Date: 22 December 2024

Venue: ICAB Conference Room

Time: 6:00PM

• Respected Chair of the programme;
• Respected Chief Gust, Secretary, ICT Division, Mr Shish Haider Chowdhury, ndc, MCIPS;
• Director General of the Registrar of Joint Stock Companies and Firms (RJSC)
• Former CEO of BPPA, Mr Mohammed Shoheler Rahman Chowdhury;
• Former executives of ICAB;
• Distinguished Guests;
• My colleagues from BPPA;

Assalamu Alaikum and a wintry good evening.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Warm greetings to you all. It is indeed an honour and a privilege to stand before you on this momentous occasion—the official launch of the Document Verification System (DVS) by the Bangladesh Public Procurement Authority (BPPA). This day marks not just the culmination of a visionary collaboration between BPPA and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Bangladesh (ICAB), but the dawn of a new era in public procurement, one defined by transparency, accountability, and financial discipline.

First and foremost, I wish to extend my heartfelt gratitude to ICAB for their unwavering commitment to fostering integrity in our national procurement system. The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on 16 May 2024 laid the foundation for this historic partnership, and today we proudly witness the fruits of our shared efforts.

I am grateful to respected Secretary present here today as the Chief Guest for giving us his valuable time. Actually, he is a national procurement trainer and has long been associated with BPPA. We are very proud of his guidance and cooperation always. Today, we are lucky that sir is with us here. We feel he is always with us.

The integration of the DVS into the electronic Government Procurement (e-GP) System is a game-changer. For years, public procurement processes across the globe have grappled with the challenges of verifying the authenticity of financial statements. The introduction of the DVS by ICAB represents a sophisticated solution to this critical issue. By leveraging this system, BPPA will now ensure that audited financial statements submitted by tenderers are verified, compliant, and certified by ICAB's CoP holder Chartered Accountants.

This milestone is more than just a technological advancement; it is a testament to our collective resolve to uphold the principles of good governance. A transparent procurement system is the bedrock of a thriving economy, and with this innovation, BPPA is poised to set a benchmark not just for Bangladesh, but for the entire region.

Let me take this opportunity to acknowledge the dedicated efforts of my predecessor, Mr. Mohammed Shoheler Rahman Chowdhury, who played a pivotal role in initiating this collaboration. Sir, your vision and leadership have been instrumental in driving this initiative forward.

I also wish to express my sincere appreciation to the ICAB President, Mr. Mohammed Forkan Uddin FCA, and all the distinguished officials of ICAB present here today. Your guidance and expertise have been invaluable in ensuring the successful integration of the DVS into our procurement processes.

Today’s launch is a significant step forward, but it is also a call to action for all of us. Implementing this system effectively requires continuous collaboration, rigorous oversight, and a commitment to the highest ethical standards. Together, we must ensure that this tool is not just a technical solution, but a cornerstone of a procurement culture that prioritizes integrity and excellence.

Ladies and gentlemen;

You may know, on the procurement front, BPPA has implemented a series of reforms over the years. The digitization of our procurement system has drawn appreciation at home and abroad. Our e-GP system is now a complete online system with both procurement processing and contract management. You will be happy to know that so far, 11 countries and 5 international organizations have observed Bangladesh's e-GP system and its implementation.

Our e-GP system has already been integrated with NID, iBASS++ and e-PMIS. And now with integration with DVS, now we are a step forward in making the tendering process more authentic and trustworthy. We have added e-Audit, International Competitive Tendering, Tenderers’ Database, Direct Procurement Method, A-Challan to the e-GP system. You will be happy to know that bills are now paid online to tenderers through e-GP using the automated e-CMS.

We have also added framework agreement to e-GP system and now we are going to have the Red Flagging in the e-GP. As part of simplification and modernization of e-GP technology we are now shifting to micro services from the monolithic mode in e-GP.Let me share with you some positive outcome of digitization in public procurement.

Transparency: In 2007, only 70% of tender notices used to be published in the media. By 2024, this has increased to 100%.

Efficiency: In 2007, only 10% of work orders were issued within the initial validity period of tenders. By 2024, this figure has risen to 96.63%.

Competitiveness: In 2007, the average number of responsive tenderers per tender was only 3. By 2024, this number has increased to 10.68.

