Sustainable development necessitates sustainable public procurement. Alongside increasing transparency and accountability in public procurement, citizen engagement can play a crucial role in ensuring sustainable procurement.

The citizen portal titled, “Sorkari Kroy Batayan”, can aid in this effort. Through this portal, citizens can easily access various information on government procurement, providing an opportunity to monitor different aspects of development work at the district level. This can significantly contribute to achieving the goals of sustainable procurement.

Speakers shared these insights at a workshop titled 'Citizen Engagement in Public Procurement' held in Chapainawabganj on July 16, 2024. The workshop was organized by the Bangladesh Public Procurement Authority (BPPA) at the office of the Deputy Commissioner of Chapainawabganj, with management support from BPPA's consulting firm, DNet.

Mr. Md. Mahfuzar Rahman, Director (Joint Secretary) of BPPA, addressed the event as the chief guest. The session was chaired by Mr. A K M Galiv Khan, Deputy Commissioner and District Magistrate of Chapainawabganj. The workshop was attended by officials from various procuring entities, businessmen, tenderers, representatives of civil society, and media representatives.

During the workshop, Mr. Md. Mahfuzar Rahman stated that efforts have been initiated to make public procurement more sustainable, in addition to increasing transparency, accountability, and competition. To achieve sustainable public procurement, a Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP) Policy has been formulated, with plans to pilot SPP in several sectors soon.

He emphasized that collective efforts from all parties are essential to increase transparency and accountability in public procurement and ensure sustainable procurement. The roles of procuring entities, tenderers, and citizens are highly significant in this regard because public procurement is conducted for the citizens with their money.

Mr. Rahman highlighted that BPPA has launched a citizen portal named 'Sorkari Kroy Batayan' to provide citizens with various procurement information. This portal makes a lot of information on public procurement easily accessible to citizens. Anyone can quickly learn about the various aspects of public procurement or development work in their area, including how much money is being spent on development in different districts and which contractors have received contract award notices.

He mentioned that the portal opens up opportunities to observe and analyze the state of key procurement indicators from different angles. It contains detailed information from tender invitation to tender opening, contract signing and work completion issues. Comparative district-wise data is also easily accessible. Never before has so much information related to government procurement been published in one place. This creates an opportunity for citizens to monitor the state of local public procurement.

Mr. A K M Galiv Khan, Deputy Commissioner and District Magistrate of Chapainawabganj, noted that citizen monitoring and engagement are necessary to ensure transparency and accountability in public procurement and to achieve the best value for money. The various data available on the portal can significantly enhance citizen monitoring and involvement in public procurement, aiding in achieving sustainable procurement goals. He also discussed several ongoing projects and highlighted the importance of citizen participation in sustainable development. During the session, stakeholders present at the Deputy Commissioner's office asked various questions, which were answered by Mr. Md. Mahfuzar Rahman, who also engaged with citizens' opinions.