The Lagos State government has called on contractors in the state to ensure project execution is in strict adherence to contractual procedures in line with international best practices.
This was disclosed by the state commissioner for economic planning and budget, Ope George at a recent one-day monitoring and evaluation stakeholders forum with the theme: “Unfreezing the path to precision in project documentation and valuation processes,” according to Businessday.
The Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget’s Monitoring and Evaluation Section organised the event.
George said the meeting underlines the importance of cooperation between all stakeholders, which was in line with THEMES+ the agenda of the governor.
He pointed out that, to facilitate a smooth monitoring and evaluation process, the challenges and potential solutions identified during the Forum would serve as roadmaps for stakeholders across the country.
Meanwhile, the commissioner of energy and mineral resources, Biodun Ogunleye in his presentation titled ‘Importance of valuation in the preparation of prepayment certification’ said the stages of procurement are as follows: identification of needs, determination of requirements, budgetary, and preparation.
He argues that, in line with the legal and regulatory requirements, each stage guarantees transparency, fairness, and value for taxpayers’ money.
In addition, the Commissioner pointed out that, to ensure transparency, accuracy, and accountability in the disbursement of public funds, while respecting the rules and preventing misuse, the public procurement processes include budgetary allocation, authorisation, invoice verification, payment execution, recording, reconciliation, and reporting.
However, the permanent secretary of the economic planning and budget ministry, Amodu Obajomo Amodu Obajomo said that the Lagos State Government is committed to promoting proactive communication and cooperation with partners to ensure prudent and equal resource allocation.
He said, “It is imperative to uphold internationally accepted best practices and adhere to Standard Operational Procedures (S.O.P.) to ensure quality service delivery.”