Under BIGD’s ongoing efforts in citizen engagement, the 1st divisional workshop under Digitizing Implementation Monitoring and Public Procurement Project (DIMAPPP) was held on 11th July 2019, (Thursday) organized at Begum Rokeya Hall, RDRS Bangladesh, Rangpur. The workshop gathered diverse stakeholders such as beneficiaries, government officials, civil society, engineers, doctors, teachers, NGO members, and media personnel. The event started with welcome speeches from distinguished guests, followed by the 2nd half, in which a workshop was organized where participants shared their views about citizen involvement in public procurement. They also offered suggestions and recommendations to address the challenges that came along with the initiative. Moreover, the 13th Public-Private Stakeholders’ Committee (PPSC) meeting was held on 22nd August 2019 in the NEC Conference Room. The 13th PPSC was formed with representatives from the business community, think tanks, media and civil society organizations along with government officials. The members came together to discuss the progress of DIMAPPP so far, share the existing drawbacks, and decide on the future agenda that needed to be addressed. Citizen engagement activities through the workshop have shown numerous positive results in the field. For example, in the 1st year of implementation, citizens are monitoring road and school building construction. Citizens complained about using substandard materials and not maintaining the said standards in construction work. All the complaints were forwarded to the relevant authorities with further follow-ups to ensure that the quality is maintained as per requirement.
Author: BRAC Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD), Brac University
Type: Quarterly update
Year: 2019
