IfG.CC - The Institute for eGovernment

The online electronic procurement system has been introduced in the country, thanks to the government's pro-active move. But it has failed to gain popularity because of absence of mass awareness as well as necessary technical training. A FE report published on October 26 said, these factors have slowed down online electronic procurement. What is surprising is that the stakeholders in both public and private sectors are yet to be made aware of the new system. Only 19 organisations have so far been enlisted for the e-Government Procurement (e-GP) system, despite the fact that it was introduced 15 months ago. Moreover, the use of the system has not yet been made compulsory on consideration of the low level of computer literacy, less than required skill to use the electronic system and limited access to the Internet.

The e-GP system is based on a single web portal from where and through which procuring entities (PEs) are expected to be able to perform their procurement-related activities using a dedicated secured web-based dashboard. The access to the e-GP web portal on the part of the PEs, bidders and all others concerned has to be ensured through the Internet. The e-GP has been operational in some states of India, South Korea, China and some other countries in Asia. Their experiences show that the use of e-GP in public procurement reduces cost and saves time. Moreover, the system is safe and secure. The new system can enhance savings by 15 per cent or even more.

It indeed augurs well that the government, under a broad-based reform programme, has carried out a number of core tasks to make the public procurement system in Bangladesh well-functioning, transparent and accountable. Purchase of goods, works and services by any procuring entity using public funds is known as public procurement. The main thrust of the reforms is to make all concerned comply with the Public Procurement Act-2006 and the Public Procurement Rules-2008. These can remove earlier inconsistencies and different approaches towards the process of public procurement in the country.

According to a study, the total value of the country's public procurement amounts to more than $4.0-5.0 billion a year. Both the volume and value of such expenditures are expected to increase manifold in the coming years as development activities multiply. About three-fourths of the annual development expenditures are spent on the government purchases in various forms. The Central Procurement Technical Unit (CPTU) of the Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation Division under the Ministry of Planning has been assigned to implement and monitor e-GP.

There are still some infrastructural problems, like low Internet connectivity and shortage of power. The tele-density in the country is 45 per cent while the Internet-density is only 7.0 per cent. Such problems will have to be removed at the earliest in order to ensure wide currency of the e-tendering process. Moreover, a comprehensive awareness campaign and communication programme on public procurement reforms, law and rules, and extensive training scheme are required urgently for the purpose. All such efforts can help create an environment which will help ensure a well-functioning public procurement system in the country. e-GP will greatly help enhance the monitoring and evaluation framework of the large volume of public expenditure each year and increase efficiency of the procurement administration as well as reduce the cost of supplies.

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Quelle/Source: The Financial Express Bangladesh, 04.11.2013

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