The first-ever Annual Performance Agreement (APA) of Bangladesh Public Procurement Authority (BPPA) for 2024-2025 fiscal year was signed on Sunday between the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of BPPA and the Secretary of Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED).
The Cabinet Division introduced Annual Performance Agreement from the financial year of 2015-2016 with an aim of increasing efficiency, bringing dynamism, improving quality of services in government functions and increasing effectiveness of organisations under an innovative approach.
The CEO of BPPA Mohammed Shoheler Rahman Chowdhury, on behalf of BPPA, and IMED Secretary Abul Kashem Md Mohiuddin, on behalf of the Ministry of Planning, signed the APA at the conference room of the IMED on the campus of the Ministry of Planning in Dhaka, read a press release.
The government transformed the former Central Procurement Technical Unit (CPTU) into the BPPA on September 18, 2023 with a view to enhancing professionalisation and improving the overall public procurement environment in the country.
Major tasks, among others, mentioned in the APA of the BPPA for 2024-2025 fiscal year include conducting procurement post review of contracts executed or ongoing in 2024-2025 fiscal year of 12 government procuring agencies, completing registration of 1.16 lakh tenderers in e-GP system, taking cumulative number of trainees in three-week procurement training to 12,800, week-long 4,200 and daylong 9,000, adding information of 15,000 registered tenderers to Tenderers' Database, piloting of sustainable public procurement etc.
The CEO of the BPPA has committed to achieve the results mentioned in the APA and the Secretary also committed to extend necessary support to make it happen.
BPPA plans piloting of SPP in FY25
As part of efforts to attain SDG Goal 12 as well as Target 12.7, Bangladesh Public Procurement Authority (BPPA) mulls piloting of Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP) in the country from the financial year of 2024-2025.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of BPPA, Mohammed Shoheler Rahman Chowdhury revealed the plan while making special remarks at the opening of a three-day training for master trainers of sustainable public procurement at a city’s hotel.
Organised by BPPA in collaboration with the World Bank, the training commenced on 27 June 2024 and concluded on 29 June 2024. A total of 38 participants comprising officers of BPPA, national procurement trainers and representatives of various procuring agencies took part in the training, reads a press release.
The welcome address was given by Nagaraju Duthaluri, lead procurement specialist of the World Bank, Dhaka Office, and the opening remarks were made by Operations Manager Gayle Martin.
In the process of SPP, environmental, social and economic factors are considered on the basis of a whole life cycle value of any goods, works and services to achieve value for money.
The World Bank has engaged an International Consultant Jellie Molino under the Climate Support Facility-Bangladesh grant for the knowledge-sharing program on Green Procurement.
Jellie has developed a training module in consultation with BPPA for GPP/SPP master trainers. She delivered training to the SPP master trainers.
The use of SPP/GPP instead of traditional procurement will help countries deliver on SDGs, improve environmental performance and develop markets with sustainable products and services and drive innovation.
It also will contribute to social equity and gender equality. BPPA formulated the SPP Policy under the Digitising Implementation Monitoring and Public Procurement Project (DIMAPPP) in 2023 with support from the World Bank.
The government, upon approval of the SPP Policy, published the gazette on 10 December 2023. BPPA has also formulated SPP Guidelines which are now under consideration by the government for approval.
Primarily, six products have been selected for piloting of SPP. These are paper and paper products, office supplies, computer and other electronic equipment and supplies, office and other furniture or related wooden appliances, vehicles and other transportation equipment, and official paper-made publications.
However, considering the impact on the environment, four other sectors like building and road constructions, water and energy are now considered for piloting of SPP. The BPPA has also selected focal persons for this from the respective procuring agencies.
The CEO of BPPA said capacity development is very vital for implementing the SPP. That is why in the first group training has been provided to 38 master trainers to develop them as experts in SPP.
There will be more such training to develop more trainers in the country. Sustainable Development Goal 12 speaks of ensuring sustainable consumption and production patterns and SDG Target 12.7 spells out the promotion of public procurement practices that are sustainable, in accordance with national policies and priorities.
