BPPA Boosts Women Participation in E-GP System

The Bangladesh Public Procurement Authority (BPPA) announced that 3388 women tenderers have enrolled with the electronic Government Procurement (e-GP) system. This revelation emerged at a session on "citizen engagement in public procurement with women tenderers," which was place on December 17, 2023, at the BPPA conference room in Dhaka.

The BPPA's CEO, Mohammed Shoheler Rahman Chowdhury, expressed hope about the incremental growth in female involvement, admitting that, while still tiny, the BPPA is actively seeking to create more diversity. The event, held with World Bank funding as part of the Digitizing Implementation and Public Procurement Project (DIMAPPP), included 30 women representatives from several business chambers, women entrepreneurs, and women tenderers.

The BPPA has announced the Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP) Policy as part of its commitment to sustainable public procurement. The strategy intends to include economic, social, and environmental considerations into the procurement process, with a particular emphasis on assisting female entrepreneurs and tenderers.

Dnet, the consulting firm in charge of the Citizen Portal, gave a thorough presentation on citizen participation via this digital platform during the event. The Citizen Portal, which was introduced in 2020, is a one-of-a-kind website that provides individuals with full information on public procurement.

Women tenderers lauded the government's move and requested that additional information about them be made available on the webpage. The Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) Secretary underscored the government's commitment to increase women's involvement in public procurement.

As of December 17, 2023, the e-GP system has received 761,146 tenders for a total cost of TK792,664 crore, demonstrating the technology's strong influence on public procurement in Bangladesh.