Elmas Arisoy, Practice Manager for Solutions and Innovations in Procurement in the World Bank’s Governance Global Practice, visited Central Procurement Technical Unit (CPTU) of Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division, Ministry of Planning, on April 10, 2018.

The objective of her visit was to take stock of reforms carried out in the domain of public procurement of Bangladesh.

On April 10, 2018, Arisoy along with her WB team members held a meeting with CPTU at 2:30pm. Director General of CPTU and Additional Secretary Md Faruque Hossain chaired the meeting while Lead Procurement Specialist of the World Bank Bangladesh Dr Zafrul Islam was also present.

Director, Training and Coordination, Shish Haider Chowdhury, made a detailed presentation on the past, present and way-forward in public procurement landscape.

The WB Practice Manager focused on the government’s plan to strengthen CPTU. Arisoy expressed the hope that necessary legal steps would be taken up in this connection.  She appreciated the reforms CPTU implemented from 2002 till date and assured all of WB cooperation to take it forward.

The CPTU has been implementing a project titled, “Digitizing Implementation Monitoring and Public Procurement Project (DIMAPPP)” with WB support since July 2017.

The component directors of DIMAPPP, officials of CPTU and WB were present in the meeting.

The DG, CPTU in his introductory remarks said that CPTU was going to implement contract management in e-GP and formulate public asset disposal policy, reverse auction, expand citizen engagement, achieve SDG goal of making procurement sustainable through life-cycle cost analysis in evaluation and considering social, economic and environmental aspects.

Arisoy met Planning Minister A H M Mustafa Kamal FCA MP and Secretary, IME Division Md Mofizul Islam the same day.

She currently oversees the operational procurement in South Asia Region under the Bank financed projects and works closely with the client countries in supporting their public procurement reform activities.