Empirical Review and Analysis of Public Procurement Practices in Nigeria: Challenges and Prospects

Procurement has always been one of the vital functions of governments all over the world, Nigeria is no exception. Public procurement comprises government purchasing of goods and services resources for state activities, the basic purpose of which is to secure best value for public money. Data for this study falls under the survey research typology. Data were sourced basically from secondary sources, such as textbooks, journals, magazines, newspapers and government publications etc. Results from this study revealed that the existence of multiple procurement guidelines and procedures, overt emphasis on procurement of manpower, the fear of vigilance, poor/quality training and lack of centralized data sharing facility etc. were the challenges and problems of effective public procurement practices in Nigeria. This study therefore recommended that, there is need to either have qualified staff handling procurement or to provide adequate professional training to convert the procurement officials into procurement managers. Keywords: Analysis, challenges, practices, public procurement and way for word