FG mandates 14-day standstill before contract execution

The Federal Government has mandated that all Ministries, Departments and Agencies implement a compulsory 14-calendar-day standstill period prior to the execution of public procurement contracts, with a warning that non-compliance may result in administrative penalties.

This directive obligates government institutions to afford unsuccessful bidders the opportunity to contest or request clarification regarding procurement decisions before contracts are formally executed, thereby enhancing transparency, accountability and equity in the procurement and award of public contracts.

George Akume, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, communicated this requirement through a circular distributed to ministers, permanent secretaries, heads of government agencies, accounting officers and other personnel responsible for public procurement within the Federal Government.

The circular, which becomes effective immediately, instructs all procuring entities to adhere to the standstill requirement for both current and prospective procurement activities.

Pursuant to the directive, government institutions must inform all participating bidders of the intended contract award following approval by the relevant authority. Subsequently, they must observe a 14-calendar-day waiting period before executing the contract agreement or permitting the Letter of Award to take effect.

The government clarified that the waiting period was established to enable unsuccessful bidders to lodge objections prior to the conclusion of the procurement process, rather than permitting contracts to advance immediately following the announcement of the intended award winner.

The circular defined the standstill period as a "mandatory interval between the communication of the Notice of Intended Award and the formal execution of the contract."
It further stated that the objective was "to provide unsuccessful bidders with an opportunity to seek clarification or lodge 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.

The Accounting Officers were instructed to disseminate these directives to their respective Tenders Boards, Procurement Planning Committees, Procurement Departments, and all personnel engaged in public procurement activities, with emphasis placed on the requirement that the directive be interpreted in conjunction with applicable procurement legislation, regulatory frameworks, and BPP guidelines.

The circular made reference to a preceding BPP circular addressing the modification of service-wide prior-review thresholds and corresponding implementation guidelines, thereby reaffirming the government's commitment that procurement operations must adhere to established protocols at all phases.

This recent directive emerges within the context of sustained initiatives aimed at enhancing Nigeria's public procurement infrastructure, which establishes the procedures through which government entities procure commodities and services, allocate construction contracts, and retain consultant services utilizing public resources.

The Public Procurement Act of 2007 established the statutory foundation for federal public procurement and designated the BPP as the governing authority tasked with advancing transparency, fair competition, accountability, and fiscal efficiency throughout the procurement process. The legislation further grants the Bureau the authority to develop procurement policies and guidelines and to supervise adherence by procuring organizations.

Procurement operations hold considerable importance because deficiencies in contract development, competitive selection processes, cost evaluation, and contract oversight can create vulnerability of public resources to misappropriation and misuse.

The Bureau of Public Service Reforms has recognized open tendering, competitive bidding, price benchmarking, and the disclosure of tender particulars as critical elements in advancing transparency and minimizing irregularities in government procurement activities.

Within the procurement structure, the objective is to guarantee that contracts are allocated through prescribed methodologies rather than discretionary determinations, incorporating thorough examination of expenditures, contractor qualifications, and the technical capability of service providers to execute contracted work.

The 14-day standstill directive establishes a procedural safeguard by mandating that procuring entities maintain a temporal interval between announcing an intended award decision and executing the contract.

This provision affords unsuccessful bidders the opportunity to lodge objections regarding the procurement process prior to contract finalization. Furthermore, it imposes a requirement upon the procuring entity to maintain records of all complaints and provide evidence demonstrating their resolution.

This mechanism holds particular significance for substantial public infrastructure initiatives and government acquisitions involving considerable public resources, wherein disputes concerning bidder eligibility, evaluation methodologies, or award determinations may compromise procedural integrity.

Nevertheless, the circular does not stipulate that every complaint shall automatically precipitate cancellation of the proposed contract. Rather, it mandates the cessation of further contractual execution steps where warranted, contingent upon resolution of complaints submitted during the standstill period.

The directive also emerges within the context of comprehensive procurement modernization efforts undertaken by the Federal Government in 2026.

In February, the BPP introduced a transition toward a digital submission platform for procurement-related submissions and official communications from MDAs, encompassing applications for certificates of no objection, exceptional procurement authorizations, technical clarifications, and procedural status inquiries. The Bureau indicated that the digital infrastructure was designed to enhance submission efficiency, strengthen transparency mechanisms, and enable systematic documentation management of procurement materials.

In May, the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation released updated guidelines addressing contract modifications and the obligatory implementation of finalized designs. These guidelines reinforced centralized oversight of petitions to adjust contract values or project parameters and mandated that MDAs disclose particulars of sanctioned modifications, including the contractor identification, initial contract value, adjusted amount, and substantiation for the alterations.

The guidelines establish sanctions pursuant to the Public Procurement Act for designated breaches concerning unverified variations and scope expansions, encompassing the removal of personnel and exclusion of vendors as warranted.

In a concurrent announcement, the Director-General of the BPP, Dr Adebowale Adedokun, announced in June that modified procurement thresholds had diminished the Federal Executive Council's participation in standard contract endorsements by transferring additional authority to ministerial and parastatal procurement boards and accounting officers.

Pursuant to a report issued by the News Agency of Nigeria, the modifications aimed to minimize avoidable approval postponements while preserving mechanisms for openness and fiscal responsibility. These actions demonstrate the administration's commitment to reconciling expedited procurement determinations with enhanced supervision of governmental expenditures.

The 14-day notification interval, nonetheless, underscores that expediency cannot supersede the mandated protocols for communicating with bidders and permitting grievances to be assessed prior to contract implementation.

For MDAs, adherence necessitates that procurement divisions, Tenders Boards and Accounting Officers incorporate the suspension period into award timelines, guarantee that all competing bidders obtain the mandated communication and preserve documentation of any grievances and corresponding remedial measures.

The requirement pertains to both active and prospective procurement undertakings, in