BPPA hosts workshop on public procurement reform and e-GP integration

With an estimated $30 billion spent annually on public procurement in Bangladesh, the government is placing increasing emphasis on reforms, transparency and digital integration to ensure proper and timely implementation of development projects.

Md Mahfuzar Rahman, Director (Joint Secretary) of the Bangladesh Public Procurement Authority (BPPA), made the remarks while speaking as chief guest at a workshop on BPPA's activities and experience sharing on electronic government procurement (e-GP). The event was held on 13 April at the Bhola Deputy Commissioner's conference room.

The workshop was chaired by Bhola Deputy Commissioner and District Magistrate Md Azad Jahan, and organised by BPPA with support from the Bangladesh Center for Communication Programs (BCCP). Representatives from procuring entities, banks, tenderers, journalists and BCCP attended the session.

Highlighting the scale of public investment, Mahfuzar Rahman said, "About 1,500 projects are included in the Annual Development Programme (ADP) every year. If we can achieve the intended outcomes of these projects, it will bring substantial positive changes to our national economy."

He added that public procurement reforms are a major priority of the current government, and digitisation through the e-GP system has already made significant headway. Currently, 65 percent of government procurement is conducted through e-GP, with the target to bring this figure to 100 percent.

"Bangladesh's e-GP system has been widely recognised, both at home and abroad. So far, 11 countries and five international organisations have observed its operation and impact," he said.

The BPPA official also pointed out that complementary digital systems such as the e-CMS (Contract Management System) and e-audit platform have been launched, allowing real-time tracking of project execution and streamlined payment systems for contractors.

Work is also underway to link the e-GP platform with the Document Verification System (DVS) to validate bidders' financial records.

Sharing tangible improvements since the e-GP rollout, he noted that in 2007, only 70 percent of tender notices were published, whereas the rate has now reached 100 percent. Similarly, only 10 percent of work orders were awarded within the initial tender validity period in 2007; this figure now stands at 96.63 percent. The average number of acceptable tenders per project has increased from three to over ten.