The Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) maintains a single National Database for the Registration, Categorization and Classification of Federal Contractors, Consultants and Service Providers (CCSPs) that do or intend to do business with the Federal Government of Nigeria. Registration on this online database at federalcontractors.bpp.gov.ng is what qualifies a company to be considered for Federal Government contracts, and successful registrants can print an Interim Registration Report (IRR), which serves as the BPP certificate. Registration is centralized in the BPP database, but actual bidding is decentralized: individual procuring entities (Ministries, Departments and Agencies) advertise their own tenders and run their own prequalification under the Public Procurement Act 2007. The Nigeria Open Contracting Portal (NOCOPO), also run by BPP under Section 5(r) of the Act, publishes procurement information in the Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) but is a transparency/reporting portal, not the contractor registration system. Foreign companies (foreign CCSPs) are expressly permitted to register in the database and to bid, but as a practical matter must first incorporate a Nigerian entity with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) under CAMA 2020 (s.78), and are subject to a margin of preference favouring domestic bidders on internationally competed tenders (PPA 2007 s.34), plus sector local-content rules (e.g. oil and gas under the NOGICD Act 2010).
National Database of Federal Contractors, Consultants and Service Providers (BPP Contractor Registration System)
Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP)
Foreign companies eligibleLocal entity / agent required
Foreign firms are legally eligible to register in the BPP database and to bid: BPP's own page states 'Foreign CCSPs are also to register in this database,' and the Public Procurement Act 2007 (s.34) explicitly contemplates foreign bidders. However, a local Nigerian entity is required in practice. Under CAMA 2020 Section 78 a foreign company shall not carry on business in Nigeria unless it is incorporated with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) as a separate Nigerian entity, except where specifically exempted under Section 80 (Federal-Government-invited specified individual projects; donor-country/international-organisation loan-funded projects; engineering consultants/technical experts engaged under government contract; certain government-owned export-promotion entities) — an exempted foreign company operates as an 'unregistered company' and must still file with the CAC. BPP database registration itself requires a CAC registration number and a FIRS Tax Identification Number (TIN), which presuppose a CAC-registered entity. In addition, domestic bidders enjoy a margin of preference on internationally competitive tenders (PPA s.34) and, in oil and gas, indigenous firms enjoy a 10% price advantage (NOGICD Act s.16) — so foreign firms are not barred but are competitively disadvantaged and face a de facto local-incorporation requirement. Whether a foreign firm can complete BPP registration without a Nigerian subsidiary (versus relying on a s.80 exemption for a specific engagement) is not fully documented on official pages and should be confirmed with BPP.
Because BPP registration requires a CAC registration number and Nigerian operations require local incorporation, a foreign company generally must first incorporate a company (subsidiary or joint venture) with the CAC under CAMA 2020. CAMA 2020 Section 78 requires foreign companies to be incorporated with the CAC before carrying on business in Nigeria, subject to the limited Section 80 exemptions (e.g. a Federal-Government-invited specified individual project). The CAC issues a Certificate of Incorporation and certified true copies of the constitutive documents.
Register with the Federal tax authority (FIRS / Nigeria Revenue Service) to obtain a Tax Identification Number (TIN), which is required to create the BPP database account and to demonstrate the PPA s.16(6) requirement of having fulfilled tax, pension and social-security obligations. To ultimately bid for and execute Federal contracts, companies also typically need compliance certificates from PENCOM (pension), ITF (Industrial Training Fund) and NSITF (Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund); these agencies are listed by BPP as partner agencies. The commonly cited preparation order is CAC documents first, then FIRS TIN and tax clearance, then NSITF and PENCOM, then ITF where applicable.
Register your company at federalcontractors.bpp.gov.ng by clicking 'Register Now' and providing your Company (CAC) Registration Number, Company Type, FIRS (TIN), Company Address Details and Company's Contact Information (including a company email). No payment is required to register for local companies; foreign companies are subject to a verification fee (amount not published). On successful completion a temporary contractor ID / login credentials are sent to the contact email provided.
Log in with the issued credentials and complete the required sections of the application. Secondary walkthroughs describe nine sections: Introduction, Contract Registration Information, Board of Directors, Professional Association, Business Category, Compliance, Parent Company details, Completed Jobs and Equipment. Attach compliance documents, financial details (including audited accounts) and personnel information, then submit for BPP review/verification. Foreign companies are subject to a verification process (and fee).
After successful completion and acceptance of the registration, the company can print its Interim Registration Report (IRR) from the system. The IRR serves as the BPP certificate and is the evidence of registration in the National Database that is required (alongside other documents) when submitting tenders or expressions of interest to Federal procuring entities.
Registration in the BPP database is centralized, but bidding is decentralized: each procuring entity (Ministry, Department or Agency) advertises invitations to bid / expressions of interest on its own tender notice board and website, in national dailies and in the Federal Tenders Journal, and runs its own prequalification. Only vendors meeting the eligibility criteria of a given solicitation are shortlisted. Bidders must satisfy PPA s.16(6) (professional/technical qualification, financial capability, equipment, qualified personnel, legal capacity, tax/pension/social-security compliance, no fraud conviction) and file the required disclosure affidavit. On internationally competed tenders a margin of preference may favour domestic bidders (PPA s.34); in oil and gas, indigenous firms have a 10% price advantage (NOGICD Act s.16).
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Create free accountBPP database registration is free of charge for local companies for initial registration; foreign companies are subject to a verification fee on registration and a fee on subsequent annual renewal, the amount of which BPP states is 'to be determined' and is not published as a fixed figure on official BPP material. Ancillary costs (CAC incorporation, FIRS/tax, PENCOM/ITF/NSITF compliance) are separate and not quantified here. Foreign-company fee amounts: NEEDS_REVIEW.
Varies per tender — not a fixed registration time.
Public Procurement Act 2007 (Act No. 14 of 2007) governs all Federal Government procurement of goods, works and services and establishes the BPP. Section 16(6) sets out bidder qualification criteria (professional/technical qualifications, financial capability, equipment/infrastructure, adequate personnel, legal capacity, not in receivership/insolvency, tax/pension/social-security obligations fulfilled, no fraud/financial-impropriety conviction, and an affidavit of disclosure). Section 34 permits a procuring entity to grant a margin of preference to domestic bidders, but only on tenders under international competitive bidding. Foreign company presence is governed by the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) 2020, Section 78, which requires foreign companies to incorporate with the CAC before carrying on business in Nigeria, with limited exemptions under Section 80 (e.g. Federal-Government-invited specified individual projects, donor/loan-funded projects, engineering/technical specialists engaged under government contract). In the petroleum sector, the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act 2010 (administered by the NCDMB) gives Nigerian indigenous companies (100% Nigerian-owned) up to a 10% price advantage and requires foreign firms to establish a Nigerian presence and a Nigerian Content Plan (ss.14-16). Sources: https://www.placng.org/lawsofnigeria/laws/Public%20Procurement%20Act.pdf ; https://github.com/mykeels/nigerian-laws/blob/master/2007/public-procurement-act-no-14-2007.md ; https://icrp.cac.gov.ng/assets/docs/CAMA-NOTE%20FINAL-FULL-VERSION.pdf ; https://ncdmb.gov.ng/nc-act.pdf
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This guide is grounded in official sources, last verified 2026-07-21.