Proper implementation of development projects will generate employment in the country, reduce poverty and increase the rate of economic growth. The role of public procurement in smooth implementation of the project is very vital. Expenditure in ADP projects is increasing every year. So it is important to establish good governance in public procurement.

Good governance will be established if proper monitoring of procurement laws and regulations and its efficient and timely delivery is done. For this, it is important to establish a good relationship between procuring entities and tenderers in the light contract modalities and mutual trust.

Pradeep Ranjan Chakraborty, Secretary, Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED), Ministry of Planning, said this while addressing a workshop of Government-Tenderers’ Forum (GTF) in Munshiganj on 15 November 2020 as the chief guest. Director General of Central Procurement Technical Unit (CPTU) of IMED Md. Shoheler Rahman Chowdhury spoke as the special guest. Munshiganj Deputy Commissioner Md. Moniruzzaman Talukder presided over the GTF workshop.

Under CPTU's Digitizing Implementation Monitoring and Public Procurement Project (DIMAPP) with the support of World Bank, the workshop was organized in cooperation with Bangladesh Center for Communication Programs (BCCP). Officials of procuring entities, tenderers of Munshiganj, representatives of banks,   civil society and media were present. Deputy Director and Senior Assistant Secretary of the CPTU Mohammed Salah Uddin also spoke at the workshop.

Senior Deputy Director of BCCP Khadija Bilkis made a key-note presentation on GTF.

CPTU Director General Md. Shoheler Rahman Chowdhury said that standard implementation of government procurement agreement is a big challenge nowadays. “We need to identify the problem and take actions to overcome those. That is why we have also engaged local level citizens. We hope the procuring entities will ensure receiving of quality works while the tenderers will implement it as per the contract by maintaining the standards.”

“In the last 10 years, we have brough major reforms in public procurement. One of these is digitization of procurement which we call e-GP. The e-GP has resulted in increased efficiency, transparency and competition in public procurement. But there are also challenges.”

He requested tenderers to submit tenders by themselves to protect privacy. We are now offering e-GP training for registered tenderers, he said adding, “We have launched Citizen Portal on Public Procurement to disclose procurement information to citizens.”

The GTF is bilateral platform for PEs and tenderers. Its aim is to establish a professional relationship through dialogue among them at the local level and create a sustainable procuring environment.