Tender compliance certificates

Which employers must register with the NSITF?

Who must register with NSITF? NSITF's FAQ says any employer with one or more staff must register, whatever some guides claim about a five-staff cutoff.

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How long is an NSITF compliance certificate valid?

NSITF compliance certificate validity: guides say one year, but NSITF's own pages do not state it. Check what each tender asks for.

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What happens if a bid declaration to BPP is false?

BPP's false declaration sanction for bidders: a false statement in a bid brings prosecution, debarment and disqualification from public procurement for 10 years. Here is what the affidavit covers, and what the Act adds on top.

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How do you get the ITF compliance certificate?

How to get an ITF compliance certificate: pay your contribution, then the ITF Area Office where the employer is registered checks it before issuing the actual document.

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How many staff before pension registration is compulsory?

How many staff before PenCom registration is compulsory? The Pension Reform Act sets one number, and PenCom's own certificate practice sets another.

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The ITF contribution rate and what payroll includes

The ITF contribution rate is 1% of total annual payroll, but employers often under-count payroll. Here is what ITF's own definition includes.

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PenCom and ITF exemptions: what BPP says vs what the law says

PenCom and ITF exemptions read differently depending on the source. BPP's own pages give one figure, the Acts and PenCom's practice give others.

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Does every bidder need an ITF compliance certificate?

Does a bidder need an ITF compliance certificate? The Act covers any supplier, contractor or consultant bidding for work from a Federal Government ministry, department or agency, a separate rule from the staff and turnover test.

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How to apply for a PenCom pension clearance certificate

How to apply for a PenCom clearance certificate online: the evidence to gather first, the portal steps, and what happens after you submit.

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When must pension contributions be remitted, and what's the penalty?

Pension contribution remittance deadline in Nigeria: when the Pension Reform Act says contributions are due, and what late remittance actually costs.

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Are a pension clearance certificate and a compliance certificate the same?

Pension clearance certificate vs compliance certificate: PenCom uses one name now, older lists and tenders use the other. Same document, one issuer.

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What is ITF Form 7A, and who has to file it?

ITF Form 7A registers a business with ITF for the first time. Submit it to your Area Office, then pay through Remita to get your ITF National Number.

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PenCom, NSITF and ITF: how the three compare for employers

PenCom vs NSITF vs ITF: three separate employer duties, with different staff thresholds, rates and certificates. A side-by-side table for employers.

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Does PenCom charge a fee for the clearance certificate?

Is the PenCom clearance certificate free? A PenCom notice reported by Business Journal in 2023 says issuing it is free of charge. Other costs still apply.

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Is the ITF annual return Form 5 or Form 5A?

The ITF annual return goes by two names. ITF's page calls it Form 5A; the downloadable PDF is titled ITF Form 5. Here is which one you actually need.

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What do you need ready before you register with BPP?

A BPP registration checklist: gather its CAC registration number, company type, tax ID, address and contact details before you start, so your company profile goes in accurately the first time round.

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What happens if an employee has no pension account after six months?

Employee has no pension account? The Pension Reform Act sets a six-month point, after which a nominal RSA rule applies for that staff member.

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What are the ITF fines for a non-compliant company?

ITF fines for a company are reported as ₦500,000 for a first breach and ₦1,000,000 for each later breach on conviction, per PwC's summary of the 2011 amendment. Here is the full picture.

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How do these five compliance certificates fit together?

How TCC, CAC, ITF, NSITF and PenCom fit together for a Nigerian tender: one record and four certificates, each proving a different duty was met.

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What documents does a PenCom certificate renewal need?

PenCom certificate renewal documents: the earlier compliance certificates, staff list and group life evidence a returning applicant needs to provide.

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How soon must an employer report a workplace accident to NSITF?

Report a workplace accident to NSITF: the employer must report it to the nearest NSITF office within 7 days, once the employee has told them.

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What did the ITF Amendment Act 2011 actually change?

Industrial Training Fund (Amendment) Act 2011 cut the staff threshold, raised fines and lowered the training reimbursement cap. Here is what changed, with sources.

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Which compliance certificates does a federal tender need?

Documents needed for a federal tender bid: tender notices commonly list the TCC, PenCom, ITF, NSITF certificates and the BPP IRR, most valid until 31 December of the bidding year.

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What has PenCom said about agents and touts?

PenCom's warning on agents and touts obtaining a pension clearance certificate: what the notice said, the law it cited, and where it came from.

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How is the NSITF contribution rate calculated?

NSITF contribution rate: employers pay a share of total monthly payroll, not a fixed amount per head, and staff pay nothing towards it themselves.

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How do you register on the BPP contractor portal?

BPP contractor registration happens at federalcontractors.bpp.gov.ng. Complete your profile, submit, and you can print your IRR once approved.

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Who counts as an employee for ITF purposes?

Who counts as an employee for ITF? The Act's own test is wide: anyone employed for at least 30 days, Nigerian or not, including directors, part-time, casual and contract staff, which is far wider than a payroll list of permanent staff.

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What does NSITF charge for late or missing contributions?

NSITF late payment penalty: 10% of the unpaid assessment, plus a criminal fine of at least ₦1,000,000 for a defaulting company. Its directors can be caught too.

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Do you have to pay to register with BPP?

Is BPP contractor registration free? Yes: free at federalcontractors.bpp.gov.ng, and anyone who charges you is charging for their own separate service.

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How do you verify an NSITF compliance certificate online?

How to verify an NSITF compliance certificate: NSITF's online verification page, and what to do before you rely on a certificate for a tender.

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What's the difference between BPP's two portals?

NOCOPO and federalcontractors.bpp.gov.ng are not the same portal. Contractor registration and the IRR sit at federalcontractors.bpp.gov.ng, not NOCOPO.

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What is the PenCom pension contribution rate?

PenCom contribution rate under the Pension Reform Act: the employer and employee split, and the employer-only option some companies choose instead.

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Who must pay the ITF levy?

Who must pay the ITF levy? Employers with 5 or more employees are liable, and turnover above ₦50 million can bring in smaller firms too.

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What group life insurance does PenCom require?

Group life insurance for PenCom compliance: how much cover the Pension Reform Act requires, and why a missing policy can hold up a certificate.

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How long does a PenCom clearance certificate last?

How long is a PenCom clearance certificate valid? Every certificate expires on the same date each year, whatever day it was actually issued.

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Can you register with NSITF without an office visit?

NSITF registration online: NSITF's portal has replaced in-person registration, so no office visit is needed to register. Other duties may differ.

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Who is required to register with BPP?

Who must register with BPP? every contractor, consultant and service provider doing or seeking business with the Federal Government, including foreign firms. Joint ventures register company by company, not as one entity.

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What does the Employees' Compensation Act actually cover?

Employees' Compensation Act basics: a no-fault scheme, funded by employers, that pays for work-related injury, disease, disability or death.

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The ITF training plan window and how to claim reimbursement

The ITF training plan window runs between 1 January and 31 March each year. File within it and you can later claim back up to 50% of the training contribution paid of your contribution.

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When is the ITF contribution due, and what does it cost to be late?

The ITF due date most sources give is 1 April of the following year. ITF's own page is not that specific, so here is what is confirmed and what is not.

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