Professional Review of ICT Procurement Practices and Value for Money Assessment in Nigerian State Universities: Evidence from South East Institutions

ICT procurement in Nigerian state universities is subject to public procurement law requirements, yet the value for money achieved and the technical quality of procurement decisions in South East state universities has not been professionally evaluated. This study reviews ICT procurement practices and value for money outcomes at three South East state universities: Imo State University, Ebonyi State University, and Abia State University. A professional procurement audit methodology was applied, combining document analysis of ICT procurement records from 2019 to 2023, technical specification compliance reviews, and comparative market price benchmarking with structured interviews of 25 procurement officers and ICT administrators. Procurement quality dimensions assessed include specification adequacy, vendor competitive evaluation, total cost of ownership consideration, post-procurement support adequacy, and compliance with the Public Procurement Act 2007. Descriptive and gap analysis were applied. Available ICT procurement literature from South East Nigerian universities identifies non-competitive sole-source procurement, inadequate technical specification development, and absence of post-procurement performance evaluation as the most frequently observed procurement quality deficiencies. The Value for Money Framework by the UK DFID and the Public Procurement Act 2007 compliance standard provide the professional reference. Findings indicate that 41 percent of reviewed ICT procurement contracts lacked technical specification adequacy, and 63 percent had no documented post-procurement performance review. Recommendations address procurement officer technical ICT training, Bureau of Public Procurement compliance certification for ICT tenders, and centralised south-east university consortium procurement. Keywords: ICT procurement, value for money, state universities, South East Nigeria, public procurement.