As a mark of achieving international standards in Information Management Systems, Environmental Management Systems, Quality Management Systems, and Business Continuity Management Systems, the e-GP system has been awarded four separate ISO certifications. If I mention some impact of reforms:

• Percentage share of awarded bids within original bid validity period increased from 10% (FY07) to 99% (FY24)
• Estimated around US$ 600 million annual savings
• 1,053 million pages of papers savings
• Average procurement lead time (invitation to contract signing) decreased from 86.7 days (FY12) to 53 days (FY24)
• Percentage share of rejected bids decreased from 8% (FY12) to 3% (FY19)
• Estimated 497 million km. of travel distance reduction
• Decrease 153,559 tons of CO2 emission
• Improved market access and bidding environment compared to manual bidding

As we move forward, let us remember that the true measure of success lies not in the systems we implement, but in the trust and confidence they inspire among citizens, businesses, and stakeholders. By embracing innovation and adhering to the principles of transparency, we can build a public procurement system that serves as a model of efficiency and fairness.

In closing, I extend my heartfelt thanks to everyone who has contributed to making this initiative a reality. Let this launch be a beacon of our shared dedication to the betterment of our nation. Together, let us ensure that the DVS not only enhances the credibility of our procurement system but also strengthens the foundation of trust upon which our country’s progress is built.

Thank you. May this day mark the beginning of an extraordinary chapter in our journey towards a more accountable and prosperous Bangladesh.

THANK YOU ALL

Date: 07 March 2023

Time: 10:30 AM

Place: CPTU

BISMILLAHIR RAHMANER RAHIM

• Director General of CPTU
• My colleagues at IMED and CPTU;
• Ms. Leena Abbasy from the World Bank
• Members of the delegation from the Arab Republic of Egypt;
• Other representatives from the World Bank;

Assalamu Alaikum and Good Morning.

It is a great pleasure for me to welcome the Egypt delegation on public procurement to IMED and congratulate the members of the team that had an exchange of ideas and learning from CPTU over the last several days on reforms and digitization of public procurement.

I am happy to share with you that since the introduction of electronic government procurement (e-GP) in Bangladesh in 2011, about 15 countries and international organizations have so far visited CPTU of IMED to observe and learn about implementation of e-GP here.

Your visit also signifies the importance you are attaching to observe our system and I believe over the last three days you have been able to take stock of the e-GP system you are now going to implement in your country.

The e-GP system has brought about a historic change in our public procurement that amounts to more than 25 billion US dollars a year. It is increasing every year with our annual national budget and Annual Development Programme (ADP) having an upward leap. I understand you have already come to know the benefits and progress of the e-GP system from the DG CPTU.

You know public procurement is the corner stone of good governance. Our government is committed to ensuring good governance in all sectors including public procurement. Therefore, we have opted for digitization in our public service delivery. The Honorable Prime Minister is personally very interested in digitizing public procurement.

Now we are working for a sustainable public procurement policy (SPP) system. The SPP policy has already been drafted. By 2030 we need to implement the SPP Policy. The vision of our government is to build a Smart Bangladesh by 2041 when economy and society will have a digital culture. We have advanced a lot in digitization as part of a vision to build Digital Bangladesh by 2021.

Some unforeseen challenges are there like COVID pandemic and other global issues. Despite all such limitations Bangladesh is going forward with huge development activities done and to be done. You may have heard of our projects like Padma Bridge, Metro Rail and Bangabandhu Tunnel.

At IMED we have started implementing electronic project management information system or e-PMIS. This is being implemented under the DIMAPP Project supported by the World Bank.

Through this e-PMIS project monitoring can also be done online. Project Directors will update the implementation of projects in the system. IMED will be able to see and intervene, if necessary for proper implementation.  

I would like to extend my sincere thanks to the World Bank for their continued support to our journey to procurement reforms and digitization.

My heartfelt thanks to the government of Egypt and members of the delegation for their keen interest in our e-GP system. I hope you have availed of knowledge and ideas about the system from CPTU. At IMED we are always open and sincere in providing you necessary supports for your efforts to digitize your procurement system.

Thank you again for visiting Bangladesh, IMED and CPTU. I wish you a success in your mission.

ALLAH HAFEZ.    

Concluding remarks by Mr. Mohammed Shoheler Rahman Chowdhury, Director General of CPTU and Additional Secretary, as the chair of a National Seminar on Social Awareness and Citizen Engagement in Public Procurement on 31 October 2022 at Sheraton Dhaka.

During the recent past, a number of major tasks have been accomplished by CPTU. Although you know about all such activities, I would like to reiterate these. All these are mammoth tasks and done with all-out efforts of all for quite a long period of time. Some features have been developed and updated in e-GP and I request all concerned including the tenderers to utilize the facilities incorporated within the system.

