The government is emphasizing sustainable public procurement with the aim of ensuring timely implementation of  development works maintaining transparency and accountability to make the best use of public money. Sustainable public procurement will effectively help the process of building Smart Bangladesh.

To make public procurement easy and hassle-free, the Central Procurement Technical Unit (CPTU) of Implementation Monitoring Evaluation Division (IEMD) under the Ministry of Planning has been implementing e-GP under the Digitizing Implementation Monitoring and Public Procurement Project (DIMAPPP) supported by the World Bank.

In order to orient journalists on public procurement and e-GP, the CPTU conducted a program for journalists on 5 March 2023, at DC Office, Mymensingh, where Director of CPTU and Joint Secretary Mr. Md. Mahfuzar Rahman made such remarks as the chief guest.

Additional Deputy Commissioner of Mymensingh Mr. Mahfuzul Alam Masum presided over the program. Over 50 journalists working at national and local news media participated in the event. Assistant Commissioner Mr. Manoranjan Barman and General Secretary of Mymensingh Press Club Mr. Amit Roy were also present.

Bangladesh Center for Communications Programs (BCCP) provided support as consultant in organizing the event of CPTU.

The program was organized to inform journalists about the importance of public procurement and e-GP and its importance in development activities. Apart from this, the progress on e-GP implementation was highlighted and discussed in the program.

Dr. Zeenat Sultana, Program Director, BCCP delivered the welcome address and Ms. Meher Afroz, Consultant, BCCP, made a presentation about e-GP. Mr. Andalib Bin Haque, Head of Technology and Innovation, dNet, gave a presentation on Citizen Portal of CPTU. Program Manager of BCCP Mr. Md. Abduls Salam moderated the program.

Through e-GP, it was possible to ensure transparency and accountability in the tender process as well as timely competition of project works, Mahfuzar Rahman said. Country’s development activities are implemented using public money. So, every citizen has the right to know about full implementation of development activities.

Terming journalists the conscience of the nation, he urged media people to publish reports of any irregularity, corruption if found in development works and tendering process. This would help build the Golden Bangla dreamt by the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, he observed.

Mahfujul Alam Masum quoted a line from the historic speech of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on March 7, 1971: “This time, the struggle is for our emancipation,” and said that the Father of the Nation spoke of our economic emancipation. Present government is working towards that economic emancipation, he said adding: “Various plans have been taken for this. More monitoring by journalists is needed to ensure transparency and accountability and timely implementation of those works.”

“If you find any deviation, irregularity or corruption, inform the government as well as the administration through your reports. Your cooperation in sustainable development will help build the Golden Bangla,” he further said.

Editor of the Daily Mymensingh and the president of Mymensingh Reporters Unity Alhaj Md. Shamsul Alam Khan spoke among journalists present in the program. They spoke about disparity in allocating advertisements for local newspapers while publishing tenders under e-GP.

In this context, Md. Mahfuzar Rahman said that the government's procurement policy PPR 2006 and PPR 2008 has prescribed that any advertisement should be published in national as well as a local newspaper. If any procuring organization does not follow it, then he advised media people to complain against them to the appropriate authorities. If CPTU is informed about this, steps will be taken regarding such anomalies, he added.

He said that contact information is given at every project site and if journalists see any irregularities, they can contact them to make reports. This will help remove all irregularities and ensure quality development work and their timely completion.