Bangladesh Public Procurement Authority (BPPA), former CPTU, is working hard to improve public procurement environment and enhance professionalization in the country.
Abul Kashem Md. Mohiuddin, Secretary, Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division under the Ministry of Planning, said this as the Chief Guest at an orientation programme for the prime stakeholder on the establishment of BPPA and its functions.
BPPA conducted the programme at its conference room in Dhaka on 11 March 2024.
The Secretary said, CPTU was a small unit within the IMED. Amid the growing technological challenges and volume of public procurement, it was very difficult for such a small unit with a small staff to take care of legal issues of procurement in the country.
To improve public procurement environment and professionalization, the CPTU was transformed into BPPA on 18 September 2023 with the enactment of the Bangladesh Public Procurement Authority Act 2023, he added.
“We are now drafting an organogram for BPPA and hope to send it to the Ministry of Public Administration soon”, said the Secretary at the orientation programme.
Officials of Bangladesh Planning Commission, Planning Division, Economic Relations Divisions, General Economics Division, IMED and BPPA numbering about 55 attended the orientation.
Mohammed Shoheler Rahman Chowdhury, Chief Executive Officer of BPPA, made a detailed presentation on the background, establishment, functions and future plans of BPPA.
He said, the total cost in public procurement in the country was only 3 billion US dollars in 2003, which is now about 30 billion US dollars. About 90 per cent of the Annual Development Programme (ADP) allocation is spent on procurement. Globally, the expenditures on procurement is about 13 trillion US dollars.