribed Standstill Period of fourteen (14) calendar days,” the circular stated.
The directive further requires procuring entities to promptly address complaints or protests submitted by bidders during the waiting period in accordance with the administrative review procedures established under the Public Procurement Act, 2007, and relevant guidelines issued by the Bureau of Public Procurement.
Where a complaint is received within the 14-day period, the government directed that “further procurement actions relating to contract execution shall be suspended pending the resolution of the complaint, where applicable.”
The SGF also instructed Procurement Officers to maintain adequate records demonstrating compliance with the requirement, including notices sent to bidders, complaints received and actions taken to resolve them.
The circular warned that any procuring entity that failed to comply with the standstill requirement would be liable to administrative sanctions under the Public Procurement Act and other applicable regulations.
“Accordingly, all procuring entities are hereby directed to ensure that all ongoing and future procurement activities fully comply with this requirement,” Akume stated.
He directed Accounting Officers to circulate the instructions to their Tenders Boards, Procurement Planning Committees, Procurement Departments and all officials involved in public procurement, stressing that the directive must be read alongside existing procurement laws, regulations and BPP guidelines.
The circular referenced an earlier BPP circular on the revision of service-wide prior-review thresholds and implementation guidelines, reinforcing the government’s position that procurement procedures must comply with established rules at every stage.
The latest order comes against the backdrop of ongoing efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s public procurement system, which governs how government institutions purchase goods and services, award construction contracts and engage consultants using public funds.
The Public Procurement Act, 2007, established the legal framework for federal public procurement and the BPP as the regulatory body responsible for promoting transparency, competition, accountability, and cost-effectiveness in the process. The law also empowers the Bureau to formulate procurement policies and guidelines and monitor compliance by procuring entities.
Procurement procedures are particularly significant because weaknesses in contract planning, competitive bidding, price assessment and project monitoring can expose public funds to waste and abuse.
The Bureau of Public Service Reforms has identified open tendering, competitive bidding, price benchmarking and the publication of tender information as important components of efforts to improve transparency and reduce irregularities in government contracting.
Under the procurement framework, the aim is to ensure that contracts are awarded through established procedures rather than arbitrary decisions, with appropriate scrutiny of costs, bidders’ qualifications and the capacity of contractors to deliver projects.
The 14-day standstill directive adds a specific procedural safeguard by requiring procuring entities to leave a window between communicating an intended award and finalising the contract.
This gives unsuccessful bidders an opportunity to raise concerns about the process before the contract is executed. It also creates an obligation for the procuring entity to document complaints and demonstrate how they were handled.
The measure could be particularly relevant to large public infrastructure projects and other government procurements involving substantial public expenditure, where disputes over eligibility, evaluation criteria or award decisions can affect the integrity of the process.
However, the circular does not state that every complaint must automatically result in the cancellation of a proposed contract. Rather, it requires the suspension of further steps towards contract execution where applicable, pending the resolution of a complaint received within the standstill period.
The order also comes amid broader procurement reforms introduced by the Federal Government in 2026.
In February, the BPP announced a transition to a digital submission portal for procurement-related requests and official correspondence from MDAs, including applications for certificates of no objection, special procurement approvals, clarifications and status updates. The Bureau said the digital system was intended to streamline submissions, improve transparency and facilitate the tracking of procurement documents.
In May, the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation announced revised guidelines governing contract variations and the mandatory use of final designs. The guidelines strengthened central review of requests to change contract sums or project scopes and required MDAs to publish details of approved variations, including the contractor’s name, original contract sum, revised amount and reasons for the changes.
The guidelines also provide for sanctions under the Public Procurement Act for specified violations involving uncertified variations and scope additions, including the suspension of officers and debarment of contractors where applicable.
In a separate development, the Director-General of the BPP, Dr Adebowale Adedokun, said in June that revised procurement thresholds had reduced the Federal Executive Council’s involvement in routine contract approvals by delegating more responsibilities to ministerial and parastatal tenders boards and accounting officers.
According to a report by the News Agency of Nigeria, the reforms were intended to reduce unnecessary approval delays while retaining safeguards for transparency and accountability. The developments reflect the government’s efforts to balance faster procurement decisions with stronger oversight of public spending.
The 14-day standstill requirement, however, makes clear that speed cannot override the prescribed procedure for notifying bidders and allowing complaints to be considered before contracts become effective.
For MDAs, compliance will require procurement departments, Tenders Boards and Accounting Officers to factor the waiting period into contract-award schedules, ensure that all participating bidders receive the required notification and maintain records of any objections and the steps taken to address them.
The directive applies to ongoing and future procurement activities, according to the circular, and must be read alongside the Public Procurement Act, 2007, existing procurement regulations and BPP directives.
Akume concluded by directing all procuring entities to implement the requirement immediately, adding that “strict compliance is advised.”
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