5pc contractors secure 61pc of projects: TIB

A decade of data on electronic Government Procurement, or e-GP, shows that 5 per cent of contractors dominate 61 per cent of the projects in the 10 ministries with the highest spending, according to Transparency International Bangladesh, or TIB.

Meanwhile, the bottom 10 per cent contractors hold less than 1.0 per cent of the market share across all ministries.

The anti-corruption watchdog highlighted that tripartite collusion between the bureaucracy, contractors, and political forces has institutionalised "market dominance" in government procurement, reports bdnews24.com.

The TIB conducted a study titled "Bangladesh's e-Procurement: Monopolistic Markets, Collusion, and Political Influence (2012-2014)" and presented its findings at a press conference at its office in Dhaka's Dhanmondi on Tuesday.

TIB Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman shared the research data. He said since the launch of e-GP in 2011, projects worth nearly Tk 5.97 trillion have been awarded through this system.