Proper implementation of projects will boost growth: IMED Secretary

Pradeep Ranjan Chakraborty, Secretary of the Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED), today said that proper implementation of development projects will generate more employments in the country, reduce poverty and increase the rate of economic growth.

“The role of public procurement in smooth implementation of the project is very vital. Expenditure in ADP projects is increasing every year. So, it is important to have good governance in public procurement,” he said.

The IMED Secretary was addressing a workshop of Government-Tenderers’ Forum (GTF) in Munshiganj today as the chief guest.

Director General of Central Procurement Technical Unit (CPTU) under IMED Md. Shoheler Rahman Chowdhury spoke as the special guest. Munshiganj Deputy Commissioner Md. Moniruzzaman Talukder presided over the GTF workshop, said a press release.

Pradeep said good governance would be established if proper monitoring of procurement laws and regulations and its efficient and timely delivery is done. “For this, it is important to establish a good relationship between the buyers and the bidders in the light of mutual trust and rules.”

Under CPTU’s Digitizing Implementation Monitoring and Public Procurement Project (DIMAPP) with the support of the World Bank, the workshop was organized with the support of Bangladesh Center for Communication Programs (BCCP). Officials of procuring entities, bidders of Munshiganj, representatives of banks and civil society and media were present.

Senior Deputy Director of BCCP Khadija Bilkis, and Deputy Director and Senior Assistant Secretary of the CPTU Mohammed Salah Uddin spoke at the workshop.

Pradeep said, “We will ensure proper use of money in government procurement. People have the right to know about use of their money. We are giving them information about public procurement. CPTU has launched citizen portal on public procurement. At present, e-GP has made government procurement easier and faster.”

Highlighting the importance of government procurement in achieving the SDG 2030 target, he said sustainability of public procurement is needed as it is mentioned in the ongoing SDGs. “That is why proper implementation of PPR and full implementation of e-GP is essential,” he continued.

He said the use of e-GP is growing rapidly. At present, 80 percent of procurement is made through e-GP. Now a database of e-contract management and registered bidders is being created.

CPTU Director General Md. Shoheler Rahman Chowdhury said that standard implementation of government procurement agreement is a big challenge nowadays.

“We need to identify the problems and take actions to overcome those. That is why we have also engaged local level citizens. We hope the procuring entities will ensure receiving of quality works while the tenderers will implement it as per the demand by maintaining the standards,” he added.

Soheler said in the last 10 years, they have brought major reforms in public procurement and one of these is digitization of procurement which is called e-GP.

He said E-GP has resulted in increased efficiency, transparency and competition in public procurement. “But, there are also challenges,” he said.

The CPTU DG also requested each of the bidders to submit tenders by one self to protect privacy. “We are now offering e-GP training for registered bidders. We have launched Citizen Portal on Public Procurement to inform everyone about procurement.”