The Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) has fired a double-barrel compliance warning at procuring entities across the federation. With two fresh circulars signed by its Director-General, Dr Adebowale Adedokun, the Bureau has set September 8, 2025, as a hard deadline for compliance with measures that will reshape the management of procurement officers and entrench a fully digital workflow in Nigeria’s procurement space.
The urgency is unmistakable. In one stroke, the BPP has moved to reclaim oversight of procurement officers from the Office of the Head of Service and, in another, to close the door firmly on paper submissions.
● Circular One: Procurement Officers Back Under BPP Oversight
Circular BPP/DG/2025/266, dated August 28, 2025, gives effect to a presidential directive issued in May that reverted the authority over procurement cadres to the Bureau. To operationalise this mandate, the BPP has launched the Procurement Officers Management System (POMS), a central registry designed to harmonise records and improve oversight.
All procurement officers covered by the Public Procurement Act must complete an online Google Form at https://bit.ly/proc-data, while Accounting Officers must ensure their Directors of Human Resources endorse and submit a parallel form listing details such as induction certificates, grade levels, and IPPIS numbers. Both submissions must reach the Bureau by September 8.
The circular makes clear that failure to comply will attract sanctions under the Public Service Rules and other federal policies, with consequences for both officers and their supervising Accounting Officers.
● Circular Two: The end of paper in procurement submissions
The second reform stems from circular BPP/DG/2025/250, dated August 4, 2025, which first announced the transition to electronic submissions, and its extension circular, BPP/DG/2025/267, dated August 28, 2025. Both now converge on the same September 8 deadline.
From September 9, 2025, the Bureau will no longer accept or process any hard copy submissions. Procuring entities must henceforth use designated email channels: submissions@bpp.gov.ng for procurement documents, official@bpp.gov.ng for receiving correspondence from the Bureau, and info@bpp.gov.ng for general enquiries.
In addition, each entity must provide two official email addresses and phone numbers for authentication. Non-compliance will attract an outright denial of service, meaning the BPP will refuse to accept or process any requests until the entity complies.
● The unified deadline: A compliance crunch with teeth
The genius of the move lies in its consolidation. By aligning both directives to expire on the same day, the BPP has created a compliance crunch that forces procuring entities to tackle two far-reaching reforms simultaneously. One reform recentralises the human element by bringing procurement officers back under the Bureau’s management. The other enforces a structural shift to digital-only operations, shutting off the last escape routes of the paper era.
The timeline is stringent. Entities have only days to complete officer registrations, validate forms, restructure internal processes, and migrate fully to electronic submissions. Officers risk disciplinary sanctions, while organisations risk paralysis of procurement operations.
● The final deadline: Compliance or consequences
The message could not be clearer. The era of fragmented control and paper trails is over. The new order is centralised officer management and electronic compliance. September 8, 2025, is the line in the sand.
Entities that wish to keep their procurement machinery running must act now. The BPP has set the terms. Those who delay will find themselves locked out of the procurement process, and in government business that is the same as grinding to a halt.
