E-tender Starts in Bangladesh

The Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) of the Ministry of Planning published the tender notice on www.eprocure.gov.bd for procuring laptop, desktop computers and UPS for the electronic government procurement (e-GP) laboratory at the Central Procurement Technical Unit (CPTU). Outgoing IMED secretary Md. Habib Ullah Majumder approved the tender and estimate before he was given a farewell reception in the IMED Conference room. The CPTU has developed the national e-GP web portal which was officially inaugurated by Prime Minister Shaikh Hasina on June 2 this year.

Since then the e-GP web portal has been open for registration of the bidders and the procuring entities. Until October 3, 2011,a total of 237 bidders, 33 procuring entities and over 300 branches of seven scheduled banks were registered with the e-GP system. Director General of the CPTU Amulya Kumar Debnath was also present on the occasion of posting the tender notice in the e-GP system.

Deputy Director of CPTU Nasimur Rahman Sharif prepared the tender documents and carried out all relevant activities to upload the tender notice on the e-GP system. The first electronic government tender has been invited by CPTU DG Amulya Kumar Debnath under the Open Tender Method (OTM). The tender closing date is October 19, 2011.

The e-tender is being implemented on a pilot basis among four target agencies -- LGED, RHD, BWDB and REB. The tender notices of such procuring entities are also going to be published in the e-GP system soon. The CPTU is also included in the process. Gradually all government procurement activities will go online under the e-GP system.

Communications and Social Awareness Consultant of PPRP-II Shafiul Alam said CPTU has been carrying out awareness campaign on public procurement for the last three years. More programs will be launched to raise awareness about e- tender.

The bidders who have registered with the system under the goods category have automatically received the message on the publication of the tender notice on the e-GP system. Now the bidders will upload necessary documents from the e-GP portal and they will submit those on the system electronically.

The electronic tender has been invited in line with the present government vision for building a digital Bangladesh by 2021. CPTU is implementing the e-GP system under the Public Procurement Reform Project-II supported by the World Bank.

UNPAN Asia & Pacific