The Nigeria Public Procurement Certification Scheme consists of four tiers, each corresponding to a different level of expertise and responsibility in public procurement. Each tier outlines specific competencies, educational qualifications, and experience requirements for procurement professionals.
Certification Tiers:
Tier 1: Public Procurement Associate
This will be the basic stage and foundation stage for those who are starting certification in procurement. The minimum academic requirement as shown in table 1 will be (a) Bachelor’s degree/HND in any field (b) Ordinary National Diploma/NCE, (c)Secondary School Certificate, the candidate is also expected to go through Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) on line course and Track A of SPESSE centre of excellence modules 1 & 2 while some of the soft skills required will include : Communication skills, Motivation for advancement, Team collaboration skills, Time management, Meeting deadlines and Ethical behaviour as per code of conduct among others. The Tier 1 is equivalent to level 2 (Certificate level) in the Global standard (CIPS) as shown in Figure 2.
LOCAL CONTENT MANUAL_MODULE 1 (pdf)
General Introduction to Module 1 (video)
Unit 2: Introduction to the PPA 2007 (video)
Tier 2: Public Procurement Professional
This is the second level of National Public Procurement Certification route (NPPCR) in Nigeria, the minimum academic requirement as indicated in Table 1 is Bachelor’s degree/HND in any field or Ordinary National Diploma/NCE. The minimum general and specific experience is Three (3) years of employment of which 2 years practicing procurement either in private or public sector or Five (5) years of employment of which 3 years practicing procurement either in private or public sector. The candidate is required to take mandatory BPP on line training , Track A: Modules 1 to 8 offered by Centres of Excellence (COE). Some of the soft skills required are: Team-building skills, time management, Delivery within deadlines and Risk Management among others.
Tier 2 of the NPPCR is equivalent to level 3 (Advance level) in the Global standard (CIPS) as shown in figure 2
Tier 3: Advanced Public Procurement Professional
The minimum academic requirement as indicated in Table 1 is Master’s degree in any field or Bachelor’s degree/HND in any field with Twelve (12) years of employment of which 8 years is in practicing public procurement or Senior official with 10 years practicing procurement or Master degree from COE with minimum of 2 years practicing public procurement or 3 years in private sector with two years involvement in procurement for 2 years as minimum general & specific Experience. It is mandatory that the candidate must attend on line training by BPP and COE Track B modules and some of the soft kills required as stated in table 2 include: Management Information system (MIS), Team management building skills, time management, delivery within deadlines, resolution of conflict in the workplace, upholding confidentiality, decision-making, managing relationships with stakeholders and vendors and results-oriented skills.
Tier 2 of the NPPCR is equivalent to level 4 (Diploma) in the global standard (CIPS).
Tier 4: Fellow Public Procurement Professional
This is the final stage of the NPPCR and at this level the candidate. The candidate at this stage should be able to lead all Procurement activities and attain set goals and targets of the organisation. The minimum academic requirement is Master’s degree in any field or Bachelor’s degree/HND in any field. From Table 1 , the candidate is expected have minimum or general and specific experience of 15 years of employment of which 10 years practicing public procurement either in private or public sector OR ii) 16 years of employment of which 12 years practicing public procurement at PEs . The candidate is required to take mandatory Online training by BPP and Track B modules of the Centres of Excellence procurement courses. Some of the soft skills required at this level include: Advanced Team management, team- building skills, advanced time management, enforcement of the organization’s discipline and accountability measures, Resolution of conflict in the workplace, and upholding confidentiality among others. Tier 4 is equivalent to professional diploma level 6 of the Global Standard (CIPS).