A seven-member delegation from Sri Lanka, focusing on public procurement, commenced a three-day experience-sharing visit to Bangladesh Public Procurement Authority (BPPA) from 2 June 2024.

The visit aims to understand and implement the success, in Sri Lanka, of the electronic Government Procurement (e-GP) system, introduced by BPPA,

On June 2, the delegation was welcomed at BPPA by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of BPPA, Mr. Mohammed. Shoheler Rahman Chowdhury.  Mr. E. A. Rathnaseela, the Director General of the Public Finance Department of Sri Lanka, led the delegation.

The delegation includes officials from the e-GP Secretariat of Sri Lanka, the National Procurement Commission, the Department of Information Technology Management and the Department of Public Finance. Representatives from the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank are also part of the Sri Lankan delegation.

A prior visit by a three-member Sri Lankan delegation to the former CPTU in 2017 also aimed at understanding the implementation of the e-GP system in Bangladesh. The CPTU was transformed into BPPA on 18 September 2023.

To date, including this current visit, a total of 12 countries and 5 international organizations have visited BPPA or the former CPTU to exchange views on e-GP. These countries and organizations include Tanzania, Egypt, Mozambique, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Austria, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Afghanistan, Nepal, The Gambia, and the New Development Bank, IMF, WeConnect International, Korean International Cooperation Agency, and Social Enterprise (UK).

On 2 June  2011, the Honourable Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, inaugurated the e-GP portal to digitize public procurement. Since then, e-GP has rapidly expanded. Currently, all processes related to public procurement, including contract management, are conducted online through e-GP. This comprehensive digital procurement system has garnered praise both domestically and internationally.

Although Sri Lanka has introduced e-GP, they are facing challenges and have not yet fully digitized the system. The leader of the delegation mentioned that this visit is to learn about and understand how Bangladesh has successfully implemented e-GP.

BPPA's CEO explained the background and process of e-GP implementation in Bangladesh. Dohatec New Media has been engaged as the lead consultant for the operation and management of the e-GP system, along with Beximco IT Division and GSS Infotech Ltd.

On the first day, BPPA officials and technical experts were present. The technical experts provided detailed explanations on various aspects of e-GP to the Sri Lankan delegation. Mr. Mohammad Moinul Hossain covered Data Center Management and e-GP System Security, Mr. Abu Md. Mostofa new technology adoption in e-GP, Mr. Nazmul Islam Bhuiyan talked about e-GP System Operation and Management, and Mr. Md. Mosharraf Hussain provided an overview of e-GP in Bangladesh.

Dohatec New Media is giving a detailed description of the practical aspects of e-GP to the Sri Lankan delegation. Additionally, the delegation will visit the LGED office to gain practical insights into e-GP implementation. The three-day visit will conclude on 4 June 2024. The World Bank has been assisting Bangladesh in the implementation of the e-GP system.