Govt paying local co more than foreign one

The government has decided to buy 1.80 crore litres of soybean oil from a domestic company and a foreign company, where it will pay the local supplier Tk 42.65 more for per litre oil compared to the foreign source.

The Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase (CCGP) approved two proposals at its 18th meeting this year on Wednesday for the procurement. Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal chaired the meeting.

The committee approved a total of 11 proposals from different government agencies on the day, Cabinet Division Additional Secretary Sayeed Mahbub Khan told reporters after the meeting.

Paying extra to local companies

Mahbub said following a proposal from the Ministry of Commerce, the state-run TCB would procure some 1.10 crore litres of soybean oil under international tender method from Accentuate Technology Inc USA (local agent OMC Ltd Dhaka) with around Tk 129.58 crore where per litre soybean oil would cost Tk 140.16.

The TCB would also procure some 70 lakh litres of soybean oil under local Open Tender Method from City Edible Oil Ltd with around Tk 127.85 crore where per litre of soybean oil would cost Tk 182.65. Besides, the TCB would procure some 12,500 tonnes of sugar under Direct Procurement Method from Brandshare Trading Ltd Dhaka with around Tk 131.25 crore where per KG sugar would cost Tk 105.

Earlier on May 17, the CCGP approved the purchase of 12,500 metric tonnes of sugar at Tk 66.27 crore from Accentuate Technology with the price of sugar per kg fixed at Tk 82.85.

In an earlier meeting on May 9, the CCGP nodded to proposals for buying 12,500 metric tonnes of sugar from Smart Metrics of Singapore at the rate of Tk 82.94 per kg for Tk 66.80 crore.

Compared to this, the government is now buying sugar at an additional price of Tk 22 per kg from local companies.

80,000 tonnes of TSP, MOP fertiliser

According to Mahbub, following two separate proposals from the Ministry of Agriculture, the Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) would procure some 30,000 tonnes of TSP fertiliser under the third lot under a state-level agreement from OCP, SA, Morocco with around Tk 120.03 crore. Per tonne fertiliser would cost $368.

Besides, the BADC would procure some 50,000 tonnes of MOP fertiliser under the 5th lot under state-level agreement from Canadian Commercial Corporation with around Tk 226.68 crore with per tonne fertiliser costing $418.

Tk511cr approved for BSMSN projects

Cabinet Division Additional Secretary Mahbub said the CCGP meeting approved three separate proposals from the Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA) on the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Shilpa Nagar (BSMSN). The projects - construction roads, drainage and appointing consultants - would cost of Tk 511.46 crore

He said the joint venture of Cheil Engineering Co Ltd Korea, Yooshin Engineering Corporation, Korea and Engineering and Planning Consultants Ltd Bangladesh will act as consultants at the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Shilpa Nagar Development Project. Their appointment will cost the government around Tk 53.53 crore.

Besides, a joint venture of CCECC, China and CRCC, China will implement the work for constructing 10.70-kilometre roads and 16.557-kilometre drainage works with around Tk 237.99 crore at the Mirsarai-2A economic zone area under Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Shilpa Nagar.

Apart from these, the CCGP meeting approved a proposal under which the National Development Engineers Ltd would construct 12.10-kilometre roads and 12.861-kilometre drainage network with around Tk 219.93 crore at Mirsarai-2B economic zone area.

2 projects getting extended, cost up

Wednesday’s CCGP meeting also approved two proposals to extend the deadlines and increase the expenditure of two separate projects from the Ministry of Water Resources and the Local Government Division (LGD) respectively.

Additional Secretary Mahbub said an additional Tk 12,86,46,425 has been approved for Dhaka Water Supply Network Improvement Project under the Local Government Division. In addition, an additional Tk 9,55,84,875 has been approved for the ‘South-West Integrated Water Resources Planning and Management (Phase 2)’ project of the Bangladesh Water Development Board under the Ministry of Water Resources.

He said the CCGP also approved another Tk 12.86 crore for the Dhaka Wasa project’s package No. 03.5 to extend the tenure of the project consultant- a joint venture of DOHWA, STUP, Dev Con, DDC Ges and IWM. The initial appointment of the joint venture is set to end on December 31 this year.