Application of AHP to Vendor Selection for a Public Procurement Agency in Abuja

Vendor selection in Nigerian public procurement is frequently characterized by opacity, political interference, and the absence of systematic evaluation criteria, contributing to poor value for money and project delivery failures. This study applies the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to develop a transparent, structured vendor selection framework for a federal procurement agency in Abuja, North Central Nigeria. A hierarchy is constructed with four main criteria, namely price competitiveness, technical capability, delivery reliability, and financial stability, each decomposed into sub-criteria derived from Bureau of Public Procurement guidelines and expert interviews. Seven registered vendors bidding for a government ICT infrastructure contract are evaluated through pairwise comparisons across all criteria, with comparison matrices completed by a panel of five procurement officers. Consistency ratios are computed to validate the reliability of judgments. The AHP model yields a comprehensive performance score for each vendor, and sensitivity analysis is conducted on criteria weights to assess ranking robustness. Results indicate that two vendors are clearly dominant across multiple criteria, while three are eliminated due to poor technical capability scores. The top-ranked vendor differs from the vendor selected through the agency's existing process, highlighting the potential for AHP to improve decision quality. Recommendations include formally embedding AHP within the agency's vendor pre-qualification process and training procurement officers in its application. This research advocates for evidence-based procurement practices in Nigerian public institutions. Keywords: AHP, vendor selection, public procurement, Abuja, decision support