1. Tenderers’ Database

First of all, I would like to mention tenderers’ database. Through a circular, we requested tenderers to upload information about their past experiences for the incorporation in the database. We are receiving responses from the tenderers. The sooner they do it, the faster their data would be uploaded and there will be no more problems regarding this.

The information about the previous experience of tenderers would be automatically generated from the system and it would not require for them to go to anyone else.

The records of tenderers’ previous experiences need to be sent to Procuring Entities (PEs) through the system. Once PEs endorse, those will be accepted in the system.

This will simplify the tasks of both the PEs and the tenderers as all the required data will be stored in the database. For submitting tender for any particular number of works, tenderers can just do mapping of the required experience documents stored in the system and complete the process without any hassles. 

2. A Challan

A Challan is another milestone achievement of CPTU. At present, for collecting tender documents, tenderers need to go to bank to deposit fees and collect payment slip. Later, they need to go to the office of the PEs and wait there until they (PEs) allow and only then tenderers can enter the system and download the tender document. Now, they don’t need to go to any bank anymore and can download tender documents in five minutes by making payment through A Challan just working in laptops at their offices. This is very easy and cost effective and has reduced hassles as it is not needed for tenderers to run to banks. A Challan has simplified payment of tender document fees, registration fees, renewal fees, etc to make tenderers’ life comfortable.  

I request all leading tenderers to convey to others that all tender-related fees can be paid through A Challan by using any debit/credit cards, Bikash, Rocket or Nagad services.

3. Direct Procurement Method (DPM)

We have also introduced Direct Procurement Method (DPM) in the system. There are two types of arrangements for DPM - for the PEs who want to do it at their own costs by using funds of the Government of Bangladesh (GoB), and also who want to do it by using funds of the development partners. I request representatives of the ADB to advise procuring entities to do DPM from the system. The CPTU is ready to provide any sort of cooperation. Primarily, there might have some problems initially and if they communicate with us, then we will provide all necessary supports as we are committed t that.

4. International Competitive Bidding (ICB)

We have recently introduced International Competitive Bidding (ICB). CPTU is the pioneer in this area as we are the first to invite a tender through ICB with approval of Secretary, IMED, thanks to him. We first planned paper-based international tendering, and later we decided to do it through ICB so that we can fix any problems, if arises, and make it convenient for other users. We have already published our tender through ICB model. I also request others to use ICB model incorporated in the system. For this also, there are two options – any PE who uses ICB through GoB funds will find one type of tender document while other who is using funds of the development partners will find separate tender document. I request development partners to inform their concerned PEs about this. The course module of ICB is done and works module is under preparation. And it will be completed soon. You know, always there is a crisis with currency regarding multiple currency issue and we are very close to resolving this.

5. Electronic Contract Management System (e-CMS)

Another important development has been made for which we were working for over two years. That is electronic contract management system (e-CMS). Till date, through the e-GP system, it was possible to conduct procurement up to contract signing stage, but it was not compatible with the following parts of the process. But with the introduction of e-CMS, you can now also perform contract management through e-GP. This will take you towards automatic contract management system after its signing. With this, the work program and validation order and other complex issues at the management stage can be done through e-CMS automatically as all documents are in the system and also the provision for uploading those are required. The entire public procurement cycle, starting from procurement planning to contract management has now been completed. One issue we have done with the Finance Division. If the Finance Division integrates it with our system, which is at final stage now. I hope it will be done soon. When a tenderer generates a bill, it will enter e-GP system from the PEs and enter into the iBAS system. Then the concerned official of the PE will scrutinize it and send fund to the accounts of the tenderers through iBAS. These are all major tasks and I request you to take advantage of all those.

Besides iBAS, many departments have their own cheque issuing authority, and there are provisions so that they can make payment through their system.

We have successfully worked with REB and they have already done two to three contracts using e-CMS through their own payment system. So, there is no need to go to treasury or using special account. Working to make it foolproof. Even if you face any problem, come to CPTU and we will instantly resolve that.

6. Electronic Audit

Another big task we have completed – that is electronic audit. Now we will incorporate it partially in the system. At present, our officials go to the audit office and submit or download huge volume of papers for auditing. They evaluate all documents and then prepare the audit report. With this system, it will not be needed to take all those papers anymore. We will incorporate up to contract management part with the e-Audit system within three months. There are challenges for the rest of the parts and we are working on it to overcome those. With completion of e-Audit, then no PEs will need to go to audit office for procuring audit. They can do from their office as they will have access to all documents in the system. Auditors can generate audit reports based on the documents stored in the system. Hope e-Audit can be completed soon and with this entire audit from procurement planning to completion can be audited through this system. There will be no scope for paper work and it will be paperless.

