Examining Competitive Tendering Efficiency in State Government Building Contracts in South South Nigeria

Competitive tendering is the primary mechanism for price discovery and contractor selection in public building procurement, yet its efficiency in delivering value for money in South South Nigerian states has not been rigorously assessed. This study examines the efficiency of competitive tendering processes in state government building contracts in Rivers, Delta, and Akwa Ibom States. A quantitative design was employed, using tender performance data from 80 completed contracts supplemented by surveys of 185 quantity surveyors and procurement officers. Tendering efficiency was assessed across dimensions of bid spread, price predictability, contractor performance correlation, and procurement timeline. Regression and comparative analysis were applied. Findings reveal that average bid spreads in South South state contracts are disproportionately wide (ranging from 35% to 180% of engineer's estimate), suggesting poor tender list curation and inadequate pre-qualification. Successful bids are often outliers at the extreme lower end of the price range, with systematic underbidding followed by variation exploitation observed in 44% of contracts reviewed. Procurement timelines average 11.4 months from project identification to contract award, significantly reducing budget utilisation efficiency. The study establishes that contracts with better prequalified contractor lists and professionally prepared bills of quantities demonstrate narrower bid spreads and better cost predictability. Filling a gap in competitive tendering performance literature, this study provides zone-specific empirical evidence on tendering market efficiency. Keywords: competitive tendering, state government contracts, South South Nigeria, procurement efficiency, quantity surveying