Prioritising e-government procurement for vision 2021 and beyond

Transparency, fair competition and accountability are three defining features of an efficient public procurement system. Until 2011, the Bangladesh procurement process was paper-based and plagued by corruption and malpractices. Short bidding periods, nondisclosure of the selection criteria, pre-tender negotiation with bidders were some of the defining features of guiding Bangladesh’s public procurement activities.

Although the World Bank recommended introducing e-Government Procurement (e-GP) system in 2002, it was not until the current government’s Digital Bangladesh agenda that gave fresh impetus for the use and adoption of technology in public procurement. The e-GP system, implemented in 2011, has largely eliminated corruption and malpractices previously attributed to the traditional paper-based procurement system.