WB happy over progress in e-GP process

FE Report The World Bank (WB) has expressed its satisfaction over the progress of electronic-government procurement (e-GP) process and said the project is going ahead in improving transparency and competitiveness. A World Bank team recently reviewed the status of Public Procurement Reform Project II(PPRP) that helps improve procurement management through an extensive capacity development programme, said a bank release on Tuesday. Under PPRP II, four key government agencies - Roads and Highways Department, Local Government Engineering Department, Rural Electrification Board and Bangladesh Water Development Board have started the pilot phase of e-GP by inviting several tenders. The government has initiated to introduce electronic tendering in phases in all public sector organisations, thus bringing in more transparency and accountability in the public procurement system. The World Bank provided US$24 million concessionary interest free credit for the PPRP project which will end in March, 2013. Already more than 69 per cent of the committed amount has been disbursed, the bank said in its release. The Central Procurement Technical Unit (CPTU) of the Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) of the government has been implementing the project in coordination with the four key agencies. The World Bank team highlighted the need for strengthening CPTU with adequate staffing and enhancing procurement monitoring at the four target agencies. The project already trained about 1,900 staff from different government procurement entities. As part of the demand for good governance, its public-private stakeholders committee (PPSC), with leading think-tank organisation, is more active than ever before.