This will reduce the lead-time of procurement completion as well as make life of all engaged in the process comfortable.

7. NID integration

We are at the finale stage of NID integration.

For making procurement system secured, we need to confirm identity of tenderers and for this we are making the system integrated with NID. For this we had several meetings with the Election Commission. We paid required fees for this purpose.

You know, there are many groups – procuring entities, bankers, tenderers, and we have integrated all to bring them together. Later, those who will get access into the system, their NID will be automatically authenticated from the system of the EC.

We have lots of things to be completed and so there is no reason to feel over satisfied as every day is a challenging day. And we have to do a lot of things. All these are in our agenda.

• We couldn’t yet provide the service module. We have to give it. Besides, we couldn’t yet provide framework agreement. Will try to give it soon.
• Another huge task is remaining, that is updating our system. You know, this was developed in 2011. By this time, IT sector has made remarkable improvement.
• This is essential to upgrade the e-GP system by incorporating all latest applications with upgradation and innovations.
• We will upgrade the system from monolithic to multi-serviced one. With this, many of our problems will be solved. The system will be much faster than at present as you often find it not speedy as expected.
• Bangladesh for the first time is going to start a new journey. That is Sustainable Public Procurement. As this is related to SDG 12: Responsible consumption and production. And we are directly related with SDG - 12.7 target and indicator on Sustainable Public Procurement implementation.
• We are working on it and already have developed a concept note or policy note on this. We have developed this policy note aiming at making public procurement sustainable.
• All associated consultants including dNet, BIGD and BCCP worked with us and suggested to improve public procurement environment.

The government of Bangladesh has operationalized the Public Procurement Act 2006 and the Public Procurement Rules 2008 to establish greater transparency in spending public funds and improve service delivery. The public procurement regime composed of PPA and PPR has addressed the domestic realities as well as best global practices.

Public procurement management has improved significantly due to adherence to the unified law and rules effective since 2008.

The Public procurement is conducted through a process having some important steps which are recognized as the best practices in achieving a greater degree of transparency, efficiency, economy and effectiveness. Most significant steps ensuring transparency are as follows;

1. Public procurement plan at the agency level is taken and made publicity through website much ahead of advertisements for tender notices (Section 11(4) of PPA);
2. Advertisements inviting tenders are published in widely circulated two dailies and CPTU website (Section 40 of PPA), published in DG Market/UN Gallery in case of International Tender);
3. Tenderers are allowed sufficient time(Rule 61(4) of PPR) to prepare and submit their tenders following different thresholds;
4. Clarifications regarding any points of tender conditions are provided to tenderers (Section 45 of PPA) upon their queries;
5. Provision for pre-tender meeting exists and based on the feedbacks of the participating tenderers clauses of tender may also be changed to ensure wider competitions (Section 44 (4) of PPA);
6. Tender is opened publicly while competitive method is followed (Section 47 of PPA)
7. Evaluation is done only on the basis of pre-discussed criteria and documents submitted by the tenderers (Section 48 of PPA).   
8. Tenderers can also lodge complaints if they are aggrieved by any decision of the procuring entity. They can first lodge complaints at the administrative level of the procuring entity and if not satisfied, to the Review Panel at CPTU (Section 29 & 30 of PPA);

9. Contract award information is shared with all contending tenderers (Section 53 of PPA);

10. Tenderer may seek the reasons for not awarding him and PE is obliged to let him know (Rule 37 (4) of PPR;
11. Procuring entity arranges debriefing session for all participating tenderers after the award where explanation for award and limitations of others are given so that they can overcome in their next attempts.      

The above steps are followed to ensure transparency and accountability in the process of public procurement which the GoB has now transformed into a digital domain, ICT based procurement process called e-GP. The digitization has further increased competition, efficiency and removed physical obstructions in the processing of public procurement.

The Central Procurement Technical Unit of Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED), Ministry of Planning, started piloting of electronic government procurement (e-GP) in 2011 in four target agencies.

The agencies are Bangladesh Water Development Board, Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board, Local Government and Engineering Department and Roads and Highways Department.

Building on the successful piloting, e-GP was rolled out to other agencies in 2012. Since then e-GP has seen an exponential growth both in terms of value and volume.

Until May 9, 2017 as many as 1081 out of about 1300 procuring agencies (PAs) were registered.  The rest are set to get connected soon. The broad modules of e-GP are Procurement Planning, e-Tendering, e-Contract management & e-Performance Management 

Up to May 9, 2017, a total of 32,528 tenderers registered with the e-GP system. More than 95,350 tenders were invited through e-GP system. The total estimated value of such tenders is overTK 84,037 crore.

