How can small businesses find and win public contracts in Nigeria?
Public procurement in Nigeria is not only for big contractors. Federal policy now actively favours Nigerian suppliers, many contracts are small supply and service jobs, and the process is open to anyone who qualifies. What small businesses usually lack is not ability but preparation and timing.
1. Get registered before you need to be
A 2014 federal circular says contractors not on the Bureau of Public Procurement's National Database may not do business with the federal government. Federal tenders ask for the resulting Interim Registration Report (IRR). States keep their own registers too. Registering, and keeping tax, pension, ITF and NSITF certificates current, takes time: do it before a tender you want appears. See what federal tenders ask for.
2. Use the local preference rules
- Executive Order 003 (2017) requires federal agencies to prefer local manufacturers and service providers, with at least 40% of spending on eight listed categories, including construction materials and ICT, going to local goods and providers (the Order).
- Nigeria First, approved by the Federal Executive Council in May 2025, requires a BPP waiver before an agency buys foreign goods that are available locally (BusinessDay).
3. Bid for what you can deliver
Under the Public Procurement Act 2007, bidders must show the capability, equipment and personnel for the job, and the burden of proof is on the bidder. Start with contracts your past jobs, staff and finances can clearly support, in states where you can deliver. Each one you complete becomes the "similar job" evidence that qualifies you for the next, bigger one.
4. Learn from what agencies buy
Federal agencies submit procurement plans and records to the Nigeria Open Contracting Portal (NOCOPO). Looking at what an agency bought last year, and attending public bid openings, where every bidder's price is read out, shows you what wins.
5. See tenders early
The Act gives at least six weeks between advert and deadline for open bidding. A small business that sees the advert on day one can use all of it; one that sees it in the last week usually can't. That makes finding tenders early as important as pricing well.
How TendaRadar helps
TendaRadar was built for exactly this. It checks government, donor, oil and gas and newspaper-advert sources every day and sends the tenders that match your trades and states to WhatsApp, so a small team doesn't spend hours searching. Browse the open tenders, or start a free trial and set your trades.
Official sources
- Executive Order 003 on support for local content in public procurement (2017)
- FEC approves the Nigeria First policy (BusinessDay, May 2025)
- Public Procurement Act 2007, full text (copy published by NERC)
- SGF circular on the National Database of Federal Contractors (2014)
- Nigeria Open Contracting Portal (NOCOPO)
This guide is general information, not legal or professional advice. Rules change, and each tender's own advert and bidding documents set its requirements: always read them, and check with the buyer or a professional if you're unsure.