“We can avail benefits of electronic government procurement (e-GP) system in a more convenient and faster way than earlier. Previously we had to suffer due to slow internet connectivity and some other problems but now it has improved and can cope up with the growing volume of tendering tasks.”

Md. Habibur Rahman, a tenderer, came up with such observations while attending an e-GP awareness workshop in Moulvibazar on January 12, 2023.

A number of tenderers and some procuring entities (PEs) also expressed the same views during a lively discussion at the workshop conducted by the Central Procurement Technical Unit (CPTU) of IMED, Ministry of Planning.

The objective of the workshop was to make relevant stakeholders aware about benefits of the e-GP system and increase its adoption. Bangladesh Center for Communication Programs (BCCP) provided support in arranging the workshop at Conference Room of the office of Deputy Commissioner.

About 80 participants including tenderers, procuring entities and journalists attended the workshop. Some of them made suggestions and observations regarding the e-GP system and other issues related to tendering. They made various points to make the system more user-friendly.

The points included the followings:

• If multiple tenders are invited in the same day, tenderers can fill-up one form and map the rest for tender submission. Can CPTU add the mapping system?
• Can CPTU set a system for district-wise tenders to give opportunities to local and small tenderers?
• There is a system of point adjustment. Less point for small tenders and more points for big tenders. This creates discrimination, and small tenderers will never be able to become big. 
• Tender evaluation process is very time-consuming. If there was a compiled database of tenderers’ experience, capacity, and turnover, it would be a great help for us to evaluate them easily.

The open discussion in presence of Md Shamimul Haque, CPTU Director and Joint Secretary, as the chief guest, was very lively and it turned into a forum for making opinions freely. Some of the procuring entities echoed the voices of tenderers. They sought support of the authorities for increasing the number of new tenderers.

Mr. Shamimul Haque gave feedback to queries from the discussants. He informed the meeting about updates of e-GP system with inclusion of a number of new modules to make tendering process fully digital for reducing hassles.

Replying to the queries, he said, in order to make tender evaluation process faster, CPTU is working to finalize the tenderers’ database which is now under test run.

“Sometimes tenderers quote an unrealistic price to get work but later they can’t finish the work at that rate. What to do in such cases? - asked a procuring entity representative. Mr. Haque replied: “According to PPA, a tenderer can be questioned and asked for an explanation if he or she offers an unrealistic price. This is also mentioned in the Tender Data Sheet (TDS) as well.

“The server and the speed of the e-GP system have been upgraded and we’re continuously working to upgrade it accordingly. Regarding access to the server and speed, tenderers must be careful about the device and the network they use while submitting tenders and connectivity of their network should be strong, he said.

“Use a strong password. Never share your password or any important or sensitive information with others. Thus, you can keep your ID safe from hacking,” added CPTU director.

Mir Nahid Ahsan, Deputy Commissioner and District Magistrate of Moulvibazar, chaired the workshop. Additional Deputy Commissioner Mr. Hasan Muhammad NASER Rikabdar and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Moulvibazar District Council Ms. Khodeza Khatun spoke as special guests.

Media Specialist of BCCP Mr. Golam Shahnee made a presentation on e-GP system at the workshop moderated by BCCP’s Program Manager Md Abdus Salam.