As per a government decision CPTU is connecting all PAs to e-GP and giving them necessary training for e-GP operation.

The electronic government procurement has been introduced as per 65(1) of the Public Procurement Act 2006.

New wider capacity data centre has been established at the Bangladesh Computer Council and CPTU. The new data centre has a storage capacity of 200 terabyte.

A 24-hour/7 Help Desk is working at CPTU. A mobile app on public procurement is also functioning for viewing e-GP tender notices and contacting e-GP help desk and CPTU. 

Piloting of citizen engagement in public procurement has also been done which provided positive results. The CPTU is now preparing for scaling up the citizen engagement for external oversight by the citizen groups at the local level.

Remarks of IME Division Secretary at the Wrap-up Meeting of DIMAPP Mission

Date: March 9, 2017

Time: 9:30am

Venue: CPTU Conference Room

• Director (Coordination), CPTU;
• Lead Procurement Specialist of World Bank Dr Zafrul Islam and other members of the DIMAPP Mission;
• My Colleagues at IME Division;
• Representatives of various Ministries, Divisions and Departments;
• Consultants under PPRP-II;

Assalamu Alaikum and a very good morning.

I am glad to be here at the closing of the World Bank Mission on formulation of a new project called Digitizing Implementation Monitoring and Public Procurement. I know that the mission started on 26 February and its members led by the Task Team Leader Dr Zafrul Islam have worked over the last two weeks to finalize components and key activities of DIMAPP.

I came to know the new project has taken an attempt to expand its target procuring agencies to 20 in place of 4 under the existing Public Procurement Reform Project-II. The PPRP-II is set to end in June this year and I am hopeful its objectives are going to be achieved.

The main objective of the new project is to expand digitization of public procurement as well as project implementation monitoring of the IME Division.

I would like to say challenges are there. But we must overcome the challenges because there is no way to come back from our journey towards digitization. You know, our government is pledge-bound to build Digital Bangladesh to reach public services to doorsteps of the people. And the services need to be free from all hassles.

We have introduced electronic government procurement or e-GP under the PPRP-II. We have been very successful in the procurement process starting from planning up to contract award. Now we need to include contract management in e-GP and full implementation of the electronic procurement system. This e-GP has been quickly and widely embraced by procuring agencies and tenderers.

We call e-GP simple, secure and speedy.

Until now more than 1000 out of a total of 1233 procuring agencies have been connected to e-GP. Over 29 thousand tenderers have registered with e-GP system. The number of tenders invited through e-GP is more than 84 thousand and their total value is over 76 thousand crore taka.

Now a wider-capacity data centre has been established which will start functioning in a couple of months and hopefully we will be able to bring the entire volume of public procurement in e-GP in 2017.

Therefore, we are now at a very crucial stage. You know the Prime Minister’s Office is directly monitoring implementation progress of e-GP. Moreover, I would say, the whole nation is watching our activities because this tender is one of the areas that suffered from lack of transparency, accountability and efficiency.

I believe, by the implementation of PPRP-II, we have improved a lot. Training is being imparted to procurement officers and tenderers in both rules and e-GP. Awareness about the need for a transparent procurement system has also increased. We need to consolidate now and make efforts to sustain what we have so far achieved.

In this context, the DIMAPP is important. I am happy that this project would try to digitize implementation monitoring of IMED. Well, I think this is very urgent. Nowadays, I believe a major part of monitoring could be done online and through video conference.

You know, IMED has taken an initiative to implement PMIS. If we can monitor projects properly and guide the implementing agencies in the right direction, I am sure this will bring good results. This e-GP system can have a linkage with PMIS so that we can also track any flaws or delay in procurement process. Often delays escalate costs and project implementation suffers seriously.   

I would like to thank the World Bank that they have consistently been supporting the government in its efforts to improve governance in public procurement and its digitization. Now I believe through the adoption and implementation of DIMAPP we will be able to accomplish the rest of our tasks.

We also need to strengthen CPTU for effective regulation and monitoring of public procurement. As part of this an initiative has been taken up to give CPTU more autonomy by turning it into a public procurement authority and corporatization of e-GP as well. However, in doing this we have to consider the pros and cons to arrive at a decision. I am hopeful that we will proceed in the right direction.

I extend my sincere thanks to DIMAPP Mission team for their stock-taking of PPRP-II progress and assessment of requirements for the new project. I also thank all those in the government, private sector, tenderers, civil society and media who have contributed by giving inputs to the process for preparation of the new project.

I hope together we will succeed.

THANK YOU ALL.