NDB delegation lauds Bangladesh's public procurement system
A team of the Shanghai-based multilateral bank discusses procurement policy with the Central Procurement Technical Unit
A nine-member delegation of the New Development Bank (NDB), at a meeting with the Central Procurement Technical Unit (CPTU), lauded the public procurement framework in Bangladesh.
"The public procurement system in Bangladesh is very advanced," Hua Xu, a senior procurement professional of NDB, observed at the meeting at CPTU Conference Room in Dhaka on Sunday.
He Tian, project team leader of the Public Sector Department of NDB, led the delegation in the meeting, chaired by CPTU Director General Mohammed Shoheler Rahman Chowdhury, said a press release.
The delegation of the Sanghai-based multilateral bank is now in Dhaka to finalise lending for the Dhaka City Water Supply Resilient Project of Dhaka WASA and explore financing in areas like digital infrastructure, water and sanitation, environment protection, social infrastructure, and clean energy.
At the meeting, the NDB delegation exchanged views with the Central Procurement Technical Unit of the planning ministry on the procurement practices of NDB and Bangladesh.
In a presentation, the DG of CPTU gave an overview of the Bangladesh Public Procurement Framework which includes steps towards reforms, transformation into an electronic procurement system, professionalisation of procurement, the impact of reforms, and new initiatives in the reform process.
He elaborated on the recent progress in the electronic government procurement (e-GP) system in Bangladesh.
These are in addition to e-GP of electronic contract management system, electronic audit, tenderers' database, international competitive bidding, and self-payment through automated challan, he added.
Directors of CPTU and Additional Secretaries Masud Akhter Khan and Md Shamimul Haque, Director and Joint Secretary Md Mahfuzar Rahman, Director Laboni Chakma, Senior System Analyst Md Mosharraf Hussain, and other officers of CPTU were present.
Mohammad Akhtaruzzaman, additional chief engineer and project director of Dhaka WASA, and its two other officers were also present.
The BRICS stands for Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. These countries are the founding members of the NDB. Bangladesh joined the development bank as a member in 2021. The United Arab Emirates and Egypt are also new members of the NDB.
The New Development Bank, formerly known as BRICS Development Bank, finances projects and innovates tailored solutions to help build more inclusive, resilient, and sustainable growth.