<i>e-tendering expedites public procurement</i>
The e-tendering process, introduced to expedite public procurement, registered a total of 182 bidders and 27 procuring entities till Sunday with the electronic government procurement (e-GP) system.
There are bidders and consultants of various ministries, departments, divisions and agencies awaiting registration into the system, capable of registering 300,000 bidders, said Central Procurement Technical Unit (CPTU) Director General Amulya Kumar Debnath.
The capacity can also be extended as per necessity, he added.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina launched the e-GP portal www.eprocure.gov.bd, developed by CPTU under the Ministry of Planning, on June 2 to start the e-tendering process.
It aims to save time and cost, bring transparency and eradicate corruption in the process of procuring goods, works and services by government agencies.
With increasing number of applicants for registration, CPTU is setting up an e-GP training lab to provide an orientation to the bidders.
Meanwhile, Bhutan expressed keen interest in introducing e-GP in the Himalayan kingdom when a four-member Bhutanese delegation visited the Central e-GP Data Centre at CPTU on August 3.
CPTU also plans to present its e-GP model in Delhi and at the regional conference in Bali of Indonesia in November, said Amulya Kumar.
Bangladesh will be one of the leading countries in South Asia in completing a centralised system of electronic procurement with good backup facilities, he said.
Some states of India introduced e-GP while South Korea took seven years to implement the system.
Shafiul Alam, communications and social awareness consultant of Public Procurement Reform Project (PPRP)-II, said the e-tender, supported by World Bank under PPRP-II, will be piloted first in four procuring entities of four target agencies.
The agencies are Local Government and Engineering Department, Roads and Highways Department, Bangladesh Water Development Board and Rural Electrification Board.
Over Tk 36,000 crore is spent every year under Annual Development Program to procure goods, works and services. Of the total, about 80 percent is consumed by the four target agencies.
If the entire spectrum of procurement is done under e-GP system, the tender processing cost would reduce by 15 to 20 percent, said Amulya Kumar, adding that communication and hassles in dropping tender will also reduce.
On the other hand, procurement entities will evaluate the tender quickly as they need not do any paperwork manually, he added.
CPTU already signed a memorandum of understanding with seven banks -- Agrani, Janata, Sonali, Pubali, United Commercial Bank, National Bank and Bangladesh Krishi Bank-- to facilitate payments for the tenders. More private banks contacted CPTU to join the process.
Until Sunday, about 300 branches of the seven banks registered with the e-GP system and are being given training.
Amulya Kumar said the e-GP would totally prevent the tender manipulator's influence in dropping tender and increase competition in the bidding process.
"Quick tender process expedites the implementation of development work," he added.
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