The number of tenders invited online has crossed the 4-lakh (0.4 million) mark. On 24 August 2020, the number stood at 404947. The total value of the tenders was more than 4 lakh 16 thousand crore taka

On 22 July 2020 it reached the four-lakh mark. The total estimated value of these tenders was 4 lakh 10 thousand crore taka.

This is a landmark achievement of the electronic government procurement (e-GP) system introduced by the Central Procurement Technical Unit (CPTU) of the Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division, Ministry of Planning.

The CPTU achieved the success amid COVID 19 pandemic. The e-GP has been kept functioning all the time and the CPTU maintained the zero downtime for the electronic public procurement system. 

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina formally launched the e-GP Portal on 2 June 2011 as part of digitizing public services.

In 2011, the online tendering was piloted in 4 large procuring agencies such as Local Government Engineering Department, Roads and Highways Department, Bangladesh Water Development Board and Rural Electrification Board.

Building on the success of piloting, the CPTU started implementing e-GP  across the government procuring agencies from 2012. There are 1365 procuring agencies in the country. Until 22 July 2020, a total of 1343 agencies registered with the e-GP system. The number of tenderers registered with e-GP stood at 74,395.

Both the procuring agencies and the tenderers embraced the ICT based digital procurement system as it has reduced physical hassles. It also saves time and costs.   

The CPTU has started piloting of electronic contract management system (e-CMS) with three contracts of LGED and two of RHD. It has developed a tenderers’ data base and taken up preparation for introducing international tender invitation in e-GP.

About 80 per cent of the Annual Development Programme (ADP) and 45 per cent of the National Budget are spent on public procurement.