The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will soon start the assessment of procurement risks as it is finalising the next country partnership strategy (CPS) for Bangladesh for 2016-2020 period, officials said.
The lender has recently sought permission from Economic Relations Division (ERD) for fielding a mission during July-August period as its governance framework requires risk assessment before finalising the CPS.
"ADB's governance framework requires that country and sector/agency procurement risks be assessed during the preparation of CPS and mitigated at the project level as part of project preparation," ADB country director in Bangladesh Kazuhiko Higuchi said in a recent letter.
He said currently the CPS is under preparation and therefore country and selected sectors/agencies' procurement risks need to be carried out.
The risk assessment report will recommend country and sector specific procurement supervision thresholds, and will also confirm or recommend modification of the procurement method or international competitive bidding threshold on the basis of market assessment.
The assessment aims at identifying risks in systems and practices in terms of efficient use of resources, developing a practical risk management plan. The assessment will be conducted through desk review of procurement laws, regulations and processes and consultation with counterpart government authorities, development partners and other relevant stakeholders.
The risk assessment report will recommend sector specific procurement review thresholds, and international competitive bidding (ICB) threshold on the basis of contractor's market assessment.
The ADB team will hold several meetings with project directors of selected implementing agencies and central procurement technical unit (CPTU) to discuss procurement-related issues.
Earlier, the ADB had carried out background study including a growth diagnostic, poverty analysis, environment assessment, gender analysis, and private sector study.
Officials said the ADB intends to submit the CPS before its board for consideration of approval early next year.
When contacted, joint secretary of ERD Begum Fatima Yasmin told the FE the CPS is being prepared for five years period in line with the Bangladesh's five-year plan. Presently, Bangladesh government is preparing its seventh five-year plan.
The CPS contains year-wise indication of assistance, she said.
Ms Yasmin said the ADB also prepares three-year country operation business plan (COBP) based on the CPS.
Meantime, a draft aide memoire of the ADB indicated that its COBP for 2016-2018 may go beyond the indicative US$ 2.68 billion (268 crore) mark for increased fund needs following 'over-programming'.
The ADB in the aide memoire says its 2016-2018 funding programme will respond to the current development priorities of the government, including sustaining strong and inclusive economic growth and human development.
As one of the leading development partners, ADB's cumulative lending to Bangladesh reached nearly $15 billion until the FY 2013-14.
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