Procurement Reforms and Value for Money in Local Government Contracts: A Study of Maiduguri Metropolitan Council, Borno State

This study evaluates the effectiveness of public procurement reforms in promoting value for money in local government contracts in Maiduguri Metropolitan Council of Borno State, North East Nigeria. Procurement corruption, including contract inflation, award to unqualified vendors, and ghost contracting, represents a major drain on local government development resources, particularly in a post-conflict environment where reconstruction funds are critical. The study adopts a professional applied research design, collecting data from 80 respondents including procurement officers, contractors, state procurement bureau officials, and civil society procurement monitors through structured questionnaires and document review of contract files. The Public Procurement Theory and the Value for Money Framework provide the conceptual basis. Secondary data includes Bureau of Public Procurement Nigeria reports, Borno State Public Procurement Law documents, and recent academic literature on procurement governance in conflict-affected Nigerian states. Descriptive statistics and content analysis are employed. Expected findings indicate that implementation of open competitive bidding, third-party contract verification, and digital procurement platforms significantly reduces costs and improves construction quality outcomes. The research proposes a practical procurement reform roadmap for Maiduguri Metropolitan Council, including digital contract publication, contractor performance blacklisting, and mandatory community oversight panels for infrastructure contracts. Keywords: Procurement reforms, value for money, local government, Maiduguri, Borno State.