The government has pledged to complete the transition to a fully electronic Government Procurement (e-GP) system to improve efficiency, transparency and accountability in public procurement, State Minister for Planning Zonayed Saki MP said on Tuesday.
The announcement was made at two stakeholder consultation workshops titled “Enhancement of the e-GP System, Mandatory e-GP Implementation and Capacity Enhancement of the Bangladesh Public Procurement Authority (BPPA)” held at the NEC-2 Conference Room and the BPPA Conference Room at BPPA Bhaban on the Bangladesh Planning Commission campus in Dhaka.
The Bangladesh Public Procurement Authority (BPPA) organised the workshops as part of an ongoing consultation process aimed at gathering recommendations to strengthen the e-GP system, ensure mandatory implementation across all public procurement activities and enhance the institutional capacity of BPPA.
BPPA said in a press release that the consultations are intended to identify practical challenges in e-GP implementation and develop solutions through engagement with stakeholders from government, business and technology sectors.
The State Minister attended both workshops as chief guest. The sessions were chaired by S M Moin Uddin Ahmed, Chief Executive Officer (Secretary) of BPPA, while Shirajun Noor Chowdhury, Secretary of the Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED), attended as special guest.
The morning session brought together senior government officials and project directors from various ministries, divisions and agencies involved in implementing the e-GP system. The afternoon session focused on upgrading the e-GP platform and included representatives from public and private IT sectors, technology and engineering universities, and leading ICT associations.
BPPA Director Shah Eyamin Ul Islam delivered keynote presentations at both workshops, while Senior System Analyst Md Mosharraf Hussain presented a roadmap for upgrading the national e-GP system during the afternoon session.
Addressing participants, Zonayed Saki said the government considers a fully functional e-GP system essential for improving efficiency, transparency, accountability and value for money in public procurement.
He said public procurement represents a significant share of government development expenditure, making stronger procurement governance crucial for achieving better project outcomes.
“We want mandatory e-GP implementation in all public procurement across the country. To achieve this, the system must become more efficient, more user-friendly and better aligned with the needs of all stakeholders,” he said.
The State Minister also stressed that the government remains committed to accelerating development project implementation while ensuring improved quality, transparency and accountability throughout the procurement process.
Speaking at the workshops, BPPA Chief Executive Officer S M Moin Uddin Ahmed said the authority would continue holding stakeholder consultations in Dhaka and other parts of the country to understand operational challenges and limitations related to e-GP adoption.
“We will organise more stakeholder dialogues, including outside Dhaka, to gather practical feedback on the implementation of the e-GP system. Through these consultations, we aim to identify challenges and formulate effective solutions in collaboration with all stakeholders involved in public procurement,” he said.
IMED Secretary Shirajun Noor Chowdhury highlighted the importance of stronger project preparation alongside improved procurement systems. He said weaknesses in project design often affect effective implementation and stressed the need for better planning to ensure timely execution, greater efficiency and improved outcomes.
