Many nations in the world have been successful in bringing technological and dynamic changes into the procurement process. In mid-2010, the Bangladesh government started piloting the ‘Integrated Electronic Government Procurement (e-GP) System’ for selected procuring entities such as the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED), the Roads and Highways Department (RHD), Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) and Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board (REB). The government aimed to roll out the tested e-GP system across all procuring entities that use public funds. The Central Procurement Technical Unit (CPTU) of IMED, Ministry of Planning, implemented e-GP. e-GP has simplified the public procurement process for both procuring entities and bidders. Bidders now can submit tenders online using the e-GP portal, from where and through which procuring agencies (PAs) and procuring entities (PEs) are able to perform their procurement related activities using a dedicated secured web-based dashboard. This online platform is designed to ensure equal access to the bidders, reduce transaction costs, and increase efficiency, transparency and accountability in the public procurement process in Bangladesh. The purpose of this policy note is two-fold: a) to provide an empirical assessment of the experiences (benefits derived, process-related challenges, governance issues, capacity/proficiency factors) of both state officials and the business community, in using Electronic Government Procurement or e-GP at the local level; and b) to offer a few policy recommendations, which will contribute to the relevant policy development in this area.
Authors: Hassan, Mirza M.; Rahman, Muhammad Ashikur; Hoque, Md. Mahan Ul
Type: Policy Brief
Year: 2016