Public Procurement Reform Project II

closed

The objective of the Second Public Procurement Reform Project is to improve performance of the public procurement system progressively in Bangladesh, focusing largely on the key sectoral ministries and targeting their implementing agencies. It would be achieved by strengthening the ongoing reform process and moving it further along with the following outputs: (i) enhanced capacity in creating a sustained program of developing skilled procurement professionals, (ii) strengthened management and monitoring of procurement in target agencies, (iii) introduction of electronic government procurement in those agencies and CPTU on a pilot basis, and (iv) creation of greater public awareness of a well functioning public procurement system by engaging civil society, think tanks, beneficiaries, and the private sector. All these actions are key elements in effective implementation of the procurement law/ regulations. There are 4 components to the project: 1) Furthering Policy Reform and Institutionalizing Capacity Development, which will support the capacity development program and include certain key features of core procurement skills to institutionalize procurement capacity in Bangladesh; 2) Strengthening Procurement Management at Sectoral Level, which will support strengthening four key sectoral target agencies for improved management and monitoring of procurement (Roads and Highways Department, Local Government Engineering Department, Rural Electrification Board, and Bangladesh Water Development Board); 3 Introducing e-Government Procurement (e-GP), which will support piloting e-GP on a phased approach in the target agencies to make the system more transparent and lower costs; and 4 Communication, Behavioral Change, and Social Accountability, which will support creating greater public awareness of a well functioning public procurement system by engaging civil society, think tanks, beneficiaries, and the private sector with the expectation of initiating a long-term process of procurement monitoring by them.