Bangladesh's nearly 65 per cent procurements have been brought under the electronic system through the government-introduced e-GP, said sources at the Bangladesh Public Procurement Authority (BPPA) on Tuesday.
All the procurements will be brought under the e-GP system within a few years, said Mohammed Shoheler Rahman Chowdhury, chief executive officer of the BPPA while speaking at a workshop for journalists on the establishment of BPPA and Sustainable Public Procurement in the city on Tuesday.
Md Mahfuzar Rahman, director (joint secretary) of the BPPA, presented a detailed overview of BPPA's establishment, functions and Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP).
The BPPA has also recently introduced the Tenderers Database in the electronic government procurement (e-GP) system for facilitating transparency in public procurement process, the CEO said.
As the chief guest, Abul Kashem Md Mahiuddin, secretary, Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) said the government will soon expand IMED's jurisdiction nationwide to effectively monitor development activities.
Under the IMED, a department will be established promptly to ensure effective supervision of project implementation under the annual development programme (ADP).
The IMED secretary mentioned that once the Central Procurement Technical Unit (CPTU) was a small unit under the IMED which has now been converted into the BPPA aiming to boost operational challenges amid higher public procurement demands.
Some journalists raised concern over the transparency in awarding contracts of different project works under the e-GP as certain companies win several contracts through alleged nexus and collusions while other experienced bidders fails to secure those.
In reply to the concern, BPPA CEO Mr Rahman said that they were working to reform the law and rules for ensuring more transparency in the contract awards.
IMED Secretary Mr Mahiuddin said that since the issuance of a circular related to BPPA, procurement officers have become more vigilant.
He expressed hope for further improvement in this regard over time.
Md Mahfuzar Rahman maintained that all information regarding contractors' work and received bills are stored in the e-GP database, ensuring transparency.
Therefore, hiding any information about vendors is not possible, which will ultimately ensure greater transparency in public procurement processes, he added.
The Tenderers Database was deployed in e-GP system in 2022. Developed and managed by Dohatec New Media as the lead of a joint venture with Beximco IT and GSS Infotech, the e-GP system of BPPA has been acclaimed at home and abroad.
The former CPTU was transformed into BPPA on September 18, 2023.
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