The passing of the new Bangladesh Public Procurement Authority (BPPA) law marks a significant milestone for public procurement practices in Bangladesh. The introduction of this law brings about several changes aimed at enhancing transparency, accountability, and efficiency in public procurement.
The new law establishes BPPA as an independent body overseeing all public procurement in the country, replacing the Central Procurement Technical Unit (CPTU), formed in 2002 as a unit under the Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Department of the Ministry of Planning. The CPTU was crucial in increasing efficiency and streamlining government procurement, mainly through the e-Government Procurement or e-GP platform. BPPA will be led by a 10-man board of directors spearheaded by the Minister of Planning, who will be chairperson of the board. The State Minister of the Ministry of Planning will also be on the board, being the senior vice chairperson. The government, however, holds the right to increase or decrease the number of board members subject to government gazettes.
The e-GP platform was inaugurated by the Prime Minister of Bangladesh back in 2011 to create a digital platform for government procurement activities and to digitize government procurement. With the introduction of the new law, the e-GP platform will publish all procurement contracts online, making them accessible to the public. This shift will help ensure transparency and fairness in public procurement practices, enabling the public to know how and where their money is being spent and whether procurement contracts are awarded equitably.
The BPPA is mandated to act as the legal and technical supervisor of increased public procurement, facilitating sustainable public procurement related to Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) targets and ensuring the best use of public funds through proper implementation of Public Procurement Laws. Establishing the BPPA is expected to bring about a more robust and transparent public procurement system, which will be critical in driving economic growth and development in Bangladesh.
In general, introducing the new BPPA law is a beneficial step towards improving public procurement in Bangladesh. The newly enacted law aims to enhance public procurement transparency, efficiency, and accountability. This, in turn, is expected to promote economic growth and development in the country.